Tome Death-Match, the Fight for the title: Book-Champion of the World!

Powells.com and themorningnews.org are sponsoring a book-off. And the contenders are:

The Plot Against America Philip Roth Houghton Mifflin v.
The Bad Boy’s Wife Karen Shepard St. Martin’s

The News From Paraguay Lily Tuck HarperCollins v.
The Inner Circle TC Boyle Viking

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell Susanna Clarke Bloomsbury v.
The Rope Eater Ben Jones Doubleday

Heir to the Glimmering World Cynthia Ozick Houghton Mifflin v.
Human Capital Stephen Amidon FSG

Cloud Atlas David Mitchell Random House v.
The Finishing School Muriel Spark Doubleday

An Unfinished Season Ward Just Houghton Mifflin v.
The Dew Breaker Edwidge Danticat Knopf

I Am Charlotte Simmons Tom Wolfe FSG v.
Wake Up, Sir Jonathan Ames Scribner

Birds Without Wings Louis De Bernieres Knopf v.
Harbor Lorraine Adams Knopf

So far, The Plot Against America, The Inner Circle, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, Heir to the Glittering World, Cloud Atlast, and An Unfinished Season are the winners in the first round. I'll let you go and see who today's winner is.

It would be a blast if RWA did the Rita's like this, with a one-on-one mentality, don't you think? You know, Nora against Linda Howard: "Alpha? You don't know alpha. My alpha can kick your beta's ass!". Laura Kinsale against Sherilyn Kenyon. "I smite your Dark-Hunters with my silver-tipped quill!" Judith Ivory against Diana Gabaldon: "Your Jamie ain't nothing but a red-headed, buggerin', rat-catcher, that's wot he is."

The possibilities are endless. So, any other face-offs would you like to see/judge? I'm off to write today (running late), so I'm hoping to do another post later this evening....