The weekend update is upon us once again

And considering all the backlash and brouhaha about the National Book Award nominees, it's only fitting to start with the NYTBR, which features a long essay from Laura Miller about the alleged sameness of the nominees and their work. Oh, it's so much fun when women gang up on other women....otherwise in the Paper of Record, J-Franz waxes truly rhapsodic about the storytelling gifts of Alice Munro, Camille Paglia puts Frank Zappa in his place, and Leslie Singer looks at the curious phenomenon of getting Ettlingered.

In Book World, there's a double dose, fiction and non-fiction, of Alexander the Great, Michael Getler explains why a new book about the troubles of the NYT is important for American media as a whole, and Imre Kertesz is compared (!) to Michael Chabon and the latter comes up seriously wanting.

Over at the Globe & Mail, Margaret Cannon rounds up new crime fiction releases by T Jefferson Parker, David Baldacci, Janet Evanovich, and Mark Zuehlke. Otherwise, the Cary Grant biography gets more due, Martin Levin turns to humor to get him out of his election-induced funk, while Peter C. Newman's new book tackles the Canadian Establishmen and wins.

At the Guardian Review, they love, and I mean looooove James Ellroy, although this cover profile scores extra points for talking to John Williams and Ian Rankin about the LA Noir man. Otherwise, a new book chronicles Ireland's growth into an economically viable country, Richard Ford is still depressed about the election, and why do I get the feeling this review of Mark Mills' AMAGANSETT was written ages ago but held over till he won the Creasey last week? Because the book was released in the UK in what, May? Yeesh...holy timing Batman.

While at the Observer, Peter Guttridge takes the opportunity to reference the cliche panel at BCon in rounding up new releases by Sir Rankin, Jeff Deaver, Ruth Rendell and Natsuo Kirino.  Otherwise, Robert McCrum goes in search of Desmond Hogan, then sounds the oft-heard cry about the dearth of short fiction markets (dude, go online! I mean, how hard is it...)

At Tartan City, Hans Christian Andersen turns out to be a rather tortured, conflicted figure; Anglo-Irish writer Olivia Manning gets her due and Elizabeth Gaskell may be close to getting hers, and Michel Faber talks to the animals.

And as for the rest of your news?

The San Francisco Mystery Bookshop turns 30 this year, and a number of crime fiction luminaries have plenty to say about the bookstore and independents in general.

Speaking of mystery and the SF Chronicle, David Lazarus offers up his best-of list as a holiday guide, urging readers to get books by area authors like Nichelle Tramble, Naomi Hirahara and T Jefferson Parker along with personal faves like Jenny Siler and George Pelecanos. Definitely a more interesting list than some of those other ones....

Laura Lippman takes a look at Michael Chabon's Holmesian novella, THE FINAL SOLUTION, for the Baltimore Sun and picks apart what makes it work and what doesn't.

Oline Cogdill gives a thumbs-up to Sarasota writer Claire Matturro for her debut mystery SKINNY-DIPPING, which I thought was a fun piece of fluff that kind of fell apart at the end.

Dick Adler, who seemingly writes a mystery column for the Trib every week, is back again, giving good notices to Kate Atkinson, Martin Cruz Smith, Sharon Fiffer, Michael Pearce, Kirk Mitchell and M.G. Kincaid.

Jane Jakeman reviews two new releases by Andrew Taylor and Ben Elton for the Independent. She's mad about the first...not so much about the second.

Also in the Sun-Sentinel is an interview with Mark Weingardner, the man entrusted by the Mario Puzo estate to continue the GODFATHER books ad infinitum--at least, if this new sequel sells at all....

NaNoWriMo gets major league coverage over at the Washington Post's news section. 40,000 people signed up? Never mind all those working on novels who aren't....

Sigla Magazine interviews John Connolly for their latest issue, and the Irish writer talks about his new collection, being influenced by MR James, and why cancer scares the hell out of him.

Carlos Ruiz Zafon's THE SHADOW OF THE WIND is set to take the UK by storm, at least, if this article in the Independent is to be believed. (link from Fiona at the Dossier.)

Memo to Jim Winter--one of your former local newspaper columnist is writing a mystery based in your town. Evidently that's what she's been doing for the last year....

The news that Barbara Cartland left behind 160 unpublished novels isn't the scary part--this accompanying picture is. Gak! The eyes, the eyes!

The Age's Juliette Hughes looks at female heroines throughout literature that have--dare I say it?--a bit of moxie, and aren't likely to get the vapors or die at the end of the book.

Kenneth Oppel, one of the young adult writers up for the Governor-General's Award, is interviewed by the Toronto Star about his long career (he's been published since he was a teenager!) and what lies ahead.

And finally, somehow, it's not suprising at all that a certain Cabana Boy would be responsible for digging up this choice link. And I'm equally amused by what Dave is as well.

Comments

[Jenny D]

Thanks for linking to Laura's interesting review of the Chabon book! I'm a huge fan of his--definitely must read this--but perhaps will try and get it from the library rather than buying it, I don't approve of paying so much money for a short hardcover book anyway....

[Aldo]

These awards ceremonies like the National Book Award seem to be like a mutual admiration society. Where are the mysteries or better yet, what King siad last year about aren't best sellers important too. I'll pass on this round of awards as it seems few important contributors will be recognized anyway.

[Jim Winter]

God, how many mystery writers are there in this town? I've got two degrees of seperation from Jack Kerley thanks to a crit group, and Jeff Marks, soon to go hardboiled, has appointed himself my unofficial marketing guru (Can't beat the fee. So what is the going rate on a Colorada Motherf***er at the Havan Martini Club anyway?). Plus I used to be able to see Jon Valin's house from my office (before I was told to go back to being a PC grunt.)

And why are none of the Cleveland writers from Cleveland anymore? (Yes, that includes me.)

[Aldo]

Now here is a book I liked alot and just didn't seem to get too much attention by fellow list participant Naomi Hirahara. Summer of the Big Bachi is very good and I'm looking forward to next book this spring.

As for Dave, fellow Cabana Boy, Dave, I can only ask why? However thank you for keeping my dog out of any future animal husbandry behavior that might land his furry bottom in the Ventura County kennal or worst.

[CAAF]

I don't like Miller's piece (she almost always seems aslepe at the wheel to me), but I take issue with the implication that she, as a female critic, is supposed to go easy on anything b/c there's other women involved. Or that if she doesn't go easy, it's some sort of Linda Evans-Joan Collins bitchfight. I think that's demeaning to all involved.

[Dave White]

Hmm, if I'm no longer surprising, I may have to change my persona, huh? Haha. I love that link, cracked me up. Glad it got you too, Sarah.

[Sarah]

Fair point, Carrie. I'm not sure why the NBA and the recent pieces by James & Miller have gotten my snark hackles up, except that I seem to be responding to something that might not be present on the page. In any case it's damned if you do/damned if you don't--Edward Wyatt writes a similar piece and it has the whiff of being patronizing, in a way that wouldn't be seen if there'd been a mix, and certainly if all the nominees had been men.

Personally, I want to see a thoughtful, lengthy, NYRB-style critique of each of the NBA nominees, either separately or together. I think that might be the only "resolution" to all the griping and sniping, and would better convey the books' strengths and weaknesses in a way that neither Miller and James had the space to fully do so.

[CAAF]

I agree, Sarah. I'd love to see something more indepth, and one that didn't think so very much about "all these authors have vaginas! all these authors have vaginas!" It seems strange to me that the Times hasn't allotted more space to do so, while (as I commented over at Ron's) finding the space to review Helprin's so-so new book of short stories twice, and deliver the shocker verdict from Michiko that the new Godfather book isn't that good. Wow, who could've seen that coming? Thank god, they spent 750-1000 words to discover that.

Instead, they have Caryn James and Laura Miller retreading the same ground, providing one- to two-graf summaries. Odd.

[Laura]

Here's a paraphrased line from the WaPo review of The Final Solution that should raise a few hackles here -- "the use of genocide as the backdrop to what is a young adult or mystery novel leaves a bad taste." Turns out that entire subject are off-limits to genre! (Memo to self: Get this list of rules, written back in the 1920s, so I can start doing this job properly.)

The reviews for the book have been all over the place and have pretty much lined up as I thought -- if the reviewer loves it, it's because it transcends the genre; if the review is mixed, the genre is blamed for the book's limitations.

Laura

[Beth Tindall]

hey Jim, you probably won't be happy to know that DB Borton is releasing a new book in her Cat Caliban series, huh? (set in Cincinnati, natch) But you're safe from me -- I seem to be one of the few "pure readers" (no intentions of becoming a writer -- but the originally misplaced close quotation marks did give me a laugh -- "pure" reader? Now that I am not!!) Drinks are on you? No wonder Jeff Marks is always inviting me out for a drink!

[David Montgomery]

So now crime fiction is the literary equivalent of young adult fiction -- and both are somehow less than *real* fiction. People who write crap like that should be beat with dead fish.

For the record, here are S.S. Van Dine's 20 rules:

http://www.mysteryinkonline.com/twentyrules.htm

I posted them on Mystery Ink years ago, but never thought anyone would think of them seriously!

[Laura]

Talk about a straw man -- or straw list as it were. One could do the same thing with Gordon Lish's edicts about writing.