Links on the serious go

This week, it seems, is all about John Twelve Hawks' THE TRAVELER. Remember that book? The one with the ridiculous marketing campaign and mundo hype? Well, Janet Maslin loves it. I mean looooooooves it. Cool. Now it will sell gangbusters and Twelve Hawks and Elizabeth Kostova will engage in the most vicious bestselling mudwrestling fight since...oh, I don't know.

Speaking of Kostova, the Charlotte News & Observer Q&As her about life, the universe and money. Oh, and a little bit about the book, too.

Way back when (I believe it was part of the now-infamous takedown of Lawrence Block as "too old") Patrick Anderson talked about the new generation of writers. But he didn't really list new guys, and a reader took him to task -- so he offers up Charlie Huston's SIX BAD THINGS as an excellent example of new noir. Can't say I disagree with him...that book rocks.

Hillel Halkin went on a book tour and emerged rather pissed off. No, make that very pissed off, as he explains in an essay/rant for the Jerusalem Post.

Whose judgment do you trust when you pick up a book to read? Your friends, the blurbs, the jacket copy? The Glasgow Herald's Rosemary Goring investigates.

So who's the biggest selling author in history? Grace Metalious? Dan Brown? Or...Hitler? John Sutherland makes the case for the Fuhrer as megaseller.

Whoever digested down Emma Forrest's CHERRIES IN THE SNOW didn't just like it -- they detested it.

George Easter at Deadly Pleasures reports that Jennifer Apodaca's NINJA SOCCER MOMS (what a great title, btw) has won the Ross Thomas Award for best opening line in a mystery. (second item)

Comments

[Cap'n Bob]

Mein Kampf has a modern parallel. The stooges in Scientology usually end up buying Dianetics, as the Nazis used to buy Hitler's screed. Whether they read it or not is up for grabs. I tried reading both and gave up in disgust. The rantings of madmen apparently do not appeal to me.

[Ingrid]

Re Rosemary Goring: Finally someone else who thinks THE GIRL WITH THE PEARL EARRING is pretty pathetic. The author's second book (about the Lady with the Unicorn tapestries) is much better.
Re Hillel Halkin on book tour: He's absolutely right about all of it. I would prefer drawing and quartering to going on tour, but if the publicist takes away any major cities I get seriously bent out of shape. The whole business is painful.

[Bill Peschel]

Regarding the Kostova story, that's the Raleigh News & Observer, not Charlote. Charlotte has only the Observer. It used to have the News (an evening paper), but it got et up by the Knight-Ridder Corporation back in the '70s. Clearer?