The Canada Day Weekend Update

First, let me just say that if you’ve never seen The Bad Plus play live, you are missing out on something truly special. Last night’s show at the Highline Ballroom was one of the best concerts I’ve been to in a long time.

Also, my newest Baltimore Sun column is up, featuring reviews of new crime novels by Edna Buchanan, David Ellis, P.J. Parrish, Marcia Muller and Ridley Pearson.

NYTBR: Liesl Schillinger enjoys the flavors of Min Jin Lee’s debut novel; Mark Sarvas is amazed at Larry Doyle’s ability to capture contemporary teenage vernacular; and Martha Southgate wonders why African-American writers of literary fiction are so often overlooked and undermined.

WaPo Book World: Joe Nye is intrigued by three looks back to America’s past for clues to the future; Harriet Tubman is reexamined in a new biography; and Ron Charles is fascinated with Robert Lohr’s exploration of the intersections of chess and life.

LA Times: I must, must, must read Wilfrid Sheed’s book on the great American songwriters; Carolyn Kellogg reviews Rebecca Curtis’s debut short story collection; and Sonja Bolle looks at a slew of new offerings for children.

G&M: Bernard Kelly jumps on the Lydia Davis bandwagon; Martin Levin stays on the one for Annie Dillard; and Carol Bruneau thinks there should be one for Helen Oyeyemi.

Guardian Review: Mark Lawson pens a lengthy tribute to the work of Michael Dibdin; Anna Barker talks about what it’s like to be the daughter of a famous writer; William Boyd explains why Alasdair Gray’s LANARK makes for compelling reading; and Simon Gray bitches and moans about the imminent smoking ban in England.

Observer: Robert McCrum attempts to pinpoint the so-called Zeitgest novels of the 20th and 21st centuries, while Tim Adams does the same from a British standpoint; and Peter Guttridge rounds up new crime novels by Peter James, Paul Johnston, Elena Forbes, Jack Henderson and Philip Kerr.

The Times: More summer reads, as Marcel Berlins recommends good crime beach reads and John Dugdale does the same for thillers; Erica Wagner urges people not to read something if they don’t want to; and Pat Barker tells David Kemp about her fascination with war and how it plays out in her new novel.

The Scotsman: the Saturday edition of the paper now interviews Paul Johnston about THE DEATH LIST; Tom Adair is the latest to be seduced by the charms of Lloyd Jones’ MISTER PIP; and Chitra Ramaswamy tries to go beyond myth to the true story of Harry Potter.

The Rest:

Charlotte West takes a tour of Sweden from a crime fiction standpoint.

Eddie Muller has wildly contrasting views of two Edinburgh-based authors, Allan Guthrie and Ron Butlin.

Donna Mergenhagen touts the dark streets of Vicki Hendricks’ Miami.

ABC Victoria profiles the women making up the new crime short story collection MEANER THAN FICTION.

Regis Behe chats with Donna Leon on the occasion of her new Brunetti novel, SUFFER THE LITTLE CHILDREN.

Art Golab chats with Chicago-based thriller writer Shane Gericke about his latest effort, CUT TO THE BONE. Also at the Sun-Times, Mary Wisniewski gets deep into Edna Buchanan’s new mystery LOVE KILLS.

Seacoastonline.com features a Q&A with Brendan DuBois.

Kristen Burge finds much to like in Jan Brogan’s new crime novel YESTERDAY’S FATAL.

Ed Pettit has his say on the Library of America edition of four Philip K. Dick novels.

And finally, what he said. Happy Canada Day, everyone!