Literary minded

(x-posted from <a href=“http://offonatangent.tumblr.com/" target=”self”>Off on a Tangent, which is my more reliable bloggy home of late.)_

Nobody asked me to contribute a …

My newest Q&A at Currency is with Adam Levin, whose debut novel THE INSTRUCTIONS has been receiving a ridiculous amount of buzz. A lot of it has to do with the sheer length of the book (it clocks …

In Saturday’s Wall Street Journal, I wrote about one of my all-time favorite books: BY GRAND CENTRAL STATION I SAT DOWN AND WEPT, Elizabeth Smart’s prose poem published in 1945. It is …

My newest Dark Passages column for the LAT heaps praise on Tom Franklin’s new novel CROOKED LETTER, CROOKED LETTER, which bowled me over in a big, big way, even more so than his previous work, …

Starting today, I’ve begun a new column at Currency, an American Express-sponsored personal finance site geared towards the so-called Millenial Generation (aka those aged 21-32 or thereabouts.) …

Shel Silverstein’s 80th birthday was last Saturday, and since my admiration (okay, uh, general fannishness) is hardly a secret in these quarters, it seemed like as good a time as any to write …

So Richard Price will be writing a series of detective novels for Henry Holt under a pen name – Jay Morris – starting in fall 2011. It’s the same publisher that John Banville has for …

Still sporadic, expect to be so for the foreseeable future. But links, they do pile up…

At DailyFinance this weekend, I wrote about Rick Riordan and his extremely successful Percy Jackson …

One of America’s greatest writers has passed on, and even though I shouldn’t have been surprised – he was 82 years old and not in the greatest of health the last few years – I …

Marilyn Stasio focuses her attention on new mysteries and thrillers by Deborah Coonts, Michael Koryta, Lee Child, Sophie Littlefield, Elaine Viets and Tarquin Hall.

Also in the NYT, Charles McGrath …

I think I’m pretty well recovered from BEA now, though as happens every year, it split my brain in several directions and will take a little while to put everything back together. But one of the …

The Daily Beast has been running a series devoted to emerging writers, and their first two choices – THE INVISIBLE BRIDGE by Julie Orringer and EVERYTHING LOVELY, EFFORTLESS, SAFE by Jenny …

Oline Cogdill has her say on Paul Doiron’s excellent debut novel THE POACHER’S SON in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Margaret Cannon reviews new crime fiction by Donna Leon, Olen …

Edgar Week is soon upon us! There’s the Mysterious Bookshop/MWA party on Tuesday, the symposium on Wednesday, EQMM/AHMM’s early Thursday afternoon party and then the Big Show Thursday …

This damn volcano. Scrapping flights, stranding travelers, giving John Cleese a hell of a story to incorporate into his comedic act, scuppering research trips, canceling tours, and if this drags on …

Right, I didn’t do one of these last week! Which made me realize that I do miss the link roundups, as long as it’s not obligation and still fun. So here we go:

Marilyn Stasio reviews new …

Janet Maslin rightly reviews new thrillers by Harlan Coben and Linwood Barclay in tandem, since both cover a lot of the same ground with varying degrees of success (I haven’t read CAUGHT yet, so …

Of course I’m leading off with this piece of news: a new collection of Shel Silverstein poems will be published by HarperCollins’ Childrens Books in Fall 2011. This is awesome. What would …

And let’s lead off with the winners of the awards given out last night at Left Coast Crime: Alan Bradley for the Dilys, Rita Lakin for the Lefty, Rebecca Cantrell for the Bruce Alexander, and …

Oline Cogdill looks at Bob Morris’s new mystery novel BAJA FLORIDA for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

The G&M’s Margaret Cannon has her say on crime fiction by Philip Kerr, Ian Weir, …

I have read Sam Tanenhaus’s piece on the Amy Bishop case several times now and still don’t quite know what to make of it. Even though it is clear his frame of reference with regards to …

In the NYTBR, Marilyn Stasio rounds up new crime novels by Mark Mills, Frank Tallis, Matt Beynon Rees, and the late Robert B. Parker.

Oline Cogdill reads James Grippando’s new thriller MONEY TO …

The finalists for the Los Angeles Times Book Prizes have been announced, and aside from a new graphic novel category and the inaugural Innovator’s Award going to Dave Eggers, there’s a …

Laura Wilson rounds up new crime novels by Jacques Chessex, Jane Casey, Elly Griffiths and Carley Buckley.

The Times of London’s Marcel Berlins has his say on new offerings from Sam Eastland, …

Marilyn Stasio looks at recent crime fiction by James Hall, Charlie Huston, Elly Griffiths and Robert Crais.

Oline Cogdill reviews P.J. Parrish’s newest Louis Kincaid novel, A LITTLE DEATH, in …

Oline Cogdill has her say on Julie Compton’s new thriller RESCUING OLIVIA.

In the LA Times, Paul Tremblay tells a harrowing story of how his child’s nanny defrauded him and other families …

Margaret Cannon’s latest crime column features new titles by Steve Hamiton, John Burdett, Stephen Hunter, James Hall, Jonathan Kellerman and Cora Harrison. The column, as has been widely …

Now I can confess: when I first heard the news that J.D. Salinger died, I was instant-messaging with my editor at DailyFinance and said something to the effect of “not to sound crass, but his …

Marilyn Stasio looks at recent crime fiction by Ian Rankin, Belinda Bauer, James Thompson and Ian Sansom.

Hallie Ephron analyzes new mystery releases by Lori Armstrong, Leighton Gage and Michael …

Oline Cogdill chats with Robert Crais about his new Joe Pike novel, THE FIRST RULE, which she also reviews, as does the LA Times’ Paula Woods.

In the Guardian, Laura Wilson raves about Belinda …

Laura Hruska, co-founder, longtime publisher and editor-in-chief of Soho Press, died on Saturday after a long illness. She was 74 years old. Hruska had been at Soho, which began publishing literary …

Julia Keller’s newest “Lit Life” column in the Chicago Tribune focuses on the still-strong appeal of Scandinavian crime fiction, and quotes, among others, Andrew Gulli, Centuries …

Two and a half years in the making, my essay on the complete works of Don Carpenter runs in the January 2010 issue of The Believer, which should be on newsstands very soon if it isn’t already. …

I’m not sure if the lateness of this post and the lack of posts between this and last week’s roundup is indicative of how 2010 will go, but expect posting to be – more or less …

Marilyn Stasio’s last crime fiction column of 2009 rounds up new crime fiction by Sue Grafton and Christopher Fowler, and new-to-US books by Pierre Magnan and Ken Bruen.

Also in the NYT is an …

Oline Cogdill selects her best mysteries of all stripes in 2009 for the Sun-Sentinel.

The Guardian’s Laura Wilson rounds up new crime offerings from Linwood Barclay, Catriona MacPherson and …

Marilyn Stasio looks at recent mysteries and thrillers by Joseph Wambaugh,Charles Finch and Stan Jones, as well as PD James’ TALKING ABOUT DETECTIVE FICTION.

Margaret Cannon rounds up new crime …

Maj Sjowall, in this amazing profile by Louise France of the Observer, talks about the ten-book Martin Beck series, her life with Per Wahloo, and why the money she’s made off the books is …

Oline Cogdill chimes in with her thoughts on Louise Penny’s newest neo-traditional mystery THE BRUTAL TELLING.

Adam Woog rounds up recent crime fiction by Michael Connelly,Patrick McManus, …

Hallie Ephron reviews new mysterious tales by Ruth Rendell, Emily Arsenault and Keith Raffel for the Boston Globe.

At the Sunday Times, Peter Millar rounds up recent thrillers by Michael Robotham, …

The NYTBR’s Marilyn Stasio reviews new crime fiction by Patricia Cornwell, Reginald Hill, Emily Arsenault and Karen Maitland. 

Oline Cogdill raves about Michael Connelly’s NINE …

Oline Cogdill is impressed with David Ellis’s THE HIDDEN MAN, the start of a new series of legal thrillers.

Robin Vidimos has much the same reaction about Michael Connelly’s new Harry …

Marilyn Stasio reviews recent crime fiction by Nancy Mauro, Robert Parker, Dick & Felix Francis and Sophie Hannah (for those who wonder, THE WRONG MOTHER was published in 2007 in the UK as THE …

And so, the final completed volume of the Millenium series, THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET’S NEST, has been published in the UK. The Times of London profiles Stieg Larsson anew, Marcel Berlins …

Rosh Hashanah’s done, so more or less back to business…

James Ellroy’s BLOOD’S A ROVER publishes tomorrow, and naturally there’s already a ton of coverage. Art Taylor …

So begins what might well be the craziest, “most important” week in publishing: Ted Kennedy’s memoir TRUE COMPASS finally drops tomorrow – well, the print edition, anyway …

I cannot even begin to describe what a goldmine of information Paul Krassner’s “impolite interview” with Shel Silverstein in the August 1961 issue of THE REALIST is. References to a …

It’s been a bit fallow this week, hasn’t it? The transition from summer to fall will do that, as will the usual excuses (deadlines, cleaning the house, going outside, stress, spending too …

Marilyn Stasio pays tribute to Donald Westlake and the Dortmunder novels in her NYTBR review of GET REAL.

At the Daily Beast, David Montgomery rounds up new crime fiction by Joseph Finder, Daniel …

Ian Rankin’s new novel THE COMPLAINTS is just out in the UK, that means a whole lot of media coverage. See Jonathan Brown’s profile in the Independent, Marcel Berlins’ review in the …

A Thomas Pynchon novel’s not supposed to be read in a single sitting. And yet, with one large interruption to attend a tribute for Donald Westlake at Mysterious Bookshop Tuesday night, …

Marilyn Stasio reviews new crime fiction by Stieg Larsson, Karin Fossum, Steven Thomas, Margaret Maron and Matthew Dicks for the NYTBR.

Oline Cogdill takes on Joseph Finder’s new thriller …

At Significant Objects, Josh Glenn and Rob Walker’s fabulous site devoted to people like Nicholson Baker, Luc Sante, Stewart O’Nan, Lizzie Skurnick and many, many others inventing …

Links have piled up over the course of the week, and finally I can round them up in something of an orderly fashion:

THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE by Stieg Larsson debuted this week at #1 on the NYT …

Most of the reviews to date of Lev Grossman’s new novel THE MAGICIANS understandably liken it to a cross between HARRY POTTER and BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY, or a generalized version of kiddie …

To the Guardian’s credit, they get John Banville to respond to post-Harrogate genre controversies, and it is kind of awesome.

Marilyn Stasio has her say on new mysteries by Rennie Airth, …

The New Yorker couldn’t have known that Nicholson Baker’s fascinating essay about his use of various e-reading devices would come out just as rumors pinpoint the Apple Tablet’s …

The NYT’s Marilyn Stasio rounds up new crime novels by James Lee Burke, S.J. Bolton, Michael Genelin and Fred Vargas.

Also in the Book Review is Sam Tanenhaus’s rather pained …

Last night at the rather opulent setting of Cipriani near Grand Central Station – and still bearing the remnants of the bank the place used to be – the Thriller Awards were given out by …

At Jacket Copy, LA Times deputy books editor Nick Owchar breaks the news reports that a long-lost, unfinished novel Graham Greene wrote when he was 22 will be serialized in five parts by the Strand …

Oline Cogdill calls BLACK WATER RISING by Attica Locke “clearly one of the year’s best debuts.”

Val McDermid, as part of the Times of London’s summer reading issue, reviews a …

At Tablet Magazine – though when I conceived and wrote and revised the piece, the place was still Nextbook – my essay on Esther Kreitman and her greatest work, the novel Der Sheydim Tants …

In the NYTBR, Dennis Lehane makes a surprise appearance reviewing THE SECRET SPEECH by Tom Rob Smith and Marilyn Stasio rounds up new crime fiction by Janet Evanovich, Tarquin Hall, Jim Kelly and C.J. …

As part of its summer reading issue, the National Post asked me to contribute my picks for worthwhile mysteries and thrillers to take with on vacation, at the beach, and the like. Some I’ve …

Alan Furst picks his five favorite spy novels for the WSJ, including an unexpected Eric Ambler and…Nina Berberova?

Also in the WSJ, Jeffrey Trachtenberg briefly interviews James Patterson about …

Sorry for the radio silence here; I’ve been helping out with Publishers Marketplace’s Book Expo America coverage over the last few days and now that the show is over, deadlines await.

But …

Marilyn Stasio reviews new crime fiction by Michael Connelly, Alan Bradley, Simon Beckett and John Shannon.

Chuck Leddy finds Michael Connelly’s THE SCARECROW to “fit the bill” as …

Elmore Leonard gets lots of ink this weekend, including a rave review by Stephen King in the Boston Globe, an LA Times profile by Hal Espen, Patrick Anderson wants to declare Leonard a “national …

In advance of THE SCARECROW’S May 26 release, Michael Connelly talks with the WSJ about that new book, the decline and fall of newspapers, and whether Harry Bosch would work as a TV show. Also …

Marilyn Stasio reviews new crime fiction by Gillian Flynn, George Pelecanos, John Hart, Maggie Estep and Seth Harwood.

Speaking of Harwood, he gets a meaty writeup for his novel JACK WAKES UP in the …

For WoWoW, I offer my take on recent mysteries of a more traditional bent just in time for Malice Domestic, which announced its Agatha Award winners last night. One of these days I’ll figure out …

I am still very much on Eastern Daylight Time so my capacity at the moment for long-form reporting on the festival is somewhat lacking. Not to mention that the gorgeous weather and West Coast-ness …

As the London Book Fair winds down, it looks like there’s something approximating the “Book of the Fair” publishers and media types are semi-desperate for. This year it’s THE …

J.G. Ballard died over the weekend after a long battle with cancer. He was 78. I’m not nearly as familiar with his work as I should be, but Joanne McNeil’s essay and Toby Litt’s …

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 …

In the May/June edition of Poets & Writers, I have a short piece on authors on Twitter – what they are doing there, the best way to reach readers, and if the fuss is warranted (you can …

While I’ve updated the Picks of the Week section, and the selections will remain until I accrue enough recommendations for a refresh, I should point out the following: the links go to Amazon …

Terrible, terrible news: Derek Weiler, the editor of Canadian book trade magazine Quill & Quire, passed away yesterday at his home in Toronto. He was just 40 years old. More from the upcoming …

No doubt there will be some fun parlor games in the book world to see which “high-level thriller writer,” to use Harper publisher Jonathan Burnham’s lingo, ends up with the daunting …

In the New York Post, I review Dara Horn’s new historical novel ALL OTHER NIGHTS, which could be classified as a spy thriller but is really more a way of looking at big American themes through a …

Michael Cox, author of the novels THE MEANING OF NIGHT and THE GLASS OF TIME, a biography of M.R. James and an editor of several Oxford anthologies of short fiction, died Tuesday morning after a long …

I’ve just finished reading the one and only novel from Dennis Richard Murphy, who passed away months before its publication. The Edmonton Journal profiles Murphy and how DARKNESS AT THE STROKE …

The Telegraph’s Jake Kerridge puts Raymond Chandler’s novels under a critical magnifying glass.

Marilyn Stasio reviews new crime fiction by Barbara Vine, Cara Black, Walter Mosley and …

Highlights from the NYTBR and such: Marilyn Stasio on Olen Steinhauer’s THE TOURIST, Janet Maslin with her take on Laura Lippman’s LIFE SENTENCES, and Geoffrey Wolff has his say on …

Much as I love the extra hour of daylight, losing the extra hour of sleep kind of blows. But enough kvetching, on to the links:

Marilyn Stasio has her say on new crime fiction by Valerie Laken, Sean …

Cara Black has always read from one of her Aimee Leduc novels at Stacey’s Bookstore in downtown San Francisco. But yesterday’s lunchtime reading from MURDER IN THE LATIN QUARTER not only …

Deadlines and appointments keep me busy, but all the news o’ the day is on Twitter (short) and I’m participating in a pretty kickass roundtable on Eric Kraft’s wonderful epoch FLYING …

Jonathan Littell tells the WSJ that promoting THE KINDLY ONES in the US is not his job, but maybe his aversion to selling himself in America has more to do with the fact that reviewers here are (with …

Hallie Ephron has her say on new mysteries by Spencer Quinn, Jedediah Berry and Val McDermid.

Oline Cogdill looks at Tim Dorsey’s new comic crime novel for the Sun-Sentinel.

The NYT’s …

Alan Bradley is hot, hot, hot in Canada, what with profiles in the Toronto Star and at Abebooks.com, and a middling review in the Globe & Mail.

Oline Cogdill reviews the new Linda Fairstein novel …

In the TLS, Sean O’Brien attempts to make some grand conclusions about the state of the thriller, but he is hamstrung by having to tie in a bunch of recent releases together to make these …

The NYTBR teems with crime fiction this week what with the David Gates’ review of SPADE AND ARCHER, Walter Olson on David Liss’s recent historical novel, Richard Lourie on THE SILENT MAN …

In the NYTBR, Marilyn Stasio gets a moment in the sun, too – reviewing the historical thriller BLINDSPOT and spotlighted in “Up Front”, though it seems a bit odd to start off with …

R.I.P., John Updike. The links are plentiful and ongoing (especially as compiled by David “Greatest Aggregator in the World” Hudson) but the pieces I keep fixating on are the two he wrote …

After weeks of rumor-mongering, hand-wringing and aborted attempts at “petitions”, what the literary world’s suspected for some time has finally come to pass: The Washington Post …

NYTBR: Marilyn Stasio reviews new crime offerings from Charlie Huston, Andrew Martin, Jack Fredrickson and Michael McGarrity; the Wednesday night book talk at the Tribeca B&N’ is …

Tom Nolan celebrates the 75th anniversary of Dashiell Hammett’s THE THIN MAN by asking why we’re not taking the book more seriously.

One of the things I forgot to ask Patricia Cornwell …

If you’re in Philadelphia tonight, do not miss the Great Poe Debate at the Philly Free Library. The Inquirer previews the fun and games of the Poe Wars.

Michael Carlson talks Scandinavian crime …

NYTBR: Caleb Crain looks at radical Marxist literature for children; Jacob Heilbrunn on a spate of books and films that romanticize or embellish on the horror of the Holocaust; Matt Ruff digs Josh …

So word of my freakish reading ability got around and Carolyn Kellogg, Jacket Copy’s ace lead blogger, engaged me in a Q&A about the nuts and bolts of it:

Jacket Copy: So how do you do …

Janet Maslin extols the virtues of Charlie Huston while Patrick Anderson is not so impressed with Ira Berkowitz.

Michiko Kakutani is wowed by Jayne Anne Phillips’ long-awaited new novel LARK …

My newest column at the Baltimore Sun has a neophyte feel to it because all three of the books I review, by Leonard Downie, Malla Nunn and George Matras, are debut novels.

Regis Behe chats with …

The Observer serves up a preview of books published in 2009, marveling at the number of big names coming out with new novels in the UK like Amis, Pynchon, Waters, and some guy named Bolano.

One of …

With the new year approaching I felt like going with a different color scheme for Confessions, so voila. And so full Weekend Updates will not resume until ‘09, but content yourself with this …

Deadlines are beat. The plate is clear for now. And to tell you the truth, I am rethinking the whole “link journalism” thing that blogs, especially litblogs, were built on the back of. For …

Apologies from this corner for the paucity of posts: it’s been a deadline-packed week and the pace won’t ease up until early next week. Which is why I’m late on directing you to …

The crime writing team of Michael Gregorio conduct a fascinating interview with Giancarlo de Cataldo, known here as the editor of CRIMINI.

It’s official: Reed can’t find a buyer for its …

From a narrative standpoint, Sunday’s literary smackdown developed in the best possible way. PEN shot out to an early lead, held on as tough question after tough question stumped both teams, and …

Because honestly, this week it’s all about Best of Lists and you can find them all in one place at Largehearted Boy. But there are other links to be had, like:

Marilyn Stasio’s crime …

If you happen to be in midtown this weekend, you’re well advised to check out the goings-on at the 21st Annual Indie & Small Press Book Fair, taking place at the General Society Building on …

And after a glorious week away, the news is all doomy and gloomy! Well not all, but a whole lot of it, alas.

After the publishing news heard round the world, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt publisher Becky …

Okay, so a while back I wondered whether it was such a good idea to place James Wood on a pedestal, and that knowing what he thinks on or does with things that have nothing whatsoever to do with …

NYTBR: George Packer on the V.S. Naipaul biography;  Charles Taylor digs the new short story collection from Stephen King; Kevin Kelly examines the way screens are changing the printed word; …

For all your National Book Awards recap needs, including links to other stories and the view from the press corps, check out my twitter feed. Ed Champion provided live podcasts and Jason Boog got …

The newest podcast at CRIMEWAV features “Blooming”, a short story of mine that appeared in A HELL OF A WOMAN.

Is Barack Obama the new Oprah?

Val McDermid will now be a children’s …

And it’s an abbreviated one this week, so bear with:

Marilyn Stasio gives the business on recent crime fiction by Reginald Hill, Christopher Fowler, Pablo De Santis and Jeffery Deaver, not to …

As one of the 2666 skeptics, it is only fair I judge the book on its merits, which I hope to do now that a copy has landed in my mailbox. But Levi Stahl has worthy commentary on the reviews so far. ( …

NYTBR: Jonathan Lethem spent ecstatic days with Roberto Bolano’s 2666 and pretty much declares it the novel to read; Richard Parker looks at the Great Depression and what it might mean for …

Kyle Minor is the author of In the Devil’s Territory, a collection of stories available this week from Dzanc Books. His recent work appears in Best American Mystery Stories 2008, Random House’s …

I have lost count how many talented, brilliant, notable people have died this year. But goddamn, losing John Leonard hurts. Critics are a hard group to love, but Leonard’s writing made it easy. …

A few folks have wondered if I had anything of substance to say about Michael Crichton. And the truth is, not being nearly as familiar with his work as I should, it didn’t seem right. What …

So now we know. And yes, it isn’t perfect (Prop 8 WTF? And same to you, AZ) but it’s damn good to feel hopeful instead of nervous, optimistic instead of fearful. Plus I can play this all …

A few things from me to kick off this Weekend Update after we turned the clocks back. My new column at the Baltimore Sun looks at new mysteries and thrillers by P.D. James, Christopher Fowler and Jon …

The legend has passed. He was 96 and packed zillions of lives into a single one by reaching out to people of all stripes – rich and poor, black and white, male and female, old and young, …

Happy Halloween, everybody. A few choice links on this candy-filled day:

At the WSJ, Laura Miller dissects the still-burgeoning appeal of vampires.

Kelly Link picks five spooky books for Halloween. …

Laura Wilson has won the Ellis Peters Historical Dagger for her WWII-era novel STRATTON’S WAR.

Ex-SAS man and thriller writer Chris Ryan is now writing saga fiction as Molly Jackson. No, …

NYTBR: This is about as sycophantic a review I’ve read in ages, so of course it has to grace the cover; Terrence Rafferty makes a welcome return by looking at female horror writers like Sarah …

It was clear that he was loved, and that even though they might not have understood him fully, they loved him in return. It was clear that his intellect was giant enough to write a book on Infinity, …

One of the UK’s leading literary agents, Pat Kavanagh, has died from complications of a recently diagnosed brain tumor. There’s more on Kavanagh’s death over at Bookbrunch, a new …

NYTBR: It’s more than a bit meh this week at the Book Review – or just puzzling –  but one can always read Marilyn Stasio’s column, looking at new crime fiction by Michael …

Thanks to the dedicated crowd who turned up at Scandinavia House yesterday evening to hear your gravel-voiced moderator lead Val McDermid, Jeffrey Frank and Edward Kastenmeier in discussion of Stieg …

And of course, it’s the pre-Bouchercon update, seems fitting to note that the Baltimore Sun’s Read Street blog will be on hand for the convention and will provide daily updates. The paper …

Bouchercon is less than a week away. Early next week I’ll do some serious previewing (and if there’s anyone who needs further information about options with regards to the Yom Kippur fast, …

RIP, Olsson’s Books & Records. That you will be missed is an understatement. WaPo’s Bob Thompson has a nice appreciation of the now-closed indie chain.

Another RIP for the New York …

Keeping it short, keeping it mostly crime fiction-centric:

The Missoula Independent collected a ton of wonderful tributes to the late James Crumley by James Lee Burke, Chris Offutt, George Pelecanos, …

Maxim Jakubowski and Mike Ripley remember James Crumley.

The Times’ Ben MacIntyre visits with Elmore and Peter Leonard.

Oliver Sacks talks to the WSJ about music and the mind, his daily swims …

Karen Matthews at the AP writes up the opening of a new exhibit centered around Irene Nemirovsky that opens today at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in Battery Park. I took my visiting mother to …

At Time Out Chicago, book editor Jonathan Messinger looks into how Richard Stark’s Parker novels ended up with the University of Chicago Press. Actually the main answer lies with this guy… …

NYTBR: Seth Mnookin goes inside John Darnton’s murder mystery version of the Times; Tom LeClair has some grievances with MAN IN THE DARK; Christopher Hitchens on BHL; and Amy Finnerty has her …

The New York Times profiles Jessica Stockton Bagnulo and how close her dream of opening a bookstore in Brooklyn is coming to reality.

Also in the Times, Dennis Lehane garners a rave from Janet Maslin …

….but this is pretty damn clever. (via)

Naturally pretty much the whole world is reviewing INDIGNATION right now – Christopher Hitchens at the Atlantic ain’t impressed, plus …

This is the first day of the rest of America’s financial life. And anyone who says this is not a depression economic concavity is fooling themselves.

There’s been a lot of dissection over …

NYTBR: Michiko Kakutani offers a heartfelt tribute to David Foster Wallace; Bruce Jay Friedman on Al Silverman’s oral history of publishing’s Golden Age, which I MUST get a copy of ASAP; …

David Foster Wallace hanged himself last night. He was 46. As I write this the news is the most popular item on Twitter. And I can’t help but think that beyond the absolute loss of a great …

The Guardian’s Alison Flood wonders at the UK prospects of Muriel Barbery’s surprise long-running international bestseller THE ELEGANCE OF THE HEDGEHOG.

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer …

The Booker Prize shortlist is announced, and the usual suspects aren’t on it – no CHILD 44, no NETHERLAND, and no ENCHANTRESS OF FLORENCE. John Sutherland, your YouTube moment awaits! And …

Boy, was that some nutty rainstorm yesterday!

NYTBR: Well, before we get to the Book Review proper, it behooves me to point out two separate items: Ian Urbina’s piece on the Poe Wars between …

Read Dennis Lehane’s lips: no new Patrick and Angie. Oh, and he talks up THE GIVEN DAY a great deal with USA TODAY’s Bob Minzesheimer.

The paper does its fall preview and also chats with …

Oh, that Stephenie Meyer. On the one hand, it sucks someone leaked a partial first draft of her new book to the Internet. OTOH, was it really necessary to declare the book is on hold indefinitely and …

In this week’s issue of Maclean’s, I profile David Rotenberg, author of several Shanghai-based mystery novels who now takes a more panoramic, James Clavell-esque view of the city in his …

The Banffshire Journal meets Shona Maclean, newly minted historical crime writer.

Oline Cogdill on perceived gender disparities in mystery awards.

Leon Neyfakh chats with new Faber US head Mitzi …

NYTBR: In what seems to be less space, Marilyn Stasio crams in reviews of new crime novels by Louis Bayard, Debra Ginsberg, Marcus Sakey, Bill Loehfelm and Michael Harvey; Paul Berman on Norman Mailer …

Deadline hell is nearing an end, as is my Olympics obsession, just in time for some light travel. So for those wondering about the loss of the Weekend Update, it’ll be back in earnest after …

Thriller writer Mark Arsenault profiles fellow thriller writer Michelle Gagnon.

Swati Padney meets Zoe Ferraris, the author of the excellent debut mystery FINDING NOUF.

John Darnton talks up BLACK, …

Eddie Muller’s new Guilty Bystander column looks at recent books by Nina Revoyr, Denise Hamilton, Loren Estleman, Matthew Stokoe, Jerry Kenneally and Adrienne Barbeau.

Oline Cogdill also …

Lots and lots and lots on George Pelecanos as THE TURNAROUND is released this week. Paper Cuts asks for his current playlist, the Philadelphia City Paper has a lengthy Q&A (with tidbits on his …

The longlist for the Man Booker Prize is…well…you be the judge. NETHERLAND is a total shoo-in for the shortlist. John Sutherland won’t have to curry his proof copy of THE ENCHANTRESS …

Much linked to already, but Motoko Rich has kicked off a series on the future of reading.

Booksquare’s Kassia Kroszer and ex-LATBR editor Steve Wasserman debated the demise of the Book Review …

NYTBR: Marilyn Stasio reviews new crime offerings by Karin Fossum, James Lee Burke, Will Thomas and Jincy Willett; Rachel Donadio on the author lecture circuit; and Tomi Ungerer is back in print! O …

Marc Weingarten chats with Craig Johnson at the LAT about ANOTHER MAN’S MOCASSINS, which publisher Viking wants to be his breakout crime novel.

Also at the LAT, David Ulin reveals his book …

Leon Neyfakh’s piece on James Wood in this week’s Observer probably couldn’t help turning out to be a little odd, what with the premise being something along the order of “will …

LA Observed reprints an open letter sent by former book review editors Digby Diehl, Sonja Bolle, Steve Wasserman and Jack Miles protesting the termination of the LA Times Book Review as a standalone …

If the tone’s been a little downbeat of late, so be it, but things are starting to turn. Hence, more links:

Dennis Lehane previews THE GIVEN DAY to the Dallas Morning News.

Julie Kramer …

The Observer’s Leon Neyfakh embarks upon a new project in light of Publishers Weekly‘s dual, and related decisions to slash the freelancer rate to $25 per review and list reviewers’ …

There’s no denying how crazy that Lee Abrams memo is on Tribune matters and especially his thoughts on what to do with Book Reviews (holding up Borders as a model for book sections emulate, when …

Any fence-sitting on posting the Weekend Update disappeared with yesterday’s epic barnburner of a fantastic match. Is it the greatest tennis match in history? I wouldn’t dare to make such …

Which is to say after this roundup, nothing until Monday.

Tuesday was Canada Day, the anniversary of the birth of my native country, and the Globe and Mail’s James Adams gets some “new …

Patrick Anderson deems Robert Crais’ CHASING DARKNESS to be “first-rate entertainment.”

Also in the WaPo, Jonathan Karp writes of the disposable book and why quality is better than …

My review of Lewis Shiner’s new novel BLACK AND WHITE runs this weekend in the Los Angeles Times Book Review. It’s exactly the kind of book review I love, focusing on an underappreciated …

What with this year being the 100th anniversary of ANNE OF GREEN GABLES, L.M. Montgomery has been on the minds of many – including me – throughout the year. But those moved to reread the …

Ian Rankin is about to join a labor commission to look at declining literacy standards in Scottish schools.

Laura Lippman and Fran Liebowitz are among those talking about the enduring quality of …

So instead, just links of the mystery-related variety:

At the Washington Post, authors like Janet Evanovich, David Baldacci and Diana Gabaldon discuss what makes for a good beach read.

The Irish …

Yesterday’s hour-long stint on WILL’s Focus 580 with David Inge was great fun, and thanks to those who listened in and called with book recommendations (one all the way from Belgium!) For …

Posting will be on the very, very light side this week, mostly because I’m putting together Publishers Lunch (regular and deluxe versions) while Michael Cader is on vacation. But there will be …

The Washington Post Magazine’s Laura Wexler has written an excellent profile of Jody Arlington, an accomplished DC career woman whose childhood trauma, under her birth name Jody Gilley, is being …

Oddly enough, my latest Baltimore Sun is available not on the Sun’s website, but at Newsday’s, where it runs today a week or so later. In it I review new crime fiction by Don Winslow, Meg …

The Times asks a number of writers about their eating and drinking habits while they write their books. Here’s Alexander McCall Smith’s answer:

The first writing session in the morning …

Late last month I interviewed Kathryn Harrison about her latest book WHILE THEY SLEPT: AN INQUIRY INTO THE MURDER OF A FAMILY. Classification is tricky – is it a true crime book, a memoir, …

New York’s 90 degree-plus summers are back in full force, oh yeah…****

NYTBR: More buzz about Charlotte Roche’s WETLANDS, which will hit US shores next year; Robert Pinsky finds the …

Since today is the publication day of Lee Child’s NOTHING TO LOSE, it’s no surprise Janet Maslin is madly in love with Jack Reacher, but I wasn’t expecting the full profile treatment …

The big news today is the Anthony Awards, but that’s for a separate post. Also, although I am 99% glad I elected to pass on BEA (catering walkouts? labor disputes?), Michael Cader’s …

On the occasion of the publication of his first young adult novel LITTLE BROTHER, I spoke with Cory Doctorow over at emusic.com. The conversation was fairly wide-ranging, talking about the …

Since Gregory Beyer’s NYT piece last weekend posed the question of whether mystery writers face a challenge in depicting murder in a rapidly gentrifying city, I wonder if this photoessay, …

To kick off the Update, I encourage everyone with even the slightest interest in crime fiction to read Gregory Beyer’s article in the Times’ City section on the relationship between crime …

Effective December 31, Marie Arana will no longer be the editor of the Washington Post Book World. She tells the Maynard Institute of Journalism‘s Richard Prince that she will still write for …

THE GIVING TREE is not one of my favorite works by Shel Silverstein. In part because, as the man himself put it, “It’s just a relationship between two people – one gives and the …

NYTBR: Dwight Garner waxes serious rhapsody over Joseph O’Neill’s NETHERLAND, but all I can do is speculate on why the Book Review’s deputy editor – who, granted, last reviewed …

The Detroit Free Press profiles Peter Leonard, son of Elmore and crime novelist in his own right.

Leonard the younger’s debut novel QUIVER gets a mixed take from Patrick Anderson.

This, my …

The NY Daily News remarks on a publication story that is both remarkable and heartbreaking:

Auxiliary cop Nicholas Pekearo was gunned down on a Greenwich Village street days after he finished his …

..which has now arrived.

NYTBR: Rachel Donadio time-travels to 1958 and the raging war of intelligentsia; Jennifer Senior considers Masha Gessen’s examination of genetics in contemporary …

Referring, in this instance, to Evelyn Nesbit:  turn-of-the-20th-century starlet, objet de notoriété,and the subject of Paula Uruburu’s fascinating new book AMERICAN EVE. My Q&A with …

The Wall Street Journal has a big feature on the James Bond franchise, continuing with Sebastian Faulks’ DEVIL MAY CARE at the end of the month. Also, the limited edition features a secret car. …

The author of the fabulous, recently reissued THE DUD AVOCADO died on May 1 at the age of 81. The news comes by way of Terry Teachout, who wrote the introduction to the NYRB edition of the novel that …

Indeed, almost immediately after going home from the Edgars, some vicious flu decided to take up residence in my body and head, which is why I had to skip pretty much every PEN World Voices event on …

Shannon Byrne was taking pictures at the Mysterious Bookshop’s party for BLUE RELIGION and presents them in a Picasa album.

Sandi Ault has won the Mary Higgins Clark Award.

And Sue Grafton …

Or, to get all 1337-speak, my reaction upon reading this LA Times article by Scott Timberg was on par with OMGWTFBBQ!!!!111!!!:

With the explosion of computer viruses, identity theft and Nigerian …

The Rap Sheet has your Agatha Award winners.

At the Boston Globe, Hallie Ephron reviews crime fiction and related books by Karen Joy Fowler, Peter Abrahams and Jane Haddam.

Marilyn Stasio has her …

The LA Times Festival of Books is done. I have a godawful early wake-up call for my flight back to New York tomorrow and about a day or so to recover before Edgar Week is in full swing. So the short …

If this week hadn’t been so travel-heavy I would have cobbled together a “Girl’s Guide to the LA Times Festival of Books” of sorts, but with Callie Miller and Tod Goldberg on …

Lee Child talks up his business side of writing to the London Times.

Marilyn Stasio takes a genre-centric approach to THE SILVER SWAN, and Mark Sarvas takes issue with Stasio as a result. Me, I guess …

Reuters talks with Karen Joy Fowler about the writing life, genre vs. literary and her new novel WIT’S END.

Clea Simon has a positive view on Michael Stanley’s delightful debut mystery A …

Catherine Price’s Salon article really could have come in handy last year, but at least I’ll reference it for next year:

I could never be happy in a traditional job. I hate fluorescent …

The header should be a dead giveaway as to how I spent much of this week. The rest of the time, a bunch of deadlines came to fruition and so there’s an unusual amount of BSP to kick this update …

USA TODAY’s Binzesheimer, along with AP’s Hillel Italie and David Segal, NY1 and the NYT,

cover yesterday afternoon’s loooooooooooong Norman Mailer tribute at

Carnegie Hall. Both …

First, though I only spent a day at NoirCon, I had a blast – thanks to all who attended my somewhat spastic talk on Dorothy B. Hughes (yes, do read IN A LONELY PLACE and then track the rest of …

NYTBR: Liz Phair (?!?!) reviews a rock ‘n roll romance and talks about “Exile in Guyville”;  Liesl Schillinger succumbs to the prose stylings of Jhumpa Lahiri; and just when you …

The Pioneer Press chats with Raymond Benson about his talents in many writing and musical spheres.

The Hartford Courant profiles pediatrician Karen Laugel, one of ten finalists for Amazon’s …

NYTBR: First up, the new Grisham novel makes the cover – two months after its release date? David Orr returns with a look at Mary Jo Bang’s recent poems; Pamela Paul investigates Mary …

Chetan Bhagat is India’s bestselling novelist – a task he accomplishes in his spare time from investment banking.

Scott Timberg remains on the rediscovery beat, talking with American …

Michiko Kakutani generally likes Colin Harrison’s THE FINDER but finds the plot rather preposterous. All I know is that the book entertained me immensely over the weekend.

Hillel Italie pores …

The annual festival announced its full schedule late last week, and as always, the crime fiction track is substantive and looks to be very entertaining, indeed.

It’ll be my first time at the …

NYTBR: This is pure conjecture on my part, but I can’t help wondering if Colm Toibin’s review of HUMAN SMOKE adorned the cover only at the last minute. Maybe because it’s not as long …

My review of Elisa Albert’s THE BOOK OF DAHLIA is now up at JBooks.

The Thriller Award nominations are out, and to circumvent the expected sniping and grumbling, here’s some boilerplate …

There’s two, two LA Times pieces for the price of one. First, my newest Dark Passages column on reinventing the private eye novel (or not…) and a print review of Christopher Rice’s …

A while back Canadian director David Cronenberg inked a book deal with Penguin Canada, and now the Bookseller reports on the UK deal for CONSUMED (with HarperCollins)and some additional information on …

The reaction to Nicholson Baker’s HUMAN SMOKE is nothing short of fascinating and pretty much fits in with my description of it as a “500-odd page Rohrshach test” in the roundtable …

And first, a reminder: hope you all pushed your clocks an hour forward. Daylight Saving Time comes a month early now…

Also, various awards were given out at Left Coast Crime over the weekend, …

Richard Price Week gets extended some more now that his new novel, LUSH LIFE, hits stores today:

• Michiko loved the book
• So did USA TODAY’s Carol Memmott
• As did Jerome Weeks
• James Mustich …

At the Guardian Books Blog, I reveal a deep dark secret. Though I’m trying to adjust my antenna now.

Janet Reid reveals the story of how she signed up Andrew Grant, Lee Child’s younger …

As most every literary geek I know, I spent a chunk of my morning watching the debut episode of Titlepage.tv, the new Internet video program where Dan Menaker interviews a slew of writers in alleged …

Also, my current Baltimore Sun column looks at new crime novels by Benjamin Black, Charlie Newton, Jacqueline Winspear and C.J. Lyons.

NYTBR: Liesl Schillinger probes the identity politics in Charles …

I must admit that when I heard the news today my first thought was to wonder what this means for Sam Tanenhaus’s biography, in the works even before he took the reins as the New York Times Book …

After reading this now I want to pick Roslyn Targ’s brain for glamorous publishing stories.

Also in publishing, Little, Brown’s Pat Strachan chats about her career with Poets & …

The New Yorker writes about Farrar, Straus & Giroux’s impending move to new quarters on 18 West 18th Street:

Joy Isenberg, who has worked at Farrar, Straus & Giroux for

thirty-eight …

First up is perhaps my very favorite prize, the Diagram Prize for Oddest Book Title of the Year, has announced its shortlist:

I Was Tortured By the Pygmy Love Queen
How to Write a How to Write Book …

The Sacramento Bee meets James Hall, who tries to shed light on why there are so many crime writers in Florida.

Oline Cogdill tells the story of mystery writer E.L. Merkel and his son Jeff, who …

Which may or may not explain why it’s on the late side…

NYTBR: Luc Sante has his say on Russell Banks’ new novel THE RESERVE; Rachel Donadio investigates the tortured life of H.L. …

Adam Langer’s new novel ELLINGTON BOULEVARD was a curious read for me because it takes place – literally – in my neighborhood. I explore the strange feelings it evoked in my newest …

Okay, so pretty much everyone knows that Hollywood doesn’t have much of an incentive to be kind to the authors whose work gives them the fuel for their movies, especially lately. But Josh …

The Houston Chronicle’s Sandra Breiting profiled David Thompson over the weekend, getting further scoop on Busted Flush Press.

Marilyn Stasio has her say on the latest in crime by Ariana …

Still down south so no Weekend Update. And as my review of John Burnham Schwartz’s THE COMMONER runs in today’s Philly Inquirer, now-former Books editor Frank Wilson explains why he …

Though I have spent less than 24 hours in the Sunshine State (which I last visited at the age of five) I think I am beginning to understand why there seem to be more crime writers per capita here than …

The other big news in Philly media is that Duane Swierczynski is leaving the City Paper to write full-time. The right call, the right time, but again, a loss.

NPR has a long feature on Twelve, …

And it is sad, sad news for the book world, as M.A. Orthofer explains:

No one has done as much to bridge any divides between newspaper and

online literary coverage, through his own weblog, his …

At the Guardian Books Blog, I discuss my all-time favorite author, L.M. Montgomery, and the 100th anniversary of her first (and most iconic) novel, ANNE OF GREEN GABLES.

NYTBR: Liesl Schillinger really digs Charles Bock’s debut novel BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN, a verdict I’m not at all surprised by because she also took to Marisha Pessl in a previous NYTBR cover …

[Wall

Street Journal Europe chats with Olen Steinhauer]1 about espionage, the fall

of communism and his upcoming novel. /o:p

[The

Toledo Blade has a profile of Marcus Sakey]2, whose new crime …

At the Washington Post, Bethanne Patrick is chilled by John Grisham’s THE APPEAL and Patrick Anderson finds Douglas Preston’s new thriller BLASPHEMY to be “entirely readable.” …

Today, over 300 writers, editors and bloggers are joining forces to support Patry Francis in her battle against cancer and spread the word about the just-released paperback edition of her debut novel …

NYTBR: Marilyn Stasio reviews new crime novels by Cornelia Read, Minette Walters, Loren Estleman and Christopher G. Moore; Terrence Raffefty does the same with recent horror offerings by Joe Hill, …

The Sydney Morning Herald profiles award-winning crime writer Garry Disher.

Sara Paretsky reveals the connection between V.I. Warshawski and Isaac Bashevis Singer to Nextbook’s Sara Ivry. …

That’s the title of Terry Teachout’s most recent Sightings column in the WSJ, and in light of the recent deaths of Ed Hoch and Benjamin Schutz – not to mention earlier ones of Mickey …

Motoko Rich profiles John Burnham Schwartz, whose new novel THE COMMONER is a fascinating look behind the curtain of Japanese monarchy.

Dennis Moore at USA TODAY likes the filmic aspects of Jo …

NYTBR: Marilyn Stasio reviews the latest crime offerings from Sara Paretsky, Frank Tallis, James Sallis and Andrew Martin; Not that I needed another reason to read DARKMANS (someday, at least) but …

Finally, the Guardian runs an obituary of the late Icelandic translator Bernard Scudder. (Thanks, BC)

Both Publishers Weekly and AP’s Hillel Italie pick up on the Cassie Edwards plagiarism …

There are nights when everything clicks together perfectly at choir practice. The sopranos aren’t shrieking, the altos eschew hooting for a more melodious tone, the basses aren’t going …

Michiko generally likes THE BOOK OF OTHER PEOPLE, the charity anthology edited by Zadie Smith.

Patrick Anderson takes a mixed view of Joseph Weisberg’s AN ORDINARY SPY.

Roger Pulvers dissects …

NYTBR: The Islam Issue. Oh boy. Does that mean we get the Zoroastrian Issue later this year? Or perhaps the Scientologist issue? Because I’m at a bit of a loss as to what to include, my default …

The creator of Flashman as we know him best – because, of course, Flashman first appeared as the school bully in TOM BROWN’S SCHOOL DAYS, though articulated in great detail in …

Happy New Year, everybody. If the first day was anything to judge by, things are off to a pretty good start for me (granted, the mimosas helped, but so did the long walk and the utterly adorable …

The National Post caught up with Sleuth of Baker Street co-owner J.D. Singh to talk about the bookstore and the 25th anniversary of its current ownership.

Margaret Cannon reviews new crime novels …

Till tomorrow, or never, but in the meantime, a big thank-you to Paul Goat Allen for his lovely comments on A HELL OF A WOMAN and EXPLETIVE DELETED in his newest Chicago Tribune column.

Oline Cogdill picks her top mysteries of 2007, with Laura Lippman’s WHAT THE DEAD KNOW heading up the list.

Lippman also cracks the Baltimore City Paper’s top 10 of 2007.

AMNewYork on …

Awful, awful news care of the Guardian:

In recent years the comic novelist Chrissie Glazebrook, who has died

aged 62, lived in a flat in a terraced street in Forest Hall, a mixed

suburb on the …

Lizzie Skurnick has been blogging about YA novels at Jezebel. The most recent entry is one of my all-time favorite books, THE GROUNDING OF GROUP SIX. Now if only she’d tackle some SWEET DREAMS …

At the Guardian Books Blog, Icelandic translator Bernard Scudder’s recent death – about which there still aren’t that many details – allows me to riff some of the problems of …

Now this is interesting news:

Two books in NYT bestselling author Walter Mosley’s new mystery series

featuring Leonid McGill, an African-American private investigator in

New York (introduced …

Janet Maslin has found another female crime writer to praise in Theresa Schwegel.

Patrick Anderson generally likes Jo Nesbo’s THE REDBREAST, except for naming issues.

Clea Simon makes the case …

This month’s Baltimore Sun column is a bit different in that I took a more gift-centric approach. So if you have gifts to give to people fitting in certain categories, try these books out. …

From James Fallows’ blog at the Atlantic:

I say that “genre” fiction, like spy and crime novels, ascends into the

“real” fiction category when the world it presents …

A million years ago I thought about and sent around some half-hearted pitches on Bob Barnett, literary lawyer to pretty much everyone who’s anyone. So I’m glad Leon Neyfakh thought of the …

New York’s first snowfall has come and gone, but the nasty cold lodged in my head remains. So it’s nothing but more links today unless I get some bizarre burst of energy later this …

While not every Sunday book review publication has a holiday theme, a great many of them do to the point of near-endless repetition. But who can blame them when readers want recommendations of what to …

It’s Denise Hamilton’s turn to critique John Leake’s ENTERING HADES and she likes the book a great deal.

John Updike on dinosaurs for the National Geographic? Of course it’s a …

Thanksgiving is but a faded memory, the gluttony may persist until the end of the year, but the Weekend Update remains the same. Or something like that.

Lots to BSP about this weekend. Aside from the …

The Costa Awards have announced their shortlists. Faves Rupert Thomson and Nikita Lalwani made it to the best novel and first novel lists, respectively, but the story is the dominance of female …

With regards to Newsweek’s cover story on Amazon Kindle, I’m with Michael Cader: “Amazon wanted a reporter who would write a long gooey piece about how

the Kindle will transform the …

NYTBR: Jabari Asim assesses the final (?) Easy Rawlins novel; Sarah Towers wishes Emily Listfield could have engaged more with the autobiographical material in her novel WAITING TO SURFACE; and …

Though Marie La Ganga’s piece for the LA Times confirms that an aging audience likes to read about protagonists who remind them of themselves, it’s interesting to consider the article from …

Since one-line Twitter entries can’t possibly cover the gamut of what happened last night (and, after sleeping on it, seem more snark-laden than intended at the time) these folks offered more …

My Baltimore Sun column ran last weekend but is only now available online. In it I review new releases by Robert Harris, James Church, Ruth Weissberger and Mickey Spillane.

Tonight, along with a …

The news that New York Is Book Country is returning after a three year hiatus should make me happy, with all the fond memories I have of attending several fairs. But instead, I feel the exact opposite …

The Washington Post’s Linton Weeks talks with M. Sindy Felin, who is up for the National Book Award in the Young People’s category.

Also in the Post, Patrick Anderson quite likes Richard …

The Times’ Bruce Dessau lifts the veil to reveal the ghosts behind those high-profile celebrity autobiographies, and while it doesn’t reveal a lot that’s new, it’s good to have …

With so many tributes and voices of dissent about Norman Mailer, it makes me wonder the following: could it be that Mailer’s appeal is limited to his generation and the next (aka the Boomers) …

Having spent the weekend at the wonderful New England Crime Bake (and thanks to Hallie, Roberta, Lynne, the Paulas, Jeff and all the other organizers for their hard work and for inviting me down to …

The New Statesman’s Tabish Khair explains why Peter Hoeg’s THE QUIET GIRL (which I’m reading right now) provoked some degree of discussion when it was published in Denmark last year. …

After the past week, which included:

• A family reunion
• Eating enough kosher chinese food to remind myself why I don’t like to eat chinese food of any sort
• Attending a birthday party in the form …

Travel day today, so the Update may be somewhat truncated.

NYTBR: Marilyn Stasio reviews the newest crime novels by Jason Goodwin, Miyuki Miyabe, Robert B. Parker, Archer Mayor and I.J. Parker; it …

Pauline O’Connor highlights LA’s literary scene after-hours.

The List takes a look at the new Ian Rankin exhibition in Edinburgh and asks the author to concoct a list of his very own. …

The Southern Illinoisan profiles Laura Benedict, debut author of ISABELLA MOON.

Patrick Anderson is very impressed with Caro Ramsay’s debut crime thriller ABSOLUTION.

Janet Maslin, however, …

First up is my newest LA Times column, pretty much devoted to all things Jo Walton. Her work is classified as SF (being published by Tor and all) but mystery readers would do well to pick up FARTHING …

Patrick Anderson juxtaposes the supposed end of Easy Rawlins with the end of Nathan Zuckerman, which is a pretty neat trick.

More from the Quills, which had its awards show near Lincoln Center last …

Brief BSP to start, as my review of Joe Hill’s wonderful short story collection 20th CENTURY GHOSTS appears in this week’s Time Out New York.

NYTBR: Marilyn Stasio makes some interesting …

After Anne Enright won the Booker Prize, chair Howard Davies went on the offensive against “cheering” book reviews. Times literary editor Erica Wagner responds.

Speaking of Enright, …

Motoko Rich followed Tom Perrotta along to Wayne, NJ to attend an abstinence rally – something that Perrotta writes about in his new novel THE ABSTINENCE TEACHER but never got to experience …

Now that the Frankfurt Book Fair has shut up shop until next year, the coverage is that much more widespread. The NYT’s Motoko Rich uses the Stein siblings – editor Lorin and scout Anna …

Your Nobel Prize winner for literature is…Doris Lessing. Which is a totally cool, very unexpected pick.

Irene Sege’s review of the new Spenser has me wondering about review-proof authors …

And they are most interesting indeed:

Fiction
Mischa Berlinski, Fieldwork (Farrar, Straus & Giroux)
Lydia Davis, Varieties of Disturbance (Farrar, Straus & Giroux)
Joshua Ferris, Then We …

Jessica Stockton Bagnulo has been running a series of interviews of Brooklyn literary notables and even though I don’t live there, I get the “faux Brooklynite” badge and answer …

I mean, really. I liked Facebook when it was a way to find out what the people I went to elementary and high school with were up to. I liked Facebook when it was fun, albeit in a ridiculous manner, to …

Kacey Kowars interviews me for the second time. Funny how every time I talk to him corresponds to a major change in my professional life.

The Anchorage Daily News had a nice roundup of goings-on at …

Whenever a review of mine is published somewhere, especially a review that has the space to be properly expansive, a spasm of fear almost always shows up alongside said publication. Why? Call it the …

More on the convention, including other award wins, in a separate post, but first up is my newest “Dark Passages” column, which takes the idea of the serial killer as a folk hero and does …

I won’t be at Bouchercon this year, though it would have been lovely to see Alaska in the fall. So for those who have already landed or are about to board flights – have a great time. More …

NYTBR: David Margolick finds Jeffrey Toobin’s examination of the nine who comprise America’s Supreme Court to be a much-needed tome; Liesl Schillinger (who is waaaaaaaaaay better looking …

I’ve linked to this before, but Levi Asher’s ongoing online symposium about book pricing practices as it pertains to literary fiction is a must-read. My thoughts, along with those from Tao …

Boarding a flight later today so links are all I’m good for:

More on the NYT bestseller revamp from Crain’s.

Linda Fairstein, who gave the book a generous blurb, talks with forensic …

Rosh Hashanah has ended, and I survived the onslaught of food (excellent) synagogue (running into people you’d never expect) social interaction (by and large good) and self-reflection (mixed.) …

With a BBC documentary on Columbo slated to air today, Mark Billingham tells The Rap Sheet why he’s so keen on the rumpled detective.

Congrats to Laura Lippman on her Quill award win in the …