March Madness

While our NCAA bracket sinks into oblivion after just two rounds (I believed in you, Kevin Durant), I'm gladly turning my attention to The Morning News' annual Tournament of Books. It's a contest for best book of the year that employs the indefatigable bracket system, which I love because it's the only "best of" award that not only acknowledges, but actually embraces the arbitrary nature of these choices.

Today's example, in which hyperbolic novelist Thomas Pynchon faces off against graphic novelist Brian K. Vaughn, is perhaps the most amusing exercise in absurdity yet. Anthony Doerr is the judge, and to give you a sense of how things go, his selection process includes this line: "Look, pretend for a moment you’re an ant." And click here for Chicagoan Kevin Guilfoile's running commentary, alongside humor writer John Warner.