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Picks of the Week

  • David Denby: Snark

    David Denby: Snark
    This slim volume doesn't always succeed with its argument against the virtues of snark, but I definitely see where Denby is coming from. He wants a world where people think before they speak, where insults hit their target with wit, a sense of context and forethought. I know I thought more about how to temper my own snarky tendencies after reading this long essay, and at the very least, Denby's tome should spark necessary - and maybe even snark-free - discussion.

  • Hallie Ephron: Never Tell a Lie: A Novel of Suspense

    Hallie Ephron: Never Tell a Lie: A Novel of Suspense
    Ephron's first solo fiction outing finds suspense in seemingly unlikely territory, but the suburban town where heavily pregnant Ivy and her husband David live proves to be most dangerous after a chance run-in with Melinda, an old high school acquaintance - and pregnant as well. Then she goes missing. And then the book becomes awfully hard to stop reading because Ephron is a page-turning expert who has plenty to say about the joys and pain of impending motherhood.

  • Ilana Stanger-Ross: Sima's Undergarments for Women

    Ilana Stanger-Ross: Sima's Undergarments for Women
    How could I not adore this? It's a debut novel set in Boro Park and features a mature woman who owns an undergarment shop that caters to those of all ages and ethnicities, but really shines an inward light upon her secret shame and empty marriage when a young Israeli girl, brimming with life, arrives to turn everything upside down. The conflicts are meted out in fine detail, and Sima - the aforementioned propreitor - is all too believable in what she holds back, how she feels and what she does, no matter how wrong-headed those actions might be. This book is a rare little bird that should have a chance to spread its wings widely and at great distance.

  • Maj Sjowall & Per Wahloo: Roseanna (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard)

    Maj Sjowall & Per Wahloo: Roseanna (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard)
    The first of Sjowall/Wahloo's legendary series featuring Swedish police detective Martin Beck was recently reissued, giving me good reason to finally read what I'd meant to for years. It's astounding and a classic, as is the follow up THE MAN WHO WENT UP IN SMOKE, because the authors do not waste a single word. Economy and subtlety, not to mention a methodical approach to detection and clear opinions on the state of Swedish society, is on fine display. I'd read the other eight books now but I'm trying to pace myself.

  • Tanguy Viel: Beyond Suspicion: A Novel

    Tanguy Viel: Beyond Suspicion: A Novel
    This is a hard-bitten, unnerving piece of work, largely and unjustly overlooked by me until I stumbled across it in a bookstore and, thinking I'd read a few pages, finished most of it standing up and the rest in a nearby chair. There are two couples, a brother and a sister with respective partners. There are weddings and love affairs, secret schemes and violent twists. And there is betrayal, oh so much betrayal. Viel's writing is so crisp it practically singes with blackness, and his outlook is arch and bleak. I do like discovering new authors, don't you?

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December 05, 2004

And yet more lists

Because of the sheer number of them, I've created a new category. Why not, after all?

David Montgomery surveyed over 50 people in the crime fiction world--writers, reviewers, knowledgeable fans--to give their Top 5 books of the year. He also collects some interesting stats from the contributions:

Most-cited book: Scott Phillips' Cottonwood -- 7 picks
Second most-cited book (tie): Ken Bruen's The Guards and T. Jefferson Parker's California Girl -- 6 picks each
Most-cited author: Ken Bruen -- 11 picks
Second most-cited author: T. Jefferson Parker -- 7 picks
Third most-cited author: Lee Child -- 6 picks
Most-cited debut book: J.A. Konrath's Whiskey Sour -- 3 picks
Most-cited unreleased book (tie): Kent Harrington's Red Jungle and Ray Banks' The Big Blind -- 2 picks each
Most-cited non-crime fiction book: Pete Dexter's Train -- 3 picks
Book I most wish I could have included: Laura Lippman's Every Secret Thing -- I read it last year, thus it wasn't eligible.

My own list is included as well, but considering I change my mind about every six seconds when it comes to this topic, take it for what it's worth.

Posted at 10:30 AM in Best of 2004 | | Comments (6) | TrackBack (0)

Hooray for the weekend update

It's all about the "Best of" Lists this week, most of which, btw, can be found at this incredibly handy link. But for those who want to scour the papers like I do, let's go:

NYTBR: Want the 100 Notables list? Look right here. In full-length reviews, Sarah Vowell digs the Godfather sequel, Daniel Mendelsohn writes an insanely long treatment of Truman Capote, Jacqueline Carey jumps on the CASE HISTORIES bandwagon, and Laura Miller explains why book recommendations often lead to anxiety attacks.

Continue reading "Hooray for the weekend update" »

Posted at 10:00 AM in Best of 2004, Literary minded | | Comments (5) | TrackBack (0)