2006 Quill Book Awards Winners

The 2006 Quill Book awards winners were announced October 28, 2006

The Quill Awards, launched in 2005, are the first literary prizes chosen by readers. Books are nominated for consideration by booksellers and libraries. They are an industry qualified "consumers choice" awards program for books, honoring the current titles readers voted most entertaining and enlightening in nineteen categories. The winners are:

Book of the Year
Madea's Uninhibited Commentaries on Love and Life
Tyler Perry/Riverhead

The Variety Blockbuster Book To Film Award
The Devil Wears Prada
Lauren Weisberger, Anchor Books & Broadway Books
David Frankel Director, 20th Century Fox

Debut Author of the Year
Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen
Julie Powell/Little, Brown & Company

Audio Book
Marley and Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog
John Grogan/Harper Audio

Children's Illustrated Book
If You Give a Pig a Party
Laura Joffe Numeroff, illustrated by Felicia Bond /HarperCollins Children's Book Group/Geringer

Children's Chapter Book/Middle Grade
The Penultimate Peril
Lemony Snicket/HarperCollins Publishers

Young Adult/Teen
Eldest
Christopher Paolini/Random House Children's Books

General Fiction
A Dirty Job: A Novel
Christopher Moore/William Morrow

Graphic Novel
Naruto, Volume 7
Masashi Kishimoto/A Shonen Jump imprint (VIZ Media)

Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Twelve Sharp
Janet Evanovich/St. Martin's Press

Poetry
Amazing Peace: A Christmas Poem
Maya Angelou/Random House Adult Trade Publishing Group

Romance
Blue Smoke
Nora Roberts/Putnam

Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror
A Breath of Snow and Ashes
Diana Gabaldon/Dell Publishing

Religion/Spirituality
Mama Made the Difference
T. D. Jakes/Putnam

Biography/Memoir
Marley and Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog
John Grogan/William Morrow

Business
The Girl's Guide to Being a Boss (Without Being a Bitch): Valuable Lessons, Smart Suggestions, and True Stories for Succeeding as the Chick-in-Charge
Caitlin Friedman and Kimberly Yorio/Broadway Books

Cooking
Rachael Ray 365: No Repeats: A Year of Deliciously Different Dinners
Rachael Ray/Crown Publishing Group

Health/Self Improvement
It's Not Easy Being Green: And Other Things to Consider
Jim Henson/Hyperion

History/Current Events/Politics
An Inconvenient Truth
Al Gore/Rodale Press, Incorporated

Humor
Don't Make a Black Woman Take off Her Earrings:
Madea's Uninhibited Commentaries on Love and Life
Tyler Perry/Riverhead

Sports
Get Your Own Damn Beer, I'm Watching the Game!:
A Woman's Guide to Loving Pro Football
Holly Robinson Peete/Rodale Press, Incorporated

Some of my favorites are listed!

JWil

Where were you when “Dirty Dancing” was released? Most of us can remember.

Now “Dirty Dancing” is opening on London’s West End stage with record advance ticket sales, nearly 20 years after the movie’s release. The London stage production, which opens on Tuesday, is reportedly the most successful pre-sold show in the history of London theatre. It has generated £11m in ticket sales before even opening. Why? you ask. "No one puts Baby in the corner, " still holds true 20 years later.

Since its release in 1987, Dirty Dancing has become a classic of the song/dance/ genre. The movie was set in 1963 and starred Jennifer Grey as a well-to-do family holiday camp attendee and unlikely love interest Frances, “Baby”, Houseman to Patrick Swayze’s older, wrong-side-of-the-tracks dance instructor, Johnny Castle. Ultimately it is about the transformative power of love. She is transformed from a girl into a woman by Johnny and she transforms him from a cynical, angry young man into someone who believes in justice. It also has echoes of Pygmalion in it - a younger woman being taught how to do something properly by an older man. There is also the aspect of achievement, and especially women achieving by dance was a popular theme during the ’80’s.

The movie cost just over about $4 million to bring it to the screen, but took over about 25 times that in ticket sales worldwide. It went on to become the first film ever to sell a million copies on video. It won critical acclaim, including ASCAP Awards, Golden Globes, an Amanda (Norway) Award, a Grammy, a Golden Screen, and an Independent Spirit Award and the soundtrack topped the charts. Its Jennifer Warnes-Bill Medley theme tune, “(I've Had) The Time Of My Life”, won an Oscar for best original song and was even recently declared the third most popular song currently played at funerals in the UK. “She’s Like the Wind” won a BMI Film & TV Award as the most-performed song from a movie

Other great "achievement through dancing" movies from the decade beginning in 1977 were Saturday Night Fever, and The Turning Point of that year. 1979 brought Bob Fosse's brilliant All That Jazz. Dancing moved to tv in 1982 with the series, Fame. The Red Shoes was made into a tv movie in 1983, the same year that Flashdance burst into theaters. We were treated to Footloose in 1984. 1985 saw the release of A Chorus Line and the historical documentary, That's Dancing, which included footage of many of the world's greatest dance performances on film. Jennifer Beals' Flashdance made the cut. Also from 1985 was Fast Forward. Justine Bateman was outstanding as a blind dancer trying to find her way in the world in Can You Feel Me Dancing in 1986. Ending the decade was Dancers.

And if, after watching all these movies, you still don't know how to do it, there is a book on the subject: Dirty Dancing: How to Do It by Mimi Kasbah.

All my best efforts didn't produce Patrick Swayse in my bedroom, darnit!

JWil

Outstanding Author and Journalist Oriana Fallaci Dies

The recent death of Oriana Fallaci, 77, the outstanding Italian writer and journalist, has saddened those of us who found her journalism brilliant and her writing probing, insightful. She began as a celebrity journalist, but as she matured, she became fascinated by world politics.

She bequeathed most of her collection of books and notes to the Pontifical Lateranense University in Vatican City, a beneficent act which grew out of her admiration of Pope Benedict XVI. It will be known as the Oriana Fallaci Archives. Some of the manuscripts date back to the 17th Century.

Her books include the "The Useless Sex" "Letter to a Child Unborn" "A Man", "If the Sun Dies", "Egotists" , "Penelope At War", "Limelighters" , "Nothing, And So Be It", "Nothing, And Amen", and "Interview With History". Her most recent were "The Force of Reason" and "The Rage and the Pride".


Her books are hard to find!

JWil (c) 2006

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas-in October

Every year we watch for the Christmas decorations to begin to appear. We don't count the decorations inside stores, because we've noticed that many stores carry Christmas items all year round now. Later, we start spotting and notating the best and most appealing decorations in store windows and shopping centers. There will also be breathtaking displays on some streets, and in our area, whole neighborhoods have a competition for the best religious, traditional, or comic categories. Our street won for several years in a row for our neighborhood.

But the real challenge is to see who can spot the first residential Christmas item, and note the date. This year, the date of the first residential Christmas decoration was October 10 in Ravenaux Subdivison. It is a green wreath about 4 feet in diameter, custom made to fit within the arch on the two-story front of a mansion across from the Ravenaux Country Club.

Beginning in September there are many yard art decorations and displays on the harvest theme , and there are some very lovely ones. During the past couple of weeks, people are beginning to put out their scary Halloween decorations as well.

But it is the Christmas early birds who intrigue us the most. We wonder at their motivation. We wonder when they will just stop taking the Christmas decorations down. Maybe they, like some of the retail establishments, will decide to just leave them up and make it a year-long celebration.

Chime in and tell us where and when you spotted special decorations in your neck of the woods. When did you see the first Christmas decoration?

Since we are talking about October, we might as well mention Halloween movies, such as "The Gate", "The Werewolf", "Last House on the Left", and "Psycho". You can read my review of "Psycho" with Julianne Moore, Anne Heche, Vincent Vaughn, and William Macy here:

   http://imdb.com/title/tt0155975/usercomments-529

JWil (c) 2006

Combat boots and stinky spray

We have geared up and are ready to leave for the Woodlands Friends of the Library sale. We find that a lot of the sellers prepare by not bathing for at least a week. Last time, my toes got stomped. So this time with combat boots and cheap perfume, I'm ready for anything!

Judith Ann

Wal-Mart announces $4 generic drugs in additional states

Wal-mart recently began a program of selling generic drugs for $4 for a 30-day supply in Florida. It has now expanded the program to 14 other states, including Texas, but unfortunately, not Tennessee.

Target in Florida is matching Wal-mart. Maybe this will expand to other retailer, as their stocks are taking hits on this news.

Judy (c) 2006

Welcome to our new blog: Woven-Words

Judd chose the name Woven Words for the title and url . I was on the google site for ages trying to find one that wasn't taken.

The link is: http://woven-words.blogspot.com/ . Only I can originate posts. Invitees may comment. Anyone can view.

More later.
Judy