Weekend Update with Legerdemain

Quite a bit on the me front this weekend. My newest LA Times column checks in (not quite online yet, but soon) with post-⁹⁄₁₁ thrillers to see who’s doing it right; Time Out New York runs my thoughts on John Burdett’s BANGKOK HAUNTS; and I review new crime novels by Diana Abu-Jaber, Robert Ellis, Camilla Trinchieri and Peter Temple in the Baltimore Sun.

Now, to the Update proper:

NYTBR: Rachel Donadio finds out a lot of writers are closet software geeks; Mona Simpson champions the just-reissued works of her former teacher, Leonard Michaels; Jay McInerney indulges in two volumes about the history of sushi; and Marilyn Stasio reviews new novels of crime by Jeffery Deaver, Peter Lovesey, Christopher Fowler and Louise Penny.

WaPo Book World: Ron Charles warms to B&N’s latest recommends pick, STORMY WEATHER; Diana McLellan reviews a book about another, much more famous Diana; and Jonathan Yardley wonders why American weddings have to be so expensive. Actually, I’m putting words in the critic’s mouth, but still, why DO they have to be so freaking expensive?!

LA Times: Jerry Stahl explains the inner workings of Woody Allen’s comic brain; Denise Hamilton looks for ways to get boys to read; Ben Ehrenreich takes up Ryszard Kapuscinski’s last journalistic road; and the editors note summer reads.

G&M: Carl Bernstein explains to Simon Houpt why he had to write a biography of Hillary Clinton; Natasha Cooper delves into Michael Connelly’s latest Harry Bosch effort; Martin Levin takes the pulse of this weekend’s Book Expo Canada; and Margaret Cannon reviews new crime novels by Lyn Hamilton, Rebecca Stott, Caro Soles, Peter Robinson, Dean Koontz, Kitty Sewell, Craig Russell, Michael Palmer, Cora Harrison and Pat Wilson & Kris Wood.

Guardian Review: Margaret Atwood pens a tribute to the late Ryszard Kapuscinski; Lynne Truss compares the real and the imagined face; Armistead Maupin explains to Hadley Freeman why he’s returned to the world of TALES OF THE CITY; Louise Welsh rereads DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE with surprising results; and Jenny Diski has an intriguing take on THE YIDDISH POLICEMEN’S UNION.

Observer: Philip Hensher gets a virtual slap in the face after reading Armistead Maupin’s new novel; Sarah Hughes is impressed with Gwendoline Riley’s latest slim tome; and Peter Guttridge reviews new crime offerings from William Gay, John Connolly, Mayra Montero, Patrick Quinlan and the Bateman formerly known as Colin.

The Times: Christopher Hitchens reviews both of the new Hillary Clinton bios; Rosie Millard meets newly crowned Orange Prize winner Chimamanda Adichie; and Peter Millar wants to like Jack Henderson’s debut thriller but can’t quite come around to it; John Dugdale reviews new thrillers by Eoin McNamee, Lee Child, Sophie Hannah, Nicci French, Linda Fairstein, Richard North Patterson, John Harvey, Richard Flanagan and Rob Ryan.

The Scotsman: Stuart Kelly is the latest on the Michael Chabon bandwagon; Allan Massie believes Penelope Lively’s new novel is her best yet;  and John Sutherland explains why he wrote a memoir of his book-loving boyhood.

The Rest:

Oline Cogdill welcomes Edna Buchanan’s return to form and applauds Rebecca Stott’s ability to tell a good story.

The Chicago Tribune’s new mystery columnist, Paul Goat Allen, reviews the latest and reissued in pulp fiction by Megan Abbott, Paul Malmont, Elmore Leonard, George Axelrod and James Ellroy.

The Telegraph’s Jake Kerridge and Susanna Yager give their opinion on new crime novels by Bateman, Sheila Quigley, Raymond Miller, Ariana Franklin, Robert B. Parker and Andrew Wilson.

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune’s Marx Swarnholm reviews new locally based offerings from William Kent Krueger, David Housewright and Charles Locks.

Ed Pettit has his say on R.N. Morris’s sort-of-sequel to CRIME AND PUNISHMENT for the Philly Inquirer.

The Rap Sheet has the full scoop on the winners of the Arthur Ellis Awards.

Keeping the Canadian theme, the Quill & Quire blog recaps the mystery author panel at Book Expo Canada.

Edward Docx has a great essay on one of my all-time favorite topics: the author dedication page.

The Hartford Courant talks with Cosmo editor and “girl sleuth” author Kate White.