Hop skip and update

First, I’d like to thank Robert for blogging from the road and getting people talking, especially about characters and how they get integrated in their fiction. Lots of food for thought can be found in that post, directly below this one. And if you want to check out his books or meet him in person, see if he’s touring in a town near you.

I take the reins back for the next three days, and then on Wednesday stunt blogger #2 joins the fold for the rest of the week, and I’ll talk a little bit about him and his work when I introduce him on Tuesday night.

And now, a rather unwieldy version of the Massive Weekend Update. I’m going back to the quick hits version this week, so onward:

NYTBR: Marilyn Stasio goes for grrrl power this time around, bestowing attention upon new books by Sue Grafton, Barbara Cleverly (whose series, it must be said, we just don’t get) Maggie Estep (whose series we definitely do get) and Dorothy B. Hughes’ marvellous IN A LONELY PLACE. Otherwise, Elwood Reid’s D.B gets a very nice review from Keith Dixon, Theo Aprile’s new novel of South Africa is give a favorable mention; and Vladimir Voinovich uses his fiction to make searing commentary about the Soviet Union of old and the Russia of now.

Oh, and then there’s some tiny review of a tiny book that’s causing a shitstorm across the lit ‘sphere. But I don’t feel like linking to it. Instead, more news after the jump.

WaPo: Maud makes a welcome return appearance to the pages of Book World with her careful examination of why William Lychack’s first novel almost works but doesn’t quite. Otherwise, Lawrence Friedman looks at a new book about how crime changed the American landscape in the 30s and 40s, Jennifer Howard takes on Nicholson Baker’s CHECKPOINT, and Michael Dirda approves of a new biography of Jorge Luis Borges, calling the book “thoroughly engrossing.”

G&M: Margaret Cannon returns to round up the usual crime fiction releases by Sue Grafton, David Hewson, Tami Hoag, Jeff Lindsay (am I missing something? Was I the only one to find it fun but kind of shallow? Everybody keeps going on and on about it like it’s a masterpiece or something) Mary Jane Clark, Marion Chesney and Lynda Laplante. Otherwise, Maggie Mortimer dubs Elyse Friedman’s new novel “Chicklit with calories,” Ken Babstock is somewhat more charitable to Nicholson Baker, and Peter Stothard rounds up books about the origins of the Olympics, which will be infecting TV stations around the world next week.

Guardian Review: It’s all Edith Wharton, all the time, as Hermoine Lee details the famed author’s travels through her life. Also, holy crap, not only is John Kenneth Galbraith still alive, but he’s writing new books about economic theory at the ripe old age of 95.

Observer: Peter Guttridge raves about the new James Lee Burke; Laura Baggeley luxuriates in Louise Welsh’s retelling of the last days of Marlowe in TAMBURLAINE MUST DIE; and Kate Kellaway gets orgasmic about Elliot Perlman’s new novel, which sounds pretty damned good to me as well.

Land of the Scots: A.L. Kennedy practically gets canonized for her new book, PARADISE, by Andrew Crumey; Scotland on Sunday jumps on the Miriam Toews bandwagon (sigh, another book for the TBR pile which grows ever larger)

The rest:

Dave Hoekstra of the Chicago Sun-Times introduces most folk (and re-introduces some of them) to Jim Brosnan, author of THE LONG SEASON and other literate, witty novels about baseball and the world of sport. Also in the same paper is this rather strange interview of newly minted RWA member James Patterson. But then, I find all his interviews a little odd because it’s not like he can admit up-front about the ghostwriter thing.

The Newark Star-Ledger profiles near-native son Harlan Coben and meets his “menangerie” of children and pets. Coben talks about the usual book-related things but makes the suggestion that the interviewer change focus to his wife, Anne, which is an interesting–though dead-on–suggestion.

Gregori Chktartashvili–aka the bestselling Russian novelist Boris Akunin–speaks to the Baltimore Sun about his Erast Fandorin cycle, the astounding international success of the books, and the fact that he wrote a sequel to Chekhov’s THE SEAGULL? Ooookay….

The Miami Herald meets Jasper Fforde who answers questions about the Thursday Next books, what he loves about literature, and his “10 Most Boring Books.”

Michael Simon’s debut crime novel DIRTY SALLY is getting tons–and I mean TONS–of buzz. The Seattle Times presents its review with the most curious blurb we may ever see: “[the book] manages to be both brilliant and thoroughly unoriginal.” Brilliant because it’s well written, unoriginal because he’s channelling Ellroy bigtime (and was also blurbed by Ellroy, with whom Simon shares an agent.)

The Times also looks at Elwood Reid’s new novel that imagines what D.B. Cooper really did after parachuting out of that plane 30 years ago.

Holy crap–what’s Choire Sicha doing reviewing a crime novel? But so he does, and it’s a mostly favorable notice for Mark Mills’ AMAGANSETT, which is probably the front-runner to win (or be nominated, at least) for the Creasey Dagger.

The Flint Journal-Review makes a fairly compelling argument that William Lashner is the best legal thriller writer going at the moment. His books do sound very good, I must say….

John Searles is the latest writer to get the Regis Behe Interview Treatment (RBIT? Doesn’t that sound rather froggy?) at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

Carole Barrowman at the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel catches up with Walter Mosley about, well, the usual stuff.

Michael Collins’ LOST SOULS is finally out in America, and Richard Wallace gives the Irish-born, Pacific Northwest-dwelling author a very rave review in the Seattle Times. And do check out that rather interesting author photo.

Ed Will of the Denver Post reviews Kathy Reichs’ new novel and comes to the same conclusion I often do about her books: great forensics, but plot and character could use some work.

CJ Box, currently touring for his newest novel TROPHY HUNT, was profiled by his home paper, the Casper Star Tribune, after speaking at an event there a few days ago.

Tim Cockey has a new book out in his Hitchcock Sewell series, and the title doesn’t have the word “Hearse” in it anymore (probably just as well, since my long-ago suggestion of “Hung like a Hearse” would never have, um, made the cut, I suppose.) The San Jose Mercury News’ John Orr digs the new installment.

Suzanne Kleid writes about the tradition of San Francisco Noir for SF Station, starting with Hammett and working her way through the years to Eddie Muller, who looks back to those heady noirish days with his Billy Nichols series, soon to be reissued in paperback by the Uglytown Crew. (link from La Newton.)

Michael Heyward is the owner of Text Publishing, an Australian-based publisher that is celebrating its 10th anniversary and a new merger with Canongate for distribution. The Age profiles Heyward and talks to him about his passionate love for books and publishing as a whole.

Boyd Tonkin takes some exception at a new development in literature-as-reality TV: ITV’s “Between the Covers”, a new TV show that may be hosted by hotshot agent Jonny Geller (!?!) and will purport to find new literary stars a la Lit Idol from earlier this year…oh it’s just making my head hurt.

Yawn, another “more than chick lit” article, this time from the Alameda Times-Star. Please tell me I’m not the only one who only likes her labels tucked in the back of my shirt and that is it….

Speaking of chick lit, that’s what Louise Anderson originally tried her hand at, but after much frustration, she switched to thrillers. Good thing, because it led to a nice deal with Hutchinson (and Bantam in the US) for her debut, PERCEPTION OF DEATH. She speaks to the Glasgow Evening Times about her path to publication.

I’m linking this review of John Rickards’ new thriller because it originates from…Bahrain? How did I stumble across this? Oh, late night trawling for news…so fruitful in such bizarre ways.

And finally, it sucks to be a library in Belfast. Sheesh.