Long weekend links

Pity Patrick Anderson. He’d never read Patricia Cornwell before now (really? Not even the first book, POST-MORTEM?) and thanks to TRACE, won’t be doing so again. In fact, you “couldn’t pay him” to do so again. Viva La Super Kay!

Tom and Enid Schantz rounded up new mysteries in Sunday’s Denver Post, including new releases by Barbara Cleverly, Kerry Greenwood and Ed McBain.

Reading while travelling is a dangerous exercise, as Vanessa Hartmann reports. Does one spend the time actually looking at what’s out there or reading the books you pack? Don’t look at me…I guess I can kinda do both (book tally for last week’s vacation: 8. A bit disappointing.)

Suzi Feay wonders why there’s so much hoopla surrounding the release of the Booker longlist, though she also thinks there’s a “terrific shortlist” buried within the 22 titles.

As November gets ever closer and there’s still so much bile being strewn in this election year, Robert McCrum talks to a slew of American writers, including ZZ Packer, Carl Hiaasen and Jonathan Safran Foer, about their thoughts on the candidates and the issues.

The Celtic Tiger has changed Ireland in many ways–some not for the better–and Roddy Doyle talks to the Guardian about his homeland and what he really thinks of the country.

Congratulations to Dan Fesperman, favorite author and Baltimore Sun reporter, for winning the Baltimore Book Festival Prize for his second novel, THE SMALL BOAT OF GREAT SORROWS.

The new chicklit collection GIRLS’ NIGHT IN is just out, and one of the co-editors, Sarah Mlynowski, explains how it came to pass. Ron went to the book launch and reports back as well.

David Thayer over at Collected Miscellany’s been posting up a storm (including this interview of Mark T. Conard) and also tracks down the lovely Denise Mina for an interview about her newest book, DECEPTION/SANCTUM, and when she’s coming to the US already. Soon, in fact.

Since I can’t get to everything, My Pal The Rake does a great job finding stuff I couldn’t.

And finally, yes–more obvious surveys that don’t say anything we probably didn’t already know. I really love those.