Two novels tie for Campbell best science fiction novel award this year

I read on Friday that the winners of the prestigious John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel had been announced and this year there was a tie for first place.

This year’s Campbell winners for “best science fiction novel published in 2011” were “The Islanders” by Christopher Priest and “The Highest Frontier” by Joan Slonczewski.

The other finalists this year included:

- Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

- This Shared Dream by Kathleen Ann Goonan

- Soft Apocalypse by Will McIntosh

- Dancing with Bears by Michael Swanwick

- Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson

- Home Fires by Gene Wolfe

- Seed by Rob Ziegler

The John W. Campbell Memorial Award was first given in 1973 and what follows is a complete list of the all-time winners.

1973 - Beyond Apollo by Barry N. Malzberg
1974 - Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke and Malevil by Robert Merle
1975 - Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said by Philip K. Dick
1976 – The Year of the Quiet Sun by Wilson Tucker
1977 - The Alteration by Kingsley Amis
1978 - Gateway by Frederik Pohl
1979 - Gloriana by Michael Moorcock
1980 - On Wings of Song by Thomas M. Disch
1981 - Timescape by Gregory Benford
1982 - Riddley Walker by Russell Hoban
1983 - Helliconia Spring by Brian W. Aldiss
1984 - The Citadel of the Autarch by Gene Wolfe
1985 - The Years of the City by Frederik Pohl
1986 - The Postman by David Brin
1987 - A Door into Ocean by Joan Slonczewski
1988 - Lincoln's Dreams by Connie Willis
1989 - Islands in the Net by Bruce Sterling
1990 - The Child Garden by Geoff Ryman
1991 - Pacific Edge by Kim Stanley Robinson
1992 - Buddy Holly Is Alive and Well on Ganymede by Bradley Denton
1993 - Brother to Dragons by Charles Sheffield
1994 – No Award Given.
1995 - Permutation City by Greg Egan
1996 - The Time Ships by Stephen Baxter
1997 – Fairyland by Paul J. McAuley
1998 - Forever Peace by Joe Haldeman
1999 - Brute Orbits by George Zebrowski
2000 - A Deepness in the Sky by Vernor Vinge
2001 – Genesis by Poul Anderson
2002 - Terraforming Earth by Jack Williamson and The Chronoliths by Robert Charles Wilson
2003 - Probability Space by Nancy Kress
2004 – Omega by Jack McDevitt
2005 - Market Forces by Richard Morgan
2006 – Mindscan by Robert J. Sawyer
2007 - Titan by Ben Bova
2008 - In War Times by Kathleen Ann Goonan
2009 - Little Brother by Cory Doctorow and Song of Time by Ian R. MacLeod
2010 - The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
2011 - The Dervish House by Ian McDonald
2012 - The Islanders by Christopher Priest and The Highest Frontier by Joan Slonczewski

In the end, how many of the books mentioned above have you had the chance to read? Which did you like or dislike and why? Which would you recommend and why? Which is your personal favorite and why? Let us know in the comments section below.

Daily Weather Observations for Tues., July 3, 2012

Temp: 79.3 degrees F (26.3 degrees C)

Rainfall (past 24 hours): 0.0 inches.

Humidity: 78 percent (Humid)

Conditions: Clear.

Winds: 0.1 mph out of the West-Southwest (Calm).

Barometric Pressure: 29.57 inHg

Week to Date Rainfall: 0.0 inches

Month to Date Rainfall: 0.0 inches

Year to Date Rainfall: 39.2 inches

Local Weather Alerts: None.

NOTES: Today is the 185th day of 2012 and the 14th day of Summer. There are 181 days left in the year. Today is the first day of Dog Days. There will also be a full moon tonight.

And Remember - "When the wind is blowing in the east, 'tis not fit for man nor beast."

Readings taken at 0700 hrs Central Standard Time (1300 GMT) daily, just west of the Monroe-Conecuh County line, near Excel, Alabama, USA, in the vicinity of Lat 31.42834°N Lon 87.30131°W. Elevation: 400 feet above sea level. CoCoRaHS Station No. AL-MN-4, Station Name: Excel 2.5 ESE.

BUCKET LIST UPDATE – No. 132: Take the Monroeville walking tour

I scratched another item off my bucket list Saturday morning when I completed the “Monroeville in the 1930s Walking Tour.”

The Monroe County Heritage Museum created this walking tour of the downtown Monroeville area in 2002. The self-guided tour is designed to familiarize visitors with Monroeville as world-famous writers Harper Lee and Truman Capote “knew it during their childhood in the 1930s.”

Lee is a native and longtime resident of Monroeville and is best known for her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Capote was a childhood friend of Lee’s and wrote a number of books, including “In Cold Blood” and “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” He had relatives in Monroeville and spent much of his childhood there.

Having worked and lived in Monroeville for a number of years, I was already familiar with the streets and locations on the tour, but it had always irked me that I’d never officially taken the tour. To my pleasant surprise, I actually took notice of some things that I’d never paid much attention to and learned some things about the old town that I didn’t known.

I decided to take the tour on Saturday morning and parked right in front of the Old Monroe County Courthouse, which now houses the Monroe County Heritage Museums. I stepped out of my truck at exactly eight o’clock on the dot and aside from the occasional jogger or passing car, the streets were pretty much deserted at that time of day. Armed with a brochure that outlines the tour and includes a map, I set off and found myself back at my truck a little over an hour later, at 9:06 a.m. In all, the tour is 2.2 miles long.

If you’d like to take the tour yourself, copies of the tour brochure are available inside the Old Monroe County Courthouse. If the museum happens to be closed, you’ll find a stack of brochures inside a weatherproof box on the left-hand side of the sign outside the museum’s main entrance.

Along with this post, I’ve included a copy of the tour map, which directs you to 33 important spots along the tour. These spots, as indicated on the map, include:

1. The Old Monroe County Courthouse
2. Atticus Finch Monument and Camellia Garden
3. The New Monroe County Courthouse
4. West Side of the Square
5. Katz Department Store
6. Thompson’s Bakery
7. E.T. Millsap’s Mule Barn and Feed Store
8. South Mount Pleasant Avenue
9. Monroeville Elementary School
10. Maple Street
11. Vanity Fair Mills
12. Nu-Modern Cleaners
13. Cannon Oil
14. Mel’s Dairy Dream
15. Faulk House Site
16. Dr. G.C. Watson House Site
17. Martin’s Service Center
18. The Medical Store
19. B.H. Stallworth’s
20. City Hotel Site
21. Lee Motor Co.
22. Monroe Motor Co. Site
23. Monroeville Post Office
24. Morgan Furniture Co.
25. Williams Drug Store
26. Barnett and Jackson Building
27. First National Bank Building
28. North Side of the Square
29. Monroe Theatre Site
30. Wee Diner Site
31. The Monroe County Library
32. Historic Houses of Pineville Road
33. Pineville/Old Baptist/Hillcrest Cemetery

The brochure includes more information about each of these locations and explains their place in 1930’s Monroeville.

In the end, I enjoyed scratching another item off my bucket list. How many of you have taken this walking tour? What did you think about it? Do you know of any other walking tours worth taking? Which would you recommend and why? Let us know in the comments section below.

Yesterday's News from The Evergreen Courant for July 2, 2012

21 YEARS AGO
JULY 4, 2012

“Weatherman Harry Ellis reports .18 of an inch of rain on June 24, 2.56 on June 25, .76 on June 26, .75 on June 27 and .06 on June 29. Total rainfall for June was 5.59 inches.”

“Conecuh County’s District One Commissioner Hugh Barrow has been chosen to take over as chairman of the county commission. Barrow follows Commissioner Freddie Stallworth, who served as chairman for the past nine months.
“Barrow was elected to the Board of Commissioners in 1988. He defeated Lomax Cassady and Jimmy Bell in the June Democratic Primary.”

“The City of Evergreen received confirmation Friday that the Alabama Highway Department will widen U.S. Highway 83 from Interstate 65 to the entrance of Evergreen Industrial Park.
“When work is completed, the two-lane road will be four lanes wide. City officials are confident the extended roadway will lessen the threat of serious accidents in the area.”

“The Conecuh County Commission agreed to pay for the Commercial Drivers License Test for county employees, but only after the employee has passed the test and for just one attempt at the test.
“The commission agreed that since state law would require drivers employed by the county to have a commercial drivers license that the county should pay for the test. But no decision was reached on whether the county will pay for the actual driver’s license.”

36 YEARS AGO
JULY 1, 1976

“Ellis W. Golson, 22, son of Mrs. Ruby W. Golson, Route 2, Evergreen, Ala., was graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., June 2.
“He received a bachelor of science degree and his commission as a second lieutenant in the Armor.
“A 1972 graduate of Lyeffion High School, he received a congressional appointment to the Military Academy.
“While at West Point, the newly commissioned officer was a member of the French Language Club, Outdoor Sportsmen’s Club and Dialectic Society.”

“Mrs. Quida Parker Salter qualified Monday as a candidate for mayor of Evergreen. She was born at Castleberry and grew up in Brewton, but has been a resident of Evergreen for a number of years since marrying Wiley Salter. They live at 206 Williams Avenue.”

“This turnip root grown by Roy Brantley may not be a record, but as the saying goes, it’s a ‘darn good average.’ The turnip root weighed 10 pounds and was 26 inches in circumference. The editor likes the greens and old Roy can have the roots.”

“Willie Clyde Davis, well known and respected resident of the Lyeffion community, was killed in a tragic accident about 9:30 yesterday morning at his farm.
“According to officials who went to the scene, Mr. Davis was moving a grain conveyor, by hand, the conveyor struck a high tension electric service line and he was electrocuted.”

66 YEARS AGO
JULY 4, 1946

“Among the 26 aviation students attending the first summer Flight Camp for Women at Stephens College is Miss Ann Roan Price of Evergreen, who is working for her commercial pilots license during the six week session which started June 2 and will end July 13.
“Miss Price, an aviation student at Stephens last year where she won her private pilots license, is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. L.W. Price, 105 Stanley St., Evergreen, Ala.”

“Alvin Kelley, veteran of World War II, lost his left arm when the automobile he was driving sideswiped a truck belonging to Clifford Hyde last Wednesday evening. The accident occurred about 7 p.m. on Highway 31 near the farm of Mr. Hyde.
“Kelley was coming this way and the truck was going south. It is presumed that Kelley was driving with his arm hanging out the window. He was picked up and carried to Brewton Hospital and latest reports from there indicate he is fast improving.”

“Mr. and Mrs. Sam Cope returned Saturday from Rock Fall, Ill., where they went to accept delivery of a new Cadillac combination ambulance and hearse.”

“MONTGOMERY, Ala. - The fatality list in Sunday’s Elks Club fire increased today when M.E. Barganier, 66, City Water Works construction supervisor, died in a Montgomery hospital.”

81 YEARS AGO
JULY 2, 1931

“New officers for the year were installed at the regular meeting of the Lions Wednesday, these officers having been elected at a previous meeting on June 17. They are: C.T. Ivey, president; C.P. Deming, first vice-president; W.J. Donovan, second vice-president; J.O. Stapp, third vice-president; Knud Thomsen, secretary-treasurer; J.C. Kingsbery, tailtwister; Paul Fisher, Lion tamer; B.E. Jones, director for one year; J.L. Kelly and O.C. McGehee, directors for two year each.”

“Closing a spirited contest waged during the latter part of the past week, Miss Alice Croom was named ‘Miss Cotton Queen of Evergreen’ at the final staging of the Fashion Revue and Cotton Style Show at the Evergreen Theatre Saturday night.”

“Dr. W.A. Blair died suddenly about 2:30 o’clock Tuesday morning at his home at Brooklyn, death resulting from heart attack.
“He had practiced his profession in this county for about 20 years, having lived at Herbert until about five years ago.”

“The home of L.J. Presley on Pecan Street was completely destroyed by fire early Tuesday morning. The origin of the fire is unknown, as no one was living in the house at the time. Mr. Presley moved to Brewton sometime back and the house had been vacant since that time. A quantity of furniture which was stored in the house was also destroyed.
“The fire was discovered by Mrs. W.M. Cardwell, who lived nearby. She turned in the alarm just as soon as possible but the flames had gained too much headway before the fire department arrived. According to reports, no insurance was carried.”

Daily Weather Observations for Mon., July 2, 2012

Temp: 75.6 degrees F (24.2 degrees C)

Rainfall (past 24 hours): 0.0 inches.

Humidity: 79 percent (Humid)

Conditions: Mostly Cloudy.

Winds: 0.1 mph out of the East-Southeast (Calm).

Barometric Pressure: 29.62 inHg

Week to Date Rainfall: 0.0 inches

Month to Date Rainfall: 0.0 inches

Year to Date Rainfall: 39.2 inches

Local Weather Alerts: None.

NOTES: Today is the 184th day of 2012 and the 13th day of Summer. There are 182 days left in the year. Today is World UFO Day.

And Remember - "When the wind is blowing in the North, no fisherman should set forth."

Readings taken at 0700 hrs Central Standard Time (1300 GMT) daily, just west of the Monroe-Conecuh County line, near Excel, Alabama, USA, in the vicinity of Lat 31.42834°N Lon 87.30131°W. Elevation: 400 feet above sea level. CoCoRaHS Station No. AL-MN-4, Station Name: Excel 2.5 ESE.

'Wicked Business' by Janet Evanovich overtakes John Grisham's 'Calico Joe'

It’s Sunday, so that means that it’s time for my weekly breakdown of this week’s Publishers Weekly Best-Seller List. According to the list, there are two new books at the top of the four major best-sellers lists this week.

"Wicked Business" by Janet Evanovich replaced "Calico Joe" by John Grisham as the No. 1 book on the hardcover fiction best-sellers list.

"Afraid to Die" by Lisa Jackson replaced "Tick Tock" by James Patterson as the No. 1 book on the mass market paperback best-sellers list.

"Cowards" by Glenn Beck remained the top book on the hardcover nonfiction best-sellers list for the second week in a row.

"Fifty Shades of Grey" by E.L. James retained its place atop the trade paperbacks best-sellers list for the twelfth week in a row.

There was only one book on this week’s hardcover fiction best-sellers list that wasn’t on that list last week - "Wicked Business" by Janet Evanovich, which was No. 1 on that list.

There are seven books on this week’s hardcover nonfiction best-sellers list that weren’t on the list last week. They (along with their place on the list) include "Barack Obama" by David Maraniss (8), "Hostile Takeover" by Matt Kibbe (10), "An American Son" by Marco Rubion (11), "What the (Bleep) Just Happened" by Monica Crowley (12), "The Charge" by Brendon Burchard (13), "How Excellent Companies Avoid Dumb Things" by Neil Smith (14) and "The Tools" by Phil Stutz (15).

There are two books on this week’s mass market paperbacks best-sellers list that weren’t on that list last week. They include "Buried Prey" by John Sandford (14) and "Heartwishes" by Jude Deveraux (15).

There was only one book on this week’s trade paperbacks best-sellers list that wasn’t on the list last week – "The Sense of an Ending" by Julian Barnes, which was No. 15 on that list.

As a reminder, I’m posting these lists each Sunday because they, as a whole, represent a great, contemporary recommended reading list. These lists are initially released each week on Thursday, and if you’re interested in reading them then, visit Publishers Weekly’s Web site at www.publishersweekly.com. Below you’ll find all four of this week’s best-seller lists.

HARDCOVER FICTION
1. "Wicked Business" by Janet Evanovich
2. "Gone Girl" by Gillian Flynn
3. "Calico Joe" by John Grisham
4. "The Storm" by Clive Cussler
5. "11th Hour" by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
6. "The Innocent" by David Baldacci
7. "Porch Lights" by Dorothea Benton Frank
8. "Stolen Prey" by John Sandford
9. "The Third Gate" by Lincoln Child
10. "Canada" by Richard Ford
11. "Mission to Paris" by Alan Furst
12. "A Dance with Dragons" by George R.R. Martin
13. "The Bourne Imperative" by Eric Van Lustbader
14. "A Blaze of Glory" by Jeff Shaara
15. "Spring Fever" by Mary Kay Andrews

HARDCOVER NONFICTION
1. "Cowards" by Glenn Beck
2. "The Amateur" by Edward Klein
3. "Wild" by Cheryl Strayed
4. "Killing Lincoln" by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
5. "It Worked for Me" by Colin Powell
6. "The Skinny Rules" by Bob Harper with Greg Critser
7. "The Great Destroyer" by David Limbaugh
8. "Barack Obama" by David Maraniss
9. "Unintended Consequences" by Ed Conard
10. "Hostile Takeover" by Matt Kibbe
11. "An American Son" by Marco Rubion
12. "What the (Bleep) Just Happened" by Monica Crowley
13. "The Charge" by Brendon Burchard
14. "How Excellent Companies Avoid Dumb Things" by Neil Smith
15. "The Tools" by Phil Stutz

MASS MARKET PAPERBACKS
1. "Afraid to Die" Lisa Jackson
2. "Tick Tock" by James Patterson
3. "Explosive Eighteen" by Janet Evanovich
4. "The Unexpected Husband" by Debbie Macomber
5. "The Kingdom" by Clive Cussler
6. "Big Sky Country" by Linda Lael Miller
7. "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" by Seth Grahame-Smith
8. "Eyes Wide Open" by Andrew Gross
9. "Bed of Roses" by Nora Roberts
10. "The Bourne Dominion" by Robert Ludlum
11. "The Ideal Man" by Julie Garwood
12. "Full Black" by Brad Thor
13. "The Lucky One" by Nicholas Sparks
14. "Buried Prey" by John Sandford
15. "Heartwishes" by Jude Deveraux

TRADE PAPERBACKS
1. "Fifty Shades of Grey" by E.L. James
2. "Fifty Shades Darker" by E.L. James
3. "Fifty Shades Freed" by E.L. James
4. "Fifty Shades Trilogy" by E.L. James
5. "Bared to You" by Sylvia Day
6. "The Drop" by Michael Connelly
7. "Kill Alex Cross" by James Patterson
8. "In the Garden of Beasts" by Erik Lawson
9. "To Heaven And Back" by Mary C. Neal
10. "The Last Boyfriend: Book Two of the InnsBoro Trilogy" by Nora Roberts
11. "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury
12. "State of Wonder" by Ann Patchett
13. "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" by Seth Grahame-Smith
14. "Maine" by J. Courtney Sullivan
15. "The Sense of an Ending" by Julian Barnes

In the end, let me know if you’ve had a chance to read any of these books. What did you think about them? Which would you recommend? Let us know in the comments section below.

Daily Weather Observations for Sun., July 1, 2012

Temp: 77.2 degrees F (25.1 degrees C)

Rainfall (past 24 hours): 0.0 inches.

Humidity: 79 percent (Humid)



Conditions: Mostly Cloudy. Jet contrail also visible.

Winds: 0.1 mph out of the Southwest (Calm).

Barometric Pressure: 29.53 inHg

Week to Date Rainfall: 0.0 inches

Month to Date Rainfall: 0.0 inches

Year to Date Rainfall: 39.2 inches

Local Weather Alerts: Heat Advisory in effect for Sun. from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.

NOTES: Today is the 183rd day of 2012 and the 12th day of Summer. There are 183 days left in the year.

And Remember - "Red sky at night, sailor's delight. Red sky at morning, sailors take warning."

Readings taken at 0700 hrs Central Standard Time (1300 GMT) daily, just west of the Monroe-Conecuh County line, near Excel, Alabama, USA, in the vicinity of Lat 31.42834°N Lon 87.30131°W. Elevation: 400 feet above sea level. CoCoRaHS Station No. AL-MN-4, Station Name: Excel 2.5 ESE.