Local author Pischke to discuss "The Women of Block 12"

Join us Thursday July 28, from 7:00pm-8pm as we welcome social worker and freelance writer Linda Pischke to the library. Mrs Pischke is the author of the book, The Women of Block 12: Voices From a Jail Ministry. A resident of Mukwonago, Mrs. Pischke will discuss her experiences working with the Dismas Jail Ministry, an outreach organization serving inmates and those affected by crime. In her book, The Women of Block 12, Mrs. Pischke not only tells of her time working with incarcerated women awaiting trial, but she lets the women tell their own stories. The stories they tell of broken childhoods, heartbreak, and shattered dreams are also stories of growth, courage, the resilience of the human spirit, and the power of faith. For more information, stop by the Reference Desk, call (262) 363-6456, or write us at mukref@gmail.com

Happy Thanksgiving!

What a remarkable holiday—one dedicated to appreciating all of our blessings and good fortune! I mean, I like all of our holidays-- celebrating Christmas or Valentine's Day or our Presidents or brave soldiers is all good. And the candy and costumes on Halloween is cool. But Thanksgiving is one that really invites us to take a step back and take stock of all that is good and right and, yes, lucky in our lives. It is easy to get lost in the nitty gritty of daily life and lose track of the important things-- family, friends, helping others, appreciating life in all its joys and tragedies-- so having a day dedicated to appreciating all that we have is a tremendous day indeed.

The library is thankful for all of the wonderful volunteers and donors that help us year in and year out. We are lucky to have such wonderful and dedicated supporters, willing to give of their time, talent donors that help us year in and year out. Truly, the library would not be the wonderful, community jewel that it is without the help of the people and businesses that support us year ‘round.

As director, I am thankful for the wonderful staff here at the library—day in and day out they provide great service and do all they can to make the library the best it can possibly be. I am also thankful for the opportunity to serve the wonderful community of Mukwonago. Seeing the range of people who use the library for personal growth, family entertainment, interaction with friends and neighbors... well, it's a wonderful and satisfying feeling.

And there's more to be thankful coming up-- Midnight Magic is next week! Lots of fun family activities, including Applebell the Imp on Tuesday night, the annual Tree lighting on Wednesday night and a variety of great things to do on Saturday, December 5th. Watch the parade, then swing into the Library to do some Christmas shopping at the Friends of the Mukwonago Library bake sale and silent auction, then meet the local authors who will be joining us between 1 and 4.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Rant or Rave: Audiobooks

Overall, I love audiobooks and generally rave about them. They make long trips much more enjoyable, and even the commute to and from work, or one of the many activities my kids are engaged in, more entertaining. Plus, I am "reading" works of literature that I doubt I would otherwise have found the time to begin, much less complete.

But there is a flaw in the audiobook appeal-- most of the books are read by a small number of narrators, a few hundred or so. Consequently, eventually you will hear a voice you have heard before reading to you. This isn't necessarily bad, but it is disconcerting. For example, I am currently listening to Dan Brown's Angels and Demons, which is fairly entertaining, but by no means a great book. It is being read by Richard Poe (one of the most common and popular of audiobook readers), who does a good job with the material. The problem is that the last book I heard Poe read was John Steinbeck's East of Eden.

Now, Dan Brown is a pretty good author with a knack for intrigue and puzzles. But he is not, by any stretch of the imagination, in the same league as John Steinbeck. Yet, hearing Poe's voice still brings back images and recollections of East of Eden and it takes a little bit of adjusting for me to shift gears to Angels and Demons. I suppose this is a testament to the quality and lasting resonance of Steinbeck's work, but it is still... weird.

So, a minor rant against... well, what? I'm not sure exactly. But whatever it is, I wish it would stop.

Rant or Rave: The Colour of Magic

The Colour of Magic is Terry Pratchett's very first Discworld novel. There have been more than 30 since that one. I love them all. They very in their flavor and overall enjoyability, but that range is from good to absolutely fantastic. At his best, Pratchett is in my top five favoritest authors. At his worst, he is still better than the majority of authors I have read in my life. Oh, and as you might guess from the spelling, he is British.

But this isn't a Rant or Rave about the book, which is frankly one of the weakest of the Discworld books, but of the made for TV movie of the book, also British. I enjoyed it thoroughly. I haven't read the book in many years, so my enjoyment wasn't overly colored by my perception of the movie's "accuracy", but it definitely captured the feel of Pratchett's world and it's overall satiric and ironic over- and undertones.

The heart and soul of the Color of Magic (American spelling) is the Luggage, Twoflowers and Rincewind. And the movie pretty well nails all of those quite nicely. The acting is very good, the CGI and other effects are good, occassionally great, and the script and pacing work quite well.

So, a big rave for The Colour of Magic. An even bigger rave for Terry Pratchett and the Discworld books. If you haven't read them and enjoy British humor (along the lines of Monty Python or, perhaps, Eddie Izzard), then I strongly recommend them to you. They are all extremely funny, and the best of them are also highly satiric, lampooning such things as Death, the Cinema, Anthropology and Mythology, Economics, Race Relations, Police forces, Art, Music, War, and... well, probably a little bit of everything else as well.

March Madness: The Championship Game

This was it. The big game. Weeks of struggle, great games, tension, last-minute wins all came down to one game for all the marbles. All the dead authors were gone, and only two remained standing. In one corner, bestselling mystery/adventure writer Janet Evanovich; in the other corner, bestselling legal/suspense writer John Grisham. Who would claim the crown of the first ever Author's Showdown?

#2 Janet Evanovich vs. #1 John Grisham
Under the whitehot glare of the spotlights, these two had proven repeatedly that they not only wouldn't wilt, but they would thrive and respond with their very best. Each have millions of fans, and the stadium was packed for the game. At the tip, it was Evanovich that seized the early momentum, scoring on her first possession and also stifling Grisham with her defense. But she was unable to pull away from Grisham, and as the half wore on, she seemed to lose a half-a-step, perhaps as her initial adrenaline rush waned. Grisham was able to score two late field goals and took a 3-2 halftime lead.

There was a long layoff between halfs as the advertising barrage carried on for NetLibrary and Overdrive Audio and all of the Library's many subscription databases, and there was much speculation on how the extended halftime would affect the two contenders. Would they come out flat, or would the extra time give them more opportunity to make some adjustments?

They came out flat. Neither team could find the basket for several minutes and halfway through the second period it was still 3-2; tense but not really all that exciting. The advertisers had to be nervous. Then Evanovich stuffed a Grisham jumper, snagged the rejection and drove the length of the court for an easy layup. All tied, 3-3 and the game was afoot. From there, both teams seemed to settle in and the lid on the basket seemed to come off. They traded baskets, then traded again and it was 5 to 5 with time running down. Evanovich drove down court, made a brilliant fake and had a clear 20 foot jumper. It caught the back of the rim, rolled halfway down, then popped out the other side.

Heartbreak!

Grisham snagged the rebound and quickly called timeout. The stadium was rawkin, with Grisham fans waving their file folders and Evanovich fans chanting "De-Fence, De-Fence". Out of the timeout, Grisham brought the ball in, dribbling at the top of the key, then fed the ball into the post. Evanovich got a hand on the pass and knocked it away and her fans went wild, but the ball went straight to Kyle McAvoy, protagonist of Grisham's latest legal thriller, The Associate. McAvoy, despite his youth, smoothly grabbed the loose ball and let it fly from about fifteen feet just before the final horn. The shot wasn't pretty, it caught iron, backboard and iron again, but with the Grisham crowd going wild and the Evanovich fans holding their breath, it settled through the net. Game over, and John Grisham is the champion, 6-5, in a thriller.

Congratulations to Mr. Grisham!

March Madness: Final Four

Four titans of the library world faced off for a shot at the title-- Janet Evanovich, Mark Twain, Jeffrey Deaver and John Grisham were left from the 64 authors that started back in March. Only Grisham was a #1 seed, with Evanovich and Twain being 2 seeds and Deaver, as a #7 seed, being the suprise team of the tournament.

#2 Mark Twain vs. #2 Janet Evanovich
Mark Twain pulled off the upset of Superman in the previous round with the aid of a little Kryptonite, but there were no "magic" rocks available to help him against the fiesty Janet Evanovich. This was was billed as a classic clash of opposites, Twain's more literary, 19th century wit against Evanovich's edgier, 20th century humor. Evanovich's aliveness versus Twain's deadness. Man versus woman. Lots of contrasts, yet from the start it was clear that each author respected the other and that their styles-- tough, in-your-face defense and slashing drives to the basket-- were actually quite similar. The first half was low scoring, with defense prevailing and both contestants seeming to feel the other out and a 3-2 edge for Evanovich after the first. In the second half, both teams made adjustments, and the game became a little more fluid. Defense was still the order of the day, and the lead never got beyond one, but at least it wasn't a complete brick-fest and some astonishing twirling, slashing drives were highlighted on both sides.

It came down to crunch time, less than a minute left, and the score tied at five apiece. Both Twain and Evanovich are veteran writers, tested and proven over time. But while Evanovich had squeaked through several close games-- barely edging out Agatha Christie and struggling against H.G. Wells before pulling away at the end-- Twain had an easy path to the Final Four. Only Charles Dickens had really challenged him during the previous four games, the other had been complete wipeouts. As time wound down, it was clear that Evanovich was a little more comfortable, a little more adjusted to the pressure than Twain. He tried a cross-over dribble, but she picked his pocket clean, then stormed down the court for the winning lay-in with only two seconds left on the clock. When Twain's last second heave clanged off the backboard, Janet Evanovich was on her way to the Championship Game.

Afterwards, Ms. Evanovich was ecstatic, "It feels great, really great. To face off against such great competition, Dame Christie, H.G. Wells and now Mark Twain... well, it is very gratifying to be in the same league as them. Just so awesome... its hard to believe I'm still in this, but I thank the fans and I just hope that Stephanie and I have one more good game in us. I know matching up with either Mr. Deaver or Mr. Grisham will be a real challenge, and I look forward to it."

#1 John Grisham vs. #7 Jeffrey Deaver
Jeffrey Deaver has been the darling of this tournament, pulling off upsets against Dean Koontz, Ann Rice, Edgar Allan Poe and Carl Sandburg. Only the game against Rice was an easy one, the others were one point victories including an overtime win in the Elite Eight against Sandburg. John Grisham, by contrast, was one of the early favorites to win the whole tournament and he had made it to the final four fairly easily, recording convincing wins over Clive Cussler, Michael Crichton and J.K. Rowling. Only David Baldacci had come close to upseting Grisham. So, the table was set-- the underdog, crowd favorite versus the powerful #1 seed that was looking to add a championship to his long list of accolades.

The game opened with a flurry of missed shots. Both men seemed a little hyped up, running on a little too much adrenaline and the shots were all going just a little long. After the initial jitters faded, both teams seemed to find a little groove and they traded baskets until half-time, score tied 3-3. Unfortunately, there were no cameras or microphones in the Grisham lockerroom during halftime, but it must have been one heck of a good pep talk that he gave the team, because they came out like gang busters in the second half. Grisham jumped out to a 5-3 edge, then added another bucket after Deaver recorded a basket to bring it to 6-4. From there, Grisham clamped down the defense, holding Deaver to only 1 point in the entire second half and propelling himself into the championship against Janet Evanovich.

Week Five, Elite Eight

The play-in games for the Final Four: Comics vs. Literature, Suspense/Horror vs. Poetry, Children's Books vs. Popular Fiction and Mystery vs. Science Fiction/Fantasy.

Madness!

But fascinating madness. How would the 19th century, and long-dead, Mark Twain fare against the entirely fictional, but nearly indestructible Superman? Would Carl Sandburg be able to continue his run now that he had to face an author other than a fellow poet? Why did so many of the remaining authors have first names that start with J? Okay, that last question, while odd, is probably not going to resolved in the games-- just one of those quirky things. For a berth in the Final Four:

#2 (Mystery) Janet Evanovich vs. #2 (SF/Fantasy) H.G. Wells
It had been a while since either Evanovich or Wells had last played a game. Our Week 1 winners had to sit by, perhaps working on their jump shot or doing some passing drills, while weeks two, three and four played out. Would the layoff affect them, and if so, would it affect one more than the other? The layoff did appear to be a factor early, as neither team started well. Midway through the first half it was only 1-1. From that point on, however, Evanovich seemed to find her groove, while Wells continued to struggle. At halftime, it was 4-1 and Wells was visibly agitated, shaking his head and mumbling under his breath. The break allowed him to regroup, and he came strongly out of the gates in the second half, quickly closing to 4-3. But then, with the score at 5-4, fatigue or rust or just the fact that he died in 1946 seemed to catch up to Wells and the last part of the game was all Evanovich. She cruised down the stretch, with a final score of 8-4. Congratulations to Evanovich, our first member of the Author's Final Four.

#1 (Comics) Superman vs. #2 (Literature) Mark Twain
Superman is nigh onto invulnerable: super strength, super speed, able to fly, bullet proof and well, super. Mark Twain is irreverent, satirical, a brilliant writer and, well, dead. On paper, this one seemed like a complete mismatch-- game over for Twain, welcome to the Final Four, Mr. Kent. But, as the cliche goes, that is why they play the game. In reality, this game was a complete mismatch, but the overwhelmed team was Superman's, while Twain was in a groove and seemed incapable of missing. When the dust settled, the final tally was, Mark Twain 11, Superman 1. Afterwards, Twain was asked about his success, "Well, I appreciate the value everyone places on my writing, I do. But I am also a voracious reader and, well, all it really came down to was finding this funky little, green rock." At which point the white-haired author pulled a small chunk of glowing, green crystal out of his front vest pocket. "Some of my coaches were concerned about the effect it could have on me, but I said 'Hey, I'm already dead, what's the worst that could happen?' That's a pretty convincing argument I find."

#7 (Horror/Suspense) Jeffrey Deaver vs. #2 (Poetry) Carl Sandburg
Jeffrey Deaver is undoubtedly the surprise of the tournament-- he was supposed to lose to Dean Koontz, then to Ann Rice, then to Edgar Allan Poe. A big underdog in all of those games, he edged both Koontz and Poe and demolished Rice. Could the Cinderella of the tournament keep dancing? In his path is Carl Sandburg, the champion of the Poetry Bracket and one of the premier defenders in the tournament. The match-up was all defense early and neither man seemed able to find a rhythm. At half-time, it was only 2-2. Both men found their stroke in the second half, but neither was able to distance himself from the other. The score and lead see-sawed back and forth, with Deaver grabbing a late 6-5 lead on a beautiful, driving floater in the lane. But Sandburg took the inbounds pass, drove down court, then dished for a wide open jumper that just beat the clock and swished home-- overtime! In overtime, the defense reasserted itself and it was a late steal and break away layup by Deaver that proved to be the difference, and the underdog Deaver was on his way to a Final Four match up.

#4 (Children's) J.K. Rowling vs. #1 (Popular Fiction) John Grisham
Wizards and lawyers and multi-million selling titles, oh my! Dumbledore's Army against The Firm. An intriguing matchup, and one that promised to match the Deaver/Sandburg game for intensity. But, of course, as is often the case promises aren't always kept. Grisham jumped out to an early lead in this one and never looked back, cruising to a surprisingly easy 7-4 victory over Rowling, filling the final slot in the Final Four.

Twain versus Evanovich and Grisham versus Deaver-- who will be the Final pairing of the 2009 Authors Showdown? Stay tuned!

Week Four, Round Three

Two more games to decide the Elite Eight and the Week Five matchups:

Children's
#4 J.K. Rowling vs. #2 A.A. Milne
Magic or whimsey? Wizards or adorable animals? Tough call, but the oddsmakers were giving a slight edge to the fuzzy guys and a "kinder, gentler" tournament. But being a "tubby little cubby all stuffed with fluff" only gets you so far, and the battle-tested Harry Potter crew were more than enough for the 100 Acre gang. With Ron minding the middle and Harry and Hermoine shooting from the perimeter, Rowling had good inside-out movement all day and rolled to a 6-2 lead. Tigger managed a couple of late dunks to make the final score respectable, 6-4, but this one was never close after the first few minutes.


Popular Fiction
#3 Michael Crichton vs. #1 John Grisham
In the finals of the Popular Fiction, Michael Crichton and his killer dinosaurs finally ran up against a force equal, and perhaps superior, to their own: litigation. The legal system has taken down many a giant of industry, politics and celebrity and from the start of the game, it was clear that John Grisham's legal thrillers were going to cause Crichton great difficulty. Grisham managed to get the tyrannasaurus rex thrown out (exceeding the statutory weight limit) and without their post-player, the Crichton team struggled. At halftime it was 4-2 Grisham. In the second half, the speed, and disemboweling ability, of the velociraptors kept Crichton close, but they were never able to surge past Grisham's crew and as the final buzzer sounded it was 6-4 in favor of John Grisham.

Week Four, Round 2

With only the final two brackets in play, the final 8 are taking shape: Evanovich, Wells, Superman, Twain, Sandburg and Deaver have all already punched their ticket to Week Five. Looking to join them are Silverstein, Rowling, Ingalls Wilder, Milne, Ludlum, Crichton, Baldacci and Grisham. But only two of those eight can advance... who will it be?

Children's Bracket
#4 J.K. Rowling vs. #8 Shel Silverstein
After a bracket destroying upset of Dr. Seuss-- the #1 seed and the overwhelming fan favorite to win the bracket-- some wondered how much Shel Silverstein would have left against the #4 seed, J.K. Rowling. Initially, the answer seemed to be: Plenty. Silverstein jumped ahead, 3-0, but then perhaps some fatigue did set in as Rowling slowly, methodically and relentless cut into the lead. At halftime it was 3-3. After the break, Silverstein seemed to get his second wind and again jumped ahead, 5-3, but it was deja vu all over again as once more Rowling reeled him in, 5-4, then 5-5. With time running out, Rowling drove to the basket and Silverstein couldn't get his feet set before the collision, leading to a blocking violation and a free throw for Rowling. She calmly swished the shot and was headed to the Sweet Sixteen as Silverstein's last ditch heave ho from half court clanged off the side of the basket.

#2 A.A. Milne vs. #3 Laura Ingalls Wilder
With star point guard, Winnie-the-Pooh, running the show and the veeerrrry bouncy Tigger manning the middle, A.A. Milne's team entered its second round match up poised and confident. Opposing them was half-pint, Pa, Ma, Mr. Edwards and Mary-- this last an odd choice, given that she is blind. But, L.I.W. must have had a plan, for it was Mary that stripped a visibly surpised Rabbit, then dished a beautiful pass to a streaking Ma Ingalls for the game's first point. From then on, the 100-acre wood crew paid attention to Mary. The game see-sawed back and forth, tight throughout, and the final result was in question until the very last minute. The Ingalls had the ball and Pa brought the ball down court, looked for first-round hero, Mr. Edwards, inside but elected to pass over to Laura on the wing as Tigger had Mr. Edwards boxed out. The pass wasn't bad, but it was a little soft and Owl was able to swoop in, snatch it out of half-pint's hands and soar to the other basket for the winning shot, sending A.A. Milne into a 3rd round battle with J.K. Rowling, already being hailed as the "Battle of the Initial Initials!"

Popular Fiction Bracket
#2 Robert Ludlum vs. #3 Michael Crichton
Jesse Stone had been no match for Michael Crichton's velociraptors, but how would Jason Bourne fare against the killer reptiles? This battle was tight throughout, with Bourne's amazing speed and dexterity keeping him out of reach of the dinosaur's razor sharp claws and teeth. A few well-placed martial arts' blows also made the reptiles a bit hesitant to attack Bourne directly and at halftime, it was Ludlum 3, Crichton 2. Crichton's crew regrouped at halftime and came out fired up, but though they tied the score at 3, 4 and 5 they could not pull ahead of Ludlum's team. Then, they unleased the Andromeda Strain, and it was game over, 6-5 Crichton. Afterwards, Crichton defended the use of the deadly bio-organism, "Well, some will say it is unethical, releasing a deadly biological organism in an effort to win, but this is the big leagues. You do what you gotta do." Ludlum and his team were unavailable for comment, having died from the devastating effects of the Andromeda Strain.

#1 John Grisham vs. #5 David Baldacci
Baldacci was a surprise winner over Nora Roberts in the first round, but most pundits gave him little chance to upset John Grisham in the second round. Baldacci used the perceived slight to motivate his players, and they jumped out to a quick lead and the game was tied at halftime. In the second half the momentum seemed to flow back and forth, leaving the game tied as Grisham came down court for one last possession. Like the consumate professional that he is, he ground the clock down, then drove left, pulled up and let the final shot fly... swish, nothing but net.

Week Four, Round 1

I'm a little behind in updating the Week Four results, so Round 1 now, Round 2 a bit later today and Round 3 tomorrow. Also, a Week three summary and grand total update. The Popular Fiction early round games were all pretty lopsided-- but the Children's bracket results were much more competitive:

Popular Fiction
#2 Robert Ludlum vs. #7 Danielle Steel
Two multi-million selling authors faced off-- but that's pretty much the case with all of the match-ups in the Popular Fiction bracket. In this case, Robert Ludlum's thrillers against Danielle Steel's romantic melodramas. Utilizing the amazing super-spy skills of one of his protagonists, Jason Bourne, Ludlum jumped out to a huge lead, 4-0 at half-time. Danielle bounced back a bit in the second half, but it was too little, too late as Ludlum cruised to an easy 8-2 lead.

#3 Michael Crichton vs. #6 Robert B. Parker
Sam Neill and killer dinosaurs against Tom Selleck as Chief Jesse Stone. Advantage, killer dinosaurs. Parker and his chief protagonist, Stone, hung close to Crichton and his intimidating velociraptors for a half, trailing only 4-3 at the midway point. But after the break, it was all Michael Crichton, playing stifling defense-- aided by the carnage wreaked by the raptors on the members of Parker's team-- en route to a 7-3 victory.

#4 Nora Roberts vs. #5 David Baldacci
Nora Roberts has written over 150 novels of romance, passion and intrigue but she was no match for David Baldacci. The author of Absolute Power and Last Man Standing rolled to a 7-3 victory as the edge-of-the-seat thriller once again outlasted the romance novel, just as in the earlier match-up between Ludlum and Steel.

#1 John Grisham vs. #8 Clive Cussler
Clive Cussler's action-adventure novels helped pioneer the field and have sold millions of copies world-wide. Unfortunately for Clive, his opponent's legal dramas and thrillers have sold even more millions of copies. While it would seem that the action-adventuring marine archaeologist Cussler would have the edge over the courtroom based Grisham, this one was as lopsided as the other games in the Popular Fiction Bracket, with Grisham jumping out to a 4-1 lead and coasting to a 7-3 victory.

Children's Books
#1 Dr. Seuss vs. #8 Shel Silverstein
Shel Silverstein has made a nice career as the children's author who liked to challenge his readers, their parents and the accepted norms of children's writing. He was up to his usual hijinks in the tournament, hanging tough with the incomparable Dr. Seuss despite being a huge underdog coming into the game. The good Doctor might have been looking past Silverstein to an intriguing match-up with either Maurice Sendak (just picture these guys facing off), for he fell behind early to Silverstein and trailed 3-2 at halftime. After a rousing halftime speech by Horton, Dr. Seuss rallied in the second half and at the final buzzer, the score was tied 5-5-- overtime! In the overtime, Silverstein unleashed this guy, and it was all over. Despite a late rally behind Thing 1 and Thing 2, the #1 seed went down to defeat and Shel Silverstein moved on.

#4 J.K. Rowling vs. #5 Maurice Sendak
Hard on the heels of the thrilling overtime upset of Dr. Seuss came another tense, nail-biter. This time it was the 4 and 5 seeds hooking up, with Maurice Sendak's monsters facing off against J.K. Rowling's boy wizard and crew. Sendak's creations jumped out to an early lead as they proved resistant to the spells that Harry, Hermoine and Ron threw at them, and at halftime it was 4-1. In the second half, the wizards gave up on their wands and switched to their brooms, with Harry and Ron's Quidditch skills serving them well as Rowling's team rallied, scoring just before the buzzer for a 5-5 tie and another overtime game. The momentum had swung by then, and it was all Rowling in the extra period, setting up a round 2 match up with #8 Shel Silverstein.

#3 Laura Ingalls Wilder vs. #6 Judy Blume
Two of the first ladies of children's fiction faced off after two riveting first round match ups, and neither the Ingalls clan nor Blume's various protagonists disappointed. It was back and forth from the get go, with Blume taking a slight, early edge, but Ingalls Wilder tied it up, 3-3, at halftime behind some outstanding passing by Ma Ingalls. The second half was a defensive struggle, as both teams seemed to tire down the stretch, and as a late hook shot from Karen Newman bounced off the back of the rim, the score was tied, 5-5, at the end of regulation. Another overtime game! In overtime, the Ingalls turned to Mr. Edwards, and the burly post-player came through big time, overwhelming the smaller Blume squad and leading the third-seeded Ingalls Wilder into the second round.

#2 A.A. Milne vs. #7 L. Frank Baum
After three straight overtime games, the Children's Bracket was due for a blowout, and A.A. Milne was happy to oblige. The creator of Winnie the Pooh, Eyeore, Tigger and Piglet cruised to victory over L. Frank Baum's Oz cast, 7-3. Behind some good point guard work by the Pooh himself, Milne took the early lead. Then, down the stretch, it was Tigger that powered the Milne team, responding with some rim-rocking dunks every time Dorothy and the gang made a run.

March Madness: Week Three, Round 3

What looked like two battles for the ages beforehand were a bit lackluster in reality. Batman vs. Superman has been a discussion held by many comics fans over many years, and Mark Twain vs. John Steinbeck also seemed like a classic 19th century vs. 20th century match-up. The end result... well, read on:

#1 Superman vs. #2 Batman
This one was over practically before it was begun. In an urban setting, with diplomatic and personality considerations over a time-frame that requires strategy as well as tactics, Batman would have a legitimate shot at taking out Superman. On a small, rectangular court with very precisely prescribed rules that emphasize physical skills like speed and power... well, all the gadgets in the world might not have helped Batman enough (except maybe for a kryptonite infusted basketball). Superman scored early and often, cruising to an easy 7-2 victory.

#2 Mark Twain vs. #3 John Steinbeck
As easy as Superman's victory was, Mark Twain's path through John Steinbeck was even easier. Anticipated as a bumping, physical match-up between two literary icons became a contrast of beautiful, nothing-but-net jump shots and flat, clanking-off-the-back-of-the-iron bricks. The end result was an 8-1 thrashing, and an Elite Eight match up between Superman and Mark Twain. From the opening tip, it was clear that John Steinbeck was tired-- worn out perhaps from his emotionally and physically draining victory over William Shakespeare in the previous round. Twain, meanwhile, looked fresh, moving easily and jumping like his famous frog. He'll need all his energy and more when he faces off against the Man of Steel next week.

March Madness: Week 3, Round 2

Some intriguing match-ups in round two-- Spiderman against Superman, Mark Twain vs. Charles Dickens, the solitary Batman against the "gang" of the Fantastic Four. Who would win, who would go home to wait for next year? Onward...

Comics
#5 Fantastic Four vs. #2 Batman
The literary and sports pundits were unsure about this one-- four individuals with super-human powers against one man in a cool suit? Yet the Bat is the #2 seed and Vegas had the Dark Knight as the favorite. Somebody in Vegas knew something-- on game day, it wasn't just Batman, it was Robin, Batgirl and even Alfred. The inclusion of the gentile Alfred seemed an odd choice, until it became clear that when an extremely proper, dutifully courteous and yet persistent gentleman with a British accent asks you to sit for tea, it is virtually impossible to say no. Consequently, after jumping out to an early 2-0 lead, and appearing ready for an easy romp to victory, Mr. Fantastic, Thing, the Human Torch and the Invisible Woman found themselves seated primly around a linen draped table, dutifully sipping a nice Earl Grey. Meanwhile, Batman and his crew had the court to themselves, easily rolling up the score while showing off their mad dunking skills. By the time the Fantastic Four had finished their tea, and some delicious cucumber sandwiches, the scoredboard read 6-2, in favor of the bats. The teams exchanged a pair of baskets late, for a 7-3 final, and the Batman moves on.

#3 Spider-man vs. #1 Superman
Spidey had no trouble in the first round with Iron Man, but steel is much harder than iron, as the Spider-man soon found out. The man of steel jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, and only some magnificent web slinging and backboard climbing got Spider-man close, 3-4, by halftime. Superman was hot out of the gate again to start the second half, and Spidey was never able to quite recover, falling 6-4. Afterwards, Spider-man was both philosophical and diplomatic, "Well, Superman is, well, super. I mean, flying, able to bend steel, laser vision-- you name it, he's got it. And some amazing basketball skills, too. His fade away jumper? Money, man, just money. I played my heart out, gave it my best, and honestly I feel pretty good to have had a shot late."

Literature
#2 Mark Twain v. #5 Charles Dickens
Two prominent 19th century authors faced off in round 2, one English, one American. The result was the kerfuffle heard round the world-- well, okay, maybe not. But it was a good game, featuring bushy mustaches and florid, 19th century prose. The teams went back and forth throughout the game and it was tied 4-4 midway through the second half. At that point, Twain put on a stifling, full-court defensive press that clearly took Dickens by surprise, and two turnovers and easy backets the other way were the deciding points in Twains' 6-4 victory. Afterwards, Dickens admitted to being caught off-guard by the press, "Yeah, I didn't expect that, didn't gameplan for that. I mean, the guys been dead for nearly a century and he's out there, challenging me all the way up the court, trapping me in the corner and forcing me to pick up my dribble? Amazing stuff-- kudos to Mark, he brought his A game, no doubt."

#1 William Shakespeare v. #3 John Steinbeck
John Steinbeck has received heaps of praise and critical acclaim, and his work is worthy of all of it and more... but his opponent is William Shakespeare. From a literary standpoint, still the man even four centuries later. So, while some forecast a close game, almost no one expected Steinbeck to take out the Bard of Avalon. Which is why, as they say, you play the game. Steinbeck came out hot early, burying long-range jumpers from all over the court. Shakespeare, by comparison, seemed tentative, a little out of synch. At halftime it was 4-2 and most of the pundits believed that Shakespeare would regroup during the break, refocus his prodigious talents and come out and make a serious run at Steinbeck. They were wrong. Instead, it was Steinbeck that opened the second half with a run and he cruised to victory, 7-3, throwing many brackets into disarray in the process.

March Madness: Week Three, Round 1, cont.

The first round of the Literary Bracket was far more one-sided than most of the early round match-ups. Only one of the games was competitive and the top seeds stormed easily into the second round:

Literature
#2 Mark Twain vs. #7 James Joyce
With his flowing white hair and bushy mustache, Mark Twain looks like a kindly old grandfather. But make no mistake, the man is competitive and knows how to go for the jugular. In his first round match up, Twain showed no mercy for the critically acclaimed, but lesser known, Joyce. When the dust cleared, Twain had shut out Joyce, dominating from start to finish in a 12-0 thrashing.

#4 Ernest Hemingway vs. #5 Charles Dickens
An intriguing match up between 19th century virtuoso Dickens and 20th century literary superstar Hemingway lived up to its hype. Neither author was able to gain much of an upperhand during the first half, with score tied 3-3 after the first period. The second half began similarly, but at the mid-way point, Dickens suddenly brought forth his third ghost, of Christmas Future, and the jarring effect of that intimidating figure threw Hemingway off his game just enough for Dickens to grab a 6-4 lead. He hung on to that slim margin the rest of the way to record a minor upset, 7-5.

#3 John Steinbeck vs. #6 Leo Tolstoy
Despite having a wicked beard, Leo Tolstoy seemed over matched against the younger (well, more recently deceased anyway) John Steinbeck. Steinbeck jumped out to an early 3-0 lead before Tolstoy scored his one, and only, point. In the second half it was all Steinbeck as Tolstoy seemed resigned to his fate, perhaps wondering what a century dead Russian novelist was doing playing basketball in the first place.

#1 William Shakespeare vs. #8 John Updike
Even nearly four centuries after his death, William Shakespeare is still the name in literature. A tall order for John Updike to tackle, the breadth, depth and longevity of Shakespeare, but the author of the Rabbit series showed some spunk out of the gate. Though Shakespeare jumped out to an early lead, he wasn't able to shake Updike in the first half, and the score at halftime was only 3-2. The second half was all Billy, however, as Bard of Avon clamped down defensively and began to hit with his outside jumper for a final score of 10 to 2.

Week Two, Round Three

With a berth in the Elite Eight and a Week Five matchup on the line, the four remaining Week Two authors were psyched and ready to go. The pre-game favorites were Poe and Frost, but no one would be suprised if Deaver managed to pull off another upset and Carl Sandburg was no slouch. Really, any of the four could advance, and two great games were expected-- and two great games occurred!

#5 Edgar Allan Poe vs. #7 Jeffrey Deaver
Two Cinderella stories in the finals of the Horror/Thriller division faced off last night, both coming off of surprisingly easy victories over higher seeds in the previous round. Nothing came easy in this game, however, as the defense was intense and the points were at a premium. Every shot was contested, and the officials let both men play tough, in-your-face, man-to-man defense. At halftime, the score was an ugly 3-2 in favor of Poe and both teams seemed a little stunned by the physicality of the game. In the second half, Deaver was able to stretch the floor a little, use his shot blocking ability to set up a some break away opportunities, and he surged to a 5-4 lead. Poe answered back with a defensive stop of his own and short, floating jumper in the lane to tie it up, but with time running down, Deaver was able to juke Poe off his feet, then slide to the side for an uncontested mid-range shot. Swish, nothing but net! The Cinderella story continued as the #7 seeded Deaver moved into the Elite Eight. Afterwards, a visibly exhausted Poe conceded that his condition-- dead-- may have contributed to his costly defensive lapse. "Yeah, I wore down in the second half. I mean, hats off to Jeff for keeping the pressure on and I don't mean to take away anything from him, but the century and a half... well, it caught up to me finally."

#1 Robert Frost vs. #2 Carl Sandburg
Unlike the Thriller/Horror bracket, the Poetry bracket had played out true to the seeding, with the top two meeting in the finals. Both Frost and Sandburg had needed to work to get there, however, eeking out 6-5 victories, and everyone was expecting another nip and tuck game as the two early 20th century titans of verse faced off. No one left disappointed. The midwestern Sandburg got the earlier jump, 2-0, but the New Englander Frost responded quickly, eveing it up at 2-2, then pulling ahead 3 to 2 shortly before halftime. Just before the buzzer, Sandburg was able to launch a shot tha caught the backboard and then rattled the rim before finally dropping for a 3-3 halftime tie. It was more of the same in the second half, with neither man able to gain more than a one point edge, leading to a tense 5 all score with time running down. Frost had an open look at the hoop with the shot clock running down, but he was just a little off target and Sandburg snatched the rebound. He raced down court with the game clock approaching double zeroes, then let loose just before the horn. Just as with the first half ending, this shot hit glass, then rim and this time glass again, before rolling nearly completely around the rim and dropping through. The result left Sandburg racing around the court, shouting and pulling at his jersey, while Frost simply kneeled at mid-court, unable to believe that two last-second heaves had cost him his shot at the title.

Week Two, Round Two

Things were tight in the Poetry bracket second round matchups, two squeakers that weren't decided until the very end, but the games were over much earlier in the Thriller/Horror bracket. Of course, the results might be a bit surprising:

#3 Anne Rice vs. #7 Jeffrey Deaver
Jeffrey Deaver was a late addition to the tournament-- the selection committee nearly overlooked him, focusing instead on older, deader authors. But his contributions were recognized and he was slotted in at #7. In round 1, Deaver used his post moves and strong defensive presence to edge #2 seed Dean Koontz. In round 2, he took on #3 seed Anne Rice, whose vampire tales have inspired many subsequent re-examinations of the vampire legend (including the very popular Stephanie Meyers Twilight books). Rice made it to the second round by utilizing a patient, fundametally sound approach and edging Robert Bloch in a thriller, 6-5. This one was over almost before it began. Rice's pick moves and back door cuts were consistently foiled by Deaver's reach and excellent defensive positioning. Rice quickly found herself in foul trouble and Deaver was out to a 4-0 lead halfway through the first period. Deaver never let up on his defensive pressure, and when it was all over, the #7 seed and Cinderella of the tournament so far had recorded a convincing 9-2 victory.

#1 Stephen King vs. #5 Edgar Allan Poe
Most of the other horror and thriller authors in the field this year owe a substantial debt to Edgar Allan Poe, who established many of the well-worn paths of suspense, thrills and horror that we all like to walk down from time to time. But, his narrow victory over best selling author James Patterson in round 1 was a bit of an upset, given that Poe has been dead for over 150 years and he hasn't written anything new during that time period (slacker). His opponent in round two was the #1 seed in the bracket, Stephen King, the most recognizable name in horror and author of over fifty novels and collections of short stories. An easy victory seemed likely, but few would've picked Poe as the author (hah!) of that victory-- yet here it was, Poe jumping out to an early lead as he hit shots from all over the court and King never seeming to be in rhythm. When the dust settled, Poe had recorded an easy 8-3 victory, and had earned a spot in the Sweet Sixteen, where he'll play Deaver. After the game, King was asked about his poor performance: "Well, I'm disppointed, obviously, but lots of credit to Mr. Poe-- he played some great defense and never really let me get in a groove. I also probably shouldn't have started reading "The Tell-Tale Heart" last night-- that story really creeped me out, man. I didn't sleep so good."

#1 Robert Frost vs. #4 Emily Dickinson
Robert Frost cruised to victory over Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in Round One, 8-3, and Emily Dickinson dispatched Walt Whitman by an even more decisive margin, 9-2. But no one expected that sort of lopsided result when the two victors faced off earlier this week, and the game was as good as anticipated. It was a see-saw battle throughout, with Dickinson out to an early, though slim, 3-2 lead before Frost really clamped down defensively, allowing him to go on a 3-0 run and a 5-3 edge miway through the second half. Dickinson rallied, burying two long range shots to tie the game at 5-5 in the waning minutes, but it was Frost's pinpoint passing that finally got him past the determined Dickinson as he lobbed a perfectly placed alley-oop to the front of the rim which was slammed home for the winning point just before the buzzer. The two poets hugged after the game, both obviously impressed with the other. "I'm happy to win, of course," said Frost in his post-game conference, "but I wish it hadn't been at Emily's expense. We're both New Englanders and I have nothing but respect for her poetry and for the tremendous effort she put forth tonight." Dickinson was similarly gracious, "Bob deserved it-- his work is iconic and he made the play down the stretch. I'm happy with my performance, though I wish the end result had been a W."

#2 Carl Sandburg vs. #3 Oscar Wilde
As with the earlier poetic match up, both Sandburg and Wilde had cruised through their first round games, Sandburg defeating John Keats, 9-2, and Wilde eliminating T.S. Eliot, 8 to 3. Also as with the first game, this one was a barn burner, with several lead changes and ties. The two men have similar styles-- solid defense and a silky smooth release on their jump shot-- and for a while it seemed the game would head into overtime as both players buried shot after shot enroute to a 5-5 tie late in the game. But there would be some controversy in this one, as the officials called a blocking foul on Wilde with time running down. The foul sent Sandburg to the line where he calmly knocked down the free throw, the winning point as it turned out when Wilde's last second shot hit the back of the rim and back out onto the court. Afterwards, Wilde was irate: "I can't believe they called that," the lanky Irishman railed. "We'd been bumping all night long, no fouls called, and then at the end of the game they call a ticky-tack foul to decide it? That's a crock." Sandburg was unavailable for comment, claiming that he needed to get ready for his forthcoming matchup with Robert Frost.

Week Two, Round 1: Thrillers/Horror

The masters of suspense and the macabre tipped off over the weekend, with some fierce battles in nearly all of the games (though no actual deaths, either natural or supernatural, were reported). Here is a summary of the first round games:

#2 Dean Koontz vs. #7 Jeffrey Deaver
A frequent resident at the top of the best-seller lists, Dean Koontz' books have sold millions of copies and he has a huge fan base. Less well known is his play-making ability with a basketball. His opponent has been less prolific, but Jeffrey Deaver has also visited the best-seller list and his book The Bone Collector was made into a successful feature film. He is also a strong presence in the lane, renowned for his tremendous shot blocking ability and his "up and under" post moves, ala Kevin McHale. The two traded baskets early, and the game was up for grabs from the get go, with neither man able to gain more than a single point lead on the other. Back and forth they went, Deaver swatting away what looked like gimme layups for Koontz and Koontz smoothly stealing the ball from Deaver just when it seemed that Deaver was ready to slam the rock home. It came down to the final minute, all tied 5-5 when Koontz grabbed a loose ball and drove toward the hoop. Somehow, Deaver kept pace with the smaller, faster Koontz and smacked the ball away at the last minute, drawing boos from the Koontz fanbase, who wanted a foul on the play. But the officials let the play go and Deaver took the ensuing possession and swished a short fade away jumper just before the buzzer for an upset special, 6-5.

#3 Anne Rice vs. #6 Robert Bloch
Though Rice is more contemporary, her writing is more "old-school" than Bloch's, whose writing is known for its terseness and psychological horror (Psycho being the epitome of this style) and whose basketball game features some mad ball handling skills and powerful jams. Rice, author of the Vampire chronicles, is known for her florid prose and rich settings and a more traditional basketball expertise, grounded in her ability to run an excellent pick n' roll and many backdoor cuts. As with the first game in this bracket, the match up was a tight game throughout, back and forth with Rice gaining the early edge, 4-1, only to see Bloch come racing back to pull even at 4-4. After trading baskets, Bloch had an open jumper, but it caught the back of the iron and Rice out raced him to the rebound, executed a beautiful behind the back dribble to gain some space, then drove the length of the court for a tear drop layin just ahead of the buzzer and a 6-5 victory.

#4 James Patterson vs. #5 Edgar Allan Poe
A contrast in styles, the 4 v. 5 match up was just as tight as the previous two games. James Patterson is the new guy on the block, a multi-million selling author of a string of psychological thrillers and action adventures. Poe is one of the fathers of the macabre and the horror genre, and he even has an NFL football team named after one of his characters. Both are also known for their fade away jumpshots and willingness to dish the rock to their teammates. A classic, strength on strength match up, that seesawed back and forth all game. Poe had a slim early lead, 3-1, but Patterson rallied to tie it at 3-3, then again at 4-4 and 5-5. But Patterson could never quite climb that hill-- he tied the game, but could not take the lead and in the end Poe was able to edge him out 6-5, setting up a second round match up with Stephen King.

#1 Stephen King vs. #8 Harlan Ellison
It would be my opinion that Stephen King is the better storyteller than Harlan Ellison, but that Ellison is the better writer. On this day, for this game, the storyteller won and won fairly easily. King jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead and Ellison was never able to threaten after that, scoring only twice in a 9-2 thrashing. The victory moved King into a second round game against Poe in a most intriguing battle.

Week Two, Round 1: Poets

With the Mystery and Fantasy/Science Fiction brackets in the books (yes, still using that pun-- no comments yet. Come on people, a little love here!), it is time to turn to Week Two, featuring a plethora of poets and a ton of thrillers. Here's a summary of the first round poetry pairings:

#1 Robert Frost vs. #8 Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
One of the 20th century's most acclaimed writers, Robert Frost will forever be remember for his poem, The Road Not Taken with its classic opening "Two roads diverged in a yellow wood", but his performance in the first round of the Authors Show Down may register a close second in memorability. From the get go Frost's crisp passing and stifling defense had Longfellow on his heels and in a quick 5-1 hole. Longfellow, whose own iconic work Paul Revere's Ride contains the classic lines "Listen my children and you shall here of the midnight ride of Paul Revere," rallied briefly, closing to 5-3 on a pair of long range jumpers, but it was all Frost down the stretch. In the end, the #1 seed in the poetry bracket coasted to an 8-3 victory.

#4 Emily Dickinson vs. #5 Walt Whitman
With one of the best beards ever, Walt Whitman is widely regarded as the father of free-verse poetry, as well as a fine rebounder and good post player. His opponent, by contrast, is a perimeter player, known for her short lines of verse and a quick release on her jump shot. Usually in a match up of an inside player vs. an outside shooter, the odds favor the taller, inside presence, but in the first round Emily Dickinson was so good from outside that Whitman's rebounding prowess was of little use-- there were few missed shots to speak of. Dickinson scored early and often, jumping out to a 4-0 lead and coasting to an easy 9-2 decision, setting up a second round match up with Robert Frost-- an intriguing pairing given that both are New England natives who frequently wrote of rural life and nature in that region.

#3 Oscar Wilde vs. #6 T.S. Eliot
Slightly miscast in the poetry bracket (Wilde is best known for plays), Wilde was nonetheless a prominent poet, wicked satirist and also a superb all around basketball player. His opponent, T.S. Eliot, is best known for his book of verse Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, which served as the inspiration for the wildly popular musical Cats, and for his cross-over dribble, which frequently leaves defenders standing flat-footed while Eliot drives past them for an easy dunk. In the first-round it was all Wilde, the Irishman jumping out to a quick 5-0 lead and then maintaining that margin for a convincing 8-3 victory and a second round match up with Carl Sandburg.

#2 Carl Sandburg vs. #7 John Keats
Had this competition been held in the early 19th century, Keats would have won easily-- and not just because Sandburg wasn't born until 1878. In his day, Keats was renowned for both his poetry and his rim-rocking slam dunks. Indeed, Keats was an influence on many of the other poets in this bracket as well as on dunk masters Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. But this competition wasn't held in the early 19th century, but instead in the early 21st century, and in our competition, Sandburg was able to limit Keats with some fine defense and some excellent long range marksmanship, enroute to an easy 9-2 victory.

Week 1 Results

The final tallies are in and we have our first survivors to the Elite Eight (details below). We also have our first weekly winner-- congratulations to Karen Grisham. She was the only one of our 10 entrants that correctly picked one of the Elite Eight survivors, picking H.G. Wells over Ray Bradbury in the Fantasy & Science Fiction bracket. Indeed, Karen missed only 1 "game" in the F&SF bracket, incorrectly choosing Kurt Vonnegut over Terry Pratchett, but nailing every other game, for 11 out of 12 possible points. This was enough to balance out her showing in the Mystery Division, where she picked only two first round games correctly, for a grand total of 13 out of 24.

Thirteen was enough to edge out Gail Weber, who registerd 12 points and who correctly picked three of the four Sweet Sixteen "players". She missed both finalists, however, incorrectly picking Dorothy Sayers and Ray Bradbury to win their respective brackets. In third place was David Vander Pluym and Eric Weber, with 8 points apiece.

Mystery Bracket Final
It was a battle of the old against the new, the classic detective story against the newer, less refined who dunnit. The grand dame, Agatha Christie, #1 overall seed, one of the best selling authors of all-time (most likely second only to the Bible), and a brilliant long-range jump shooter and strong defender. Against Janet Evanovich, a comparitive newcomer, but still the #2 overall seed and an author whose books consistently storm the bestseller lists. Also possessor of a wicked hook shot and some strong post moves.

It promised to be a titanic struggle, and neither author disappointed. Christie opened strong, surging to a 4-1 lead on the strength of some fine long-range shooting, but then Evanovich seemed to find her legs, driving past Christie for several easy layups and surging to a 5-4 edge late in the game. But Dame Agatha showed why she is a champion, coming up with another long range dagger of a shot that swished through with nothing but net. 5-5 and it looked like we were heading to overtime. But there were still a few ticks left on the clock and Evanovich inbounded so quickly, she caught Christie by surprising, perhaps Agatha had assumed that Evanovich would call for a timeout. Regardless, Ms. Evanovich stormed down the court in a flurry, then launched a beautiful, high arcing shot just before the buzzer rang out, the ball catching rim, backboard, rim again before, finally, settling into the basket for the game winner, 6-5.

The win moved Evanovich into the Elite Eight where she will match up with the winner of the Fantasy & Science Fiction bracket in week five. Always classy, Christie shook Evanovich's hand and wished her well, challenging her to continue her fine play and to "win the whole thing, then, won't you?"

Fantasy and Science Fiction Bracket Final
The contrasts weren't quite as sharp in the the F&SF final, though the fact that H.G. Wells is dead and Ray Bradbury isn't had to be a concern for fans of Mr. Wells. No need to worry, as Wells jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, perhaps catching Mr. Bradbury by surprise with his quick, spinning drives down the lane and ability to stop on a dime, then elevate for a clean jumper. Or perhaps Ray came into the matchup with a false sense of his inevitability after the 10-0 thrashing he had administered to Isaac Asimov in the previous round.

Either way, a timeout gave Bradbury a chance to regroup and he settled into his typically strong defensive game, punctuated by several rim rocking dunks as he went on a five to one run that put him up 5-4 midway through the fourth quarter. With Bradbury's faithful rocking the house, Mr. Wells' supporters we're holding their breath, no doubt wondering if the granddaddy of 'em all had enough in the tank for one last hurrah. Showing tremendous vitality for someone who had been dead for over sixty years, Wells did indeed dig deep, launching a picture perfect jump hook over the outstretched fingers of Bradbury to tie the game. On the ensuing possession, Wells played tight, man to man defense, eventually picking Bradbury's pocket on what could have been the game winning drive for the author of Farenheit 451. Instead, it was the auther of The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds that stormed down the court for a finger roll layin just seconds before time expired.

And so we have our first week 5 pairing, with H.G. Wells and Janet Evanovich playing for a shot at the final four. But that is still a few weeks off. First, we must see what happens in the other brackets. Stay tuned!

Week 1, Round 2 Results

Round Two is over, in the books even, and four of our authors have made it to the Sweet Sixteen. The #1 and 2 seeds in the Mystery bracket have advanced, setting up a battle for the ages between the timeless Agatha Christie and newcomer Janet Evanovich.

Christie opened a big early lead on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, jumping out 4-0, only to see the sophisticated, yet surprisingly agile, Conan Doyle reel off five straight to take the lead. In the end, however, it was Christie's defense that pulled her through-- she shut down Doyle's post-up game and forced him to make the jump shot. He couldn't do it, and the final two points went to Agatha as she closed out the win, 6-5. Evanovich had an easier time of it, rolling to a 3-0 lead and then coasting to an 8-3 win.

In the Fantasy/SF Bracket, the matchup between H.G. Wells and Terry Pratchett was nip and tuck the whole way. Neither man could get more than a point up on his opponent as they traded baskets and defensive stops. It came down to the wire, Wells up 6-5 and Pratchett with a good look from 15 feet. The shot found all kinds of rim, even got part way down, but in a heartbreaker for the Englishman, it rolled out and #2 seed Wells moved on to the Sweet 16.

The other game... wowsa! I didn't see this coming. No way, Jose. Ray Bradbury took the opening tip, slammed it home and never looked back. Never even slowed down. He stopped Asimov cold, playing shut down defense while effortlessly dropping in shots from all over the court. The final score? #5 seeded Ray Bradbury 10, #1 seeded Isaac Asimov, 0. Zippo. Nada. A big old goose egg.

Can Bradbury repeat his dominance against Wells? Will Christie maintain her choke hold as the grand dame of mystery? Or will it be the #2 seeds playing through their brackets and facing off in the Week Five bracket?

Tune in tomorrow, to find out!

Friday's List: Favorite Authors

Who doesn't like a Top Ten List? Nobody, that's who. If David Letterman has proven anything, it's that Top Ten Lists are a perrennial favorite. So, Friday will be the Library's Top Ten List day. And since it is a Library list, we'll start with authors.

These are folks that have written sufficient quantities of material that they are distinguished not only by the quality of their work, but also the quantity. Thus, Harper Lee is not included even though To Kill a Mockingbird is one of my favorite books.

A quick glance at the list will clearly indicate my inclination towards science fiction and fantasy novels, with a heavy dose of humor preferred... a bias begun very early in my life, and one which remains to this day. I am branching out into less genre specific authors, John Steinbeck, Ernest Hemingway and John Updike for example, but at this point they have won my respect and interest, but they have not topped my list for sheer reading enjoyment.

My Top Ten Favorite Authors:

10. Joseph J. Ellis. The one non-fiction author on my list, I find Ellis to be the best historian writing today. He makes his historical narration both fascinating and informative and he presents his subjects as he finds them, brilliance, warts and all.

9. J.R.R. Tolkien. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are both brilliantly done, though the structure of TLotR is a bit odd by today's standards. He would likely be higher except that his output is smaller compared to others on this list and his other works, The Silmarillion for example, are a bit heavy and far less engaging. If you have a chance to visit the Marquette University Archives to view some of the original Tolkien manuscripts, it is well worth your time-- call ahead, though, they won't pull them out on a whim.

8. Dr. Seuss. Perhaps the best poet ever and certainly my favoirte. He makes verse fun and engaging, and the stories he tells are timeless and evocative. He has hooked thousands (millions?) of kids on the joys of reading and the power of words and images.

7. Douglas Adams. As with Tolkien, he would be higher on this list except that his notorious writer's block and untimely death limited his output of material. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was a mind blowing experience for me and the Dirk Gently novels resonate more with each reading.

6. Orson Scott Card. Ten years ago he would have been higher on this list, but some of his recent works are too colored by his religious and political views for my liking. Regardless, the Ender series alone would likely get him into my top 10, and many of his other books are nearly as good.

5. Harlan Ellison. The short story maestro. In many ways a great short story is harder to write than a great novel but great short stories are all Ellison writes. His work is darker than my general inclination, but a little darkness from time to time is a good balance. For a real treat, find an audiobook of some of Ellison's stories that are read by Ellison himself-- he is also a terrific narrator. This biography by Isaac Asimov is a pretty good summary of the Ellison experience, I think.

4. Stephen King. A victim of his own success, in some ways-- King has written so much that the sheer volume of his work seems to naturally categorize him as prolific, but not all that good. Quantity over quality. Yet while there are some definite clunkers and dogs in his enormous bibliography, at the top of his form he is one of the best storytellers ever. His works frequently stay with me for days after I've finished them, popping up at odd times or in strange connections to other events and activities.

3. Ray Bradbury. Much like Ellison, Bradbury's specialty is the short story, though my favorite of his works is the novel Dandelion Wine. Bradbury is more gentle than Ellison, yet his work still has power and poignancy aplenty. For me, Bradbury's writings are a distillation of both the wonder and the harshness of childhood and growing up.

2. Stephen R. Donaldson. If there is a true heir to the Tolkien "throne" I would say that it must be Donaldson. His Thomas Covenant series takes the structure of The Lord of the Rings and transforms it into something greater and richer. His Gap books are some of the best science fiction stories I have ever read. Plus, he has an enormous vocabulary. I consider myself to have a pretty darn large vocabulary, but I am constantly running across words in Donaldson's books that I have to look up. So, his books are educational, too!

1. Terry Pratchett. Talented, ironic, prolific and an absolute hoot to read. Who could ask for anything more? Many of the phrases he turns make me laugh out loud, yet the heart of the story is usually warm and deeply considered. For a taste, read this transcript of a speech Pratchett recently made to the Alzheimer's Research Trust Foundation.