The Morning News' annual Tournament of Books has just entered its second round, with eight books already eliminated.

Following the college basketball tournament bracket style, the contest has guest writers like Maud Newton and Junot Diaz pick a favorite between two books--the winner proceeds to the next round. In the first round, both Jhumpa Lahiri's "Unaccustomed Earth" and Joseph O'Neill's "Netherland" were eliminated in surprise knockouts.

Here's Newton on today's contest: "Like Bolano's novel, A Partisan's Daughter comments (if mostly implicitly) on the nature of storytelling and art, but its insights are a little slight and in any event have receded in the delirium induced by 2666. I vote to advance the Bolano."