Best of the links

As the “Best of” lists pile up in the papers and around the Internet, some people are getting cranky, like the Guardian’s “embittered former literary editor,” Stephen Moss.  Fiona links to the piece as well, along with many other actual “Best of,” lists.

Want more of them on the crime fiction side? An expanded version of authors’ contributions to Crime Spree Magazine is now available on their website.

Should the major UK publishers be quaking in their boots? Many of them had have high-profile, big money disasters, while the independents buy books for small advances and clean up.

Truman Capote’s first manuscript–which was never published–has been unearthed and is now on the auction block.

Did Iris Murdoch’s final novel betray telltale signs of the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, which eventually killed her? Researchers seem to think so, as the Guardian reports.

Andrew Greig, who was once 20 minutes from death after a ventricle blocked in his brain a few years back, is the winner of the Saltire Prize for Best Scottish novel.

No doubt many of you have heard of Canadian Sarah McNally’s effort to open an independent bookshop in Manhattan while others are closing down. The Globe and Mail’s Simon Houpt catches up with her and gets yet another perspective on her new plans.

Uh oh–the Herald tries to understand the puzzling phenomenon of fan fiction. Don’t worry–I still don’t, either. (link from Mr. Sarvas)

The Independent on Sunday (yeah, I’m late with this) met with Lian Hearn, author of the incredibly successful Tales of the Otori books. Turns out she’s really Gillian Rubinstein, who has a sizeable backlist of children’s books published only in her native Australia.

The Boston Globe eulogizes Wordsworth Books, which shut its doors at its Harvard Square location a few weeks ago.

And finally, Marcia Muller has been named Grand Master for the 2005 Edgar Awards, which will be held (during Passover, sigh) on April 28.  (top item)