At 10:30 p.m. tonight (London time), the 2005 winner of The Man Booker Prize will be announced. The Booker Prize, established in 1969, is one of the most prestigious literary awards coveted by writers.

Tonight’s winner will be selected from the shortlist of six authors who were chosen August 7th. They are:

John Banville The Sea – scheduled for U.S. publication in 2006
Julian Barnes Arthur and George
Sebastian Barry A Long Long Way
Kazuo Ishiguro Never Let Me Go
Ali Smith The Accidental – scheduled for U.S. publication in 2006
Zadie Smith On Beauty

Last year's winner was Alan Hollinghurst for The Line of Beauty.

It's October again, the time to dust off copies of The Sixth Sense and Sleepy Hollow for an evening of seeing dead people and mistaking Johnny Depp for one of them. Just don’t forget there are many novels out there perfect for Halloween reading.

Bram Stoker’s Dracula tells the tale of a naive young Englishman’s travels to Transylvania to do business with a client, Count Dracula. A classic, and a surprisingly good read. For those who want big screen chills, check out the library presentation of the silent film Nosferatu with live musical accompaniment by Blue Dahlia.

More horror after the jump.

You’ve seen them at the mall, in your classes, or even living next door. They’re Zingers, who constantly quote famous lines from TV shows and movies. Or perhaps they’re Molly McButters, young women who epitomize the “granny cool” look. You may have even met a Hair Gel Knight, those unfortunate men who have confused gallantry with male chauvinism. And if you’ve seen them, Robert Lanham has categorized them. His newest book is Food Court Druids, Cherohonkees, and other Creatures Unique to the Republic, a hilarious taxonomy of frequently seen American types.

On the Diane Rehm show on Monday October 3, 2005
Diane's guest was the prolific and acclaimed author E.L. Doctorow. Their subject Doctorow's latest book March has received starred reviews. Doctorow's latest novel tracks Union General William Tecumseh Sherman's march through Georgia.

E.L. Doctorow, is the author of many novels and other works including "City of God" and "Ragtime." His many honors include a National Book Award, the PEN/Faulkner Award, and the National Humanities Medal.

Confucius: the Golden Rule is a biography of the ancient philosopher, Confucius. Although Confucius never wrote down his thoughts, followers recorded his teachings which are still relayed today. The French artist Clément’s elegant paintings of towns, temples and the bucktoothed Confucius himself have an ancient feel that perfectly sets the story.

Jada Pinkett Smith's poem Girls Hold Up This World comes alive with photographs of women and girls from all walks of life. The tender poem highlights the balance of feminine strength and compassion.

What is the future of gas prices and gas availability?
Read these books to try to understand the situation.

Deffeyes, Kenneth Beyond Oil: the View from Hubbert’s Peak

Goodstein, David Out of Gas: the End of the Age of Oil

Heinberg, Richard The Party’s Over: Oil, War and the Fate of Industrial Societies

Klare, Michael Blood and Oil: the Dangers and Consequences of America’s Growing Petroleum Dependency

Roberts, Paul. The End of Oil: On the Edge of a Perilous New World

Simmons, Matthew Twilight in the Desert: the Coming Saudi Oil Shock and the World Economy

Develop an appreciation for the tree rats in your yard by reading these lovely accounts. Such Agreeable Friends: Life with a Remarkable Group of Urban Squirrels by Grace Marmor Spruch records her observations of the squirrels in Washington Square Park and of the one climbing the rubber plant inside her Greenwich Village apartment. Eugene Kinkead's Squirrel Book has wonderful squirrel stories that may convert us all to squirrel fanciers.

Ann Arbor’s own Davy Rothbart, writer and magazine publisher, can be seen on CTN Channel 17 this week, speaking on his collection Found:The Best Lost, Tossed, and Forgotten Items from Around the World. The program, part of the library’s 'Sunday Edition' series, was recorded in May. It can be viewed on October 4 at 3:30 p.m., October 6 at 1:30 p.m., October 7 at 5:00 p.m., and on October 8 at 1:30 p.m. Rothbart, a graduate of Community High and the University of Michigan, is the creator of Found magazine which publishes the text of the discarded bits of people’s lives: receipts, shopping lists, unsent letters, personal notes, etc. During the program he also reads one of the stories in his eagerly-awaited, just-released collection of stories The Lone Surfer of Montana, Kansas.

"Listen for me on a spring night, on a wet night, on a rainy night.…Listen for me tonight, tonight, and I'll sing you to sleep." So begins Song of the Water Boatman and other Pond Poems by Joyce Sidman. Poetry forms from Haiku to sea shanties highlight the food chain of a pond, cattails in all seasons, or late fall when a painted turtle settles into the mud. Each poem is accompanied by a paragraph that provides scientific information about a specific creature, plant, or aspect of pond life. Becky Prange's woodcuts are a natural accompaniment to Sidman’s poems. My favorite is the title poem about a Water Boatman; “Down through the jolly waters green, I stroke with legs both long and lean, like a streamlined class-A submarine…on a sunny summer’s morning.” Delightful!!