And The Winner Is....

Just a quick note to let all of you know that one of my favorite authors, Neil Gaiman, has won the 2009 Newbery Medal for his most excellent novel, The Graveyard Book. I love Gaiman's reaction to the news when the chair of the ALA Newbery committee called him at his hotel to make the announcement: "You are on a speakerphone with at least 14 teachers and librarians and suchlike great, wise and good people, I thought. Do not start swearing like you did when you got the Hugo. This was a wise thing to think because otherwise huge, mighty and fourletter swears were gathering. I mean, that's what they're for." Agreed, but luckily no naughty words were uttered--not within earshot, at least! Anyway, The Graveyard Book is certainly worth an award or two. "A delicious mix of murder, fantasy, humor and human longing, the tale of Nobody Owens is told in magical, haunting prose. A child marked for death by an ancient league of assassins escapes into an abandoned graveyard, where he is reared and protected by its spirit denizens." Deliciously good stuff for readers of all ages. This book will not frighten you, but it will touch you. I bought it, devoured it, then bought a copy for my niece, who absolutely loved Gaiman's Coraline.

So do I really need to keep repeating myself? Gaiman's got the goods, and if you still haven't read him yet, seriously, get with it.

Australia Day

The tradition of "Australia Day" began in the late 1700s when 11 convict ships from Great Britain and the first governor of New South Wales arrived on January 26, 1788 in what would later be called Australia. It was called First Landing Day or Foundation Day and is still celebrated today all over the continent. Join the party and try one of these award winning Australian authors:

Hydrogen Steel by K. A. Bedford

The Lost Dog by Michelle de Kretser

The God of Spring by Arabella Edge

Heaven's Net is Wide... by Lian Hearn

Orpheus Lost by Janette Turner Hospital

Carry Me Down by M. J. Hyland

Red Spikes by Margo Lanagan

The Complete Stories by David Malouf

Heir to Sevenwaters by Juliet Marillier

The White Earth by Andrew McGahan

The Shifting Fog by Kate Morton

The Broken Shore by Peter Temple

The Hanging Mountains by Sean Williams



For more information: Australia Day.

Books to Movies to Academy Awards

The book was far better than the movie! How many times have you heard this when you try to discuss a film you just saw with a friend? Or, are you, like me, the person who makes that statement?

The 2009 Academy Award nominations were announced this past week and I wondered how many of the nominees were based on books. There are not as many as in recent years, but some of the top ones, up for Best Picture, Actor, etc., have been preceded by a novel.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - F. Scott Fitzgerald

Revolutionary Road - Richard Yates

Q & A - Vikas Swarup

The Reader - Bernhard Schlink

Doubt - John Patrick Shanley

Audition

Ever wonder which famous people are great interviews---or awful subjects for interviews? Read Audition by Barbara Walters and you’ll have your answer. Walters spills the beans on the more personal side of famous people, while also divulging some very interesting personal stories of own. Whether you like Barbara Walters or not, you have to give her credit for breaking the glass ceiling in television news.

Arab American Book Awards

The Arab American Book Award was established in 2006 and highlights books that celebrate and advance the understanding of Arab American culture. The 2009 award will be announced in the spring of this year. Entries must be written or illustrated by an Arab American or address the Arab American experience. The representation of Arab Americans should be accurate and avoid stereotypes. Twenty-two Arab countries--from Algeria to Yemen--reflect the diversity of the writers that can enter. Try one of these past winners/honorable mentions:
In the Country of Men by Hisham Matar
Origin by Diana Abu-Jaber

For more authors go to the Ethnic Authors List of our website.

The Associate

John Grisham will release his twenty-first work of fiction on January 27th. The Associate follows Kyle McAvoy, who is fresh out of law school with a dark secret to hide, as he is blackmailed into taking a job at a prestigious firm. He quickly finds that he is being used and forced to do things there that are highly illegal.

Grisham's last work of fiction was The Appeal, released last year. This legal thriller author has an impressive list of fiction works. Many of these items are available at the library in book or audio form. Click here for a list of Grisham's works available at the library.

For you true-crime fans check out The Innocent Man, which is Grisham's only work of nonfiction. This book tracks the trial of a small-town murder and the numerous problems that came up, leading to the imprisonment of the wrong man.

In the Queue

Three Weeks to Say Goodbye
by C. J. Box
Jack and Melissa finally adopt a baby of their own. An unexpected problem develops when the teenage father lays claim to his child.

Nemesis: The Final Case of Eliot Ness
by William Bernhardt
Ness, famous for taking down America’s most notorious criminals, is recruited by the mayor of Cleveland to clean up the city’s widespread crime.