The Library Vault

The results are in! And it wasn’t really close. And the Russell Library 2024 Tournament of Books Champion is…

With a whopping 87.3% of the vote, Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus was voted the Russell Library’s 2024 Tournament of Books Champion! Recently adapted into an Apple TV+ mini-series, Garmus’ debut novel about a chemist-turned-cooking show host really resonated with the readers of Middletown.

All in all, over 400 votes were cast throughout the Tournament, with a little over a few dozen submitting full bracket predictions. How did yours turn out?

Join me as we journey back to the beginning of the tournament, and recap the action as it unfolded.

First Round Summary and Results

Sixteen books entered the first round, all with aspirations of becoming the Tournament of Books Champion. Split between Nonfiction and Fiction, each book would need to battle its way past its peers for a shot at the title.

The Nonfiction titles included historical and sociological tales, popular memoirs, and even a cookbook. Of particular note was the matchup between Prince Harry’s “Spare” and Britney Spears’ “The Woman In Me.” These two titles were certainly among the most talked-about books of 2023, perhaps because they were authored by two pop culture giants. Over one-third of patrons who submitted a bracket in this tournament predicted that one of these two titles would ultimately represent the Nonfiction division in the championship round.

However, things look a little different on the Fiction side. The heavy favorite coming into the tournament was Garmus’ “Lessons in Chemistry.” Nearly half of all patrons who submitted brackets predicted “Lessons in Chemistry” would win it all. The rest of the field includes a couple of titles that just barely squeaked their way into the lineup, such as “Happy Place” by Emily Henry and “Hello Beautiful” by Ann Napolitano. Did any of these titles stand a chance in a crowded field with a clear frontrunner?

Let’s take a look at the results from the first round and see how things played out.

Spare vs The Woman in Me:

Britney was a popular upset pick, with nearly half of the bracket entrants predicting it would prevail over Prince Harry’s memoir. It looked like it might happen, too, if not for a late surge of votes for “Spare.”

Belonging vs I’m Glad My Mom Died:

This matchup was somewhat close early on, but “I’m Glad My Mom Died” created more separation as the voting went on. It’s hard to ignore a book with a title as bluntly provocative as McCurdy’s.

Poverty, by America vs Go-To Dinners:

I’m not sure if I should be surprised about how close this one was. It’s hard to evaluate a matchup where both books are so different from one another, but that’s to be expected when one of them is a cookbook. “Go-To Dinners” performed admirably for being the black sheep of the first round; nonetheless, Ina Garten is going home early.

The Wager vs Crying in H Mart:

Early on in the voting, it looked like “Crying in H Mart” would run away with this one, but a late push from “The Wager” made it a more interesting finish. Alas, that ship has sailed.

Hang The Moon vs Happy Place:

The bracket entrants were split evenly on which of these two books would advance. It’s unsurprising, then, that this was one of the closest results. Emily Henry’s “Happy Place” successfully completed a late rally to overtake the lead in this one.

Someone Else’s Shoes vs Demon Copperhead:

Despite the seeding, “Demon Copperhead” appeared to be the favorite heading into this matchup. The eventual result was apparent throughout voting, and was never particularly close.

Lessons in Chemistry vs Heart Bones:

A landslide decision if there ever was one, and the most lopsided of this tournament. “Lessons in Chemistry” had the looks of a champ-in-the-making from the start. This was a certified shellacking.

Mad Honey vs Hello Beautiful:

One of our librarians had a nearly-perfect bracket. Their only incorrect pick in the entire tournament was predicting “Mad Honey” to beat “Hello Beautiful.” It’s tough, missing perfection by such a small margin (the smallest of the entire tournament, in fact). I hesitate to call this an upset, however, despite the seeding. By all accounts, both books were widely enjoyed by readers, as the near-split decision would suggest.

Second Round Summary and Results

After a first round filled with surprise results and thrilling comebacks, only eight books remain. The Nonfiction field saw three memoirs advance to the second round, accompanied by Matthew Desmond’s “Poverty, by America.” On the Fiction side, lower-seeds “Happy Place” and “Hello Beautiful” both squeaked into the second round by the narrowest of margins. However, their path to the championship now runs through two books which won handily in the previous round. How will each book fare against its new opponent?

Spare vs I’m Glad My Mom Died:

Imagine there is a reader who did not enjoy Jennette McCurdy’s book. Such a reader, upon seeing these results, might be compelled to say, “I’m glad ‘I’m Glad My Mom Died’ died” (sorry). This one appeared to be headed for a photo-finish, but the paper votes (tallied at the end of the voting period) again swung the results in Prince Harry’s favor.

Poverty, by America vs Crying in H Mart:

Another decisive victory by “Crying in H Mart.” Do we have a Cinderella on our hands?

Demon Copperhead vs Happy Place:

This was an interesting matchup between two highly acclaimed but very different novels. “Happy Place” would ultimately prove to be no match for the 2023 Pulitzer Prize winner for Fiction.

Lessons in Chemistry vs Hello Beautiful:

I don’t know if this result surprised anyone, especially given Napolitano’s slim margin of victory in the first round, but my goodness. Through two rounds, “Lessons in Chemistry” looked unstoppable.

Semifinals Summary and Results

And then there were four….

The two memoirs representing the Nonfiction bracket in the Semifinals were written by authors from two very different backgrounds. In “Crying in H Mart“, Michelle Zauner, a Korean-American musician from Eugene, Oregon, tells of her experience grieving the loss of her mother through the traditional Korean cuisine her mother used to make. It will have to go through Prince Harry’s memoir, “Spare,” in order to make an appearance in the Championship round.

It’s not uncommon in professional sports with rigid tournament formats (such as a bracket) that a situation arises in which two teams perceived to be the two best must face-off before the final round. When this happens, it’s often deemed the “true” or “real” final. It might not be a stretch to apply such a label to the Fiction Semifinal. More than half of all readers who submitted a bracket predicted that either “Lessons in Chemistry” or “Demon Copperhead” would emerge victorious. Lessons in Chemistry might be the favorite, but the results from this matchup may be the most telling of the entire tournament.

Spare vs Crying in H Mart:

“Crying in H Mart” held a slight lead at one point in this matchup, but as before, enough late votes poured in for “Spare” to send it to the Championship round.

Lessons in Chemistry vs Demon Copperhead:

“Demon Copperhead” earned a larger share of votes than any other title facing “Lessons in Chemistry,” but it was still not enough. A true clash of heavyweight contenders here in the Fiction Semifinal.

Championship Summary and Result

At last, the Championship round was upon us! As Lessons in Chemistry practically bulldozed it’s way through the rest of the fiction field, “Spare” clawed its way to the final round through a series of close margins and comeback victories. Does Prince Harry’s memoir, which details his life and eventual exit from the royal family, stand a chance against Bonnie Garmus’ debut novel?

Spare vs Lessons in Chemistry

Looks like a resounding “no.”

I think it’s fair to say the Fiction Semifinal was the “true” final after all… yowza! Sorry, Prince Harry.

Book Bracket Prediction Contest – By The Numbers

In total, 38 of our readers participated in the Book Bracket Prediction Contest. Out of a possible 3,200 points, the average score was around 1,600 points. The winner of the contest earned 3,000 points, by correctly predicting 6 out of the first 8 matchups, and going perfect the rest of the way. Kudos!

We also had 14 Russell Library staff fill out a bracket for fun, too. Of them, 12 correctly predicted Lessons in Chemistry to win. With an average score of 2150, it seems our librarians certainly have their fingers on the pulse of what books the Middletown community is enjoying!

Other interesting numbers of note:

-16 participants (approx. 42%) correctly predicted Lessons in Chemistry as the Tournament of Books Champion.

-Of those 16, only 3 participants correctly predicted both “Spare” and “Lessons in Chemistry” as the final two books.

-Only 3 participants correctly predicted all four books to appear in the Semifinals (“Spare,” “Crying in H Mart,” “Demon Copperhead,” and “Lessons in Chemistry”).

-On the contrary, 3 unlucky individuals incorrectly predicted both “Spare” and “Lessons in Chemistry” to be defeated in the first round.

-23 participants (approx. 60%) incorrectly predicted “Mad Honey” to defeat “Hello Beautiful” in the first round.

-9 participants had their predicted champion ousted in the first round, resulting in busted brackets.

–0 participants correctly predicted all eight first round matchups, but 8 participants managed to go 7 for 8.

And that’s a wrap!

I hope you enjoyed this inaugural Tournament of Books as much as we had putting it on. For us, it sure made March go by quick! It will be interesting to see which new books make the tournament next year. Remember, the participating books are based on how much they circulate, so be sure to check out your favorite books, new or old, from Russell Library!

Thank you again, and Happy Reading!