Designs on the Weekend Update

NYTBR: So first, let’s begin with Marilyn Stasio’s column, where she reviews the latest by Charles Todd, Joan Hess, Andrea Camilleri & Massimo Carlotto. I must say it amuses me what diametric opposites La Stasio and Mr Carlotto are — OTOH, she gave the book a good review in the end, which is what counts…

Otherwise in the TBR, Norah Vincent shows what it’s like to be a guy; Judith Shulevitz delves into the murky debate about evolution, and Maimonides gets his due in a new biography about the man, medicine and his philosophies.

WaPo Book World: Jonathan Yardley remembers John Gregory Dunne, a “consummate professional” kind of writer; Robert Louis Stevenson’s fantastic life and writing are done justice in a new biography; and Ron Charles is enchanted by the loveliness of Dara Horn’s THE WORLD TO COME.

G&M: A new biography focuses on Esther Johnson, a contemporary of Jonathan Swift; Margaret Atwood gets slightly shrill in her new parable THE TENT; it looks like Toronto-love might be on the upswing again; and Margaret Cannon reviews new crime releases by Jesse Kellerman, Richard Hawke, Tom Corcoran, Mel Bradshaw, Margaret Murphy and a new sports-themed collection from Otto Penzler.

Guardian Review: Maxim Jakubowski bestows his seal of approval on new crime books by Martyn Waites, Adrian Magson and Giampero Rigosi; Tibor Fischer is sucked into the voodoo world of Nick Stone’s debut; Caryl Phillips reflects on how being an outsider is critical for a writer’s work; Kathryn Hughes dubs John Boyne’s new novel “a small wonder of a book”; and James Campbell offers some praise for James McGonagall.

Observer: Robert McCrum uses the “Young Bond” series to take stock of 007’s enduring popularity; Tobias Hill gets grilled in the Observer’s questionnaire; putting Jilly Cooper and Jane Austen in the same sentence is odd, yet fitting; and this interview with David Irving is probably about the creepiest thing I’ve read in a hell of a long time.

The Times: John Boyne explains why he decided to write about the Holocaust from a child’s perspective; the former head of Mossad wishes Steven Spielberg hadn’t based his movie on such a flawed book;  and Stephen McClarence reflects on the Raj-inflected town of Ooty.

The Scotsman: Really, it’s all about Robbie Burns this weekend; Gerald Kaufman rounds up recent crime fiction by Patricia Cornwell, Ed McBain, Linda Fairstein, James Patterson, Cath Staincliffe, James Lee Burke, Andrea Camilleri, Joseph Kanon and Barbara Nadel; and Kate Grenville returns to follow up her Orange Prize win with a new novel.

The Rest:

Oline Cogdill really wanted to like N.M. Kelby’s comic crime novel THE WHALE SEASON, but too many parts didn’t add up to a cohesive sum.

David Montgomery’s latest Sun-Times column looks at new releases by M.J. Rose, Michele Martinez, Sean Doolittle, Twist Phelan, and Dick Adler, whose book of essays and criticisms I’d really like to read already…

And speaking of Adler, his newest column reviews the latest in crime fiction by Barbara Seranella, Richard Hawke, Paula Woods, Peter Schechter and Sean Doolittle.

Randy Wayne White talks to the Boca Raton Beacon about the inspiration for the latest installment in the Doc Ford saga, DARK LIGHT.

On the single review front, Mia Geiger gives some deserving ink to Barbara Seranella in this review for the Philly Inquirer, while Charles Taylor has a more mixed take on Peter Blauner’s new thriller for Newsday.

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s Regis Behe interviews Julian Barnes about his much-feted new novel, ARTHUR AND GEORGE.

Australian literary fiction may be in decline, but the Age’s Aviva Tuffield makes a case for smaller publishers and what they can bring to the table.

Also in the Age is a pretty damn good roundup of American literary hoaxes by Simon Caterson.

The Kansas City Star talks to Marilynne Robinson about God, Calvinism, and the paperback edition of GILEAD.

It’s so cool that Angela Carter is getting some needed attention again, because this woman was a bloody brilliant writer.

Ah, BHL. Whatta character, and John Freeman brings out his eccentricities in this profile for Newsday, and Sebastian Rotella does the same for the LA Times.