NZ Post Book Award winners for 2010.

The award winners were announced on 27th August 2010 and are as follows:

NZ Post Book of the Year Award goes to Judith Binney for 'Encircled Lands.'

The Fiction award was won by Alison Wong for 'As the Earth Turns Silver'.

Brian Turner was the winner of the poetry section with 'Just This'.

The illustrated non- fiction award went to Al Brown for 'Go Fish: Recipes and Stories from the New Zealand Coast. This book also took the people's choice award.

These books are available in the Matamata Piako District libraries. Come in and have a read.

The loblolly boy by James Norcliffe

This book is the winner of this year's junior section of the New Zealand Post book Awards. It is a fantasy set in present day about an unhappy boy who becomes a Loblolly boy: a human who doesn't exist in our world, a sort of ghost who can fly and go unnoticed by other humans. Initially this idea seems attractive and fun but it doesn't take long for the Loblolly boy to feel lonely. A view from a 'special' telescope provides him with images he is unable to explain until, by chance he meets up with a couple of girls who can see him. ' From here the plot twists and turns before ending favourably.
It all sounds very complicated but it is not because the plot is written simply and clearly. It is a book that will stimulate the young reader's mind and leave one wondering.

From an adults perspective the idea that 'the grass is always greener' is not always the case.

On beauty by Zadie Smith

This book is a few years old now, a past winner of the Orange Prize and one I took for holiday reading recently.

As I was reading the book I was constantly thinking about the title -"On Beauty" and wondered how such a title could fit the novel.

The story is set in present day, mainly in the USA, in Boston where the Belsey family live. Howard Belsey is a white English academic trying to write a book about Rembrandt and lectures at the elite Wellington University. He is married to Kiki, a black American who works as a nurse. They have 3 children - Jerome who has embraced religion, Zora a forthright ruthless scholar and Levi who talks in gangsta rap and empathises with the Haitian cause. Kiki is very much in love with Howard but the household is not the peaceful haven it should be. Howard is 57 years old, a liberal who is struggling to hold onto what 'used to be'. Howard has had an affair with a family friend, his relationship with his children is strained, he is estranged from his father, he is unable to communicate with his wife without arguing and he is having difficulty writing his book.

The Kipp family on the other hand appear to be the opposite of the Belseys. Sir Montague Kipp, Caribbean born conservative is a rival of Howard Belsey and is to leave England to take up a teaching post at Wellington College. He too is married. Carlene, his wife is suffering from a terminal illness which Montegue and their children are not fully aware of. There are 2 children in the Kipp family: Michael and Victoria .

Carl is a character who comes from the rough side of Boston and is encouraged by Zora to attend the poetry class at Wellington. He is a gifted poet and rapper and has ambition for himself. He represents the tokenism offered by the university.

The 2 families are opposite in that the Belseys feel like a 'real ' family'. Life is not always easy, they have their issues, they hate their father for his actions and Kiki is full of anger. Despite all this however, the family manage to stay together.There is one particular passage in the novel where on a very cold day Jerome, Zora and Levi accidentally meet in the street. They unite and hug letting the wind blow violently round them but unable to part them. They express compassion and unity for each other weaving the fabric of the family deeper.

The Kipps portray a facade that everything is perfect. Montegue Kipp is always the gentleman, smartly dressed, the perfect host, always polite. They have money, a large smartly furnished house and own expensive paintings. Montegue is articulate, successful and is able to gain support of his colleagues at the university. Michael is soon to be married and Victoria is a beautiful, intelligent student at Wellington. Behind all this though lies a lot of evil : Montegue is controlling of his wife and exploits a young black girl. Arguments in the family are hinted at and there is an aura of secrecy. Montegue is sly and manipulative and has outbursts of anger. Michael acts 'superior' and dismissively towards his fiancee. Victoria acts as an evil temptress with no concern towards those she hurts but rage and fury spills out of her when scorned.

The novel has a beautiful ending hitting at reconciliation between Howard and Kiki.

John Glalsworthy [1920] said,"Where beauty is nothing ever runs quite straight", perhaps that is why the book is titled so.

If you are a fan of EM Forster's novel " Howard's End" you will love this: if not, it my be worth getting the book just to admire the dust cover.

NZ Post Book Award Finalists 2010

The full list of these awards are:

Fiction:
As the earth turns silver by Alison Wong.
Limestone by Fiona Farrell.
Living as a moon by Owen Marshall.

Poetry:
Just this by Brian Turner.
The lustre jug by Bernadette Hall.
The tram conductor's blue cap by Michael Harlow.

General Non-Fiction
Aphrodite's Island by Anne Salmond.
Beyond the battlefield: New Zealand and its allies, 1939-1945 by General Hensley.
Cone ten down: studio pottery in New Zealand, 1945-1980 by Moyra Elliott and Damien Skinner.
Encircled lands: Te Urewera, 1820-1921 by Judith Binney.
The invention of New Zealand art and national identity, 1930-1970 by Francis Pond.

Illustated Non-Fiction:
Art at Te Papa edited by William McAloon.
Go fish: recipes and stories from the New Zealand coast by Al Brown.
Maori architecture:from fale to wharenui and beyond by Deidre Brown.
Marti Freelander by Leonard Bell.
Mr Kusich: the art of transformation by Alan Wright and Edward Hanfling.
The winners will be announced on August 27th 2010.

The New Zealand Society of Authors Best First Book Award winners are:
Anna Taylor for Relief [fiction].
Selina Tusitala Marsh for Fast talking PI[poetry].
Pip Desmond for A true story of women and gangs [Non-Fiction].

Anna Taylor and her book 'Relief'

Scanning the web this morning looking for the results of the finalists for the NZ Post book awards, I spied the name Anna Taylor: winner of the 2010 NZSA Hubert Church Best First Book Award for Fiction. I first discovered Anna Taylor last year through the Auckland Readers and Writers fest' and bought her book as soon after it was published. Relief is a collection of short stories which are simply written, showing rather than telling a story, thus allowing the mind to form its images of life and reality. The structure also mirrors the process of the thinking human mind. An idea is announced, expanded and reflected back on, after another idea is introduced. In her story 'Michael's fasting for christmas' Anna introduces the protagonist, through the eyes of Amy, as a health freak who is always on some sort of cleansing diet and infers that this is going to cause problems for the family on Christmas day: a day which HAS to be enjoyed, come what may. The main scene is crafted so well I am sure we could all relate to some aspect, even if it is just wearing the paper party hats. This ridiculousness of Christmas is juxtaposed by the weighty issue of death and the story ends leaving the reader reflecting on life.

There are 11 short stories in total, all beautifully crafted, demonstrating real-life situations with warmth and understanding and sometimes suspense: 'The Beekeeper' is based on a life event experienced by her mother.

Anna was born in 1982 and lives in Wellington. She completed the MA in creative writing at Victoria University in 2006.

A 'must read' book.

National Book Awards

Over the course of the year there have been some changes made to the Montana NZ book Awards. The sponsor for the event has changed with New Zealand Post taking over the main sponsorship. The awards are divided into four categories with 4 books-written by New Zealand authors- nominated in each section: Poetry, Fiction, Illustrated non-fiction and General Non-Fiction. There will be more judges on the panel, 'A book of the year' will be chosen from the finalists and there will be an opportunity for the readers to cast their vote with the 'Readers' Choice Award'.
On Tuesday 22nd June the finalists for the 2010 NZ Post book Awards will be announced........ Watch this space!

The Orange Prize

I believe there is a degree of serendipity in one's life. Have you ever had the experience of thinking about a person who you haven't seen for awhile only to find they are contacting you or you bump into them in the street.
Just the other day I found myself wondering about the Montana NZ book Awards: not one to ignore my intuition I looked up the website. What luck! The finalists for the 4 categories are to be announced on Tuesday [22nd June]. Great: I can put that news onto our blog; yes up-to-date information; in fact 1 step ahead; just how I like it!
From that site the name 'Barbara Kingsolver' caught my eye. I knew of her having heard her latest book being reviewed on National radio some time ago and I remember thinking it would be worth a read. Barbara Kingsolver has just won this year's Orange Prize with her book "The Lacuna": A novel set in the USA and Mexico which explores the themes of art and politics.
My thought processes then directed me towards researching what exactly the Orange Prize is.

It is an annual award which acknowledges a female fiction novelist and a new female writer from any part of the world. The inaugural prize went to a UK novelist, Helen Dunmore in 1996. Since then women from the USA, Canada and Africa have enriched the literary scene with novels from around the globe. The prize originated because it was generally felt by publishers, journalists, booksellers, librarians and reviewers, both male and female, that female authors were over-looked by major literary prizes. Kate Mosse is one of the co- founder members and the present director of the literary Orange Prize.
I feel particularly excited about my discovery and I encourage others to view the Orange Prize site if only to browse through the author list in search of a quality book. Looking over the past winners I have picked out a couple of authors : the 2004 winner, Andrea Levy and the 2007 recipient, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie . Both of these writers' have novels in our public library along with many other authors whose names I found printed on the website.
I hope serendipity graces your day.

Children's literary scene

We are all familiar with the well publised NZ Post book awards but what about the other happening on the children's literary scene? Storylines foundation supports and promotes Children's literature in NZ. Each year it administers numerous awards to NZ authors and illustrators of children's literature. Whilst this may appear to be a bit of a drab subject I feel highlighting other literary achievements is worthwhile as it may be a pointer to a previously unexplored author.
The Gavin Bishop award is one sponsored by the publisher's Random House and is aimed at encouraging the production of a new, exciting picture book from a NZ illustrator. This new award was introduced last year and the inaugral winner being Harriet Bailey .

In 2002 the Joy Cowley Award was established and again is aimed at fostering quality picture books. In 2008, Michelle Osment won the award with "Tiny Miss Dotty and her Dotty Umbrella". A copy of this book can be found in the children's section in the library. This year's winner is Lucy Davey with "The Fidgety Itch". The sponsor of the Joy Cowley award is Scholastics so watch out for the publication in the book club catalogues or our library.

The Storylines Gaylene Gordon award was established in 1999,two years after her premature death due to illness. Gaylene was originally an english and drama teacher. She has written numerous books generally combining the genres of myth, fantasy and sci-fi for children of all ages. This award goes to a work of fiction which has stood the test of time and is still in print. Sheryl Jordan's "Wednesday Wizard" is the recipient of this best loved book awar


The Tom Fitzgibbon award was established by Storylines in 1995 in recognitin of the work Tom had done for children's literature. Tom was the head of the English Department at North Shore Teachers' College and established Children's literature Association of NZ. This award is presented to a NZ author whose audience is in the 8 to 13 age group and who has not previously had a novel published. In 1998 Vince Ford's writing career was launched when he received the award for his novel 2Much 4U. Leonie Agnew is this year's winner and you can read about her if you click here.

The Tessa Duder Award is a new initiative aimed at encouraging unpublished authors in the young-adult fiction category.The inaugral winner will be announced next year, the sponsor is Harper Collins NZ with Storylines as the administrator.

The importance of reading

The New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards are the only popular awards for children’s literature in this country. Each year 5 finalists are selected for each of the different categories - picture book, junior fiction, young adult fiction and non-fiction. A panel of judges read these books and award's a winner for each category. Alongside this the children of NZ are able to cast their vote in the "Children's Choice Award". There are also the NZ Post Book of the Year and The Best First Book which encourage new authors to take part. New Zealand Post has been sponsoring children’s literature for the last 14 years and has given numerous opportunities to a variety of talented authors and illustrators. Each year imaginative, stimulating books are released by the publishers, feeding the young impressionable minds of New Zealand.
We, the people of New Zealand should embrace this event and recognise its importance. Reading is the number one skill everybody must have. It is vitally important to be able to understand the written text, use a wide repertoire of vocabulary and have knowledge of sentence structure and grammar. Reading expands the imagination, stretches the attention span and allows one to escape into a world of fantasy and adventure. Books are great. Books widen the horizons, bring history to life, help us develop hobbies and interests, give knowledge and enrich our lives. Books help give children 'a leg up on the ladder of life'. No-one is ever too old to read and a child is never too old to be read to.
Having scanned the newspaper for the results of this year’s awards, I felt very disappointed that the media was unable to give the event the publicity it deserved. I know I am not always the most observant of people {I have been known to drive into a horse truck} but I truly had difficulty in finding information in the newspapers, particularly the New Zealand Herald.
I wonder if the same treatment would have been given to the All-Blacks or the Silver Ferns……. I think not. So, what does this say about literature and New Zealand?

Elaine Minett.

NEW ZEALAND POST BOOK AWARD WINNERS

Judges 2010
2 Dec 2009
New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards Judges Announced

New Zealand’s premier children’s book awards judges are on the hunt for books that inspire a lifelong love of reading.

With more than 130 nominated books to choose from, children’s literature consultant Rosemary Tisdall, writer and reviewer Trevor Agnew, and former journalist, now children’s bookshop co-owner, Ruth McIntyre, have a long summer ahead of them as they select the very best in young reads to compete as finalists in the 2010 New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards.

Mrs Tisdall, judging panel convenor for the Awards, which are now in their 14th year, says she’ll be looking for fresh ideas, characters who linger and books that leave her thinking long after she has closed it.
"We expect to see some excellent writing from New Zealand’s favourite and established authors, and we hope to discover some wonderful, new talent,” says Mrs Tisdall.

”We are looking to have our imaginations captured by books with a difference, so that the intended audience – the young people of New Zealand and beyond – will have reads that entice, teach, and therefore encourage a lifelong love of reading.”



The winners of the NZPost children's book awards for 2010 are:


Non-Fiction Category: E3 Call Home by Jane Hunt.

Picture Book Category: Old Hu-Hu by Kyle Mewburn, illustrated by Rachel Driscoll

Te Reo edition: Hu-Hu Koroheke, translated by Katerina Te Heikoko Mataira.

Junior Fiction Caterory : The Loblolly Boy by James Norcliffe

Young Adult Fiction Caterory: The Blood of the Lamb: The Crossing by Mandy Hager

For more in formation about the winners of the Children's Choice Awards click here

NZ Post Children's Book Awards finalists 2010

The hard work, the reading and the waiting period will soon be over for the finalists of these book awards as all winners will be announced at a ceremony at the Auckland town hall on Wednesday 19th May. Watch this space for the results.

Picture Book Category:

Cowshed Christmas by Joy Cowley, illustrated by Gavin Bishop (Random House New Zealand)


Old Hu-Hu by Kyle Mewburn, illustrated by Rachel Driscoll (Scholastic New Zealand)


Te reo edition: Hū-Hū Koroheke, translated by Kāterina Te Heikōkō Mataira (Scholastic New Zealand)

Piggity-Wiggity Jiggity Jig Goes to Dad’s Cafe by Diana Neild, illustrated by Philip Webb (Scholastic New Zealand)


The Wonky Donkey by Craig Smith, illustrated by Katz Cowley (Scholastic New Zealand)


The Word Witch by Margaret Mahy, illustrated by David Elliot and edited by Tessa Duder (HarperCollins Publishers)


Non-fiction Category:

Ben & Mark: Boys of the High Country by Christine Fernyhough, and John Bougen (Random House New Zealand)


Dear Alison, edited by Simon Pollard (Penguin NZ)


E3 Call Home by Janet Hunt (Random House New Zealand)


Rangitoto by Maria Gill, illustrated by Heather Arnold (Puffin Books)


Willie Apiata, VC: The Reluctant Hero by Paul Little and John Lockyer (Puffin Books)


Junior Fiction Category:

Cry of the Taniwha by Des Hunt (HarperCollins Publishers)


Friends: Snake and Lizard by Joy Cowley, illustrated by Gavin Bishop (Gecko Press)


The Loblolly Boy by James Norcliffe (Longacre Press)


My Story: The Mine’s Afire! By Susan Battye and Thelma Eakin (Scholastic New Zealand)


Sting by Raymond Huber (Walker Books)


Young Adult Fiction Category:

Banquo’s Son by T.K. Roxborogh (Penguin NZ)


The Beginner’s Guide to Living by Lia Hills (Text Publishing)


Blood of the Lamb: The Crossing by Mandy Hager (Random House New Zealand)


Brainjack by Brian Falkner (Walker Books)


End of the Alphabet by Fleur Beale (Random House New Zealand)

The Killer Angels

This amazing novel by Michael Shaara about the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War is page turning and thought provoking. Each chapter follows the actions and thoughts of different men from both sides of the conflict. It provides a good understanding of what happened before this battle and the strategies by the officers as events unfolded. I was interested also in the relationships between the officers from both sides. They knew each other before the war, they went to West Point together, were friends while there. But now they are fighting each other.

It won the Pulitzer and I can see why.

Nick

Montana Book Awards winners

Drum roll please....

and the winners are.....

Emily Perkins for Fiction or Poetry

and Jill Trevelyan for Non Fiction.

More details at the website including all the other winners

Nick

Winner of the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize Best Book Award, Canada and the Caribbean

Finalist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize

In a moment of self-absorption, Clara Purdy’s life takes a sharp left turn when she crashes into a beat-up car carrying an itinerant family of six. The Gage family had been travelling to a new life in Fort McMurray, but bruises on the mother, Lorraine, prove to be late-stage cancer rather than remnants of the accident. Recognizing their need as her responsibility, Clara tries to do the right thing and moves the children, husband and horrible grandmother into her own house—then has to cope with the consequences of practical goodness.

As Lorraine walks the borders of death, Clara expands into life, finding purpose, energy and unexpected love amidst the hard, unaccustomed work of sharing her days. But the burden is not Clara’s alone: Lorraine’s children must cope with divided loyalties and Lorraine must live with her growing, unpayable debt to Clara - and the feeling that Clara has taken her place.

What, exactly, does it mean to be good? When is sacrifice merely selfishness? What do we owe in this life and what do we deserve? Marina Endicott looks at life and death through the compassionate lens of a born novelist: being good, being at fault, and finding some balance on the precipice.

Fans of Ann Tyler will love this book. Like Tyler, Marina Endicott writes about ordinary people coping with life's problems and trying to do their best. Susan

Pulitzer Prize winners

I have just read a Pulitzer Prize winner. The Road by Cormac McCarthy. How about the other fiction winners including this years winner Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout.

I am setting myself yet another challenge. Read them all! Whew. I haven't even started the last challenge.

Here is the link to the list

Nick

The Road

I haven't finished White Tiger yet. But I have finished reading the post apocalyptic novel The Road by Cormac McCarthy.

This is very very grim. We follow The Man and The Boy travelling The Road after an unknown disaster has destroyed pretty much all life and left only a few people to survive in a cold, bleak, ashen world. This is extreme and people use many means to stay alive. There are some gruesome scenes as the two make their journey and meet all sorts of people.

Cormac McCarthy style of writing is matter of fact. He uses short sentences and some pages are just dialogue. But it works.

This is a brilliant novel which is thought provoking and scary.

Watch out for the movie later this year. I have seen the trailer and it looks just as grey and grim. It stars Viggo Mortensen and will be well worth seeing

Nick

Talking of book awards check out the Montana NZ Book Awards 2009. There are some amazing titles listed as finalists this year. I haven't read the novels but I have browsed the non fiction books and they are worthy.
Nick

Man Booker prize

How's this for a challenge. Read every Man Booker Prize winner. I have looked at the list and realise I have attempted to read several of them without success namely Midnight's Children, The Bone People (two pages maybe), The Ghost Road, Life of Pi (I didn't even get to the scene on the cover), The Sea and now White Tiger. I am actually getting through this one and enjoying it if that is possible considering the subject matter. I will let you know as I read more. Here is the list. I know I know we don't hold all the titles especially after what I wrote in the previous blog.
Nick