Omnivoracious

Win a Weekend with J.K. Rowling's "The Tales of Beedle the Bard"

Calling all Harry Potter fans!
Want to get your (gloved) hands on J.K. Rowling's The Tales of Beedle the Bard? Amazon.com wants to send you and a friend to London, England to spend a weekend with the rare and delightful book of fairy tales (security guards included, of course), handwritten and illustrated by J.K. Rowling herself. Open to muggles ages 13 and older in 24 countries, the Beedle the Bard Ballad Writing Contest challenges you to creatively answer one of the following three questions in 100 words or less:

• What songs do wizards use to celebrate birthdays?
• What sports do wizards play besides Quidditch?
• What have you learned from the Harry Potter series that you use in everyday life?

An Amazon.com committee will select 10 semi-finalist submissions (based on creativity and writing style) from each of two age categories: 13-17 and 18-and-over. Amazon.com customers will determine the two finalists and Grand Prize winner by voting for their favorites. But hurry--submissions will be accepted through 11:59 p.m. PDT April 22, 2008. 

If you haven’t already, take a look at The Tales of Beedle the Bard:

(BRIS-ing-gr)

Dragon-lovin' Christopher Paolini fans rejoice today with the announcement of the title and jacket art for the next book his bestselling Inheritance series. Brisingr (an Old Norse word for fire) was originally meant to be the final book of a trilogy, before Paolini's vision outgrew the limitations of three volumes; Inheritance is now a "cycle," with the promise of (at least) a fourth book at a future date (see Paolini describing the evolution of the series here). According to the author:

Brisingr is one of the first words I thought of for this title, and it’s always felt right to me ... As the first ancient-language word that Eragon learns, it has held particular significance for his legacy as a Dragon Rider. In this new book, it will be revealed to be even more meaningful than even Eragon could have known.

Random House also announced a change in publication date--originally scheduled for September 23, 2008, the book will be moved up to 12:01 a.m. on September 20. Brisingr follows Eragon and Eldest, which have combined for sales of over 12.5 million copies worldwide. --Jon

Sir Edmund Hillary, 1919-2008

Sir Edmund Hillary, the first man to stand atop Mt. Everest (along with climbing partner Tenzing Norgay), died January 10 at the age of 88. Hillary, a  tall, gangly New Zealander, made his pioneering ascent on May 29, 1953 as part of a British expedition to the world's tallest peak--four days before the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Despite his instant fame and empire-wide hero status, Hillary steadfastly maintained a humble attitude toward his achievement; until Tenzing's death in 1986, Hillary refused to acknowledge that it was he--and not Tenzing--who first reached the top, a sign of ultimate respect for his friend. As he later wrote in View from the Summit:

We drew closer together as Tenzing brought in the slack on the rope. I continued cutting a line of steps upwards. Next moment I had moved onto a flattish exposed area of snow with nothing by space in every direction ... Tenzing quickly joined me and we looked round in wonder. To our immense satisfaction we realized with had reached the top of the world.

In the decades since, Hillary had devoted himself to founding schools and hospitals in Tenzing's native Nepal, a pursuit that given him more pride than climbing the mountain itself.  Today the world lost a man whose stature rivaled that of the world's tallest--and before Hillary, indomitable--peak. --Jon