The Florida Book Review

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(Image from a Florida postcard) Weblinks to follow the weather: www.nhc.noaa.gov - This is the official site of the National Hurricane Center. It's probably the most "official" site on the web, so if you have trust issues, go here. They've improved over time, most notably with better maps and a new small news feed at the top. In the past, their maps have been less definitive, with a huge cone, especially for slow-moving storms. Their text descriptions are also very technical and dense. Plus, the site's not as colorful, and we all like colors, don't we? www.wunderground.com/tropical/ - This is Weather Underground's tropical weather site. They are good if you want easy access to a wide range of information, including things like the "historical" diagram which shows how similar past storms have moved. They have a good variety of computer models (which are lacking on the NHC), and they're very easy to navigate. They're also the best source I know of for hurricane blogging - Dr. Jeff Masters blogs about tropical activity pretty consistently, although if you're a complete beginner he may seem a bit jargonish. Plus, they're the best location for hurricane news if you're trying to "one-stop shop" for weather info at your mansion on Fisher Island, your home in the Hamptons, the Manhattan apartment, the London flat and the Chateau on the Loire. On the con side, they are a commercial entity, so there are ads around the site. www.skeetobiteweather.com - These guys have very clear diagrams that show not just where the storm will go, but how strong it will be in different locations. They're also good for more minor systems, as they show details "investigation areas" that may develop into depressions, which neither the NHC nor Weather Underground does. Their historical records, previously the least complete, have been updated to include all storms since 2008, bringing them up to par with the others on that front. They have a slightly wider variety of computer models than Weather Underground, though you need to visit both sites to see all of them. They can be a bit slow in updating (they normally have a 45-minute to an hour lag in updating after the NHC, as compared to Weather Underground's 5-minute lag), but that's because they end up presenting much more information with their diagrams. They come across as no-frills, with their relatively plain layout and lack of things like "wind history" that the other two throw in. --James Barrett-Morison

Winners of the 2009 Florida Book Awards Children's Literature Gold Medal:  Joan Hiatt Harlow, Secret of the Night Ponies   Florida Nonfiction Gold Medal:  Jack E. Davis, An Everglades Providence: Marjory Stoneman Douglas and the American Environmental Century Silver Medal:  Carlton Ward, Jr., Florida Cowboys Bronze Medal: Todd T. Turrell, Naples Waterfront—Changes in Time   General Fiction Gold Medal:  N.M. Kelby, A Travel Guide for Reckless Heart. Silver Medal:  Janet Burroway, Bridge of Sand Bronze Medal: Ana Menendez, The Last War A. Manette Ansay, Good Things I Wish You Michael Lister, Double Exposure   Popular Fiction Gold Medal:  Glynn Marsh Alam, Moon Water Madness Silver Medal:  Diane A.S. Stuckart, Portrait of a Lady: A Leonardo DaVinci Mystery Bronze Medal: Jonthon King, The Styx Chris Kuznecki, The Lost Throne Tim Dorsey, Nuclear Jellyfish   Poetry Gold Medal:  Campbell McGrath, Shannon Silver Medal:  Denise Duhamel, Ka-Ching! Bronze Medal: Jesse Millner, Neighborhoods of My Past Sorrow Peter Meinke, Lines from Neuchatel   Spanish Language Book Gold Medal:  Juan Cueto-Roig, Veintiún cuentos concisos Silver Medal:  José Álvarez, País y la revolución cubana   Young Adult Literature Gold Medal:  Alex Sanchez, Bait Silver Medal:  Rick Yancey, The Monstrumentologist   For more information on these and past winners, please visit the Florida Book Awards website.

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