Awards: Crimespree Magazine; World Fantasy Finalists

Sean Chercover's Trigger City won the 2009 Crimespree magazine award for favorite book of 2008. Other winners were Chasing Darkness by Robert Crais (best in ongoing series), Brian Azzarello (favorite comics writer), Money Shot by Christa Faust (favorite original paperback, mass market or trade) You can see the runners-up in all categories at Crimespree's blog, Central Crime Zone.

Finalists have been named for this year's World Fantasy Awards. The winners will be announced at the World Fantasy Convention in October. The shortlist includes:
Novel:
The House of the Stag by Kage Baker
The Shadow Year by Jeffrey Ford
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Pandemonium by Daryl Gregory
Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan
Anthology
The Living Dead edited by John Joseph Adams
The Del Rey Book of Science Fiction and Fantasy edited by Ellen Datlow
The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 2008: Twenty-First Annual Collection edited by Ellen Datlow, Kelly Link and Gavin J. Grant
Logorrhea edited by John Klima
Paper Cities: An Anthology of Urban Fantasy edited by Ekaterina Sedia
Steampunk edited by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer
Collection
Strange Roads by Peter S. Beagle
The Drowned Life by Jeffrey Ford
Pretty Monsters by Kelly Link
Filter House by Nisi Shawl
Tales from Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan

2009 RITA Awards

Contemporary Series Romance: A Mother's Wish by Karen Templeton
Contemporary Series Romance, Suspense/Adventure: Danger Signals by Kathleen Creighton
Young Adult Romance: Hell Week by Rosemary Clement-Moore
Historical Romance: The Edge of Impropriety by Pam Rosenthal Regency Historical Romance: My Lord and Spymaster by Joanna Bourne
Inspirational Romance: Finding Stefanie by Susan May Warren
Romance Novella: The Fall of Rogue Gerard by Stephanie Laurens in It Happened One Night
Paranormal Romance: Seducing Mr. Darcy by Gwyn Cready
Novel with Strong Romantic Elements: Tribute by Nora Roberts
Romantic Suspense: Take No Prisoners by Cindy Gerard
Best First Book: Oh. My. Gods. by Tera Lynn Childs
Contemporary Single Title Romance: Not Another Bad Date by Rachel Gibson

Author Frank McCourt Dies

Frank McCourt, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir, Angela’s Ashes, died in Manhattan on Sunday. He was 78. Angela's Ashes describes a childhood of horrid deprivation:"When I look back on my childhood, I wonder how I survived at all. It was, of course, a miserable childhood: The happy childhood is hardly worth your while." He wrote 2 additional memoirs: ’Tis (1999), which described his early immigrant years in New York, and Teacher Man (2005), a bitter sweet account of his challenges as a public-school teacher.

Thrillerfest 4 Award Awards

Brad Meltzer was awarded the Silver Bullet Award for his contributions to the advancement of literacy. The Dollar General Literacy Foundation was given the corporate award for its support of literacy and education. Alexandra Sokoloff won best short story for The Edge of Seventeen from the superhero anthology The Darker Mask . Tom Rob Smith won best first novel for his novel Child 44 . Jeffrey Deaver was awarded the best thriller for his latest novel The Bodies Left Behind. Sandra Brown, last year’s ThrillerMaster, introduced this year’s ThrillerMaster, David Morrell, who received the award “in recognition of his vast body of work and influence in the field of literature.” Morrell created Rambo, one of only five fictional characters that are said to be known worldwide (along with Sherlock Holmes, Tarzan, James Bond and Harry Potter).

Lost Unfinished Graham Greene Mystery Discovered

The Los Angeles Times has reported that an unpublished, unfinished mystery novel by Graham Greene has been discovered. Found at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas in Austin by Francois Gallix, the manuscript is believed to have been written by Greene when he was 22. Set in a country house, the story opens as the guests meet in the morning and notice that one guest is absent. They go to wake him, only to find him murdered,a knife in his chest. The Strand Magazine will publish the existing five chapter as a serial, starting with its July issue. "To me what is wonderful about all of this is that Greene published a few short stories in the old Strand," said Andrew Gulli, The Strand Magazine’s managing editor, "so I feel we’re continuing the tradition." Gulli added that his magazine would like to find a writer to finish the manuscript.

Author Brad Thor at Warren Newport Library July 11

On Saturday, July 11, New York Times bestselling author Brad Thor will discuss his newest book The Apostle at the Warren Newport Public Library. His talk will start at 3:00 p.m.

Chicagoan David Reidy's Book Debut, Captive Audience

David Reidy, a graduate of the University of Notre Dame, recently published his first work of fiction, Captive Audience. A collection of performance-based short stories, the book describes how Reidy sees what happens on stage in a live performance. His characters include stand-up comic, karaoke performers, and dancers.
Reidy currently is working on his next novel.

Romance Author Eloisa James @ Warren Newport 7/10

Bestselling romance writer Eloisa James will be at Warren Newport Publicv Library on
Friday, July 10, 2:00 p.m. James will discuss her latest book This Duchess of Mine. After graduating from Harvard University, Eloisa got an M.Phil. from Oxford University, a Ph.D. from Yale, and eventually became a Shakespeare professor and head of Fordham University's creative writing program. The public is invited. The library is located at 224 N. O'Plaine Rd in Gurnee, IL. For more information, call 847-244-5150.

2009 Locus Award Winners

Winners are:
Science Fiction Novel: Anathem by Neal Stephenson
Fantasy Novel: Lavinia by Ursula K. Le Guin
First Novel: Singularity's Ring by Paul Melko
Young Adult Book: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Novella: Pretty Monsters by Kelly Link
Novelette: Pump Six by Paolo Bacigalupi
Short Story: Exhalation by Ted Chiang
Anthology: The Year's Best Science Fiction ed. by Gardner Dozois
Collection: Pump Six and Other Stories by Paolo Bacigalupi
Non Fiction/Art Book: Coraline: The Graphic Novel, Neil Gaiman, adapted and illustrated by P. Craig Russell

Chicago Author Patrick Somerville's Debut Novel

Patrick Somerville, who teaches literature and creative writing at Northwestern University, recently published his first novel, The Cradle. The Chicago Public Library has named him the winner of the 21st Century Award, and the novel has been optioned for film rights. Somerville also has published a volume of short stories, Trouble, in 2006. In a recent interview with Mary Houlihan of the Chicago Sun Times, Somerville said "I'm definitely of a school of writers that believes imagination can take you to a lot of places. Fiction is a way to explore questions about life, a workshop to think through the issues ahead of time."

"Our Histories, Our Stories" Program at the Harold Washington Library Center 6/29/2009

The program "Our Histories, Our Stories" with Henry Louis Gates Jr. in conversation with Rick Kogan will be held on Monday, June 29 at the Harold Washington Library Center from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. The program is free and open to the public.
Henry Louis Gates Jr. is the Aphonse Fletcher University Professor and Director at the W.E.B. Dubois Institute for African and African American Research at Harvard University. His most recent book is Lincoln on Race and Slavery. Rick Kogan is the host of WGN's Sunday Papers with Rick Kogan and a columnist for the Chicago Tribune. Kogan is the author of several books, including Sidewalks: Portraits of Chicago. The program is sponsored by the Illinois Humanities Council and the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission. For more information, call 312-747-4050.

Masterpiece Mystery Presents 6 Agatha Christie Mysteries

Masterpiece Mystery! presents 6 Agatha Christie mysteries this summer. David Suchet is Christie's Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot. Julia McKenzie is Christie's Miss Marple. The schedule:
June 21, 2009: Cat Among the Pigeons (Hercule Poirot).
June 28, 2009: Mrs. McGinty's Dead (Hercule Poirot).
July 05, 2009: A Pocket Full of Rye (Miss Marple).
July 12, 2009: Murder is Easy (Miss Marple).
July 19, 2009: They Do It With Mirrors (Miss Marple).
July 26, 2009: Why Didn't They Ask Evens? (Miss Marple).

U. S. Author David Eddings Dead

Eddings was the author of more than 25 books, many of them written with his wife Leigh Eddings, who died in 2007. He started writing fantasy after he noticed a copy of The Lord of the Rings in a bookshop, and saw that it was in its 73rd printing. The Eddings' work includes The Belgariad series (5 books, 1982-1984) and The Malloreon series (5 books, 1987-1991), with three related books in the 1990s; The Elenium and The Tamuli (two trilogies, 1989-1994); and The Dreamers series (4 books, 2003-2006) He never using a typewriter or computer, writing out his novels in long-hand.
Although Eddings was a fantasy writer, he once admitted “I don’t read in the field. I can’t. I have an unconscious burglar living in my mind: If I read something, it’s mine. I can read Middle English stories, Geoffrey Chaucer or Sir Thomas Malory, but once I start moving in the direction of contemporary fantasy, my mind begins to take over.”
Fantasy author Stephen Hunt eulogized Eddings on his blog: "I was in my early teens when I discovered (Edddings') books, and they opened my eyes to the fact that not all fantasy had to be the 'Ye Olde Speake' variety favoured by Tolkien – they were fantasy, but they carried a modern feel to the dialogue and characterisation, while still being firmly placed in a deeply believable fantasy world.... David is one of the reasons I became a writer, so I guess you can partially blame my Jackelian series on him. He's probably pottering around Garion's farm right now with a smile on his face, wondering what all the fuss is about. Goodbye David, you will be missed."

Orange Prizes

Home by Marilynne Robinson was the judges' unanimous choice for this year's Orange Prize for best novel written by a woman. The shortlist included Samantha Hunt's The Invention of Everything Else, Samantha Harvey's The Wilderness, Deirdre Madden's Molly Fox's Birthday, Kamila Shamsie's Burnt Shadows and Ellen Feldman's Scottsboro. Francesca Kay won the Orange Award for New Writers for her novel An Equal Stillness.
The Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction is one of the Great Britain's most prestigious literary prizes, awarded annually for the best original full-length novel by a female author of any nationality. The winner receives a cash prize and a bronze sculpture "Bessie" created by artist Grizel Niven. Past winners include: Carol Shields, Ann Patchett, Lionel Shriver, and Zadie Smith.

Alice Munro Wins Booker International Prize

Canadian short story writer Alice Munro has won the third Booker International Prize. The prize is awarded every two years for an entire body of work and is open to writers from around the world. The first International Prize was awarded to Albanian writer Ismail Kadare in 2005. Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe won it in 2007. Munro has a new collection of stories, Too Much Happiness, coming out in November.

Northwestern Graduate Henriquez's Debut Novel

Cristina Henriquez's novel The World in Half reflects her life as the American-born child of Panamanians. The novel is set in Panama City and Hyde Park. The main character is a young student who abandons her studies at the University of Chicago to search for the Panamanian father who left her pregnant mother years before. Both the author and her character question where they belong. Henriquez has felt connected to both Panama and the United States, appreciating the cultures and customs of both countries. Holding a dual citizenship, Henriquez navigates comfortably in the 2 worlds. Henriquez wrote most of the novel at her Hinsdale home and the local library.

Lincoln Biographer Donald Dead

David Herbert Donald, a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian of the Civil War and American South, died this past Sunday. A professor emeritus at Harvard University, Donald won Pulitzers for biographies of abolitionist Charles Sumner and novelist Thomas Wolfe. His latest book is Charles Sumner and the Coming of the Civil War. He was best known for his books on Lincoln. An award was named after him, the David Herbert Donald Prize for “excellence in Lincoln studies.”

Dan Brown's Angels and Demons Film

Angels & Demons, based on the novel by Dan Brown opens this Friday, May 15. The story takes place before the events recorded in his best selling novel Da Vinci Code. Ron Howard directs this story of a Harvard symbologist (Tom Hanks) who must stop a secret society's attack on the Vatican. The film runs 138 minutes and is rated PG-13.

Public Enemies Film Based on Burrough's Book of Same Name

Bryon Burrough's book Public Enemies: America’s Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933-34 is the basis of Johnny Depp's upcoming film Public Enemies. The film was shot in Chicago and will open on the July 4th weekend. Depp plays the infamous gangster John Dillinger. Burrough, an extra in the film, goes to Depp's (Dillinger's)side after he has been shot. Depp (Dillinger)falls on the same slab of Chicago where Dillinger was shot 75 years ago.

Pen/Beard Awards

Cormac McCarthy has won the $25,000 PEN/Saul Bellow Award for lifetime achievement in American fiction. The PEN American Center also named Steve Coll the recipient of a nonfiction award for his book, The Bin Ladens: An Arabian Family in the American Century; and awarded citations to Nobel laureate Nadine Gordimer, Ha Jin and 18 other authors for excellence in short fiction.
The James Beard Foundation named Fat: An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingredient, with Recipes by Jennifer McLagan as cookbook of the year.