The later-than-usual roundup

And before I get to it, I should say that there’s very little that beats sitting in a trendy restaurant with your friends in the heart of downtown Montreal watching revellers honk their horns, stand on top of cars and cheer wildly for their native (or adopted) country. Oh, and the game was something special as well.

Anyway: it’s all about Walter Mosley and his new Easy Rawlins novel, LITTLE SCARLET, today. Janet Maslin dug it, Oline Cogdill was a great deal more than impressed, and Ren Graham of the Boston Globe enthused as well.

Patrick Anderson dubs John Katzenbach a “serious storyteller” in reviewing the author’s latest, A MADMAN’S TALE. Even goes so far to compare the book to SHUTTER ISLAND, which might bring up some contentious element in other circles….

In belated mystery roundups: Tom & Enid Schantz cover the new Lisa Scottoline and Jeffery Deaver, while Dail Willis does a rather facile job covering the mystery beat, looking at the latest by Robert Wilson (in that case, kinda latest), Michael Collins, Margaret Maron, Walter Mosley, Marcia Muller, and Laura Lippman.

David Milofsky of the Denver Post uses Dale Peck’s HATCHET JOBS to talk about his biggest beef–critics who can’t get out of the way of the book they review. Good points, but sometimes you like a little fire and brimstone in your critique, y’know?

A producer of the movie THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY has, for his next project, completely shifted gears–he’s trying to expose the dark undercurrent of Alice in Wonderland. The Independent on Sunday has more about this revisionist take.

1 million pounds for Sean Connery to spill his guts? Ay yi yi.

So how did Penn Jillette end up writing about from a sock monkey’s POV? Find out in the Boston Globe’s article. (link from the Ninja Bookies.)

And finally, watch out for books, especially the out of control TBR pile–for, you see, it can lead to serious harm, injury, or even death.