The winners of the 2005 National Book Award will be announced on November 16, 2005.
There are five finalists in the "Young People's Literature" category.

Penderwicks by Jean Birdsall
Where I Want to Be by Adele Griffin
Inexcusable by Chris Lynch
Autobiography of My Dead Brother by Walter Dean Myers
Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles

John Fowles, celebrated British author, died Saturday, November 5, 2005, in Lyme Regis, England. Fowles had been in poor health for several years.

A prolific writer of fiction, non-fiction, and essays, Fowles is best known for several provocative novels that left his readers guessing at the end. The Collector (1963), The Magus (1966), and the The French Lieutenant’s Woman (1969) were all made into movies that captured the attention of both critics and moviegoers.

A self-proclaimed curmudgeon, Fowles was displeased with his parents, his leadership role at his prep school, all world leaders, and the Royal Marines, not to mention intrusive fans wanting to discuss his work with him.

Fowles, whose last book was Wormholes, was 79.

With all the new releases by favorite authors this fall, The Da Vinci Code is “falling” on the list, this week to #12. The publisher is now contemplating when to release the paperback version. It will be interesting to watch those sale numbers. Is there anyone who has not read the book?

At #1 is At First Sight by Nicholas Sparks: a continuation of the inspiring love story from True Believer.

At #6 is The Ambler Warning by Robert Ludlum: with a nod to the great spy novelist Eric Ambler, this latest thriller by Ludlum involves a former agent escaping from government custody in order to establish his true identity.

On track and field day Ziggy knows he won't win a blue ribbon for running or jumping. He wishes there was a ribbon for what he loves most, drawing. Ziggy finds that doing what you love is the key to success. Claudia Mills writes this simple book with a winning message for young children. The brightly colored illustrations capture the innocence of childhood.

It is hard to believe that I stayed up all night with a teen novel, a vampire one at that. Twilight (film rights to MTV) took hold almost immediately and I was furiously turning pages (498 of them) – riveted, spooked and delightedly hooked. The basic storyline is one of a pair of 17 year-old star-crossed lovers, except for one fabulous twist – Bella is a potential meal for Edward, who is a vampire.
I don’t want to give too much away here but you could read up on the reviews. When you have the book in hand, plan on an all-nighter. And don’t go looking for other novels by Stephanie Meyer, this is her first! Let's hope she is working on the next one.

Renee Montagne talks to James Geary about his book "World in a Phrase" on the NPR program, Morning Edition, Tuesday 11-1-05. Geary has collected aphorisms from throughout history. It's a great idea. Pithy statements are so enjoyable. When Geary isn't writing books, he is the Europe editor for Time magazine.

One of many treasures in the book is the following;
"You ought to be thankful, a whole heaping lot,
For the places and people you're lucky you're not."
Dr. Seuss (1904-1991)

Are we going to run out of oil?
Will there be enough water to drink?
Are all the coastal areas going to be flooded as the ice cap melts?
Will our kids be able to find jobs that pay a living wage?

Today we will restrict ourselves to:
Where is all the garbage going to go?

If you think the United States is no longer producing anything, then think about the 1.3 tons of garbage that each American produces each year.

Two recent books follow the trail of trash:

Garbage Land: on the Secret Trail of Trash by Elizabeth Royte and
Gone Tomorrow: the Hidden Life of Garbage by Heather Rogers

Don't try to read this book without a pencil and paper, because you'll need them. Pearl seduces you into wanting, needing, to read the books that she has read. If you're unwilling to fall under her spell, this might not be the book for you. As for me, I'm dazzled, I'm willing and I'm ready to read.

Nancy Pearl first enticed me with her first book, Book Lust. Both of these books are worth reading, owning even. These books make great gifts for the readers in your life.

If this isn't enough to satisfy you, visit Pearl's website. Here you can keep abreast of where she is (on tour) and find a list of the projects she's working on. According to one source, Pearl is currently working on a third book, this one about books for children and teens.

The Hurston/Wright Foundation announced the winners of its 2005 Hurston/Wright Legacy Awards on Tuesday, November 1, 2005.

Winners in the four categories are:

Fiction
Maryse Condé – Who Slashed Celanire’s Throat

Debut Fiction
Chris Abani – GraceLand

Nonfiction
Alexis De Veaux – Warrior Poet: A Biography of Audre Lorde

Contemporary Fiction
Tracy Price-Thompson – A Woman’s Worth (this will be ordered November 15, 2005)

The mission of the Foundation, founded in 1990 by novelist Marita Golden, is “…to develop, nurture and sustain the world community of writers of African descent.” Named after two giants of literature, Zora Neale Hurston and Richard Wright, the Legacy Awards are in their 6th year and have honored such esteemed authors as Mat Johnson, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and Wil Haygood.

Please, enough with the ponchos already. It seems every time I browse the library's knitting patterns, I come upon an item that makes me wonder, "What were they thinking?!"

It turns out I'm not alone in my feeling that certain sweaters should never see the light of day. You Knit What??is the funniest knitting blog I've chanced upon in a long time.

And for the fictionally inclined, Knit One, Kill Two is the beginning of a new mystery series by Maggie Sefton.