March Madness gets us all in the end. For the last three years, the library has been following The Morning News Tournament of Books. Yes, we are fans and the brackets are displayed in an exhibit case in the library.

This year’s winner is The Orphan Master’s Son by Adam Johnson. Although the tournament started with a play-in round of Iraq war themed novels won by Billy Lynn’s Long Half-Time Walk, the official opening round started with The Round House by Louise Erdrich versus The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. The Fault in Our Stars was the staff book club’s March pick so we have a soft spot for it (along with most of the US.) Green’s win over Erdrich set up the first of two match-ups between The Fault of Our Stars and The Orphan Master’s Son, the quarterfinals.

After The Orphan Master’s Son eliminated The Fault in Our Stars in the QF it moved on to semifinals against Chris Ware’s comic box, Building Stories –

and was defeated! Goodbye Orphan Master’s Son. So how do two titles knocked out of the tournament end up in championship final? They come back as zombies. In the TOB books rise from the dead. Zombie #1, The Fault in Our Stars earns its spot in the final with a controversial win over Building Stories and Zombie #2, The Orphan Master’s Son takes down Gone Girl.

— Pamela Mann