Categories: literature

Next Big Thing Blog Hop

Welcome to this blog hop. What is a blog hop? It’s a virtual event that helps readers discover new authors. The first author tags five others (I could only come up with two who hadn’t done this already) whose work he or she admires, who each tag five more, who each tag five more, and so on. More >>

Favorite Crime Novels of 2012

My favorite mystery/thrillers of 2012. I wish I had more time to read, because a few books I read this year I really loved, which makes me realize there’s a lot out there I’m missing. What’s really wonderful, though, is I know every one of these writers personally, either because we share a publisher, or they’re part of the Hardboiled Collective, which I belong to, or simply by hanging out at writers’ conferences. This is how I ended up reading their stuff; when you’re rummaging through the stack of books on the bedside table, you tend to pick out people you know. That written, here’re a few highly recommended books: More >>

For Whom the Bottle Tolls

I got into a bunch of trouble once by noting that many successful 20th century writers were alcoholics. I’m not an expert on this subject by any means. And this concept certainly didn’t originate with me. I’d merely observed what others have observed over a lifetime of reading good writers (and mediocre writers) and many of their biographies. I don’t know if there are enough academic studies to verify the link between writers and excessive drinking, but I once read a book by a professor who took a whack at the subject. His name was Goodwin, and here’s a quote from a review of his book:More >>

The Dead

The Last Paragraph from “The Dead” by James Joyce Candidate for best piece of fiction in English, though it helps to read the whole novella.More >>

Crime fiction as literature.

I offer two books categorized as crime fiction, yet undeniably literary in the quality of their composition, depth of character development and lyrical prose: “Presumed Innocent” by Scott Turow and “Mystic River” by Dennis Lehane. I’m sure there are others, since as a reader I’ve barely scratched the surface of the mystery and thriller genres.More >>