The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Having read and enjoyed a couple of Neil Gaiman's books - notabably the Anansi Boys and Stardust - I was given The Graveyard Book to read, and I'm so glad I did.

Aimed at all ages, but principally a children's book, it is a typical Neil Gaiman book - just a little off centre, or almost normal,but with a supernatural twist.

A toddler escapes his bed at the precise moment that the rest of his family are murdered by a knife wielding "Jack". The child toddles out, along the road and into an old graveyard where the residents take it upon themselves to protect and look after him by giving him the Freedom of the Graveyard.

He becomes Nobody (Bod) Owens and grows up quite normal - even if he does happen to have parents, carers, teachers and friends that have long since passed over and are invisible to everyone else. Chats with, for example, long dead poets, an old Roman, ghouls and even the non-dead (but not alive either) make for a emminently enjoyable read.

His education is, to say the least, interesting. Of course instruction in things like how to Fade, Dreamwalk and ask for help in numerous supernatural languages, is of questionable benefit in the land of the living. Nevertheless, he IS a living boy and as such does long to be outside the graveyard. However venturing outside also means that his protectors have limited power to help him and the mysterious Jack could find him again and finally finish his work of so many years ago.

An adventure story sprinkled with wisdom, mystery and excitement, I urge you to read and enjoy.... and start looking for more books by this wonderful author.

The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare

A Newberry Medal winner, this book was recommended to me as a classic in children's literature and I really enjoyed the story.

Set in the late 17th century the story is about Kit Tyler, an independent and confident young lady (age 16) who travels from a relatively carefree life in Barbados to an Aunt who resides in cold and bleak Connecticut.

Having come from a life where she had been free to do as she wished, never expected to work and with a personal servant who had been with her since childhood, Kit finds her Aunt and Uncle's Puritan household to be overly strict and she can't help but rebel against the rules and restrictions they expect her to follow as a member of their family.

Kit is constantly at conflict with her Uncle and the expectations of the community's Puritan beliefs. After one such conflict she escapes the confines of the house to the peaceful meadows outside of the town. An old quaker widow, Hannah, lives there and all are warned to stay away as there are suspicions the woman could be a witch. However Kit finds comfort with Hannah who seems to have a calming influence on her and makes the rest of her life more bearable.

There are young men in Kit's life - the keen suitor William, the annoying but good looking sailor, Nat, and a divinity student John who is one of the few people she feels able to talk to beside her cousins Mercy and Judith.

As she has been well educated, Kit helps Mercy in 'the dame school' and befriends a little girl, Prudence, who she met on the last leg of her voyage and who is somewhat dazzled by the capable Kit. Kit works hard to overcome early objections to her by the community but her continued friendship with Hannah fuels suspicions. Combined with jealousy and fear this culminates in Kit being accused of witchcraft.

The book moves with a fast pace and there are occasions when you are filled with terror for what could happen to Kit. She is an easy character to identify with - after all, haven't we all wanted to rebel against people telling us what we can and can't do?

A great read for older children/young adults, or just the young at heart!

2010 Academy Awards

L to R: Sandra Bullock, best actress winner ; Kathryn Bigelow winner of best director for the best movie, the Hurt Locker ; Jeff Bridges, best actor winner.


The 2010 Academy Awards was a glittering affair and rightly so. Dominated by wins by The Hurt Locker, these were the winners and nominees:


Best Motion Picture of the Year
WINNER : The Hurt Locker
Other Nominees: Avatar ; The Blind Side; District 9 ; An Education ; Inglourious Basterds ; Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire ; A Serious Man ; Up ;
Up in the Air


Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
WINNER : Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart
Other Nominees: George Clooney for Up in the Air ; Colin Firth for A Single Man ; Morgan Freeman for Invictus ; Jeremy Renner for The Hurt Locker.


Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
WINNER : Sandra Bullock for The Blind Side
Other Nominees: Helen Mirren for The Last Station ; Carey Mulligan for An Education ;
Gabourey Sidibe for Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire ; Meryl Streep for Julie & Julia


Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
WINNER : Christoph Waltz for Inglourious Basterds
Other Nominees: Matt Damon for Invictus ; Woody Harrelson for The Messenger ; Christopher Plummer for The Last Station ; Stanley Tucci for The Lovely Bones


Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
WINNER : Mo'Nique for Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
Other Nominees: Penélope Cruz for Nine ; Vera Farmiga for Up in the Air ; Maggie Gyllenhaal for Crazy Heart ; Anna Kendrick for Up in the Air


Best Achievement in Directing
WINNER : Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker
Other Nominees: James Cameron for Avatar ; Lee Daniels for Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire ; Jason Reitman for Up in the Air ; Quentin Tarantino for Inglourious Basterds


Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
WINNER : The Hurt Locker - Mark Boal
Other Nominees: Inglourious Basterds - Quentin Tarantino ; The Messenger - Alessandro Camon, Oren Moverman ; A Serious Man - Joel Coen, Ethan Coen ; Up - Bob Peterson, Pete Docter, Thomas McCarthy


Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published
WINNER : Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire - Geoffrey Fletcher
Other Nominees: District 9 - Neill Blomkamp, Terri Tatchell ; An Education - Nick Hornby ; In the Loop - Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche ; Up in the Air - Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner


Best Achievement in Cinematography
WINNER : Avatar - Mauro Fiore
Other Nominees: Das weisse Band - Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte - Christian Berger ; Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - Bruno Delbonnel ; The Hurt Locker - Barry Ackroyd ; Inglourious Basterds - Robert Richardson


Best Achievement in Editing
WINNER : The Hurt Locker - Bob Murawski, Chris Innis
Other Nominees: Avatar - Stephen E. Rivkin, John Refoua, James Cameron ; District 9 - Julian Clarke ; Inglourious Basterds - Sally Menke ; Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire - Joe Klotz


Best Achievement in Art Direction
WINNER : Avatar - Rick Carter, Robert Stromberg, Kim Sinclair
Other Nominees: The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus - David Warren, Anastasia Masaro, Caroline Smith ; Nine - John Myhre, Gordon Sim ; Sherlock Holmes - Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer ; The Young Victoria - Patrice Vermette, Maggie Gray


Best Achievement in Costume Design
WINNER : The Young Victoria - Sandy Powell
Other Nominees: Bright Star - Janet Patterson ; Coco avant Chanel - Catherine Leterrier ; The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus - Monique Prudhomme ; Nine - Colleen Atwood


Best Achievement in Makeup
WINNER : Star Trek - Barney Burman, Mindy Hall, Joel Harlow
Other Nominees: Il divo - Aldo Signoretti, Vittorio Sodano ; The Young Victoria - John Henry Gordon, Jenny Shircore


Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score
WINNER : Up - Michael Giacchino
Other Nominees: Avatar - James Horner ; Fantastic Mr. Fox - Alexandre Desplat ; The Hurt Locker - Marco Beltrami, Buck Sanders ; Sherlock Holmes - Hans Zimmer


Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song
WINNER : Crazy Heart - T-Bone Burnett, Ryan Bingham("The Weary Kind")
Other Nominees: Faubourg 36 (2008): Reinhardt Wagner, Frank Thomas("Loin de Paname"); Nine - Maury Yeston("Take It All") ; The Princess and the Frog - Randy Newman("Almost There"); The Princess and the Frog - Randy Newman("Down in New Orleans")


Best Achievement in Sound Mixing
WINNER : The Hurt Locker - Paul N.J. Ottosson, Ray Beckett
Other Nominees: Avatar - Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson, Tony Johnson ; Inglourious Basterds - Michael Minkler, Tony Lamberti, Mark Ulano ; Star Trek - Anna Behlmer, Andy Nelson, Peter J. Devlin ; Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers, Geoffrey Patterson


Best Achievement in Sound Editing
WINNER : The Hurt Locker - Paul N.J. Ottosson
Other Nominees: Avatar - Christopher Boyes, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle ; Inglourious Basterds - Wylie Stateman ; Star Trek - Mark P. Stoeckinger, Alan Rankin ; Up - Michael Silvers, Tom Myers


Best Achievement in Visual Effects
WINNER : Avatar - Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham, Andy Jones
Other Nominees: District 9 - Dan Kaufman, Peter Muyzers, Robert Habros, Matt Aitken ; Star Trek - Roger Guyett, Russell Earl, Paul Kavanagh, Burt Dalton


Best Animated Feature Film of the Year
WINNER : Up - Pete Docter
Other Nominees: Coraline - Henry Selick ; Fantastic Mr. Fox - Wes Anderson ; The Princess and the Frog - John Musker, Ron Clements ; The Secret of Kells - Tomm Moore


Best Foreign Language Film of the Year
WINNER : El secreto de sus ojos (Argentina)
Other Nominees: Ajami (Israel); Das weisse Band - Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte (Germany); Un prophète (France); La teta asustada (Peru)


Best Documentary, Features
WINNER : The Cove - Louie Psihoyos, Fisher Stevens
Other Nominees: Burma VJ: Reporter i et lukket land - Anders Østergaard, Lise Lense-Møller ; Food, Inc. - Robert Kenner, Elise Pearlstein ; The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers - Judith Ehrlich, Rick Goldsmith ; Which Way Home - Rebecca Cammisa


Best Documentary, Short Subjects
WINNER : Music by Prudence - Roger Ross Williams, Elinor Burkett
Other Nominees: China's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province - Jon Alpert, Matthew O'Neill ; The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner - Daniel Junge, Henry Ansbacher ; The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant - Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert ; Królik po berlinsku - Bartosz Konopka, Anna Wydra


Best Short Film, Animated
WINNER : Logorama - Nicolas Schmerkin
Other Nominees: French Roast - Fabrice Joubert ; Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty - Nicky Phelan, Darragh O'Connell ; La dama y la muerte - Javier Recio Gracia ; Wallace and Gromit in 'A Matter of Loaf and Death'- Nick Park


Best Short Film, Live Action
WINNER : The New Tenants - Joachim Back, Tivi Magnusson
Other Nominees: The Door - Juanita Wilson, James Flynn ; Istället för abrakadabra - Patrik Eklund, Mathias Fjällström ; Kavi - Gregg Helvey ; Miracle Fish - Luke Doolan, Drew Bailey

2010 BAFTAs

Earlier this week the 2010 BAFTAs were held in London. Here are the results:

Best Film
WINNER : The Hurt Locker (2008)
Other Nominees: Avatar (2009); An Education (2009); Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009); Up in the Air (2009/I)


Alexander Korda Award for Outstanding British Film of the Year
WINNER : Fish Tank (2009)
Other Nominees: An Education (2009); In the Loop (2009); Moon (2009) ; Nowhere Boy (2009


Best Actor
WINNER : Colin Firth for A Single Man (2009)
Other Nominees: Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart (2009); George Clooney for Up in the Air (2009); Jeremy Renner for The Hurt Locker (2008) ; Andy Serkis for Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll (2010)


Best Actress
WINNER : Carey Mulligan for An Education (2009)
Other Nominees: Saoirse Ronan for The Lovely Bones (2009) ; Gabourey Sidibe for Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009) ; Meryl Streep for Julie & Julia (2009) ; Audrey Tautou for Coco avant Chanel (2009)


Best Supporting Actor
WINNER : Christoph Waltz for Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Other Nominees: Alec Baldwin for It's Complicated (2009) ; Christian McKay for Me and Orson Welles (2008) ; Alfred Molina for An Education (2009) ; Stanley Tucci for The Lovely Bones (2009)


Best Supporting Actress
WINNER : Mo'Nique for Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009)
Other Nominees: Anne-Marie Duff for Nowhere Boy (2009) ; Vera Farmiga for Up in the Air (2009) ; Anna Kendrick for Up in the Air (2009) ; Kristin Scott Thomas for Nowhere Boy (2009)

David Lean Award for Achievement in Direction
WINNER : Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker (2008)
Other Nominees: Neill Blomkamp for District 9 (2009) ; James Cameron for Avatar (2009); Lone Scherfig for An Education (2009) ; Quentin Tarantino for Inglourious Basterds (2009)


Best Screenplay (Original)
WINNER : The Hurt Locker (2008): Mark Boal
Other Nominees: The Hangover (2009): Jon Lucas, Scott Moore ; Inglourious Basterds (2009): Quentin Tarantino ; A Serious Man (2009): Ethan Coen, Joel Coen ; Up (2009): Bob Peterson, Pete Docter


Best Screenplay (Adapted)
WINNER : Up in the Air (2009): Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner
Other Nominees: District 9 (2009): Neill Blomkamp, Terri Tatchell ; An Education (2009): Nick Hornby ; In the Loop (2009): Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche ; Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009): Geoffrey Fletcher


Best Cinematography
WINNER : The Hurt Locker (2008)
Other Nominees: Avatar (2009) ; District 9 (2009) ; Inglourious Basterds (2009); The Road (2009)


Best Editing
WINNER : The Hurt Locker (2008)
Other Nominees: Avatar (2009) ; District 9 (2009) ;Inglourious Basterds (2009) ; Up in the Air (2009)


Best Production Design
WINNER : Avatar (2009)
Other Nominees: District 9 (2009); Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) ;
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009) ; Inglourious Basterds (2009)


Best Costume Design
WINNER : The Young Victoria (2009)
Other Nominees: Bright Star (2009) ; Coco avant Chanel (2009) ; An Education (2009) ;
A Single Man (2009)


Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music
WINNER : Up (2009): Michael Giacchino
Other Nominees: Avatar (2009): James Horner ; Crazy Heart (2009): T-Bone Burnett, Stephen Bruton ; Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009): Alexandre Desplat ; Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll (2010): Chaz Jankel


Best Make Up/Hair
WINNER : The Young Victoria (2009)
Other Nominees: Coco avant Chanel (2009) ; An Education (2009) ; The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009) ; Nine (2009)


Best Sound
WINNER : The Hurt Locker (2008)
Other Nominees: Avatar (2009) ; District 9 (2009) ; Star Trek (2009) ; Up (2009)


Best Achievement in Special Visual Effects
WINNER : Avatar (2009)
Other Nominees: District 9 (2009) ; Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) ; The Hurt Locker (2008); Star Trek (2009)


Best Film not in the English Language
WINNER : Un prophète (2009)
Other Nominees: Los abrazos rotos (2009) ; Coco avant Chanel (2009) ; Låt den rätte komma in (2008) ; Das weisse Band - Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte (2009)


Best Animated Feature Film
WINNER : Up (2009)
Other Nominees: Coraline (2009) ; Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

Orange Rising Star Award
WINNER : Kristen Stewart
Other Nominees: Jesse Eisenberg ; Nicholas Hoult ; Carey Mulligan ; Tahar Rahim


Carl Foreman Award for the Most Promising Newcomer
WINNER : Duncan Jones for Moon (2009)(Director)
Other Nominees: Lucy Bailey, Andrew Thompson, Elizabeth Morgan Hemlock, David Pearson for Mugabe and the White African (2009)(Directors, Producers) ; Eran Creevy for Shifty (2008)(Writer/Director) ; Stuart Hazeldine for Exam (2009)(Writer/Director) ; Sam Taylor Wood for Nowhere Boy (2009)(Director)


Best Short Animation
WINNER : Mother of Many
Other Nominees: The Gruffalo (2009); The Happy Duckling (2008)


Best Short Film
WINNER : I Do Air (2009)
Other Nominees: 14 (2008) ; Jade (2009) ; Mixtape (2009) ; Off Season (2009)

The Kingdom by Jennifer McBay Barry

I read this book as part of a book club read. Unfortunately it is not available in Australia (at least through Independent booksellers and the main book chains), whether this is because it was only recently published or because it was a short first print run I'm not sure, but I had to obtain it overseas. It IS stocked by Amazon.com at the moment.

The first thing that struck me about the book is that it is quite a slim volume. In the large paperback format it is a mere 237 pages. In the YA category it's written simply and its size makes it is a nice, quick read!

The story is set in modern day Ireland and is written from the viewpoint of Rioghan, an incredibly handsome young man that we quickly learn has unearthly charms and talents. Toying with people's emotions he is clearly bored yet little things he does shows he really does care - providing it doesn't involve him!

Upon meeting the sharp-tongued, red haired Lily, daughter of a famous opera singer, he feels a niggle of something more. She doesn't fall for his charms and he starts to find her fascinating. The more Lily resists Rioghan, the more he feels and soon she becomes the centre of his universe.

The story is a wonderful blend of mythology and legend, of an immortal/ mortal relationship and of finding what is most important versus what you are expected to do.

The picturesque country of Ireland, described so well, provides a wonderful setting for this modern fairy tale.

Although I wasn't immediately impressed, the characters are interesting, have a depth to them that made me want to know more and I was soon in the can't-put-it-down mode! I couldn't help but think back on the legends and stories of the past and everything became completely plausible. By the end I was disappointed that there weren't a few hundred more pages!

I do have a bit of a problem with a couple of the terms used (eg. 'fairy' seems a bit light for the story and perhaps a more archaic spelling or term, eg 'faerie' or 'fair folk' would raise the level a little) but this is a fairly minor concern.

This is the start of a series and I must say that I am looking forward to reading more about Rioghan and his Kingdom in the future!

100 Cupboards by N D Wilson

On the recommendation of my local bookstore I bought this for my son earlier last year. My requirements were that he needed a novel - something a boy would like with some adventure, perhaps a little magic and aimed at his age (11/12).

He liked the look of it, started it, loved it and about 2/3 of the way through he stopped. It languished for months on his bedside table being overtaken by shorter novels borrowed from the school library. He finally started it again during the holidays and then put it down a couple of chapters from the end as it was a bit scary to read at night!

He finally finished it (during the daytime) and I finally got a chance to read it (he's quite strict that I CANNOT read his books before he does).

The story starts in a small country town named Henry in the state of Kansas. A young (12 y.o.) boy (also called Henry) who has lived a very sheltered, protected life goes to live with his Aunt and Uncle after his parents have been taken hostage while on a bicycle tour of Colombia. His Aunt Dotty is a friendly, frugal woman, his uncle is tall, thin and appears a little absent minded, however he deals well with the out-of-his-element Henry, and to top it off, his three cousins are all girls! The large front bedroom of the house is mysteriously referred to as "Grandfather's Room" but it has been locked since his death a couple of years previously and no-one can find the key to get in.

Henry is moved into the attic room where on his first night he hears some unusual scratching. He also sees coming out of the bathroom a mysterious short man in a purple robe who promptly becomes a hazy sort of memory.

On his second night, some plaster from the wall falls on his head and when he looks up, two small knobs are protruding from the plaster in the wall. Henry picks at the plaster and ends up uncovering, with his cousin Henrietta's help, a wall with 99 small cupboard doors that all appear locked.

Henry is wary, but Henrietta is excited and so the adventure begins. The mystery of the cupboards is slowly revealed, as Henry and Henrietta receive mysterious letters through them, realise that they are doors to other worlds, and have some quite scary moments before Henry finally starts using them.

The pace doesn't slacken, the momentum if anything keeps building and although there is a happy ending, there are some spine chilling events too!

I really enjoyed it, however I can see how my son got a little scared towards the end. The witch character is definitely not nice and the treatment is a little horror-style, albeit aimed at children. I am looking forward to reading the second instalment - the Dandelion Fire, although this may take months at son's previous reading rate!!

Some bestselling books and award winners from 2009

I picked up a great reading guide from my local bookshop call "the Independent Book Guide" (Summer 2009) put out by a group of Australian independent booksellers.

Here are some interesting lists from the guide.

Bestsellers 2009 (Jan-Oct):

Fiction

The elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
Breath by Tim Winton
The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas
The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry
The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak

Non Fiction

Dreams From My Father by Barak Obama
The Brain That Changes Itself by Norman Doidge
The Audacity of Hope by Barak Obama
Heaven and Earth by Ian Plimer
Geed Me Now by Bill Granger
The House At Salvation Creek by Susan Duncan
The SMH Food Guide
A Lion Called Christan by Bourke and Rendell

Children's books

Twilight Saga
The Diary of A Whimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
The Henderson Boys by Robert Muchamore
Zac Power by H I Larry
Cherub by Robert Muchamore
Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy
The Magic Ballerina by Darcey Bussell
The 39 Clues by various authors
Harry Potter by J K Rowling
Grug by Ted Prior
Rainbow Magic by Daisy Meadows

Other children's bestsellers not necessarily part of a series were:

Evernight by Claudia Gray
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Imagine by Alison Lester
Where Is The Green Sheep by Mem Fox
Ten Little Fingers by Mem Fox
Tales of Beedle the Bard by J K Rowling
Possum Magic by Mem Fox
Thomas the Tank Engine by Rev. Awdry
The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson
Hairy Maclary From Donaldson's Dairy by Lynley Todd
Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell

The booklet also mentioned some 2009 award winners:

The Crime Writers Association 2009 Gold Dagger Awards

Winner:
A Whispered Nam by William Brodrick

Shorlist:
When Will There Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson
In the Dark by Mark Billingham
Hit and Run by Lawrence Block
A Whispered Name by William Brodrick
The Coroner by M R Hall
Dark Times in the City by Gene Kerrigan

The Australian Independent Booksellers Indie Award 2009
(decided by popular vote of independent bookshops Australia wide). Prize: $15,000 AUD

Category Winners:
Non Fiction - The Tall Man by Chloe Hooper
Debut Fiction - The Virtuoso by Sonia Orchard
Children's book - Pearl Verses the World by Sally Murphy and Heather Potter
Fiction - Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey

The overall award went to the Fiction winner, Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey.


The Miles Franklin Award 2009
(Awarded for the novel of the year which is of "the highest literary merit and presents Australian life in any of its phases"). Prize: $42,000AUD

Shortlist:
Breath by Tim Winton
Ice by Louis Nowra
The Pages by Murray Bail
The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas
Wanting by Richard Flanagan

Winner: Breath by Tim Winton

The Orange Prize for Fiction 2009
(open only to women, established by journalists and publishers). Prize: 30,000 pounds

Shortlist:
Scottsboro by Ellen Feldman
The Wilderness by Samantha Harvey
The Invention of Everything Else by Samantha Hunt
Molly Fox's Birthday by Deirdre Madden
Home by Marilynne Robinson
Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamsie

Winner: Home by Marilynne Robinson


The Man Booker Award 2009
(awarded to works of literary fiction written by a citizen of the British Commonwealth or the republic o Ireland). Prize: 50,000 pounds.

Shorlist:
The Children's Book by A S Byatt
Summertime by J M Coetzee
The Quickening Maze by Adam Foulds
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
The Glass Room by Simon Mawer
The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters

Winner: Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

The 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction

Finalists:
The Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich
All Souls by Christine Schutt
Oliver Kitterdige by Elizabeth Strout

Winner: Olive Kitterdige by Elizabeth Strout



Looks like I have some reading to do!

2010 Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards

Announced Saturday 23 January 2010

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
WINNER: Inglourious Basterds (2009)


Other Nominees: An Education (2009); The Hurt Locker (2008) ; Nine (2009); Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009)


Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
WINNER : Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart (2009)

Other Nominees: George Clooney for Up in the Air (2009/I); Colin Firth for A Single Man (2009) ; Morgan Freeman for Invictus (2009) ; Jeremy Renner for The Hurt Locker (2008)


Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
WINNER : Sandra Bullock for The Blind Side (2009)

Other Nominees: Helen Mirren for The Last Station (2009); Carey Mulligan for An Education (2009) ; Gabourey Sidibe for Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009) ; Meryl Streep for Julie & Julia (2009)


Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
WINNER : Christoph Waltz for Inglourious Basterds (2009)

Other Nominees: Matt Damon for Invictus (2009); Woody Harrelson for The Messenger (2009/I) ; Christopher Plummer for The Last Station (2009); Stanley Tucci for The Lovely Bones (2009)


Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
WINNER : Mo'Nique for Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009)

Other Nominees: Penélope Cruz for Nine (2009); Vera Farmiga for Up in the Air (2009/I) ; Anna Kendrick for Up in the Air (2009/I) ; Diane Kruger for Inglourious Basterds (2009)


Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
WINNER : "Glee" (2009)

Other Nominees: "Curb Your Enthusiasm" (2000); "Modern Family" (2009) ; "The Office" (2005) ; "30 Rock" (2006)


Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
WINNER : "Mad Men" (2007)

Other Nominees: "The Closer" (2005); "Dexter" (2006); "The Good Wife" (2009) ;"True Blood" (2008)


Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
WINNER : Alec Baldwin for "30 Rock" (2006)

Other Nominees: Steve Carell for "The Office" (2005) ; Larry David for "Curb Your Enthusiasm" (2000) ; Tony Shalhoub for "Monk" (2002) ;Charlie Sheen for "Two and a Half Men" (2003)


Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
WINNER : Tina Fey for "30 Rock" (2006)

Other Nominees: Christina Applegate for "Samantha Who?" (2007) ; Toni Collette for "United States of Tara" (2009) ; Edie Falco for "Nurse Jackie" (2009) ; Julia Louis-Dreyfus for "The New Adventures of Old Christine" (2006)


Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
WINNER : Michael C. Hall for "Dexter" (2006)

Other Nominees: Simon Baker for "The Mentalist" (2008) ; Bryan Cranston for "Breaking Bad" (2008) ; Jon Hamm for "Mad Men" (2007) ; Hugh Laurie for "House M.D." (2004)


Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
WINNER : Julianna Margulies for "The Good Wife" (2009)

Other Nominees: Patricia Arquette for "Medium" (2005); Glenn Close for "Damages" (2007) ; Mariska Hargitay for "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (1999) ; Holly Hunter for "Saving Grace" (2007) ; Kyra Sedgwick for "The Closer" (2005)


Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
WINNER : Kevin Bacon for Taking Chance (2009) (TV)

Other Nominees: Cuba Gooding Jr. for Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story (2009) (TV) ; Jeremy Irons for Georgia O'Keeffe (2009) (TV) ; Kevin Kline for "Great Performances: Cyrano de Bergerac (#37.8)" (2008) ; Tom Wilkinson for A Number (2008) (TV)


Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
WINNER : Drew Barrymore for Grey Gardens (2009) (TV)

Other Nominees: Joan Allen for Georgia O'Keeffe (2009) (TV) ; Ruby Dee for America (2009) (TV) ; Jessica Lange for Grey Gardens (2009) (TV) ; Sigourney Weaver for Prayers for Bobby (2009) (TV)

67th Annual Golden Globes Awards

Held 17 January 2010

Best Motion Picture - Drama
WINNER : Avatar (2009)

Other Nominees: The Hurt Locker (2008) ; Inglourious Basterds (2009) ; Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009) ; Up in the Air (2009/I)


Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
WINNER : The Hangover (2009)

Other Nominees: (500) Days of Summer (2009) ; It's Complicated (2009) ; Julie & Julia (2009) ; Nine (2009)


Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama
WINNER : Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart (2009)

Other Nominees: George Clooney for Up in the Air (2009/I) ; Colin Firth for A Single Man (2009) ; Morgan Freeman for Invictus (2009) ; Tobey Maguire for Brothers (2009/I)


Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
WINNER : Sandra Bullock for The Blind Side (2009)

Other Nominees: Emily Blunt for The Young Victoria (2009) ; Helen Mirren for The Last Station (2009) ; Carey Mulligan for An Education (2009) ; Gabourey Sidibe for Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009)


Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
WINNER: Robert Downey Jr. for Sherlock Holmes (2009)

Other Nominees: Matt Damon for The Informant! (2009) ; Daniel Day-Lewis for Nine (2009) ; Joseph Gordon-Levitt for (500) Days of Summer (2009) ; Michael Stuhlbarg for A Serious Man (2009)


Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
WINNER : Meryl Streep for Julie & Julia (2009)

Other Nominees: Sandra Bullock for The Proposal (2009/I) ; Marion Cotillard for Nine (2009) ; Julia Roberts for Duplicity (2009) ; Meryl Streep for It's Complicated (2009)


Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
WINNER : Christoph Waltz for Inglourious Basterds (2009)

Other Nominees: Matt Damon for Invictus (2009) ; Woody Harrelson for The Messenger (2009/I) ; Christopher Plummer for The Last Station (2009); Stanley Tucci for The Lovely Bones (2009)


Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
WINNER : Mo'Nique for Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009)

Other Nominees: Penélope Cruz for Nine (2009); Vera Farmiga for Up in the Air (2009/I) ; Anna Kendrick for Up in the Air (2009/I); Julianne Moore for A Single Man (2009)


Best Director - Motion Picture
WINNER : James Cameron for Avatar (2009)

Other Nominees: Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker (2008) ; Clint Eastwood for Invictus (2009) ; Jason Reitman for Up in the Air (2009/I) ; Quentin Tarantino for Inglourious Basterds (2009)


Best Screenplay - Motion Picture
WINNER : Up in the Air (2009/I): Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner

Other Nominees: District 9 (2009): Neill Blomkamp, Terri Tatchell ; The Hurt Locker (2008): Mark Boal ; Inglourious Basterds (2009): Quentin Tarantino ; It's Complicated (2009): Nancy Meyers


Best Original Song - Motion Picture
WINNER : Crazy Heart (2009): T-Bone Burnett, Ryan Bingham("The Weary Kind")

Other Nominees: Avatar (2009): James Horner, Simon Franglen, Kuk Harrell("I See You"); Brothers (2009/I): U2, Bono("Winter") ; Everybody's Fine (2009): Paul McCartney("(I Want To) Come Home") ; Nine (2009): Maury Yeston("Cinema Italiano")


Best Original Score - Motion Picture
WINNER: Up (2009): Michael Giacchino

Other Nominees: Avatar (2009): James Horner ; The Informant! (2009): Marvin Hamlisch ; A Single Man (2009): Abel Korzeniowski ; Where the Wild Things Are (2009): Carter Burwell, Karen Orzolek


Best Animated Film
WINNER: Up (2009)

Other Nominees: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009) ; Coraline (2009); Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009); The Princess and the Frog (2009)


Best Foreign Language Film
WINNER : Das weisse Band - Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte (2009)

Other Nominees: Los abrazos rotos (2009) ; Baarìa (2009) ; La nana (2009); Un prophète (2009)


Best Television Series - Drama
WINNER: "Mad Men" (2007)

Other Nominees: "Big Love" (2006) ; "Dexter" (2006) ; "House M.D." (2004) ; "True Blood" (2008)


Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy
WINNER : "Glee" (2009)

Other Nominees: "Entourage" (2004) ; "Modern Family" (2009) ; "The Office" (2005) ; "30 Rock" (2006)


Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
WINNER : Grey Gardens (2009) (TV)

Other Nominees: Georgia O'Keeffe (2009) (TV) ; Into the Storm (2009) (TV) ; "Little Dorrit" (2008); Taking Chance (2009) (TV)


Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television
WINNER : Kevin Bacon for Taking Chance (2009) (TV)

Other Nominees: Kenneth Branagh for "Wallander" (2008) ; Chiwetel Ejiofor for Endgame (2009) ; Brendan Gleeson for Into the Storm (2009) (TV) ; Jeremy Irons for Georgia O'Keeffe (2009) (TV)


Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television
WINNER : Drew Barrymore for Grey Gardens (2009) (TV)

Other Nominees: Joan Allen for Georgia O'Keeffe (2009) (TV) ; Jessica Lange for Grey Gardens (2009) (TV) ; Anna Paquin for The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler (2009) (TV) ; Sigourney Weaver for Prayers for Bobby (2009) (TV)


Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy
WINNER : Alec Baldwin for "30 Rock" (2006)

Other Nominees: Steve Carell for "The Office" (2005) ; David Duchovny for "Californication" (2007) ; Thomas Jane for "Hung" (2009) ; Matthew Morrison for "Glee" (2009)


Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy
WINNER : Toni Collette for "United States of Tara" (2009)

Other Nominees: Courteney Cox for "Cougar Town" (2009); Edie Falco for "Nurse Jackie" (2009); Tina Fey for "30 Rock" (2006) ; Lea Michele for "Glee" (2009)


Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama
WINNER : Michael C. Hall for "Dexter" (2006)

Other Nominees: Simon Baker for "The Mentalist" (2008) ; Jon Hamm for "Mad Men" (2007) ; Hugh Laurie for "House M.D." (2004) ; Bill Paxton for "Big Love" (2006)


Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Drama
WINNER : Julianna Margulies for "The Good Wife" (2009)

Other Nominees: Glenn Close for "Damages" (2007) ; January Jones for "Mad Men" (2007); Anna Paquin for "True Blood" (2008) ; Kyra Sedgwick for "The Closer" (2005)


Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
WINNER: John Lithgow for "Dexter" (2006)

Other Nominees: Michael Emerson for "Lost" (2004) ; Neil Patrick Harris for "How I Met Your Mother" (2005) ; William Hurt for "Damages" (2007) ; Jeremy Piven for "Entourage" (2004)


Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
WINNER : Chloë Sevigny for "Big Love" (2006)

Other Nominees: Jane Adams for "Hung" (2009); Rose Byrne for "Damages" (2007) ; Jane Lynch for "Glee" (2009); Janet McTeer for Into the Storm (2009) (TV)

15th Annual Critics Choice Awards

Winners were announced January 15, 2010:

Best Picture : The Hurt Locker

Other nominees : Avatar ; An Education ; Inglourious Basterds ; Invictus ; Nine ; Precious : Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire ; A Serious Man ; Up ; Up in the Air


Best Actor : Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart

Other nominees : George Clooney for Up in the Air ; Colin Firth for A Single Man ; Morgan Freeman for Invictus ; Viggo Mortensen for The Road ; Jeremy Renner for The Hurt Locker


Best Actress : Sandra Bullock for The Blind Side AND Meryl Streep for Julie & Julia

Other nominees : Emily Blunt for The Young Victoria ; Carey Mulligan for An Education ; Saoirse Ronan for The Lovely Bones ; Gabourey Sidibe for Precious : Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire


Best Supporting Actor : Christoph Waltz for Inglourious Basterds

Other nominees : Matt Damon for Invictus ; Woody Harrelson for The Messenger ; Christian McKay for Me and Orson Welles ; Alfred Molina for An Education ; Stanley Tucci for The Lovely Bones


Best Supporting Actress : Mo'Nique for Precious : Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire

Other nominees : Marion Cotillard for Nine ; Vera Farminga for Up in the Air ; Anna Kendrick for Up in the Air ; Julianne Moore for A Single Man ; Samantha Morton for The Messenger


Best Acting Ensemble : Inglourious Basterds

Other nominees : Nine ; Precious : Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire ; Star Trek ; Up in the Air ;


Best Director : Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker

Other nominees : James Cameron for Avatar ; Lee Daniels for Precious : Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire ; Clint Eastwood for Invictus ; Jason Reitman for Up in the Air ; Quentin Tarantino for Inglourious Basterds



Best Original Screenplay : Quentin Tarantino for Inglourious Basterds

Other nominees : Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber for (500) Days of Summer ; Mark Boal for The Hurt Locker ; Ethan Coen and Joel Coen for A Serious Man ; Bob Peterson and Pete Docter for Up


Best Adapted Screenplay : Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner for Up in the Air

Other nominees : Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell for District 9 ; Nick Hornby for An Eductation ; Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach for Fantastic Mr Fox ; Geoffrey Fletcher for Precious : Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire ; Tom Ford and David Scearce for A Single Man



Best Animated Feature : Up

Other nominees : Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs ; Coraline ; Fantastic Mr Fox ; The Princess and the Frog


Best Young Actor/Actress : Saoirse Ronan for The Blind Side

Other nominees : Jae Head for The Blind Side ; Bailee Madison for Brothers ; Max Records for Where the Wild Things Are ; Kodi Smit-McPhee for The Road


Best Action Movie : Avatar

Other nominees : District 9 ; The Hurt Locker ; Inglourious Basterds ; Star Trek

Best Comedy Movie : The Hangover

Other nominees : (500) Days of Summer ; It's Complicated ; The Proposal ; Zombieland


Best Foreign Language Film : Los abrazos rotos

Other nominees : Coco avant Chanel ; Chi bi ; Sin Nombre ; Das weisse Band - Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte


Best Documentary Feature: The Cove

Other nominees : Anvil! The Story of Anvil ; Capitalism : A Love Story ; Food, Inc. ; This Is It

Best Song : 'The Weary Kind' by T-Bone Burnett and Ryan Bingham for the movie Crazy Heart

Other nominees : 'I Want to Come Home' by Paul McCartney for the movie Everybody's Fine ; 'Cinema Italiano' by Maury Yeston for the movie Nine ; 'Almost There' by Randy Newman for The Princess and the Frog ; 'All is Love' by Karen Orzolek and Nick Zinner for Where the Wild Things Are.


Best Composer : Michael Giacchino for Up

Other nominees : Marvin Hamlisch for The Informant! ; Randy Newman for the Princess and the Frog ; Hans Zimmer for Sherlock Holmes ; Carter Burwell and Karen Orzolek for Where the Wild Things Are


Best Picture made for Television : Grey Gardens

Other Nominees : Gifted Hands : The Ben Carson Story ; Into the Storm ; Taking Chance



Best Cinematography : Avatar

Other Nominees : The Hurt Locker ; Inglourious Basterds ; The Lovely Bones ; Nine

Best Art Direction : Avatar

Other nominees : Inglourious Basterds ; The Lovely Bones ; Nine ; A Single Man


Best Editing : Avatar

Other nominees : The Hurt Locker ; Inglourious Basterds ; Nine ; Up in the Air


Best Costume Design : The Young Victoria

Other nominees : Bright Star ; Where the Wild Things Are ; Nine ; Inglourious Basterds


Best Makeup: District 9

Other nominees: Avatar ; Nine ; The Road ; Star Trek


Best Visual Effects: Avatar

Other nominees: District 9 ; Star Trek ; The Lovely Bones ; 2012


Best Sound : Avatar

Other nominees : District 9; The Hurt Locker; Nine; Star Trek