Even more links

Hey, hey, wait a minute–wasn’t the IMPAC Literary Prize longlist just announced for this year? God, time flies..anyway, 140 books are on the longlist for next year, and the winner will be announced in June.  More from the Independent, which announces that THE DA VINCI CODE is one of the longlistees. Hmm. Interesting. And it gets more so, looking over the full list, as crime fiction types like James Lee Burke, Giles Blunt, Lee Child, Nicci French, Carol Goodman, Robert Harris, Dennis Lehane, David Liss, Glenville Lovell, Deon Meyer, Perri O’Shaughnessy, Matthew Pearl, Pernille Rygg, and Robert Wilson are included as well.

Janet Evanovich is interviewed by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s Regis Behe about her new series, why she loves NASCAR, and why Sam Hooker is “the male Stephanie Plum.” (Suddenly, a lot is explained…)

Donald Westlake’s novels are popular enough here, but they go mad for them in France. Variety spoke to the author about why his books resonate so well in that country.

Aldo Calcagno got to meet Domenic Stansberry at a recent signing and learned how one of my new favorite writers got hooked up with Hard Case Crime. As well, look for reissues of THE LAST DAYS OF IL DUCE and MANIFESTO FOR THE DEAD to appear on bookshelves near you.

In silly headlines alert: Ruth Rendell launched her most recent book, THIRTEEN STEPS DOWN, and admitted to “cheating” on her publisher with others over the years. Maybe it’s because I haven’t had my coffee yet but…ooookay…..

Kenneth Oppel is one of the winners of the Governor General Award for children’s literature. The fiction prize will be announced later this week.

Alex Good weighs in on the National Book Award brouhaha. As does Dennis Johnson, putting a rather, um, tongue-in-cheek spin on things. (links from Bookninja.)

Rebecca Caldwell of the Globe & Mail meets Valerie Hemingway, Ernest’s former assistant and Gregory’s former wife, who has a new book out and has a very interesting story to tell.

And finally, the entire world now knows that Tom Hanks is slated to star in the movie version of THE DA VINCI CODE. There’s only one reason for me to see the movie: to see if he utters the following line: “back off, I’m a symbologist!” Otherwise, forget it…