All's Fair in Love & War

In honor of the anniversary of the publication of Margaret Mitchell's historical fiction Gone with the Wind on June 30, 1936, we'd like to offer up our own list of 'Masters of the Past'. From books based 35,000 years ago to multi-generational sagas, this list has it all! Expanded from articles in Bookmarks magazine.

Or, for some campy fun, consider reading the sequels, making-of books, the screenplay, & related titles that come up in our library catalog! (Note: the catalog search linked to this post is a keyword search of 'Gone with the Wind'. Some titles listed may only be included because title or description may contain those keywords, though the items themselves have nothing to do with Margaret Mitchell's book.) Also recommended: The Wind Done Gone by Alice Randall-"Think of Margaret Mitchell's epic Gone with the Wind condensed and told from the perspectives of Mammy and the Tara slaves," Library Journal says.

We were in Atlanta in the '90s and visited the Margaret Mitchell home. If you're in the area, it's worth a look-see! Apparently there is also a Gone with the Wind museum in Marietta called Scarlett on the Square.

Halfway there!

What an interesting summer it's turning out to be, trying to read a book from each section in the children's fiction shelves. I've been deliberately random with my choices, and it's proved a good way to stay off the well-traveled paths.

I've finished eleven out of twenty-two, and it seemed like a good time for a progress report!

1. The Mysterious Benedict Society, by Trenton Lee Stewart
   
2. Cyberia, by Chris Lynch
   
3. Dork In Disguise, by Carol Gorman
   
4. Totally Confidential, by Sally Warner
   
5. Go Big Or Go Home, by Will Hobbs
   
6. The Savage, by David Almond
   
7. The Perfect Cat-Sitter, by Ann Whitehead Nagda
   
8. The Fire Within, by Chris D'Lacey
   
9. The Shakespeare Stealer, by Gary Blackwood
   
10. The Volcano Disaster, by Peg Kehret
    
11. Danger Boy, Episode 1: Ancient Fire, by Mark London Williams

Jun 27, 1922: First Newbery Medal for children's literature

The John Newbery Medal is awarded annually by the American Library Association for the most distinguished American children's book published the previous year. Named for eighteenth-century English bookseller John Newbery, the purpose of the Newbery Medal was stated as follows: "To encourage original creative work in the field of books for children. To emphasize to the public that contributions to the literature for children deserve similar recognition to poetry, plays, or novels. To give those librarians, who make it their life work to serve children's reading interests, an opportunity to encourage good writing in this field."

History.com celebrates the Newbery

Newbery Medal Winners, 1922 - Present (list)


Our all-time favorite Newbery winners (& honored books) are The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin, A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle, Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink, The Grey King by Susan Cooper, Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell, The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread by Kate DiCamillo, Lily's Crossing by Patricia Reilly Giff, Anpao: An American Indian Odyssey by Jamake Highwater & A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck. What are yours?

World Cup Fever!

As we enter the second round of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa (known to aficionados as the Round of 16), things are heating up. The top two teams from each group have advanced & now, to lose a game means you're going home, so the stakes are high! If you've just caught World Cup fever, or even if you'd just like to know a little more about the competition, consider browsing the library catalog! We have some books & media to get you started.

For a schedule of games, try ESPN.

For the most information, try the website of the International Federation of Association Football-commonly known as FIFA for the acronym of its French name, Fédération Internationale de Football Association. You can even follow the games with a live MatchCast!

To watch live games in a group setting, try local pizzeria Saggio's.

Pearl Buck in China

We recently read an article in the New York times about a new book by Hilary Spurling about author Pearl S. Buck's early years called Pearl Buck in China: Journey to 'The Good Earth'. The anniversary of Pearl Buck's birth is coming up on June 26th, so we thought, though we don't have a copy of the Spurling biography in the system at this time, we would suggest other readings by & about this award-winning American author who spent most of her life in China. Buck was, of course, most famous for writing The Good Earth, but she did write several other books for adults & children.

ABC Libraries does own copies of the complete biography of Pearl Buck mentioned in the New York Times article, Pearl S. Buck: A Cultural Biography by Peter Conn.

For books about other expatriates, try searching the library catalog or consider this list from The Guardian.

Spur Awards

Love Westerns? The Western Writers of America are meeting right now in Knoxville, Tennessee, to give out the Spur Awards, for distinguished writing about the American West. N. Scott Momaday has won the 2010 Owen Wister Award for lifetime contributions to the literature of the American West. Momaday, author of House Made of Dawn, is a graduate of the University of New Mexico who now lives in Santa Fe. Other prizewinners at this year's Spur Awards include Far Bright Star by Robert Olmstead & The Secret War in El Paso: Mexican Revolutionary Intrigue, 1906-1920 by Charles H. Harris III, & Louis R. Sadler.

Happy Father's Day

Here are some movies you & your father might enjoy watching together this Father's Day!

• Old Dogs


• Father of the Bride


• Life with Father


• Big Fish


• Kolya


• Aberdeen (rated R)


• Adiós con el Corazón