Smatterings, 5th of July Edition

Later today the winners of the CWA Daggers will be announced, and so of course the “genre wars” starts anew with Chris Wiegand’s essay on the Guardian blog. SHOTS’ Mike Stotter has more on this.

Speaking of genre wars, Ursula LeGuin pretty much puts the boot to Ruth Franklin’s snobbery. (via.)

John Sutherland discovers Lee Child and Jack Reacher. The results are quite interesting.

Claudia La Rocco is a big John Burdett fan after reading his latest, BANGKOK HAUNTS.

Tim Rutten feels similarly about Michael Robotham after closing the pages on THE NIGHT FERRY.

The #1 Ladies Detective Agency movie is a go, with Jill Scott to star as Precious Ramotswe and Anika Noni Rose as Mma Makutsi.

The movie version of JAR CITY gets a stellar review from Variety.

I have read Rachel Donadio’s upcoming NYTBR back page essay on critical reactions to THE SATANIC VERSES three times and I still do not understand what the point is. That people were critical of the book back in 1989? That there is some tenuous significance tied in with his knighthood?  It feels like a collated blog post without the links and the narrative thread.

A never-before-published Lew Archer excerpt? Awesome.

Summer reading selections courtesy the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Laura Lippman is guest-blogging at Powell’s all week. She promises recipes and more than delivers.

The LA Weekly meets Natsuo Kirino, Japan’s so-called Queen of Crime and just a damn good writer however she’s classified.

The Village Voice’s Carol Cooper explores the dark territory of Jean-Claude Izzo’s Marseilles trilogy.

Nancy Pickard has joined the blogosphere.

And in podcasts, Maud’s BEA interview of Shalom Auslander, Berkeley Breathed on the Bat Segundo show, and a special guest talks with Austin Grossman.