You Don’t Love the Weekend Update

And first, hope you all remembered to push your clocks forward as part of this “energy saving” initiative that’s really meant to confuse North America even further and forfeit an hour’s sleep even earlier.

More seriously, all good wishes and speedy recovery vibes should be directed Dick Adler’s way, so that he returns to good health as soon as possible.

Onward:

NYTBR: Marilyn Stasio’s crime column features new releases by Reginald Hill, Robert Crais, Andrew Wilson and Hakan Nesser; David Orr offers a corrective to Dana Goodyear’s New Yorker piece on the Poetry Foundation; Ron Powers wants to see what Jon Clinch can accomplish with a 100% original idea; Pete Hamill is about the best person to review a book about the history of Prohibition; and Dave Itzkoff, trying too hard. What else is new?

WaPo Book World: In honor of the 400th anniversary of the settlement, Tony Horwitz reviews a trio of books on Jamestown, while Ron Charles is delightfully overwhelmed by Matthew Sharpe’s often satirical take on the subject; Jennifer Howard surrenders to the magic within Nalo Hopkinson’s new novel; and Dennis Drabelle reviews recent mystery fare from Sandi Ault, Barbara Parker, John Lescroart, Asa Nomani and Ben Pastor.

LA Times: Jonathan Lethem makes a case for irresponsibility and a sense of play in fiction; Deborah Vankin offers entertaining insights into the pros and cons of Lethem’s new novel; Wendy Smith enjoys Joel Rose’s historical New York as filtered through an Edgar Allan Poe story; and Paula Woods has some choice criticisms for Patrick Anderson’s thriller-specific critiques.

G&M: Claire Cameron thinks Chris Bohjalian’s new novel is Oprah-worthy; David Jays applauds Rachel Seiffert for honest writing but finds the end result a bit lonely; Alan Lightman expounds on the history of changing the clocks forward and back; and Margaret Cannon reviews new crime offerings from Reginald Hill, Ann Cleeves, R.N. Morris,  Alain Mabanckou,  Maryse Conde, Julie Garwood & Anne Perry.

Guardian Review: James Wood praises the writing in D.H. Lawrence’s THE RAINBOW; CK Stead has turned his current illness into inspiration for his latest volume of poetry; Jed Mercurio’s fictional account of the space race meets with Michel Faber’s approval; Tracy Chevalier’s Blake-inspired novel is a bit too pat for Clare Clark’s tastes; and Frances Welch explores the fascinating fake that was Anna Anderson.

Observer: Matthew Crow justly lauds Dana Spiotta’s marvelous EAT THE DOCUMENT; NTP Murphy is your exhaustive guide to the PG Wodehouse canon; and Gaby Wood wonders why David Rose singled out one particular freed Death Row inmate over all others.

The Times: Another day, another feature about Joe “Who’s My Daddy” Hill – further attention that shows all the reasons why he kept his true identity under his hat for so many years; Peter Millar reviews new thrillers by Michael Langfield & David Morrell; and Tim Pears explains why Oxford fulfills every novelistic need.

The Scotsman: David Sexton tries to understand the SHOPAHOLIC craze, so popular its current installment debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list; David Robinson pinpoints the heart of Alexander McCall Smith’s beloved series – its emphasis on what makes small things loom large; and Emily Maguire reveals what’s on her nightstand.

The Rest:

Oline Cogdill is full of praise for Robert Crais’s THE WATCHMAN and Marcus Sakey’s THE BLADE ITSELF (with a preview of Sean Chercover’s debut as “one of two nearly flawless debuts of 2007.”)

Adam Woog at the Seattle Times reviews the latest in crime by Alex Carr aka Jenny Siler, Forrest DeVoe Jr. and Boris Starling.

Aileen Jacobson at Newsday spotlights two thriller writers who set their work in and around Long Island – Russell Andrews and Marc Lecard.

At the Chicago Sun-Times, Kevin Nance is a new fan of Alison McGhee’s FALLING BOY while Mary Houlihan wishes Tracy Chevalier had used her historical fiction conceit more wisely.

The Philadelphia Weekly went all the way to Seattle to chat with former Philly native Pete Dexter about his new book of old journalism columns and the real story behind his infamous 1981 beating.

At CHUD, Duane Swierczynski talks comics, why most of his books are set in the same “Swierczy-verse,” and influences past and future.

The Age’s Stephanie Bunbury meets Sweden’s new master of horror, John Ajvide Lindqvist.

Sophie Cunningham’s essay on relationships in all forms is nothing short of brilliant.

And finally, John Leonard’s acceptance speech for the NBCC’s Ivan Sandrof award for lifetime achievement is now available. It is, simply put, one of the finest speeches I have ever had the pleasure to hear in person, and I am so damn glad everyone else is now able to read it. I gush, and if this makes me a “Leonardista” in the making, so be it.