Return of the Sunday Smatterings

The WSJ’s Tom Nolan looks at Hakan Nesser’s newly translated novel, WOMAN WITH A BIRTHMARK.

In the Guardian, Laura Wilson has her say on crime & thrillers by Yrsa Sigudardottir, Helen Fitzgerald, Stav Sherez and Karen Campbell, while Cathi Unsworth reviews Henning Mankell’s latest and Matthew Lewin is thrilled by Deon Meyer’s BLOOD SAFARI.

The Times’ Marcel Berlins also reviews Sigudardottir’s new novel, along with recent offerings by Elizabeth Wilson and Ray Banks.

Margaret Cannon reviews the latest mysteries and thrillers by Philip Kerr, Joy Fielding, Garry Disher, Michael Gregorio, Vicki Delany and Ann Cleeves.

The Journal-News reports on the West Virginia Book Faire, with keynote speakers Harlan Coben and Lisa Scottoline.

Brian Freeman talks with the Duluth News-Tribune about his new thriller IN THE DARK. 

The Decider in Austin chats with Kris Saknussemm, whose new novel PRIVATE MIDNIGHT is beautifully strange, weird and kinky.

Scotland on Sunday’s Stuart Kelly chats with AS Byatt on why she won’t be writing “me-novels” anytime soon.

The Boston Globe’s Anna Mundow discusses THE IMPOSTOR with its author, Damon Galgut.

The Financial Times presents a handy pictorial illustrating genre book sales in the UK last year. The big winner? Linwood Barclay’s NO TIME FOR GOODBYE with almost 650,000 copies sold. (His upcoming novel FEAR THE WORST should be just as massive over there, and I suspect it may find a similar huge audience in the US when it’s released in August.)

Also in the WSJ is a lengthy piece on writers who are successful in France, but aren’t native speakers of the language and Stephen Marche’s examination of why lost works by great writers hold such appeal. 

The Sydney Morning Herald’s Peter Vincent looks at books as a way of beating the recession blues.

John Burmingham tells the Independent why he worries about too many restrictions being placed on young children that thwart their sense of adventure.

Finally, words fail me. Just go look.