Book Awards...How Many of These Things Are There?

Nobel Peace Prize, heard of it. Pulitzers, heard of those too. But what about the Pen Faulkner, Booker, Orange, Hugo, Nebula, Bram Stoker, Edgar A. Poe, National Book Award, Newbury, Caldecott Medal,  Hemingway, Somerset Maugham, and T.S. Eliot prize awards just to name a few more?

There seems to be an inexhaustible number of book awards out there, and like too many T.V. award shows it can leave readers a bit confused. In my efforts to broaden my horizons I've decided to start reading books from a few lists that I like in order to better understand certain genres and also to push my reading in directions I might not have previously considered. Currently, I'm enjoying winners of the Michael Shaara Prize for Excellence in Civil War Fiction and have really liked some of the books I've come across so far. 

Obviously, some great books never get awards, but that doesn't mean that there aren't some neat finds on every book award list. What are some of your favorite prize lists to peruse? Perhaps something a bit unusual (hint hint)?  

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows: Part II

Hello Harry Potter fans, this weekend I watched the last of the films on the big screen, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows: Part II.” Overall, a pretty decent conclusion to the overarching film series that began over a decade ago. Don't worry I won’t give away any spoilers here.

Inevitably the discussion always comes up when readers of the books compare notes with the films themselves, and I think it's important to remember that the purpose of film isn't to simply translate a book verbatim into a motion picture. That being said there were of course things I loved in the books that I hoped to see in the movie, but it's not always meant to be. There were definitely a few memorable scenes and a lot of funny jokes from the books that got cut out, but what can you do.

So, who else out there identifies as a fan of the Harry Potter books and has also seen the latest film? Or any of the previous films for that matter? I suggest reading the books first as the films can be a little difficult to follow at times without the background information, but I leave that up to you.

The Hobbit Comes to Film

 

That's right, down in New Zealand Peter Jackson is about midway into filming scenes for the upcoming two-part movie based on J.R.R. Tolkien's classic The Hobbit. Many returning actors from the LOTR trilogy will appear, including Gandalf, Bilbo (old and young), and somehow even Legolas and Frodo. Don't ask, I'm not quite sure how they could possibly work Frodo in unless they do some strange flash-foreword. Also, expect dwarves....lots and lots of dwarves.

Apparently, two films are in the works, the first of which will be a straight-up version of the book The Hobbit, and a year after that an interpretive Tolkien story that's supposed to bridge the gap between The Hobbit story and the LOTRs. Needless to say, I'm very excited that they're making the films, however, as a book-lover and Tolkienite, I do worry a bit about what exactly the second film will entail considering no specific book was written to bridge the generation between Bilbo and Frodo's times.

Nonetheless, I believe that film helps generate people's interests in books, so in the end I still think Tolkien will have the last laugh (so to speak). I know Harry Potter is coming out soon, but tell me that some of you out there are pumped up about the next series of Middle Earth movies. Any fellow Tolkien fans out there?

Summer Retreats

Sometimes picture yourself high up in the mountains in a cabin pounding away at the great American novel on a typewriter? Or perhaps you see yourself lounging in a remote beach community in the tropics while you pen your memoirs by hand. If so, you've probably got summer retreat fever...something that I think most authors catch at some point during the warm season.

With the advent of summer it's hard to sit inside a stuffy office, school room, or even your house while the natural world seems to delight in its own glorious existence. I sometimes like to visit a family country house or spend time down the coast where it's warm by the beach, but other times I just enjoy getting inspiration in my summer garden right at home. I suppose the key ingredient is...do whatever keeps you writing.

But everyone finds their happy summer retreat writing place in different locations. Where do you like to go this time of year for inspiration, peace, solace, and a nice quiet zone to work? Do you prefer a mountain retreat, a tropical getaway, or perhaps you like the big urban sprawl?

Connecting with the World

Do you remember the days before answering machines and Wikipedia? Back in the ancient times when if you couldn’t find info in an encyclopedia or have someone’s home address you simply knew nothing about the subject or person? In other words, the era before the internet. 

It’s pretty rad that today I can chat with someone on the other side of the globe or meet people with similar interests online…like all of you! I signed up as one of the first users for Google Analytics on Blogger a couple years ago, and today I believe everyone has this feature on their blog. Basically, it allows you to see basic data regarding people visiting your blog, i.e. country, browser, site hits, etc. 

Don’t worry, it’s not big brother, and nobody’s specific user-account shows up, but it’s a pretty groovy tool. During an average week I get people from 5 different continents visiting my blog and I can also tell what posts prove more popular based on hits they receive. So if you haven’t viewed the analytics tab on your blog check it out today.   

Grand Canyon and Zion

Ever gaze into the largest precipice on earth at sunset? Or try hiking upriver through a narrow riverbed in the bottom of a desert canyon? Well, if you like wilderness parks or natural wonders of the world in general, I’ll have to take you along on my next trip.  

This 4^th of July weekend my wife and I visited my brother-in-law who works as a park ranger on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Needless to say we saw some sweeping dramatic views of the landscape and engaged in some pretty incredible hikes along the Grand Canyon in Arizona as well as the Narrows of Zion National Park in Utah a few hours away. 

We flew into 110 degree heat in Las Vegas and needless to say I did lots of driving through several states, but got to see a lot of desert beauty along the way. At 8000 and almost 9000 feet of elevation in places my wife and I fell asleep pretty quick after a full day of hiking each evening on our trip. So how was your 4^th of July?  

148th Anniversary

Ever wonder what a hundred 19^th century cannons going off at once sounds like? Perhaps you prefer stylish parasols and hoop skirts on a warm summer day. If either of these unusual proposals sounds appealing, you should check out a Civil War reenactment this weekend.

July 1^st this year marks the 148^th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg and tens of thousands of reenactors and many many more audience members will gather to commemorate the event as they do every year. I’m always cognizant of this day, both because of the book I’m currently writing is about the American Civil War (The Long Defeat) and because I take part in Civil War reenactments. I’ve attended plenty of reenactments in California, but unfortunately can’t make it out to the reenactment this weekend in Pennsylvania, but it’s something I’d like to do someday.

So what types of summer events with thousands of people do you like to attend? Renaissance Fairs, Professional Firework Displays, Sports Games? It’s summer and almost 4^th of July, so you’ve got an excuse to have fun!