The summer hours weekend upate
With June’s arrival, things are naturally slowing down. More desire to be outside, do other things. And so for the next couple of months, the Weekend Update may appear later on Sunday. Or (gasp!) not at all. Or more frequently than usual. It all depends, of course…
Meanwhile, I have a review in this weekend’s Philly Inquirer, specifically of Joyce Carol Oates’ latest effort using the Lauren Kelly pseudonym, BLOOD MASK.
NYTBR: Well golly gee, it’s all about summer reading this time out, isn’t it? Marilyn Stasio’s crime column is more than double the size; Terence Rafferty debuts a new (and extremely occasional) horror column; Elizabeth Judd gives me more reasons to seek out Sara Gruen’s WATER FOR ELEPHANTS; Alan Furst digs Scott Anderson’s internationally themed MOONLIGHT HOTEL; and the TBR collects blog reactions to the now-extremely-infamous fiction issue.
G&M: Catherine Hanrahan offers up a disturbing slice of Tokyo in her deut novel, LOST GIRLS & LOVE HOTELS; Michael Collins ponders the attraction of Everest for mountaineers and millionaires alike; Martin Levin talks about the industry’s current hot topics; and Christy Ann Collin thrills to Jane Harris’s much-buzzed-about debut, THE OBSERVATIONISTS.
Guardian Review: Tom Stoppard reflects on A.E. Housman’s life and work; Colm Toibin wonders why Henry James’ THE TURN OF THE SCREW still has the power to reach so many people; and Orhan Pamuk pays tribute to Perihan Magden, one of Turkey’s most outspoken columnists and novelists.
Observer: Jane Smiley reveals to Rachel Cooke why she was so interested in finding out who reads novels and why; John Tulloch talks about the impact of the 7⁄7 bombings upon his life; and Niccolo Amanniti uses blind rage to fuel his latest novel, STEAL YOU AWAY.
The Times: Stella Rimington assesses the impact of James Bond on spy thriller culture; Helen Rumbelow finds the spirit of the Beat Generation lives on with different packaging; I totally, utterly, unbelievably want to read Leonie Swann’s THREE BAGS FULL, featuring sheep detectives; Gerry McCarthy wonders about the dark side of the Celtic Tiger boom; and Marcel Berlins rounds up new crime fiction by Christopher Brookmyre, Ake Edwardson and Reggie Nadelson.
The Scotsman: A.M. Homes is making the rounds overseas, speaking to Julie Wheelwright about her newest novel; Chuck Palahniuk won’t stop writing as long as he has his childhood to mine for material; Nick Brooks (interviewed at length by Lesley McDowell) writes a formless crime novel and nearly gets away with it; and Catherine Lockerbie introduces the Debut Authors Festival.
The Rest:
Oline Cogdill gives out nice notices to Peter Robinson and Sean Doolittle for their latest efforts. And in something I missed last week, Michael Connelly wrote about his time at the Sun-Sentinel – efforts which were included in his new non-fiction collection CRIME BEAT.
Thomas Meaney has several problems with Matthew Pearl’s THE POE SHADOW, but appreciates that the author did the introduction to the reissued MURDERS OF THE RUE MORGUE.
At the Wall Street Journal, P.D. James picks five of her favorite crime novels.
The Denver Post’s Tom & Enid Schantz review new mysteries by female writers such as Ariana Franklin, Olive Etchells and Cornelia Read.
At the SF Chronicle, David Lazarus has mixed feelings about new crime novels by Matthew Pearl, Barry Eisler and Joseph Finder.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch’s Francis Decker looks at the latest by Joseph Finder, Lisa Unger, C.J. Box and David Rosenfelt.
Donna Leon is truly a woman of music, as the Inquirer’s music critic, David Patrick Stearns, finds out. Her latest Brunetti novel, THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY, is reviewed by Maxine Clarke in the paper.
Sherlock Holmes has figured in a great many novels, most recently Laurie King’s THE ART OF DETECTION, as the Arizona Republic discovers.
Lee Child, currently on tour to promote his newest Jack Reacher novel, talks to the Seattle Times’ Adam Woog about the series, its origins and what’s next in store.
As part of the LA Times’ “Other Side of Summer” issue, there’s an interview with Alan Furst, an examination of a much-overdue biography of Kim Stanley; and Ben Ehrenreich’s tribute to Gilbert Sorrentino.
Why did the “Jane Austen of South Alabama” write nothing more after TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD? Andrew Gumbel of the Independent reads a new biography of Harper Lee and comes back with some answers.
Leigh Montville, before he became the sports biography It Boy, carved out his name at the Boston Globe writing daily columns. He reminisces about those days with the Globe’s Bob Ryan. The paper also runs a pretty hilarious interview with Tabitha King, whose new novel picks up where Michael McDowell left off.