The Monday morning link roundup

So say you write a spoof of the presidential administration and send it into a contest. Then it wins. Then controversy ensues. What to do?

Allan Laing, writing for the Glasgow Herald, rounds up various mysteries by Lawrence Block, Henry Porter, James Crumley, Reginald Hill and Michael Dibdin. 

Patrick Anderson goes for more historically-tinged waters as he finds lots of good things to say about Rennie Airth’s THE BLOOD DIMMED-TIDE (but if you’re thinking there’ll be a 3rd installment anytime soon….yeah, right.)

Ed has been blogging up a storm lately, and his latest effort is to bring people’s attention to the Books by the Bay festival, held this past weekend.

Methinks Lily Safra is a wee bit sensitive here, yelling and screaming that a new novel is based on her sordid life. Well it might be, but can she really prove it?

Are you one of those people who writes zillion-page-long acknowledgements in your book? Well, Emily G offers reasons why that might not be such a grand idea (link via Galleycat.)

Are you a British child under the age of four? Well guess what, you’re getting a free book! Of course, some folks are bitching about the selections, but what can you do…

Irvine Welsh’s new book will still have his usual swearing and humor, but the sex and violence is toned down to non-existent, according to a new interview he gave to Leither magazine.