Penguin Publishing has hit on a novel idea (no pun intended) to help people fill out their holiday shopping lists. They've posted a page on their website showing what books their authors are giving (and hoping to get). The recommendations are excellent and they include a nice mix of classics (Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice, George Orwell's 1984) and recent releases (Stephen King's Just After Sunset ).
You can see the entire list here:
http://us.penguingroup.com/static/pages/features/whattogiveget.html
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Pleistocene Park? For 10 Million Dollars, Maybe
It's a shame that Michael Crichton passed away recently, because I think he would have found this latest discovery of great interest. Scientists are very close to decoding the entire genome of the Wolly Mammoth, using hair fibers. What's more, they believe it may soon be possible to recreate the extinct species, and that someday mammoths could roam the earth again.
Although Jurrasic Park may still be a long, long way off, we could in our liftime see prehistoric creatures like the mammoth, dire wolf & sabre tooth tiger roaming a Pliestocene game reserve.
Almost makes me wish I was a kid again. You can read more about it here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/20/science/20mammoth.html
and here:
http://www.livescience.com/animals/081119-ap-mammoth-dna.html
Although Jurrasic Park may still be a long, long way off, we could in our liftime see prehistoric creatures like the mammoth, dire wolf & sabre tooth tiger roaming a Pliestocene game reserve.
Almost makes me wish I was a kid again. You can read more about it here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/20/science/20mammoth.html
and here:
http://www.livescience.com/animals/081119-ap-mammoth-dna.html
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Are You a Konrath Fan? Take This Test!
As readers of this blog may have figured out for themselves, I'm a big fan of mystery/thriller writer JA Konrath. In fact, if backed into a corner, I'd probably admit that I'm his Number One Fan.
But, am I really?
Well, there's one way to find out. Read through this list. If you find yourself agreeing with every one of these signs, you may indeed be Joe's Number 1 Fan, or at least a hardcore fan, like me.
Top Ten Signs You're A Hardcore Konrath Fan
10. You tell everyone you meet that you are Joe Konrath's # 1 Fan.
9. You're wife tells you, "If I hear one more word about what a great writer Konrath is, we're getting divorced."
8. You get divorced.
7. You send Konrath so many fan letters, his lawyer sends you a restraining order. You frame it and hang it in your office, because Konrath autographed it.
6. You bribe the hotel clerk at the writer's conference to put you in the room next to Konrath, even though the room is actually the janitor's closet.
5. You get your first book published and the publisher sends you 20 free copies. You send one to your mom (of course) and 19 to Konrath.
4. At your first book signing, you take Konrath's latest novel instead of your own, because, after all, he's a better writer than you.
3. You shower with your right hand outside the shower curtain for six weeks, because Joe shook it at the last writer's conference you both attended.
2. You write a good review of Konrath's latest novel and post it on your blog, and you don't even get paid for it.
1. The only non-Konrath novel you own is Stephen King's Misery!
But, am I really?
Well, there's one way to find out. Read through this list. If you find yourself agreeing with every one of these signs, you may indeed be Joe's Number 1 Fan, or at least a hardcore fan, like me.
Top Ten Signs You're A Hardcore Konrath Fan
10. You tell everyone you meet that you are Joe Konrath's # 1 Fan.
9. You're wife tells you, "If I hear one more word about what a great writer Konrath is, we're getting divorced."
8. You get divorced.
7. You send Konrath so many fan letters, his lawyer sends you a restraining order. You frame it and hang it in your office, because Konrath autographed it.
6. You bribe the hotel clerk at the writer's conference to put you in the room next to Konrath, even though the room is actually the janitor's closet.
5. You get your first book published and the publisher sends you 20 free copies. You send one to your mom (of course) and 19 to Konrath.
4. At your first book signing, you take Konrath's latest novel instead of your own, because, after all, he's a better writer than you.
3. You shower with your right hand outside the shower curtain for six weeks, because Joe shook it at the last writer's conference you both attended.
2. You write a good review of Konrath's latest novel and post it on your blog, and you don't even get paid for it.
1. The only non-Konrath novel you own is Stephen King's Misery!
Friday, October 24, 2008
Edgar Allen Poe Gets his own Postage Stamp
The US Post Office has announced they will issue a stamp in honor of Edgar Allen Poe on the anniversary of his birth 200 years ago. The stamp will be issued on January 16, 2009, in Richmond, Virginia.
The portrait was done by Michael J Deas. Here's a sneak peek at the stamp. Well done, and long overdue.
The portrait was done by Michael J Deas. Here's a sneak peek at the stamp. Well done, and long overdue.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Sandra Ruttan Sets Canadian Crime Fiction on Fire with "What Burns Within"
Most Americans, if they think of Canada at all, think of hockey, Niagra Falls or the Maple Leaf. The idea that Canadian culture or literature is anything other than an pastel imitation of Americana (soft-boiled at that) can be laid to rest. Sandra Ruttan demonstrates with her novel "What Burns Within" that Canadian crime fiction deserves to be taken seriously. As gritty as the best American crime writers working today, Sandra presents fiction that deals with horrendous crimes without exploiting the victims for cheap thrills. If you prefer cozies, she's not for you, but if you're a fan of tough crime fiction with well-developed characters, climb aboard. But bring along a fire extinquisher.
The plot centers around three police officers in British Columbia who worked on a case involving a brutal crime that nearly destroyed all of their careers. Now, they are drawn together a year later by different cases that gradually appear to be linked. One is a series of arsons, another a set of child kidnappings that stir bitter memories for the investigators. On top of that, a serial rapist is stalking the area, and seems to be targeting the wives & girlfriends of fireman and even the police who are responding to the arsons. The climate of fear and suspicion created by these crimes elevates the level of suspense, since the inside knowledge suggests that someone known to the victims may be involved.
Throughout the novel, several characters who at first appear to be cookie cutter caricatures turn out to have complex motives and flaws. By showing these, Sandra enrichs the story (I'm thinking particularly of Officer Tain, who is not quite the male chauvinist he pretends to be). Not only does Sandra tackle the crimes in a traditional police procedural format, she also explores the social fabric of police work between male and female officers, giving us a glimpse of a world that few ordinary civilians get to see.
Not since I read Garry Disher's "The Dragon Man" have I read an author who spends so much time developing her characters, with both their redeeming features and personality warts. It's a technique that succeeds very well. Pick up a copy of "What Burns Within", and do it soon. Sandra has a sequel coming out next month. If it's anything like this gem, it will be worth reading as well.
The plot centers around three police officers in British Columbia who worked on a case involving a brutal crime that nearly destroyed all of their careers. Now, they are drawn together a year later by different cases that gradually appear to be linked. One is a series of arsons, another a set of child kidnappings that stir bitter memories for the investigators. On top of that, a serial rapist is stalking the area, and seems to be targeting the wives & girlfriends of fireman and even the police who are responding to the arsons. The climate of fear and suspicion created by these crimes elevates the level of suspense, since the inside knowledge suggests that someone known to the victims may be involved.
Throughout the novel, several characters who at first appear to be cookie cutter caricatures turn out to have complex motives and flaws. By showing these, Sandra enrichs the story (I'm thinking particularly of Officer Tain, who is not quite the male chauvinist he pretends to be). Not only does Sandra tackle the crimes in a traditional police procedural format, she also explores the social fabric of police work between male and female officers, giving us a glimpse of a world that few ordinary civilians get to see.
Not since I read Garry Disher's "The Dragon Man" have I read an author who spends so much time developing her characters, with both their redeeming features and personality warts. It's a technique that succeeds very well. Pick up a copy of "What Burns Within", and do it soon. Sandra has a sequel coming out next month. If it's anything like this gem, it will be worth reading as well.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Friday's Forgotten Books
I've been invited to write about a forgotten book in the mystery genre on the blog of Patricia Abbot, a writer and educator from Detroit Michigan, who has a fabulous site at http://pattinase.blogspot.com/. The book that I chose to write about is "The Unquiet Night" by Patricia Carlon, originally published in Great Britain in 1965. It's an excellent suspense story. You can read more about it here starting Friday, September 19, 2008:
http://pattinase.blogspot.com/2008/09/fridays-forgotten-books-september-19.html
http://pattinase.blogspot.com/2008/09/fridays-forgotten-books-september-19.html
Every Friday, Patricia introduces her readers to classic works of mystery fiction that deserve to be read but may not have gotten the attention they merit. Her blog content is well worth looking into the rest of the week as well. Check her out...and tell her I sent you.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Philadelphia Wants Poe, Baltimore Says No!
It looks like the debate on which American city has the best claim to Edgar Allen Poe is still alive. The New York Times has an article in Saturday's paper that pits Philadelphia's Edward Pettit, a writer & Poe scholar, against Baltimore's Jeff Jerome, curator of the Poe House.
Sarah Weinman has covered this extensively on her website, but I'd like to make the case for Richmond, Virginia as the city with the best claim to Poe's legacy. The Edgar Allen Poe Museum is in Richmond (a link can be found on this blog). Besides, Poe's own words back this up. According to Professor Kevin Hayes, another Poe scholar, "Poe described himself as a Virginian and wrote that he planned to return there".
You can find the article at this link:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/06/us/06poe.html?ex=1378440000&en=f4a37c2155ca9095&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink
Sarah Weinman has covered this extensively on her website, but I'd like to make the case for Richmond, Virginia as the city with the best claim to Poe's legacy. The Edgar Allen Poe Museum is in Richmond (a link can be found on this blog). Besides, Poe's own words back this up. According to Professor Kevin Hayes, another Poe scholar, "Poe described himself as a Virginian and wrote that he planned to return there".
You can find the article at this link:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/06/us/06poe.html?ex=1378440000&en=f4a37c2155ca9095&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink
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