Some writers get all the fun: Allan Guthrie and Denise Mina in Trinidad and Tobago. It's a hard life. Although, if you prefer, you could just relax at home with a tribute to Ian Rankin - the Rebus Rob Roy cocktail. Although...whisky, cherry liqueur, martini and lager? When I was five and my parents had a New Year's Eve party, I apparently got up early on New Year's Day, quietly went downstairs to a scene of apocalyptic devastation, ate a few soggy crisps and dried out cheese, pineapple and pickled onion on sticks and poured a few dregs into a glass and downed them. I think I invented the Rebus Rob Roy over 45 years ago. I felt awfully sick. But that might have been the cheese, pineapple and pickled onions. /anyway, I wonder if Ian drank a Rebus Rob Roy in honour of Bonham's auction of THE FLOOD. And I wonder how much it ended up going for.
And, talking about crime fiction authors in exciting places, Alexander McCall Smith goes to the opening of a meerkat enclosure. And a night out with Irvine Welsh and the Jesus and Mary Chain.
Charles Cumming on the cost of train tickets to Scotland for Edinburgh Spy Week.And on spying and writing.
Louise Welsh talks about all sorts of things, including the first in her dystopian crime thriller trilogy A LOVELY WAY TO BURN. And more from Louise here.And a review in the Independent.
More reviews - this time for Val McDermid's re-working of NORTHANGER ABBEY.And another one from girlwitherheadinabook.
Caro Ramsay on inventing an island.
Finally, man hijacks plane with a Toblerone. About as much use as a chocolate sword. And, in other sweet-toothed crime, methinks drugs were involved somewhere along the line.
Enjoy your Easter eggs, dear Reader.
Showing posts with label denise mina. Show all posts
Showing posts with label denise mina. Show all posts
Friday, 18 April 2014
Thursday, 27 February 2014
Is that a cucumber in your pocket or are you etc etc?
We've been finalising the programme for Crimefest in the last couple of weeks. So my job - trying to sort out panels for around 140 authors - is done. Panel assignments have mostly been sent to moderators and panellists, and now I just have to fine tune following the inevitable "Sorry, I can't make that date" e-mails. It's a great division of labour amongst the three co-hosts. Adrian does all the hard work, Myles is the technical genius, and I get the fun. The programme will soon be up online here. Looking forward to seeing some of you there!
Talking of programmes, the schedule for Glasgow's Aye Write is now available. Lots of good crime fiction related stuff, including a tribute to Iain Banks, Watching The Detectives: Serial Crime with Denise Mina, Sophie Hannah and Alex Gray, (Sophie Hannah also has an event called The Poetry of Sex which looks really good - her poetry is great fun and what's not to love about sex? Errrr...not sure that came out right...). Allan Massie and David Ashton talk about historical crime and Christopher Brookmyre pairs up with Barry Phillips in an event to talk about - amongst other things I'm sure - his science fiction thriller BEDLAM (if you go, do ask him about the roast chicken/Borders bookshop story). William McIlvanney, the Godfather of Tartan Noir will be speaking, and Stuart MacBride and Gordon Ferris have an event called Dark, Dark Noir. Louise Welsh talks about her new book A LOVELY WAY TO BURN, a thriller set in a dystopian future, and the first in a trilogy and Val McDermid is in conversation with comedian Susan Calman in what is sure to be a fun event. And I'm not sure if this is a crime novel or not, but Natalie Haynes will be talking about her new novel THE AMBER FURY, which sounds brilliant.
And, finally, an event about the fabulous 21 Revolutions book from Glasgow Women's Library. I'm really excited to have a story in this gorgeous book, alongside such luminaries as Karen Campbell, Helen Fitzgerald, Zoe Strachan, Louise Welsh, Denise Mina, Laura Marney, A L Kennedy, Anne Donovan...The list of gloriousness is endless. Plus me. Unusually for me, mine is not a crime story, but a story about a suffragette on hunger strike in Glasgow's Duke Street prison. You can hear it here if remotely interested.
And now the non-festival news. Firstly, the ideal gift for the Sherlock Holmes fan in your life.And an article on Conan Doyle in fact and fiction. Mystery File reviews John Buchan's THE THREE HOSTAGES, and a review of Alexander McCall Smith's THE MINOR ADJUSTMENT BEAUTY SALON, who is also introducing Precious Ramotswe to younger readers.
A couple of nominations for Irvine Welsh's FILTH at the Empire film awards.
And, finally, I love the bloke's reaction to being arrested.
Talking of programmes, the schedule for Glasgow's Aye Write is now available. Lots of good crime fiction related stuff, including a tribute to Iain Banks, Watching The Detectives: Serial Crime with Denise Mina, Sophie Hannah and Alex Gray, (Sophie Hannah also has an event called The Poetry of Sex which looks really good - her poetry is great fun and what's not to love about sex? Errrr...not sure that came out right...). Allan Massie and David Ashton talk about historical crime and Christopher Brookmyre pairs up with Barry Phillips in an event to talk about - amongst other things I'm sure - his science fiction thriller BEDLAM (if you go, do ask him about the roast chicken/Borders bookshop story). William McIlvanney, the Godfather of Tartan Noir will be speaking, and Stuart MacBride and Gordon Ferris have an event called Dark, Dark Noir. Louise Welsh talks about her new book A LOVELY WAY TO BURN, a thriller set in a dystopian future, and the first in a trilogy and Val McDermid is in conversation with comedian Susan Calman in what is sure to be a fun event. And I'm not sure if this is a crime novel or not, but Natalie Haynes will be talking about her new novel THE AMBER FURY, which sounds brilliant.
And, finally, an event about the fabulous 21 Revolutions book from Glasgow Women's Library. I'm really excited to have a story in this gorgeous book, alongside such luminaries as Karen Campbell, Helen Fitzgerald, Zoe Strachan, Louise Welsh, Denise Mina, Laura Marney, A L Kennedy, Anne Donovan...The list of gloriousness is endless. Plus me. Unusually for me, mine is not a crime story, but a story about a suffragette on hunger strike in Glasgow's Duke Street prison. You can hear it here if remotely interested.
And now the non-festival news. Firstly, the ideal gift for the Sherlock Holmes fan in your life.And an article on Conan Doyle in fact and fiction. Mystery File reviews John Buchan's THE THREE HOSTAGES, and a review of Alexander McCall Smith's THE MINOR ADJUSTMENT BEAUTY SALON, who is also introducing Precious Ramotswe to younger readers.
A couple of nominations for Irvine Welsh's FILTH at the Empire film awards.
And, finally, I love the bloke's reaction to being arrested.
Monday, 5 March 2012
"Got the shim sham shimmy rushin' up my spine"
I cannot find Super Goo on youtube, but that's where today's Cramps lyrics come from.
I had a lovely,but very busy, weekend. I was on a training course for facilitators of workshops for creative writing for health and wellbeing. It was such good fun, I met some lovely people and it's really going to be helpful for my university placement. As a result, however, I'm even more behind than normal. Oh dear.
Some of the UK's literary festivals are featured here. But it's not a full round-up, by any means.
The World According To Who? reviews Val McDermid's FEVER OF THE BONE, Martin Stanley thoroughly recommends Ray Banks' GUN, Grecian Urn looks at Kate Atkinson's CASE HISTORIES, The Star Online enjoys Ian Rankin's THE IMPOSSIBLE DEAD and Eva Hudson reviews Denise Mina's THE END OF THE WASP SEASON.
Are women writers taken seriously?
The Daily Record talks to William McIlvanney.
Quintin Jardine on Scottish independence. He's...errrrrrr...not particularly keen on politicians.
Alexander McCall Smith will be at the Wivenhoe Bookshop this Thursday. And he's interviewed by the New Zealand Herald.
I had a lovely,but very busy, weekend. I was on a training course for facilitators of workshops for creative writing for health and wellbeing. It was such good fun, I met some lovely people and it's really going to be helpful for my university placement. As a result, however, I'm even more behind than normal. Oh dear.
Some of the UK's literary festivals are featured here. But it's not a full round-up, by any means.
The World According To Who? reviews Val McDermid's FEVER OF THE BONE, Martin Stanley thoroughly recommends Ray Banks' GUN, Grecian Urn looks at Kate Atkinson's CASE HISTORIES, The Star Online enjoys Ian Rankin's THE IMPOSSIBLE DEAD and Eva Hudson reviews Denise Mina's THE END OF THE WASP SEASON.
Are women writers taken seriously?
The Daily Record talks to William McIlvanney.
Quintin Jardine on Scottish independence. He's...errrrrrr...not particularly keen on politicians.
Alexander McCall Smith will be at the Wivenhoe Bookshop this Thursday. And he's interviewed by the New Zealand Herald.
Thursday, 1 March 2012
"Well I don't know about art, but I know what I like"
My all time favourite Cramps song. I taught my Mum to do the Chicken Strut to this one. Ah, my lost youth as part of the psychobilly wrecking crew... Talking of my mother, I am a tad worried she has discovered the internet (which she calls That Microwave). I received an e-mail today which said, in part: "Dear Ms Moore, I have just finished Old Dogs. It really made me laugh, apart from the bad language." Whoops, sorry 'C'.
Look at this smashing line-up for Bloody Scotland. Sign up for the newsletter for all the latest news.
Some Blasted Heath news, with signing of new author Anonymous 9 (aka Elaine Ash), a guest post from the recently signed H J Hampson. Oh, and Len Wanner's most excellent THE CRIME INTERVIEWS: VOLUME 1 is available for £1.99 in the UK and $3.16 in the US.
An audio review of Denise Mina's THE END OF THE WASP SEASON, a review of Catriona McPherson's AFTER THE ARMISTICE BALL. Publisher's Weekly reviews Philip Kerr's PRAGUE FATALE. And a few reviews for Doug Johnstone's new one, HIT AND RUN. I'm looking forward to it myself. As soon as I stop writing essays.
Ian Rankin chooses his New Elizabethan on BBC Radio 4's Front Row.
A wee rant about Ryanair from Quintin Jardine.
Helen Fitzgerald is looking for your thoughts on adaptations (and do check out the wee video promo for The Donor below the adaptations post - very funny).
Alexander McCall Smith on bringing people back to reading.
The Week talks about the various incarnations of Sherlock Holmes.
Irvine Welsh's ECSTASY premieres at the Glasgow Film Festival.
Savidge Reads blog gives Val McDermid a grilling.
Look at this smashing line-up for Bloody Scotland. Sign up for the newsletter for all the latest news.
Some Blasted Heath news, with signing of new author Anonymous 9 (aka Elaine Ash), a guest post from the recently signed H J Hampson. Oh, and Len Wanner's most excellent THE CRIME INTERVIEWS: VOLUME 1 is available for £1.99 in the UK and $3.16 in the US.
An audio review of Denise Mina's THE END OF THE WASP SEASON, a review of Catriona McPherson's AFTER THE ARMISTICE BALL. Publisher's Weekly reviews Philip Kerr's PRAGUE FATALE. And a few reviews for Doug Johnstone's new one, HIT AND RUN. I'm looking forward to it myself. As soon as I stop writing essays.
Ian Rankin chooses his New Elizabethan on BBC Radio 4's Front Row.
A wee rant about Ryanair from Quintin Jardine.
Helen Fitzgerald is looking for your thoughts on adaptations (and do check out the wee video promo for The Donor below the adaptations post - very funny).
Alexander McCall Smith on bringing people back to reading.
The Week talks about the various incarnations of Sherlock Holmes.
Irvine Welsh's ECSTASY premieres at the Glasgow Film Festival.
Savidge Reads blog gives Val McDermid a grilling.
Friday, 10 February 2012
"Tomorrow will be gloomy with a chance of morning frogs"
Your Friday morning Cramps.
Panel assignments for Crimefest have been issued. I'm moderating a panel called Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know, with Helen Fitzgerald, Douglas Lindsay, Michael Malone and Damien Seaman. I'll leave you to decide which of them are mad. I am currently thinking about the fiendish homework I am planning to set...
A review of Ian Rankin's THE IMPOSSIBLE DEAD, reviewingtheevidence on Aly Monroe's ICELIGHT and Lin Anderson's PICTURE HER DEAD, The Game's Afoot reviews Val McDermid's A PLACE OF EXECUTION and a review of Stuart MacBride's SHATTER THE BONES.
Several Denise Mina events at the New Zealand International Arts Festival.
Alexander McCall Smith in St Louis, Missouri on April 16th.
Douglas Lindsay on naming THE UNBURIED DEAD.
North East Life talks to Val McDermid.
Tony Black's GUTTED becomes GELYNCHT in German (which, if my German is up to it, translated as LYNCHED). Gratuliere, Tony! There's also a wee video auf deutsch to go with it.
Norfolk is a big fan of crime fiction - some nice events in March and it's the most borrowed genre in local libraries.
Edinburgh Book Festival Director says that the book festival should be about books, not celebrities. Well done, that man.
Kate Atkinson on her MBE.
Finally, a rather sneery article about genre fiction.
Panel assignments for Crimefest have been issued. I'm moderating a panel called Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know, with Helen Fitzgerald, Douglas Lindsay, Michael Malone and Damien Seaman. I'll leave you to decide which of them are mad. I am currently thinking about the fiendish homework I am planning to set...
A review of Ian Rankin's THE IMPOSSIBLE DEAD, reviewingtheevidence on Aly Monroe's ICELIGHT and Lin Anderson's PICTURE HER DEAD, The Game's Afoot reviews Val McDermid's A PLACE OF EXECUTION and a review of Stuart MacBride's SHATTER THE BONES.
Several Denise Mina events at the New Zealand International Arts Festival.
Alexander McCall Smith in St Louis, Missouri on April 16th.
Douglas Lindsay on naming THE UNBURIED DEAD.
North East Life talks to Val McDermid.
Tony Black's GUTTED becomes GELYNCHT in German (which, if my German is up to it, translated as LYNCHED). Gratuliere, Tony! There's also a wee video auf deutsch to go with it.
Norfolk is a big fan of crime fiction - some nice events in March and it's the most borrowed genre in local libraries.
Edinburgh Book Festival Director says that the book festival should be about books, not celebrities. Well done, that man.
Kate Atkinson on her MBE.
Finally, a rather sneery article about genre fiction.
Sunday, 29 January 2012
Kill The Poor
I thought this track from The Dead Kennedys was apt, since I believe it is Her Maj's favourite punk song. I appear to have been invited to a Royal Garden Party. Thinking fast, I said I would only go if my Mum wanted to go. Since, apparently "Scotland's too far to come and visit you now I'm 80, our Donna", I thought I would be safe. How wrong I was. Apparently, Scotland is now a mere sparrow's fart away. Her only worry is that she now has to find a fascinator. And now I, too, am left with the terrible dilemma of finding a fascinator that matches my Docs.
My Mum now has the other residents of the retirement community curtseying to her when they meet in the hallways. And then there's my poor Dad...I said to Mum that she needed photographic ID to get into the Palace, and no, that her pension book wasn't enough. "What about your passport?" I said.
"I think my passport's out of date since my ankles are too big to fly, these days," (don't ask).
I heard my Dad in the background "My passport's in the kitchen drawer."
"We don't care about your passport, Patrick," came the scathing response. "Who is it that's going to the Royal Garden Party?" Silence. "Who, Patrick, who?"
"You, dear."
"That's right. So, what don't we care about?"
"My passport, dear."
"Exactly."
I have created a monster. A monster who is now on the hunt for a fascinator.
Irvine Welsh's ECSTASY is screened in London on February 9th.
A review of Val McDermid's THE RETRIBUTION.
Ian Rankin's THE IMPOSSIBLE DEAD on ABC Radio National. And Mr Rankin himself on his best story ever.
Gordon Ferris' THE HANGING SHED has, apparently, sold 150,000 e-copies.
Alexander McCall Smith to appear at Scotland's most remote literary festival.
An interview with Michael Malone.
A set of first editions by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is discovered in a charity shop.
Denise Mina wonders if sentiment is the new taboo.
For my latest blog post over at Blasted Heath, the talented Smudge doctors a poster for Nightmare Alley to make me look almost attractive. Well, from the neck down, anyway.
Tomorrow, it's the last proper day of lectures on my course before I start on my placement, and then I'm off to Allan Guthrie's event at Strathclyde University before going out to dinner with lovely pals Tony Black, Michael Malone and Kieran G. I'm planning to get them drunk so they will tell me all their secrets. I will, of course, share those secrets with you, dear Reader.
My Mum now has the other residents of the retirement community curtseying to her when they meet in the hallways. And then there's my poor Dad...I said to Mum that she needed photographic ID to get into the Palace, and no, that her pension book wasn't enough. "What about your passport?" I said.
"I think my passport's out of date since my ankles are too big to fly, these days," (don't ask).
I heard my Dad in the background "My passport's in the kitchen drawer."
"We don't care about your passport, Patrick," came the scathing response. "Who is it that's going to the Royal Garden Party?" Silence. "Who, Patrick, who?"
"You, dear."
"That's right. So, what don't we care about?"
"My passport, dear."
"Exactly."
I have created a monster. A monster who is now on the hunt for a fascinator.
Irvine Welsh's ECSTASY is screened in London on February 9th.
A review of Val McDermid's THE RETRIBUTION.
Ian Rankin's THE IMPOSSIBLE DEAD on ABC Radio National. And Mr Rankin himself on his best story ever.
Gordon Ferris' THE HANGING SHED has, apparently, sold 150,000 e-copies.
Alexander McCall Smith to appear at Scotland's most remote literary festival.
An interview with Michael Malone.
A set of first editions by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is discovered in a charity shop.
Denise Mina wonders if sentiment is the new taboo.
For my latest blog post over at Blasted Heath, the talented Smudge doctors a poster for Nightmare Alley to make me look almost attractive. Well, from the neck down, anyway.
Tomorrow, it's the last proper day of lectures on my course before I start on my placement, and then I'm off to Allan Guthrie's event at Strathclyde University before going out to dinner with lovely pals Tony Black, Michael Malone and Kieran G. I'm planning to get them drunk so they will tell me all their secrets. I will, of course, share those secrets with you, dear Reader.
Tuesday, 17 January 2012
New Kind of Kick
Back to The Cramps again today.
This weekend's cinematic viewing list consisted of two very different films. First of all the Korean film THE MAN FROM NOWHERE - a very dark film about drugs, child slavery and heartless criminal gangs, with lots of violence and gore flying about. But there was also a little girl who gave the film a wee bit of heart and humour. I enjoyed it even though I spent several scenes covering my eyes. The second film was Iranian film A SEPARATION - a film about relationships of all sorts in which what you don't see is just as important as what you do. An emotionally powerful film that I absolutely loved.
Ian Rankin takes Alan Yentob to the Oxford Bar and calls for tax incentives to help new authors. And this weekend Ian will be at the Brighton and Hove Albion First Fiction Book Festival.
A review of Kate Atkinson's STARTED EARLY, TOOK MY DOG, Norm at Crime Scraps loves Aly Monroe's ICELIGHT, The Morning Star recommends Stuart MacBride's SHATTER THE BONES, and Lambda Literary reviews Val McDermid's TRICK OF THE DARK.
Christopher Brookmyre and Louise Welsh at the Margins Book and Music Festival on February 24th. And Allan Guthrie at the University of Strathclyde on January 30th (see you there if you're going along).
Den of Geek (what a great name) with the top 10 portrayals of Sherlock Holmes. I thought the third episode of the new series was totally brilliant. I have no idea how the ending happened (she says vaguely) but I loved it. And the series has boosted sales of the original Holmes books. Excellent.
Margot Kinberg puts the spotlight on Denise Mina's GARNETHILL.
The film of Irvine Welsh's ECSTASY gets its premiere in February.
Finally, a break in my university essay schedule and I am able to read proper books again - lovely, lovely crime fiction books. I've missed you so. I have just started Donald Ray Pollock's THE DEVIL ALL THE TIME, which is shaping up brilliantly so far. This will be followed by THE ADJUSTMENT by the brilliant Scott Phillips and some lesbian pulp from the wonderful Christa Faust with BUTCH FATALE; DYKE DICK — DOUBLE-D DOUBLE CROSS. Life is good.
This weekend's cinematic viewing list consisted of two very different films. First of all the Korean film THE MAN FROM NOWHERE - a very dark film about drugs, child slavery and heartless criminal gangs, with lots of violence and gore flying about. But there was also a little girl who gave the film a wee bit of heart and humour. I enjoyed it even though I spent several scenes covering my eyes. The second film was Iranian film A SEPARATION - a film about relationships of all sorts in which what you don't see is just as important as what you do. An emotionally powerful film that I absolutely loved.
Ian Rankin takes Alan Yentob to the Oxford Bar and calls for tax incentives to help new authors. And this weekend Ian will be at the Brighton and Hove Albion First Fiction Book Festival.
A review of Kate Atkinson's STARTED EARLY, TOOK MY DOG, Norm at Crime Scraps loves Aly Monroe's ICELIGHT, The Morning Star recommends Stuart MacBride's SHATTER THE BONES, and Lambda Literary reviews Val McDermid's TRICK OF THE DARK.
Christopher Brookmyre and Louise Welsh at the Margins Book and Music Festival on February 24th. And Allan Guthrie at the University of Strathclyde on January 30th (see you there if you're going along).
Den of Geek (what a great name) with the top 10 portrayals of Sherlock Holmes. I thought the third episode of the new series was totally brilliant. I have no idea how the ending happened (she says vaguely) but I loved it. And the series has boosted sales of the original Holmes books. Excellent.
Margot Kinberg puts the spotlight on Denise Mina's GARNETHILL.
The film of Irvine Welsh's ECSTASY gets its premiere in February.
Finally, a break in my university essay schedule and I am able to read proper books again - lovely, lovely crime fiction books. I've missed you so. I have just started Donald Ray Pollock's THE DEVIL ALL THE TIME, which is shaping up brilliantly so far. This will be followed by THE ADJUSTMENT by the brilliant Scott Phillips and some lesbian pulp from the wonderful Christa Faust with BUTCH FATALE; DYKE DICK — DOUBLE-D DOUBLE CROSS. Life is good.
Saturday, 24 December 2011
Happy Happy, Merry Merry
No Cramps today, instead, some of my favourite alternative Christmas songs.
Merry Christmas (I Don't Want To Fight Tonight) - The Ramones
Stuff The Turkey - Alien Sex Fiend
Shot My Baby For Christmas - The Vaudevilles
The Christmas Song - The Raveonettes
Christmas Card From A Hooker In Minneapolis - Tom Waits
I Do, Dear, I Do - Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds
Il Est Ne Le Divin Enfant - Siouxsie and The Banshees
I Don't Believe In Christmas - The Tabaltix
There's Trouble Brewin' - Jack Scott
Fairytale of New York - The Pogues
There Ain't No Sanity Claus - The Damned
Run, Run, Rudolph - Humpers
I Want An Alien For Christmas - Fountains of Wayne
Merry Christmas You Suckers - Paddy Roberts
Black Christmas - Poly Styrene
Santa Doesn't Cop Out On Dope - Sonic Youth
All I Want For Christmas Is A Dukla Prague Away Kit - Half Man Half Biscuit
Over at Tony Black's Pulp Pusher a series of recommendations of, and by, Scottish authors and bloggers amongst others: Post 1, post 2 and post 3. And Tony has a lovely, heartwarming, wee Christmas story up too. Manky Christmas, ya bawjaws...
Groovy Daz reviews GUN by Ray Banks. And Paul Brazill on DEAD MONEY.
Sarah at Crimepieces reviews Val McDermid's A PLACE OF EXECUTION,
Lin Anderson recommends her favourite reads. And The Express recommends Anthony Horowitz' THE HOUSE OF SILK and Ian Rankin's THE IMPOSSIBLE DEAD.
Here's Russel McLean with his top 10 books of the year.
Denise Mina with Pepys Christmas.
Stuart MacBride has a wee pressie for Evening Express readers.
A story from Alexander McCall Smith in the Express, and one in The Scotsman (does the man have a team of elves writing for him, I wonder?).
A Christmas Day radio play penned by David Ashton. And Ian Rankin's also on the radio on The Jazz House on New Year's Day.
A muscular Conan Doyle? And is Sherlock Holmes more brawn than brains too? And a treasure trove from the doctor who was the inspiration for Holmes.
Peter May's THE BLACKHOUSE is Richard and Judy's top Autumn Book Club read. And a video trailer for the follow-up - THE LEWIS MAN.
I leave you with the genius that is Douglas Lindsay, talking about the 10 worst Christmas songs.
Have a lovely festive season, Dear Reader. xxx
Merry Christmas (I Don't Want To Fight Tonight) - The Ramones
Stuff The Turkey - Alien Sex Fiend
Shot My Baby For Christmas - The Vaudevilles
The Christmas Song - The Raveonettes
Christmas Card From A Hooker In Minneapolis - Tom Waits
I Do, Dear, I Do - Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds
Il Est Ne Le Divin Enfant - Siouxsie and The Banshees
I Don't Believe In Christmas - The Tabaltix
There's Trouble Brewin' - Jack Scott
Fairytale of New York - The Pogues
There Ain't No Sanity Claus - The Damned
Run, Run, Rudolph - Humpers
I Want An Alien For Christmas - Fountains of Wayne
Merry Christmas You Suckers - Paddy Roberts
Black Christmas - Poly Styrene
Santa Doesn't Cop Out On Dope - Sonic Youth
All I Want For Christmas Is A Dukla Prague Away Kit - Half Man Half Biscuit
Over at Tony Black's Pulp Pusher a series of recommendations of, and by, Scottish authors and bloggers amongst others: Post 1, post 2 and post 3. And Tony has a lovely, heartwarming, wee Christmas story up too. Manky Christmas, ya bawjaws...
Groovy Daz reviews GUN by Ray Banks. And Paul Brazill on DEAD MONEY.
Sarah at Crimepieces reviews Val McDermid's A PLACE OF EXECUTION,
Lin Anderson recommends her favourite reads. And The Express recommends Anthony Horowitz' THE HOUSE OF SILK and Ian Rankin's THE IMPOSSIBLE DEAD.
Here's Russel McLean with his top 10 books of the year.
Denise Mina with Pepys Christmas.
Stuart MacBride has a wee pressie for Evening Express readers.
A story from Alexander McCall Smith in the Express, and one in The Scotsman (does the man have a team of elves writing for him, I wonder?).
A Christmas Day radio play penned by David Ashton. And Ian Rankin's also on the radio on The Jazz House on New Year's Day.
A muscular Conan Doyle? And is Sherlock Holmes more brawn than brains too? And a treasure trove from the doctor who was the inspiration for Holmes.
Peter May's THE BLACKHOUSE is Richard and Judy's top Autumn Book Club read. And a video trailer for the follow-up - THE LEWIS MAN.
I leave you with the genius that is Douglas Lindsay, talking about the 10 worst Christmas songs.
Have a lovely festive season, Dear Reader. xxx
Wednesday, 21 December 2011
Badass Bug
Today's Cramps title.
Win free ebooks for a year from those lovely people at Blasted Heath. And congratulations to Blasted Heath co-genius Allan Guthrie who will have a story in the Sunday Mail on 1st January, called (probably) HILDA'S BIG DAY OUT. Well done, Al. Brilliant news. Although...my mum reads the Mail. I'm not sure she's ready for one of your stories...
A review of Kate Atkinson's CASE HISTORIES. And one for STARTED EARLY, TOOK MY DOG. Denise Mina's A SICKNESS IN THE FAMILY is reviewed here, and a couple of reviews of Ian Rankin's THE IMPOSSIBLE DEAD.
Three books loved by Ian Rankin.
Mysteries in Paradise reviews Peter May's THE BLACK HOUSE. And Peter May's very first short story about Ian The Elf, written when he was 4 years old. Awwww, bless.
The Irish Independent with what's likely to be hot next year.
Maxine at Petrona on Karen Campbell (also mentioning Denise Mina and Aline Templeton).
NPR on the enduring popularity of Sherlock Holmes. And a review of A GAME OF SHADOWS.
The latest Scottish delicacy - deep fried butter. I feel quite ill.
And, finally, I thought we'd seen the last of those lovely paper sculptures but here's a video of a final (?) one.
Win free ebooks for a year from those lovely people at Blasted Heath. And congratulations to Blasted Heath co-genius Allan Guthrie who will have a story in the Sunday Mail on 1st January, called (probably) HILDA'S BIG DAY OUT. Well done, Al. Brilliant news. Although...my mum reads the Mail. I'm not sure she's ready for one of your stories...
A review of Kate Atkinson's CASE HISTORIES. And one for STARTED EARLY, TOOK MY DOG. Denise Mina's A SICKNESS IN THE FAMILY is reviewed here, and a couple of reviews of Ian Rankin's THE IMPOSSIBLE DEAD.
Three books loved by Ian Rankin.
Mysteries in Paradise reviews Peter May's THE BLACK HOUSE. And Peter May's very first short story about Ian The Elf, written when he was 4 years old. Awwww, bless.
The Irish Independent with what's likely to be hot next year.
Maxine at Petrona on Karen Campbell (also mentioning Denise Mina and Aline Templeton).
NPR on the enduring popularity of Sherlock Holmes. And a review of A GAME OF SHADOWS.
The latest Scottish delicacy - deep fried butter. I feel quite ill.
And, finally, I thought we'd seen the last of those lovely paper sculptures but here's a video of a final (?) one.
Monday, 19 December 2011
Can't Find My Mind
Soon, I will run out of Cramps titles. But not yet.
Writers talk about their bookshelves.
Lots of reviews today. Maxine at Petrona reviews Aline Templeton's LAMB TO THE SLAUGHTER, The World According To Who? reviews Stuart MacBride's BROKEN SKIN, Clover Hill Book Reviews talks about Craig Robertson's RANDOM, Emily Mah on THE DOUBLE COMFORT SAFARI CLUB by Alexander McCall Smith, whose THE FORGOTTEN AFFAIRS OF YOUTH is reviewed in The Boston Globe. Sarah's Book Reviews enjoyed M C Beaton's AS THE PIG TURNS and the lovely Declan Burke reviews the equally lovely Aly Monroe's ICELIGHT in The Irish Times, and the Book Nook on Denise Mina's THE END OF THE WASP SEASON. Finally, a couple of reviews for Anthony Horowitz' THE HOUSE OF SILK.
A review...nay, poetry (and very clever)...of Allan Guthrie's BYE, BYE BABY from Conniephoebe.
An article on Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. And a review. Or there's the TV version with Benedict Cumberbatch which returns in the new year.
Denise Mina in A Year In Reading. And more on the graphic novelisation of The Girl Blah Blah Blah books (possibly the only Denise Mina penned stuff I will never read, since I didn't care for the first of the Larsson books and didn't read any more of them).
Seven Questions with Ian Rankin in which he reveals he would be a maverick cop. And here he talks about how he kills people off. And he's requesting a Robert Louis Stevenson Day. And if you're in Chichester on 20th January you can hear Ian reading from his unpublished first novel.
Win a copy of Peter May's THE BLACKHOUSE. I'd be entering with Amphetamine Westerly if I didn't already have a copy.
And you can win a copy of Helen Fitzgerald's THE DONOR over at Stephen Moyer's page. Ooooooooh, nice!
TRICK OF THE DARK by Val McDermid is one of Oline Cogdill's top reads of 2011. And Kate Atkinson's STARTED EARLY, TOOK MY DOG is in the Washington Post's best of list.
Writers talk about their bookshelves.
Lots of reviews today. Maxine at Petrona reviews Aline Templeton's LAMB TO THE SLAUGHTER, The World According To Who? reviews Stuart MacBride's BROKEN SKIN, Clover Hill Book Reviews talks about Craig Robertson's RANDOM, Emily Mah on THE DOUBLE COMFORT SAFARI CLUB by Alexander McCall Smith, whose THE FORGOTTEN AFFAIRS OF YOUTH is reviewed in The Boston Globe. Sarah's Book Reviews enjoyed M C Beaton's AS THE PIG TURNS and the lovely Declan Burke reviews the equally lovely Aly Monroe's ICELIGHT in The Irish Times, and the Book Nook on Denise Mina's THE END OF THE WASP SEASON. Finally, a couple of reviews for Anthony Horowitz' THE HOUSE OF SILK.
A review...nay, poetry (and very clever)...of Allan Guthrie's BYE, BYE BABY from Conniephoebe.
An article on Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. And a review. Or there's the TV version with Benedict Cumberbatch which returns in the new year.
Denise Mina in A Year In Reading. And more on the graphic novelisation of The Girl Blah Blah Blah books (possibly the only Denise Mina penned stuff I will never read, since I didn't care for the first of the Larsson books and didn't read any more of them).
Seven Questions with Ian Rankin in which he reveals he would be a maverick cop. And here he talks about how he kills people off. And he's requesting a Robert Louis Stevenson Day. And if you're in Chichester on 20th January you can hear Ian reading from his unpublished first novel.
Win a copy of Peter May's THE BLACKHOUSE. I'd be entering with Amphetamine Westerly if I didn't already have a copy.
And you can win a copy of Helen Fitzgerald's THE DONOR over at Stephen Moyer's page. Ooooooooh, nice!
TRICK OF THE DARK by Val McDermid is one of Oline Cogdill's top reads of 2011. And Kate Atkinson's STARTED EARLY, TOOK MY DOG is in the Washington Post's best of list.
Thursday, 15 December 2011
Queen of Pain
The Cramps again, of course.
I am now down at my parents to be spoiled over Christmas and it reminded me of a trip a few years ago. It's not just buses, you see. Public Transport and I have one of those love/hate relationships. I hate it, and it loves making my life a misery. Whenever I step on a train, or a plane, or a bus, or into a taxi, I take a deep breath and pray to everyone I can think of that I'm going to be sane at the end of the journey.
A couple of years ago I spent Christmas, as usual, in the soft and comfortable bosom of my family near Peterborough. After a wonderful time, we set off home. Now, I should state here that on Christmas Day I got the flu and I was feeling pretty ill. So I wasn't really looking forward to travelling anyway, but it was made all the worse by the fact that British Rail, in their infinite wisdom, had ripped up the railway tracks between York and Darlington, at the busiest time of year, so part of our train journey was done by bus.
Our seats were booked for the first part of the journey in Coach F. When the train arrived at Peterborough, we walked along past all the carriages - A, B, C, D, E, G, H. No F. So we walked back, just in case a tipsy carriage assembler had put coach F somewhere else. Still no Effing F. I spied a guard, a way up the platform, so, battling through the thronging hordes, and slamming myself into a pillar in the process (I didn't get transported to Platform 9 3/4 so I guess I won't be off to Hogwarts this term), I ascertained that Coach F was now Coach C through the miracles of Alphabet Soup so we managed to get a seat just before the train left.
At York, we all trooped out of the train, through a muddy bog that the station staff euphemistically referred to as 'car park' and onto buses. By this point we were already running 15 minutes late. Not to worry, said the guard on the train, the train would be waiting for us at Darlington. Absolutely. It definitely wouldn't be going anywhere until we arrived, we had his assurances on that.
So we all piled onto the bus. The bus was one of those posh ones, where you go down a little flight of stairs to the loo. Good, since by this time I was desperate to go to the loo. I walked up the bus and descended the stairs, only to hear the booming voice of the driver over the bus's tannoy "Could someone tell that woman that the toilet isn't working". About 17 people called down the stairs "Oy, you, the woman with the red face, the toilet isn't working."
We arrived at Darlington 40 minutes late to catch our connecting train (you remember, the one that on no account, absolutely definitely posilutely would not have left without us?), only to find that it had left without us, and the next one wasn't for another hour or so. Since we'd missed the train we had seats booked for, we didn't have seats booked for this one but there would be a whole load of people who would have had seats reserved. You could tell who they were - amongst the hordes of people on the platform they were the ones with really smug looks, the 4 bus loads of people who'd all arrived too late for our train just looked increasingly desperate, and were eyeing up those less fit than themselves, to determine their best chances of elbowing people out of the way to get a seat. By this time, I felt really, really awful, and promised the train guard (a different one from the lying sadist at York station) that I would vomit all over his shoes if he couldn't promise me a seat. He leaned over and whispered "I'll give you a tip since you're not well - Coach C has all the unbooked seats on it."
"My saviour. Thank you, thank you." I kissed his hands, sobbed into his British Rail jacket and promised him my uneaten British Rail sandwich (uneaten for very good reason I might add).
The train arrived. We sped down the platform past coaches H, G, F, E, D, B, A... D, B, A???? Had anyone reported this wholesale theft of railway carriages? Was someone, somewhere, setting up home in two cozy GNER carriages called F and C on a disused stretch of line somewhere between York and Darlington?
So, we grabbed seats in Coach D. I'm afraid I may have made rather a fool of myself as I clung to it sobbing "You'll never get me off this seat, never. Just leave me to die here. I've never harmed anyone." Anyway, it seemed to do the trick, no-one asked me to move for the whole journey. Not even the nice man in the white coat carrying the large butterfly net who hovered by my seat for the rest of the journey.
Now, enough of the nonsense. Scottish crime fiction news coming up.
Luca Veste over at Guilty Conscience talks about his top 5 books of 2011. Not only does he include Ray Banks' DEAD MONEY and Helen Fitzgerald's THE DONOR, but his number 1 is also one of my own favourite books of the year - the amazing BLACK FLOWERS by Steve Mosby. Luca obviously has excellent taste, I shall have to read the other two in his top 5 - Nick Quantrill's BROKEN DREAMS, and Neil White's COLD KILL.
More Ray, as The All Purpose Monkey muses over DEAD MONEY. And Ed Kurtz - another man with exceedingly good taste - picks it as one of his top books of 2011.
Doug Johnstone's busy year.
Conan Doyle's Moriarty on the big screen. And a review of A GAME OF SHADOWS.
Metaliterature reviews Philip Kerr's THE ONE FROM THE OTHER, Savidge Reads reviews M C Beaton's AGATHA RAISIN AND THE LOVE FROM HELL, and Crime Fiction Lover reviews Alex Gray's SLEEP LIKE THE DEAD.
Ian Rankin talks about which literary character he'd like to sleep with and other topics.
More on the Denise Mina comic book adaptation of the Stieg Larsson books. And more on the Unbound 26 Treasures project which Alexander McCall Smith is part of.
Irvine Welsh to write Britpop musical.
The Scotsman talks about their books of the year and note that Denise Mina and Ian Rankin show the "range of what the crime genre can do".
I am now down at my parents to be spoiled over Christmas and it reminded me of a trip a few years ago. It's not just buses, you see. Public Transport and I have one of those love/hate relationships. I hate it, and it loves making my life a misery. Whenever I step on a train, or a plane, or a bus, or into a taxi, I take a deep breath and pray to everyone I can think of that I'm going to be sane at the end of the journey.
A couple of years ago I spent Christmas, as usual, in the soft and comfortable bosom of my family near Peterborough. After a wonderful time, we set off home. Now, I should state here that on Christmas Day I got the flu and I was feeling pretty ill. So I wasn't really looking forward to travelling anyway, but it was made all the worse by the fact that British Rail, in their infinite wisdom, had ripped up the railway tracks between York and Darlington, at the busiest time of year, so part of our train journey was done by bus.
Our seats were booked for the first part of the journey in Coach F. When the train arrived at Peterborough, we walked along past all the carriages - A, B, C, D, E, G, H. No F. So we walked back, just in case a tipsy carriage assembler had put coach F somewhere else. Still no Effing F. I spied a guard, a way up the platform, so, battling through the thronging hordes, and slamming myself into a pillar in the process (I didn't get transported to Platform 9 3/4 so I guess I won't be off to Hogwarts this term), I ascertained that Coach F was now Coach C through the miracles of Alphabet Soup so we managed to get a seat just before the train left.
At York, we all trooped out of the train, through a muddy bog that the station staff euphemistically referred to as 'car park' and onto buses. By this point we were already running 15 minutes late. Not to worry, said the guard on the train, the train would be waiting for us at Darlington. Absolutely. It definitely wouldn't be going anywhere until we arrived, we had his assurances on that.
So we all piled onto the bus. The bus was one of those posh ones, where you go down a little flight of stairs to the loo. Good, since by this time I was desperate to go to the loo. I walked up the bus and descended the stairs, only to hear the booming voice of the driver over the bus's tannoy "Could someone tell that woman that the toilet isn't working". About 17 people called down the stairs "Oy, you, the woman with the red face, the toilet isn't working."
We arrived at Darlington 40 minutes late to catch our connecting train (you remember, the one that on no account, absolutely definitely posilutely would not have left without us?), only to find that it had left without us, and the next one wasn't for another hour or so. Since we'd missed the train we had seats booked for, we didn't have seats booked for this one but there would be a whole load of people who would have had seats reserved. You could tell who they were - amongst the hordes of people on the platform they were the ones with really smug looks, the 4 bus loads of people who'd all arrived too late for our train just looked increasingly desperate, and were eyeing up those less fit than themselves, to determine their best chances of elbowing people out of the way to get a seat. By this time, I felt really, really awful, and promised the train guard (a different one from the lying sadist at York station) that I would vomit all over his shoes if he couldn't promise me a seat. He leaned over and whispered "I'll give you a tip since you're not well - Coach C has all the unbooked seats on it."
"My saviour. Thank you, thank you." I kissed his hands, sobbed into his British Rail jacket and promised him my uneaten British Rail sandwich (uneaten for very good reason I might add).
The train arrived. We sped down the platform past coaches H, G, F, E, D, B, A... D, B, A???? Had anyone reported this wholesale theft of railway carriages? Was someone, somewhere, setting up home in two cozy GNER carriages called F and C on a disused stretch of line somewhere between York and Darlington?
So, we grabbed seats in Coach D. I'm afraid I may have made rather a fool of myself as I clung to it sobbing "You'll never get me off this seat, never. Just leave me to die here. I've never harmed anyone." Anyway, it seemed to do the trick, no-one asked me to move for the whole journey. Not even the nice man in the white coat carrying the large butterfly net who hovered by my seat for the rest of the journey.
Now, enough of the nonsense. Scottish crime fiction news coming up.
Luca Veste over at Guilty Conscience talks about his top 5 books of 2011. Not only does he include Ray Banks' DEAD MONEY and Helen Fitzgerald's THE DONOR, but his number 1 is also one of my own favourite books of the year - the amazing BLACK FLOWERS by Steve Mosby. Luca obviously has excellent taste, I shall have to read the other two in his top 5 - Nick Quantrill's BROKEN DREAMS, and Neil White's COLD KILL.
More Ray, as The All Purpose Monkey muses over DEAD MONEY. And Ed Kurtz - another man with exceedingly good taste - picks it as one of his top books of 2011.
Doug Johnstone's busy year.
Conan Doyle's Moriarty on the big screen. And a review of A GAME OF SHADOWS.
Metaliterature reviews Philip Kerr's THE ONE FROM THE OTHER, Savidge Reads reviews M C Beaton's AGATHA RAISIN AND THE LOVE FROM HELL, and Crime Fiction Lover reviews Alex Gray's SLEEP LIKE THE DEAD.
Ian Rankin talks about which literary character he'd like to sleep with and other topics.
More on the Denise Mina comic book adaptation of the Stieg Larsson books. And more on the Unbound 26 Treasures project which Alexander McCall Smith is part of.
Irvine Welsh to write Britpop musical.
The Scotsman talks about their books of the year and note that Denise Mina and Ian Rankin show the "range of what the crime genre can do".
Monday, 12 December 2011
Confessions of a Psycho Cat
I thought this Cramps song was apt.
Since I have told a few Glasgow bus stories recently, and I'm feeling lazy, I thought I would dig out an old bus story to accompany today's post, so here it is.
It was a lovely sunny Saturday afternoon, so I decided to go into the city centre to buy a new pair of sandals. Yes, I know - the World Shoe Mountain currently resides in my spare bedroom, but, well, you never can tell when that rumoured Slingback Shortage is going to occur, so, abiding by that old Girl Guide motto 'Be Prepared', off I trotted. (For the purposes of this tale, it's actually irrelevant that I was thrown out of the Girl Guides due to my reliance on my own personal motto 'Be a Pain in The Arse'.)
So there I was, sitting on the bus, gazing out of the window and listening to my ipod (The Clash if anyone cares). About half way into town, I noticed someone sitting down next to me. When I say 'I noticed' what I actually mean was 'I couldn't help noticing because he sat on my knee and breathed stale beer fumes all over me'. Oh good, that most annoying of Bus Pests, the Glasgow drunk. He apologised profusely. I mostly couldn't hear what he was saying due to the music so I I just smiled and turned away. Then he spoke to me again and I just nodded and smiled and looked out the window. So he tapped me on the shoulder and spoke again. I pointedly took out the earpiece from the ear on the Bus Pest side and said "Sorry?"
"Oh! Are ye listening tae music hen?"
"Yes."
"Whit are ye listening tae?"
"Just a mixture." (My patented method of getting rid of The Bus Pest is be brief, be polite, don't give them too much information, they'll only ask more questions).
"Is it some of that meatrocker music?" (OK, so my patented method needs a little work). "Ah'm an Elvis man maself. Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra... Ah'm no much o' a singer mind." I breathed a sigh of relief - thankful for small mercies - at least I wasn't going to be treated to a rendition of My Way. "Although, I dae a pretty guid Ma Way, if I dae say so maself." I cast about feverishly for a hole of swallow-me-up size, but luckily he decided not to sing.
In one way, I would have loved to have seen him sing. He had apparently recently been to the false Teeth Shop but was obviously in a hurry on teeth shopping day. I knew this because a) he had the most perfect set of top teeth (apart from the fact that they moved independently from his gums) and b) he had 2 yellow bottom teeth (and I don't mean he had two yellow bottom teeth in an otherwise perfect set. I mean he had only 2 bottom teeth, and they were bright yellow). Watching him speak was like watching a badly dubbed Hungarian film. When he finished speaking, his top teeth were still in motion - moving away from his gums, out over his bottom lip and, on a couple of really scary occasions they were sucked back into his mouth and disappeared towards his throat. I was mentally practising the Heimlich manoeuvre.
Instead he held out his hand "Ah'm Big Chick. Pleased tae meet ya hen. And you are?...."
"Donna", I said quietly.
"Did yez hear that?" he announced to the rest of the bus "The lassie's called Donna. Whit time is it Donna?"
"Ten past one."
"Ten past wan? Ten past wan in the MORNIN'?"
"Errrr.....no, afternoon" What, did he think Glasgow had sneakily moved locations while he was down the pub and was now situated in the land of the midnight sun? At that point, a woman got on the bus and he said to her "Dae ye want ma seat pal?" She shook her head and moved on, despite the pleading look I gave her. Big Chick leaned over to me and whispered (and, when I say 'whispered' what I actually mean is 'boomed loudly') "She's just jealous 'cos ah'm sittin' with you instead o' her." Yes, I should imagine the whole bus was positively emerald green with jealousy at my good fortune by now. At least, those who weren't sniggering with glee at my predicament and increasingly red face.
"Where are ye fae' Donna?"
"Here. I live here."
Again, the announcement of this titillating piece of information to the rest of the bus "Did yez all hear? Donna lives in Glesgae."
Someone up the back of the bus laughed. My Bus Pest turned round, taking his jacket off "Hey youse up the back - haud yer wheesht. Dae yis want tae fight me?" Luckily no one took him up on this. I say luckily because he then turned back to me and said "Ah'm a bouncer." Oh. Really. Since 'Big' Chick was less than 4 feet 6 inches tall and more than 104 years old, I found this a tad difficult to believe.
"Ah'm gettin' aff at the Sandyford." I breathed a sigh of relief. The Sandyford was a pub a couple of stops further up. "Are ye coming in? Ah'll see you right." I didn't know whether he meant for a drink, a fight or a lumber*, but frankly, I didn't want to ask.
"Errr, no, thanks all the same but I have to go into town."
"Okay hen, well you come in and see me on Monday. I'll be in the Sandyford fae' aboot 10 in the morning. It's a great wee boozer. It opens at 8am, so if ye get up and ye feel like a wee drink, ye can just stoat along."
Great. Hold me back.
Big Chick heaved himself out of the seat and walked to the front of the bus, turning round at the front to give me a last beery wave "Bye Donna hen. Ah'll have a wee pie and a pint waitin' fer ye on Monday mornin'."
Mmmmmm, can't wait.
* Lumber - Glasgow slang for a hot date.
And now, your Scottish crime fiction news.
The Picky Girl reviews Catriona McPherson's DANDY GILVER AND THE PROPER TREATMENT OF BLOODSTAINS, Marion Public Library on Alexander McCall Smith's THE FORGOTTEN AFFAIRS OF YOUTH, which is also covered by Cleveland.com. A reviw of Stuart MacBride's A PARTRIDGE IN A PEAR TREE. Actually, I'm not sure if it's a review or an academic dissertation...
Holmes and Watson to star in Some Like It Hot remake? And the Ottowa Citizen talks about the Sherlock Holmes film.
Kate Atkinson's STARTED EARLY, TOOK MY DOG is one of the top crime fiction books for 2011 for the Seattle Times. And the Irish Independent includes Ian Rankin and Val McDermid on its list of stocking thrillers. Doug Johnstone has a rather excellent top 10 list which includes Ray Banks and Helen Fitzgerald, as well as my lovely friend Christa Faust. Nice list, Doug.
Ian Rankin will be at the Oxford Literary Festival in March 2012.
Denise Mina to adapt the Stieg Larsson series into graphic novel format.
And now, back to an essay on social justice and empowerment. Ta-ta, dear Reader.
Since I have told a few Glasgow bus stories recently, and I'm feeling lazy, I thought I would dig out an old bus story to accompany today's post, so here it is.
It was a lovely sunny Saturday afternoon, so I decided to go into the city centre to buy a new pair of sandals. Yes, I know - the World Shoe Mountain currently resides in my spare bedroom, but, well, you never can tell when that rumoured Slingback Shortage is going to occur, so, abiding by that old Girl Guide motto 'Be Prepared', off I trotted. (For the purposes of this tale, it's actually irrelevant that I was thrown out of the Girl Guides due to my reliance on my own personal motto 'Be a Pain in The Arse'.)
So there I was, sitting on the bus, gazing out of the window and listening to my ipod (The Clash if anyone cares). About half way into town, I noticed someone sitting down next to me. When I say 'I noticed' what I actually mean was 'I couldn't help noticing because he sat on my knee and breathed stale beer fumes all over me'. Oh good, that most annoying of Bus Pests, the Glasgow drunk. He apologised profusely. I mostly couldn't hear what he was saying due to the music so I I just smiled and turned away. Then he spoke to me again and I just nodded and smiled and looked out the window. So he tapped me on the shoulder and spoke again. I pointedly took out the earpiece from the ear on the Bus Pest side and said "Sorry?"
"Oh! Are ye listening tae music hen?"
"Yes."
"Whit are ye listening tae?"
"Just a mixture." (My patented method of getting rid of The Bus Pest is be brief, be polite, don't give them too much information, they'll only ask more questions).
"Is it some of that meatrocker music?" (OK, so my patented method needs a little work). "Ah'm an Elvis man maself. Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra... Ah'm no much o' a singer mind." I breathed a sigh of relief - thankful for small mercies - at least I wasn't going to be treated to a rendition of My Way. "Although, I dae a pretty guid Ma Way, if I dae say so maself." I cast about feverishly for a hole of swallow-me-up size, but luckily he decided not to sing.
In one way, I would have loved to have seen him sing. He had apparently recently been to the false Teeth Shop but was obviously in a hurry on teeth shopping day. I knew this because a) he had the most perfect set of top teeth (apart from the fact that they moved independently from his gums) and b) he had 2 yellow bottom teeth (and I don't mean he had two yellow bottom teeth in an otherwise perfect set. I mean he had only 2 bottom teeth, and they were bright yellow). Watching him speak was like watching a badly dubbed Hungarian film. When he finished speaking, his top teeth were still in motion - moving away from his gums, out over his bottom lip and, on a couple of really scary occasions they were sucked back into his mouth and disappeared towards his throat. I was mentally practising the Heimlich manoeuvre.
Instead he held out his hand "Ah'm Big Chick. Pleased tae meet ya hen. And you are?...."
"Donna", I said quietly.
"Did yez hear that?" he announced to the rest of the bus "The lassie's called Donna. Whit time is it Donna?"
"Ten past one."
"Ten past wan? Ten past wan in the MORNIN'?"
"Errrr.....no, afternoon" What, did he think Glasgow had sneakily moved locations while he was down the pub and was now situated in the land of the midnight sun? At that point, a woman got on the bus and he said to her "Dae ye want ma seat pal?" She shook her head and moved on, despite the pleading look I gave her. Big Chick leaned over to me and whispered (and, when I say 'whispered' what I actually mean is 'boomed loudly') "She's just jealous 'cos ah'm sittin' with you instead o' her." Yes, I should imagine the whole bus was positively emerald green with jealousy at my good fortune by now. At least, those who weren't sniggering with glee at my predicament and increasingly red face.
"Where are ye fae' Donna?"
"Here. I live here."
Again, the announcement of this titillating piece of information to the rest of the bus "Did yez all hear? Donna lives in Glesgae."
Someone up the back of the bus laughed. My Bus Pest turned round, taking his jacket off "Hey youse up the back - haud yer wheesht. Dae yis want tae fight me?" Luckily no one took him up on this. I say luckily because he then turned back to me and said "Ah'm a bouncer." Oh. Really. Since 'Big' Chick was less than 4 feet 6 inches tall and more than 104 years old, I found this a tad difficult to believe.
"Ah'm gettin' aff at the Sandyford." I breathed a sigh of relief. The Sandyford was a pub a couple of stops further up. "Are ye coming in? Ah'll see you right." I didn't know whether he meant for a drink, a fight or a lumber*, but frankly, I didn't want to ask.
"Errr, no, thanks all the same but I have to go into town."
"Okay hen, well you come in and see me on Monday. I'll be in the Sandyford fae' aboot 10 in the morning. It's a great wee boozer. It opens at 8am, so if ye get up and ye feel like a wee drink, ye can just stoat along."
Great. Hold me back.
Big Chick heaved himself out of the seat and walked to the front of the bus, turning round at the front to give me a last beery wave "Bye Donna hen. Ah'll have a wee pie and a pint waitin' fer ye on Monday mornin'."
Mmmmmm, can't wait.
* Lumber - Glasgow slang for a hot date.
And now, your Scottish crime fiction news.
The Picky Girl reviews Catriona McPherson's DANDY GILVER AND THE PROPER TREATMENT OF BLOODSTAINS, Marion Public Library on Alexander McCall Smith's THE FORGOTTEN AFFAIRS OF YOUTH, which is also covered by Cleveland.com. A reviw of Stuart MacBride's A PARTRIDGE IN A PEAR TREE. Actually, I'm not sure if it's a review or an academic dissertation...
Holmes and Watson to star in Some Like It Hot remake? And the Ottowa Citizen talks about the Sherlock Holmes film.
Kate Atkinson's STARTED EARLY, TOOK MY DOG is one of the top crime fiction books for 2011 for the Seattle Times. And the Irish Independent includes Ian Rankin and Val McDermid on its list of stocking thrillers. Doug Johnstone has a rather excellent top 10 list which includes Ray Banks and Helen Fitzgerald, as well as my lovely friend Christa Faust. Nice list, Doug.
Ian Rankin will be at the Oxford Literary Festival in March 2012.
Denise Mina to adapt the Stieg Larsson series into graphic novel format.
And now, back to an essay on social justice and empowerment. Ta-ta, dear Reader.
Thursday, 8 December 2011
The Crusher
Today's Cramps title is courtesy of Scotland's weather. Do the hammer lock you turkey necks...
I am supposed to be going through to Edinburgh tomorrow for the CWA Christmas Lunch but, since we are in the midst of Hurricane Bawbag, (which even has its own Wikipedia entry), I may not make it. I'm waiting for Scotland's next hurricane - which will presumably be called Hurricane Fannybaws. It was my day for being at the wonderful Glasgow Women's Library today but, as we watched a streetlamp swaying outside the window, debating whether Glasgow was going to close down, a Swedish bloke came in. "Can I sit in here and read for a while?" he said.
"Well, normally, the answer would be yes, but we might be shutting in a minute," I said.
He looked very puzzled. "Yes, the main library is shutting, too. Is it because of the weather?"
"Yes. We're not very good at weather. You may have gathered that." He went away still puzzled. Poor bloke.
My bus trip home was quite eventful. A guy nearly blew away at the bus stop. Only by hanging on for grim death to the side of the bus shelter did he manage to keep his feet on the ground. Me and the other woman standing in the bus stop looked on with interest and, obviously, complete unconcern. When we were getting on the bus the woman made me sit next to her. Then she leaned over and said "Can I ask your advice?" Oh dear. I said yes, quite nervously. "Can you tell me what's the best way of cleaning my kitchen counter tops?"I assumed that she had mistaken me for some sort of domestic goddess. Then a few minutes later she reached into one of her plastic shopping bags and pulled out a can of Tennents Special Brew. "Ah'm alright when the storm comes. Ah've got maself an aw day breakfast for two quid - black puddin' white puddin' an' some square sausage, and a wee bevvy for later, hen."
Anyway...
Kate Atkinson's STARTED EARLY, TOOK MY DOG makes Time Magazine's Top 10 of Everything lists. And Books and Reviews recommends WHEN WILL THERE BE GOOD NEWS? as a gift idea.
Novelists China Miéville and Denise Mina, and illustrators Mark Stafford and Alice Duke talk about Poe and Lovecraft.
A review of a book about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's letters, There Is No Easter Bunny reviews Craig Russell's LENNOX, and the Las Vegas Review Journal reviews Alexander McCall Smith's THE FORGOTTEN AFFAIRS OF YOUTH.
Helen Fitzgerald guest blogs at Weegie Wednesday.
Shona MacLean does some push-ups at Tony Black's Pulp Pusher.
Ian Rankin talks to Crime Time.
I love these Hilariously Badass Magazine Covers (courtesy of the lovely Bill Crider who always finds such brilliant stuff).
I am supposed to be going through to Edinburgh tomorrow for the CWA Christmas Lunch but, since we are in the midst of Hurricane Bawbag, (which even has its own Wikipedia entry), I may not make it. I'm waiting for Scotland's next hurricane - which will presumably be called Hurricane Fannybaws. It was my day for being at the wonderful Glasgow Women's Library today but, as we watched a streetlamp swaying outside the window, debating whether Glasgow was going to close down, a Swedish bloke came in. "Can I sit in here and read for a while?" he said.
"Well, normally, the answer would be yes, but we might be shutting in a minute," I said.
He looked very puzzled. "Yes, the main library is shutting, too. Is it because of the weather?"
"Yes. We're not very good at weather. You may have gathered that." He went away still puzzled. Poor bloke.
My bus trip home was quite eventful. A guy nearly blew away at the bus stop. Only by hanging on for grim death to the side of the bus shelter did he manage to keep his feet on the ground. Me and the other woman standing in the bus stop looked on with interest and, obviously, complete unconcern. When we were getting on the bus the woman made me sit next to her. Then she leaned over and said "Can I ask your advice?" Oh dear. I said yes, quite nervously. "Can you tell me what's the best way of cleaning my kitchen counter tops?"I assumed that she had mistaken me for some sort of domestic goddess. Then a few minutes later she reached into one of her plastic shopping bags and pulled out a can of Tennents Special Brew. "Ah'm alright when the storm comes. Ah've got maself an aw day breakfast for two quid - black puddin' white puddin' an' some square sausage, and a wee bevvy for later, hen."
Anyway...
Kate Atkinson's STARTED EARLY, TOOK MY DOG makes Time Magazine's Top 10 of Everything lists. And Books and Reviews recommends WHEN WILL THERE BE GOOD NEWS? as a gift idea.
Novelists China Miéville and Denise Mina, and illustrators Mark Stafford and Alice Duke talk about Poe and Lovecraft.
A review of a book about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's letters, There Is No Easter Bunny reviews Craig Russell's LENNOX, and the Las Vegas Review Journal reviews Alexander McCall Smith's THE FORGOTTEN AFFAIRS OF YOUTH.
Helen Fitzgerald guest blogs at Weegie Wednesday.
Shona MacLean does some push-ups at Tony Black's Pulp Pusher.
Ian Rankin talks to Crime Time.
I love these Hilariously Badass Magazine Covers (courtesy of the lovely Bill Crider who always finds such brilliant stuff).
Sunday, 4 December 2011
Eyeball In My Martini
Hello, Dear Reader. I hope you had a lovely weekend.
No live version of today's Cramps blog title, I'm afraid.
Russel McLean is looking for some love and, in return, he'll give you some too.
Kate Atkinson's STARTED EARLY, TOOK MY DOG makes the Kansas City Star's top books of 2011. The book also gets a mention in the NYT's Sunday paperback reviews. And both Denise Mina and Philip Kerr get a mention in the New York Times' notable crime fiction books of 2011. Philip Kerr also features in the St Louis Post Dispatch's 2011 list. Audiobooks of the year in the Independent include Ian Rankin's THE IMPOSSIBLE DEAD and Anthony Horowitz' THE HOUSE OF SILK.
On the other side of the equation Philip Kerr, Alexander McCall Smith and Val McDermid recommend their favourites in The Scotsman. Philip Kerr recommends Ian Rankin's THE IMPOSSIBLE DEAD and Val recommends the truly brilliant BLACK FLOWERS by Steve Mosby.
UK Chica reviews THE FALLS by Ian Rankin, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reviews THE COMPLAINTS and Mystery File reviews DEAD SOULS.
A hunt for Alexander McCall Smith's Mma Ramotswe in Sleuthing Botswana.
Aberdeen MP Anne Begg is a big fan of crime fiction, and Scottish authors feature heavily on her list.
Over at the Blasted Heath Blog, I get to talk about sex (Dad, that link is not for you. Have some Antiques Roadshow instead.)
Last Monday, I went to the Christopher Brookmyre event put on by Doug Johnstone. Here, finally (blame two essays), is my brief summary of the event. Luckily, most of it is not printable, but if you do get a chance to see Chris Brookmyre, do ask him about the roast chicken story, about the mad woman from Dundee Book Events and the crucifix story.
Brookmyre also told a story about doing an event in Clydebank Library. He noted that a library open after hours, with the lights on, is a bampot magnet. "It's the flame, and all the moths are wearing Burbery". A bloke in a Burbery cap came in and hovered for a while before telling Brookmyre that his dad "loves the Glasgow crime books." He told Brookmyre that he had never actually heard of him, but that he would get his dad a book. "Now, what was it you done?" It became clear that the guy thought that Brookmyre was a criminal. Brookmyre was tempted to say "Ah murdered hunnerds of guys" but, in the end, settled for telling him it was fiction. "What, you're making it up?" said the guy.
Brookmyre said that he started writing at the age of 6, and most of his early stuff was a straight rip-off of what he was reading (he spent two months writing nothing but stories about sharks eating people after seeing Jaws). He had a great teacher at school and, when he wrote two versions of the same story in class (one cleaned up and one with swearing and necrophilia) she told him it was the best thing he had ever written. She supported him in writing it and gave it to the headmaster. Unfortunately, she did not choose her words carefully enough when she said to the headmaster "I think you really ought to see this."
Brookmyre wrote three books before his fourth was accepted. He said that for some reason publishers are not very tolerant of "books that are shite."
He worked for a newspaper in Edinburgh, doing football reports at a time when the results were brought to the paper by carrier pigeon (Hibs and Hearts both had pigeon coops on their roof. Oh, yes, there's another story I can't tell about one of the misprints...
He talked about crime writers he admired - including Val McDermid and Mark Billingham (and, incidentally, said that he thought Mark had done well to get out of the playground titles (Scaredy Cat and Sleepy Head) before he was reduced to Specky Four Eyes and Smelly Bum). This then led to him to worrying about Sue Grafton who must have thought that A Is For Alibi was a good idea until she got to K is For Kicking The Arse Out Of It. He wondered how she feels as she gets close to having to write a mystery where an important plot point has to revolve around a xylophone).
The follow up to WHERE THE BODIES ARE BURIED will be called WHEN THE DEVIL DRIVES and will be out next summer. Winning the Wodehouse prize was the least comfortable Brookmyre has ever felt professionally as he had to do a photo shoot with a very rare breed of pig that had its own escort. The pig wouldn't come out of its trailer (Hollywood style huff) and sent its piglets instead. Carrying a large jeroboam of champagne and surrounded by tiny pigs, Brookmyre said he looked like a hobbit. He's also writing a sci-fi/computer gaming novel called BEDLAM which allows him to make up a complete universe.
At the end, he read out a brilliant 'Irvine Welsh does Jane Austen story'. I wish you could have heard it, Dear Reader.
No live version of today's Cramps blog title, I'm afraid.
Russel McLean is looking for some love and, in return, he'll give you some too.
Kate Atkinson's STARTED EARLY, TOOK MY DOG makes the Kansas City Star's top books of 2011. The book also gets a mention in the NYT's Sunday paperback reviews. And both Denise Mina and Philip Kerr get a mention in the New York Times' notable crime fiction books of 2011. Philip Kerr also features in the St Louis Post Dispatch's 2011 list. Audiobooks of the year in the Independent include Ian Rankin's THE IMPOSSIBLE DEAD and Anthony Horowitz' THE HOUSE OF SILK.
On the other side of the equation Philip Kerr, Alexander McCall Smith and Val McDermid recommend their favourites in The Scotsman. Philip Kerr recommends Ian Rankin's THE IMPOSSIBLE DEAD and Val recommends the truly brilliant BLACK FLOWERS by Steve Mosby.
UK Chica reviews THE FALLS by Ian Rankin, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reviews THE COMPLAINTS and Mystery File reviews DEAD SOULS.
A hunt for Alexander McCall Smith's Mma Ramotswe in Sleuthing Botswana.
Aberdeen MP Anne Begg is a big fan of crime fiction, and Scottish authors feature heavily on her list.
Over at the Blasted Heath Blog, I get to talk about sex (Dad, that link is not for you. Have some Antiques Roadshow instead.)
Last Monday, I went to the Christopher Brookmyre event put on by Doug Johnstone. Here, finally (blame two essays), is my brief summary of the event. Luckily, most of it is not printable, but if you do get a chance to see Chris Brookmyre, do ask him about the roast chicken story, about the mad woman from Dundee Book Events and the crucifix story.
Brookmyre also told a story about doing an event in Clydebank Library. He noted that a library open after hours, with the lights on, is a bampot magnet. "It's the flame, and all the moths are wearing Burbery". A bloke in a Burbery cap came in and hovered for a while before telling Brookmyre that his dad "loves the Glasgow crime books." He told Brookmyre that he had never actually heard of him, but that he would get his dad a book. "Now, what was it you done?" It became clear that the guy thought that Brookmyre was a criminal. Brookmyre was tempted to say "Ah murdered hunnerds of guys" but, in the end, settled for telling him it was fiction. "What, you're making it up?" said the guy.
Brookmyre said that he started writing at the age of 6, and most of his early stuff was a straight rip-off of what he was reading (he spent two months writing nothing but stories about sharks eating people after seeing Jaws). He had a great teacher at school and, when he wrote two versions of the same story in class (one cleaned up and one with swearing and necrophilia) she told him it was the best thing he had ever written. She supported him in writing it and gave it to the headmaster. Unfortunately, she did not choose her words carefully enough when she said to the headmaster "I think you really ought to see this."
Brookmyre wrote three books before his fourth was accepted. He said that for some reason publishers are not very tolerant of "books that are shite."
He worked for a newspaper in Edinburgh, doing football reports at a time when the results were brought to the paper by carrier pigeon (Hibs and Hearts both had pigeon coops on their roof. Oh, yes, there's another story I can't tell about one of the misprints...
He talked about crime writers he admired - including Val McDermid and Mark Billingham (and, incidentally, said that he thought Mark had done well to get out of the playground titles (Scaredy Cat and Sleepy Head) before he was reduced to Specky Four Eyes and Smelly Bum). This then led to him to worrying about Sue Grafton who must have thought that A Is For Alibi was a good idea until she got to K is For Kicking The Arse Out Of It. He wondered how she feels as she gets close to having to write a mystery where an important plot point has to revolve around a xylophone).
The follow up to WHERE THE BODIES ARE BURIED will be called WHEN THE DEVIL DRIVES and will be out next summer. Winning the Wodehouse prize was the least comfortable Brookmyre has ever felt professionally as he had to do a photo shoot with a very rare breed of pig that had its own escort. The pig wouldn't come out of its trailer (Hollywood style huff) and sent its piglets instead. Carrying a large jeroboam of champagne and surrounded by tiny pigs, Brookmyre said he looked like a hobbit. He's also writing a sci-fi/computer gaming novel called BEDLAM which allows him to make up a complete universe.
At the end, he read out a brilliant 'Irvine Welsh does Jane Austen story'. I wish you could have heard it, Dear Reader.
Wednesday, 30 November 2011
Goo Goo Muck
Yes, it's The Cramps again.
Books of the year in the Herald. Mentions by and mentions of various Scottish crime writers. And Doug Johnstone talks about his favourite books of the year.
M J Nicholls at Quiddity of Delusion talks about Denise Mina and Denise Mina talks about female detective fiction to the Christian Science Monitor. Maxine at Petrona reviews THE END OF THE WASP SEASON, as does NPR, which also reviews a couple of Sherlock Holmes related books - Anthony Horowitz's HOUSE OF SILK and Michael Dirda's ON CONAN DOYLE.
A review of Alexander McCall Smith's THE PERILS OF MORNING COFFEE, and one of THE CAREFUL USE OF COMPLIMENTS (the man is a writing machine). And 2606 Books And Counting reviews Philip Kerr's PRAGUE FATALE. Smithereens also reviews Philip Kerr, this time IF THE DEAD RISE NOT. The Washington Post reviews Ian Rankin's THE IMPOSSIBLE DEAD.
Stuart MacBride at Jura Writer's Retreat, including a new short story.
More on those wonderful book sculptures. And lucky Ian Rankin has this one. Here's a site which puts them all together. Just look at the detail in the feathers of the last one. How beautiful they are - it makes me really happy to see them.
Books of the year in the Herald. Mentions by and mentions of various Scottish crime writers. And Doug Johnstone talks about his favourite books of the year.
M J Nicholls at Quiddity of Delusion talks about Denise Mina and Denise Mina talks about female detective fiction to the Christian Science Monitor. Maxine at Petrona reviews THE END OF THE WASP SEASON, as does NPR, which also reviews a couple of Sherlock Holmes related books - Anthony Horowitz's HOUSE OF SILK and Michael Dirda's ON CONAN DOYLE.
A review of Alexander McCall Smith's THE PERILS OF MORNING COFFEE, and one of THE CAREFUL USE OF COMPLIMENTS (the man is a writing machine). And 2606 Books And Counting reviews Philip Kerr's PRAGUE FATALE. Smithereens also reviews Philip Kerr, this time IF THE DEAD RISE NOT. The Washington Post reviews Ian Rankin's THE IMPOSSIBLE DEAD.
Stuart MacBride at Jura Writer's Retreat, including a new short story.
More on those wonderful book sculptures. And lucky Ian Rankin has this one. Here's a site which puts them all together. Just look at the detail in the feathers of the last one. How beautiful they are - it makes me really happy to see them.
Sunday, 20 November 2011
Call Me Irresponsible
Just a quick round-up post today. I've been out giving training all day and this evening we're off out to see The Vaccines. I have a soft spot for them, not least because last time we saw them they came on stage to the Ramones. This weekend's film viewing was THE HELP which I enjoyed more than I thought I was going to.
A review of Anthony Horowitz' new Sherlock Holmes story THE HOUSE OF SILK. It's also reviewed in The Telegraph, along with M C Beaton's AS THE PIG TURNS.
Louise Welsh and Zoe Strachan at Glasgow's Bibliocafe on 2nd December.
Alexander McCall Smith on the portrait of 'False Mary', as writers create imaginary lives for portraits with unknown sitters. What a lovely idea.
Allan Guthrie gets a mention in The Edinburgh Evening News.
Kirkus Reviews best 15 of 2011 (is it that time already?) includes Ian Rankin and Charles Cumming. Talking of Ian Rankin, The Hindustan Times reviews THE IMPOSSIBLE DEAD.
Reading Matters reviews Doug Johnstone's SMOKEHEADS. And Auntie Em reviews Denise Mina's THE END OF THE WASP SEASON.
Apparently, once you turn 40 you turn to biographies rather than fiction, economics books are going to be the big things next year (good grief, spare me), and it's irresponsible to read fiction in tough times. Well, call me irresponsible.
A review of Anthony Horowitz' new Sherlock Holmes story THE HOUSE OF SILK. It's also reviewed in The Telegraph, along with M C Beaton's AS THE PIG TURNS.
Louise Welsh and Zoe Strachan at Glasgow's Bibliocafe on 2nd December.
Alexander McCall Smith on the portrait of 'False Mary', as writers create imaginary lives for portraits with unknown sitters. What a lovely idea.
Allan Guthrie gets a mention in The Edinburgh Evening News.
Kirkus Reviews best 15 of 2011 (is it that time already?) includes Ian Rankin and Charles Cumming. Talking of Ian Rankin, The Hindustan Times reviews THE IMPOSSIBLE DEAD.
Reading Matters reviews Doug Johnstone's SMOKEHEADS. And Auntie Em reviews Denise Mina's THE END OF THE WASP SEASON.
Apparently, once you turn 40 you turn to biographies rather than fiction, economics books are going to be the big things next year (good grief, spare me), and it's irresponsible to read fiction in tough times. Well, call me irresponsible.
Sunday, 13 November 2011
Dames, Booze, Chains, Boots
Here's your Cramps video for today.
Helen Fitzgerald interviews herself over at Nigel Bird's gaff, and here's an audio interview with her at Blogtalkradio (starts 4 mins 5o-ish in).
Lots of reviews today. First of all, Undiscovered Scotland discovers Russel McLean, with reviews of THE GOOD SON and THE LITTLE SISTER. A trifecta of goodness for Allan Guthrie, as Connie Phoebe enjoys SAVAGE NIGHT, Paul Brazill reviewsTWO-WAY SPLIT and The Morrison Pen Review escapes into SLAMMER. Dorte looks at Ian Rankin's KNOTS AND CROSSES, and the Winnipeg Free Press reviews THE IMPOSSIBLE DEAD. Paul Brazill reviews Val McDermid's THE RETRIBUTION, and Declan Burke enjoys Denise Mina's THE END OF THE WASP SEASON for the Irish Times.
The Telegraph calls Aly Monroe "a gloriously defiant individualist." And here she is talking about WASHINGTON SHADOW.
Conan Doyle and the case of the vanishing football trophy. And more on the new Anthony Horowitz Sherlock Holmes.
The delicious Christa Faust and the dastardly Ray Banks interview each other brilliantly over at Crimeculture.
And another interview - Philip Kerr in The Scotsman.
You can win stuff over at Blasted Heath by guessing who their new columnist, Weird Sister, is.
Finally, if you read this blog regularly, you know that I love the book sculptures that have appeared in Edinburgh over the past months, so I was interested to read this article about what to do with books. I'm going to be doing a creativity project working with young women as part of my university placement. I think I'll do some altered books with them. I really like the idea of making poetry from random words on the page and then decorating the rest of the page.
Helen Fitzgerald interviews herself over at Nigel Bird's gaff, and here's an audio interview with her at Blogtalkradio (starts 4 mins 5o-ish in).
Lots of reviews today. First of all, Undiscovered Scotland discovers Russel McLean, with reviews of THE GOOD SON and THE LITTLE SISTER. A trifecta of goodness for Allan Guthrie, as Connie Phoebe enjoys SAVAGE NIGHT, Paul Brazill reviewsTWO-WAY SPLIT and The Morrison Pen Review escapes into SLAMMER. Dorte looks at Ian Rankin's KNOTS AND CROSSES, and the Winnipeg Free Press reviews THE IMPOSSIBLE DEAD. Paul Brazill reviews Val McDermid's THE RETRIBUTION, and Declan Burke enjoys Denise Mina's THE END OF THE WASP SEASON for the Irish Times.
The Telegraph calls Aly Monroe "a gloriously defiant individualist." And here she is talking about WASHINGTON SHADOW.
Conan Doyle and the case of the vanishing football trophy. And more on the new Anthony Horowitz Sherlock Holmes.
The delicious Christa Faust and the dastardly Ray Banks interview each other brilliantly over at Crimeculture.
And another interview - Philip Kerr in The Scotsman.
You can win stuff over at Blasted Heath by guessing who their new columnist, Weird Sister, is.
Finally, if you read this blog regularly, you know that I love the book sculptures that have appeared in Edinburgh over the past months, so I was interested to read this article about what to do with books. I'm going to be doing a creativity project working with young women as part of my university placement. I think I'll do some altered books with them. I really like the idea of making poetry from random words on the page and then decorating the rest of the page.
Friday, 11 November 2011
Don't Get Funny With Me
Another Cramps-inspired title today.
Not only do we have Douglas Lindsay goodness over at his regular blog, but he's also going to be blogging weekly at Blasted Heath, and this week's is a cracker.
Alan Cranis reviews Ray Banks' BEAST OF BURDEN at Bookgasm. And Eurocrime reviews Lin Anderson's THE REBORN.
Jamie Bell talks about Irvine Welsh's FILTH.
The New Statesman on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
More on the Reading Festival of Crime which includes Stuart MacBride, Quintin Jardine, Denise Mina and M C Beaton.
An interesting post from Aly Monroe on history, film and books.
Have a lovely weekend, dear Reader. Tomorrow, Ewan is doing musical stuff so I am going to do some Crimefest programming . All author slots are now full (although you can sign up for the waiting list for panels). The website hasn't been totally updated with attendees and there are a couple of exciting names to be added. If you're coming and you have any panel topic suggestions, or special requests, please let me know and I will try and accommodate you.
Not only do we have Douglas Lindsay goodness over at his regular blog, but he's also going to be blogging weekly at Blasted Heath, and this week's is a cracker.
Alan Cranis reviews Ray Banks' BEAST OF BURDEN at Bookgasm. And Eurocrime reviews Lin Anderson's THE REBORN.
Jamie Bell talks about Irvine Welsh's FILTH.
The New Statesman on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
More on the Reading Festival of Crime which includes Stuart MacBride, Quintin Jardine, Denise Mina and M C Beaton.
An interesting post from Aly Monroe on history, film and books.
Have a lovely weekend, dear Reader. Tomorrow, Ewan is doing musical stuff so I am going to do some Crimefest programming . All author slots are now full (although you can sign up for the waiting list for panels). The website hasn't been totally updated with attendees and there are a couple of exciting names to be added. If you're coming and you have any panel topic suggestions, or special requests, please let me know and I will try and accommodate you.
Sunday, 6 November 2011
"If you saw a councillor up against a tree what would you think?"
All Hail the Heathens - Blasted Heath are getting a lot of nice buzz. The Scotsman calls them 'gifted' , there's an interview with Ray Banks over at Shotgun Honey and Detectives Beyond Borders talks about Anthony Neil Smith's THE WARRIORS. And if you rush over to the Blasted Heath site itself, you might still be in time to pick up Ray Banks' brilliant DEAD MONEY for free. And you can also watch Ray being interviewed by possibly the worst interviewer in the world...very funny.
The Vancouver Sun on Ian Rankin's THE IMPOSSIBLE DEAD, which is reviewed by the Globe and Mail.
Anthony Horowitz' new Sherlock Holmes novel - THE HOUSE OF SILK - is published this month.
Denise Mina will be at the New Zealand International Arts Festival next year. Closer to home, it's two for the price of one with the Mulgray Twins at the Portobello Library in Edinburgh on November 8th.
Talking of Denise Mina, the New York Times enthuses over THE END OF THE WASP SEASON.
The Book Dilettante has a reviewlet of M C Beaton's AS THE PIG TURNS.
And this happened where my parents live. Dad - better tell Mum to be a bit careful with the secateurs when she's out pruning the bushes.
The Vancouver Sun on Ian Rankin's THE IMPOSSIBLE DEAD, which is reviewed by the Globe and Mail.
Anthony Horowitz' new Sherlock Holmes novel - THE HOUSE OF SILK - is published this month.
Denise Mina will be at the New Zealand International Arts Festival next year. Closer to home, it's two for the price of one with the Mulgray Twins at the Portobello Library in Edinburgh on November 8th.
Talking of Denise Mina, the New York Times enthuses over THE END OF THE WASP SEASON.
The Book Dilettante has a reviewlet of M C Beaton's AS THE PIG TURNS.
And this happened where my parents live. Dad - better tell Mum to be a bit careful with the secateurs when she's out pruning the bushes.
Thursday, 27 October 2011
Thee Most Exaulted Potentate of Love
Another Cramps-related blog post title (and no, those aren't typos). This one's for Heath Lowrance (not because he's an exalted potentate of love (although he may, of course, be just that), but because he asked for it.
I mentioned in a previous post that the wonderful ABSOLUTE ZERO COOL by Declan Burke has been short-listed for the Crime Fiction section of the Irish Book Awards. If you have read it, and would like to vote for it, you can do so here: http://www.irishbookawards.ie/PublicVote.aspx
A report from the Vancouver Writers' Festival on the event with Denise Mina, Stuart MacBride and Ian Rankin. And Stuart's questioned by the National Post, while Ian is reviewed in the FT.
A review of THE NARRATIVE OF JOHN SMITH - the unfinished lost novel of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the Economist considers Conan Doyle's voice, and a trailer for the new Guy Ritchie Sherlock Holmes movie A GAME OF SHADOWS.
Jason Isaacs on Kate Atkinson's Jackson Brodie. And a review of STARTED EARLY, TOOK MY DOG.
A review of M C Beaton's AS THE PIG TURNS. And one of the comedy stage version of John Buchan's THE THIRTY-NINE STEPS.
If you're in Edinburgh between October 26th and 29th, you might want to go and see Caroline Dunford's BURKE - about half of Edinburgh's notorious serial killing duo.
More on Val McDermid's favourite walk. And on the Million For A Morgue campaign which Val is closely associated with.
Hollywood Today talks to Catriona McPherson and reviews DANDY GILVER AND THE PROPER TREATMENT OF BLOODSTAINS.
I mentioned in a previous post that the wonderful ABSOLUTE ZERO COOL by Declan Burke has been short-listed for the Crime Fiction section of the Irish Book Awards. If you have read it, and would like to vote for it, you can do so here: http://www.irishbookawards.ie/
A report from the Vancouver Writers' Festival on the event with Denise Mina, Stuart MacBride and Ian Rankin. And Stuart's questioned by the National Post, while Ian is reviewed in the FT.
A review of THE NARRATIVE OF JOHN SMITH - the unfinished lost novel of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the Economist considers Conan Doyle's voice, and a trailer for the new Guy Ritchie Sherlock Holmes movie A GAME OF SHADOWS.
Jason Isaacs on Kate Atkinson's Jackson Brodie. And a review of STARTED EARLY, TOOK MY DOG.
A review of M C Beaton's AS THE PIG TURNS. And one of the comedy stage version of John Buchan's THE THIRTY-NINE STEPS.
If you're in Edinburgh between October 26th and 29th, you might want to go and see Caroline Dunford's BURKE - about half of Edinburgh's notorious serial killing duo.
More on Val McDermid's favourite walk. And on the Million For A Morgue campaign which Val is closely associated with.
Hollywood Today talks to Catriona McPherson and reviews DANDY GILVER AND THE PROPER TREATMENT OF BLOODSTAINS.
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