Rally round the Weekend Update
NYTBR: Frank Rich loooooooves Zadie Smith so much that he spends oodles of space heaping hosannas on her new novel ON BEAUTY; Arthur Schlesinger wonders why the public has dimmed its memory on Reinhold Neibuhr; Myla Goldberg’s much-anticipated sophomore effort tries to do too much and dulls her talents, according to Andrea Barrett; and Sarah Glazer tries to find out why ‘shojo’ is so popular on the other side of the world, too.
WaPo Book World: Put Jonathan Yardley in the yes camp for John Berendt’s newest book, which focuses on murder and mayhem in Venice; Ron Charles is mildly condescending in his analysis of Walter Mosley’s newest novel (though the last paragraph does bring up an excellent point); and a biography of Peter Lorre? I am soooo there.
G&M: Margaret Cannon’s crime column opens with her take on a book I am absolutely dying to read, Stephen Miller’s FIELD OF MARS (which has been getting buzz for possible publication here and the UK, but nothing concret yet) as well as new releases by Nicci French, Jeffrey Ford, Rick Mofina, Martha Grimes, Anne Perry & Quentin Jardine. Otherwise, Martin Levin weighs in on the whole “Wither Fall Fiction” topic; Josh Lambert admires Edeet Ravel’s latest effort, a meditation on Israel’s past and present; and how can you resist a novel about Irish harpists in 1737? No, really!
Guardian Review: Jay McInerney puts on the gloves and counterpunches his way to a defense of 9⁄11 fiction; Michel Houellbecq alphabetizes his way through past and present culture; and how did Edvard Munch paint such horrific but starkly beautiful paintings? The easiest way: by channelling himself.
The Observer: Tim Adams meets Scott Pack, the man who strikes fear in the hearts of publishers and authors alike; Robert McCrum is just the latest to be appalled by Orhan Pamuk’s impending prosecution; and Jane Perry seems to think Lauren Henderson’s missed the the point with JANE AUSTEN’S GUIDE TO DATING, but I’d say Perry has — a lot of women really need the bleedin’ obvious, darling.
The Times: David Baddiel tells much, if not quite all, about being a Booker Prize judge; John Carey considers Peter Ackroyd’s mammoth Shakespeare biography to be a bit of a muddled mess; Amanda Craig talks to Robin Hobb, who writes fantasy for grown-ups and is damn good at it; and Nicholas Clee wonders if the HMV takeover of Ottakar’s is a sign of too many damn bookshops.
The Scotsman: Ian Rankin offers a sneak preview of his upcoming compendium, REBUS’S SCOTLAND, which is like crib notes manna for longtime fans; Paul Riddell finds extra resonance in James Lee Burke’s latest Robicheaux novel in the wake of Katrina; David Robinson goes deep into the legacy and mystique of Agatha Christie; Patrick McGrath explains how current events led him to write his latest effort, GHOST TOWN; and Kath Murphy loves Kitty Fitzgerald’s PIGTOPIA almost as much as I did.
The Rest:
Dick Adler returns with his crime column for the Chicago Tribune, reviewing new releases by Walter Mosley, Zoe Sharp, Karen Olson, Jane Finnis, Diane O’Hehir, Jeanne M. Dams, Elaine Flinn, Nicholas Royle, and more — including his recommendations for New Orleans-set mysteries.
James Sallis talks to the Arizona Republic about DRIVE, the little novella that could that’s racking up praise all across the country — and I wonder, if Poisoned Pen isn’t doing the paperback, it seems a damn good fit for Hard Case Crime…
Margaret Maron chats with the Greensboro News-Record about her early career writing short stories for women’s magazines, and her current series featuring Deborah Knott.
Oline Cogdill doesn’t really have to say much more than she does in her review of CINNAMON KISS other than it’s damn good and people should read the Easy Rawlins novels.
The Canton Journal offers a sneak preview of the upcoming New England Crime Bake, featuring Tess Gerritsen as a keynote speaker and Chuck Hogan as one of the attending authors.
I still don’t get the whole Benjamin Kunkel thing, but he talks to NPR about his debut novel, INDECISION, and all sorts of other stuff.
Newsday’s Claire Dederer meets with Jim Lynch, whose debut THE HIGHEST TIDE has attracted lots of attention, not just for its teen protagonist.
Will being shortlisted for the Booker affect the most critical issue for an author — book sales? The Bookseller’s Alison Bone attempts to find out.