For me, the Summer Olympics have something magical about them. Probably because, at the impressionable age of 11ish, I stumbled upon 16 Days of Glory, a documentary about the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. It follows various Olympic hopefuls during their competitions, who and what inspired them to become athletes, and shows if they won a medal, competed to the best of their ability, or ended the day in heartbreak. I was mesmerized – I must have watched the whole documentary 10 times – and the Olympics have remained special to me ever since.
You can possibly imagine the excitement building in my house with the 2012 London Olympics mere weeks away. Granted, it hasn’t reached BBC levels, but, unfortunately for my family, I’m getting there.. My colleagues have come up with some great Olympian tips for you to read, and I hope they will entice you to watch the incredible sporting feats on offer a month away. Swifter, higher, stronger!
- Sophie
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Children’s Books
R. I. P. Essayist, humorist and screenwriter Nora Ephron died last week, aged 71. Obituaries can be found here, here, and here.
Awards! The 2012 Desmond Elliott Prize (for new fiction) was won by Grace McCleen for The Land of Decoration. The Andrew Carnegie Medals for Fiction and Nonfiction are new this year (as opposed to those for Children’s Books), and were given to Robert K. Massie for Catherine the Great (nonfiction) and Anne Enright for The Forgotten Waltz (fiction).
