Collected Miscellany

Apropos of the post below, I suppose if you want to get all literary on me you could pick a better book than Paddy Whacked (what can I say the book was on the shelf starring at me).

So if you want to avoid the history of the Irish mob and prefer something a little more on the literary side, why not check out James Joyce? Perhaps, Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man. Or perhaps you want to really want to show you are cool so you decide to dig into Ulysses. Of course you could read Dubliners. What could be more Irish than that, right?

For the peanut gallery: what is your favorite “Irish novel?”

This is yet another holiday I should have prepared a content specific review for but failed. In my defense I have been very busy; what with the new kid, going back to work after six weeks off, etc. (and yes I plan to use the kid as an excuse for everything so get used to it)

But if you are looking for some Irish themed reading how about Paddy Whacked:

In PADDY WHACKED, bestselling author and organized crime expert T. J. English brings to life nearly two centuries of Irish American gangsterism, which spawned such unforgettable characters as Mike “King Mike” McDonald, Chicago’s subterranean godfather; Big Bill Dwyer, New York’s most notorious rumrunner during Prohibition; Mickey Featherstone, troubled Vietnam vet turned Westies gang leader from Hell’s Kitchen; and James “Whitey” Bulger, the ruthless and untouchable Southie legend. This is an epic story of corrupt politics, wanton murders, gambling empires, notorious brothels, tough women, and hard-drinking pugilists from the underbelly of America’s most dangerous cities — including New York, Boston, New Orleans, Chicago, Kansas City, and Cleveland.

Sounds pretty interesting to me. Who says history isn’t fun?

I wanted to post a link to VidLit after seeing it at BookAngst 101, but tonight I discover that Amazon is using one of their animated promotions for Martin Kihn’s book House of Lies : How Management Consultants Steal Your Watch and Then Tell You the Time. Bravo! Other promotions are available on VidLit.com. My favorite is Yiddish with Dick and Jane. “What do you want on your hamburger, Sol?” Can I have some peace and quiet already?

Amazon.com and BN.com rank Rick Warren’s The Purpose-Driven Life at #2 now (Bamm.com at #1 nonfiction), apparently from the dramatic publicity it has received through the Brian Nichols’ Atlanta courtroom shootings and kidnapping of Ashley Smith. Smith essentially talked Nichols into surrendering, in part by reading from the Bible, The Purpose-Driven Life, and discussing his life.

Matt Forge of the Lone Star Times has a different take on the drama, that is, Darwin’s Origin was the delightful topic, not Purpose.

It’s probably a stretch to call this a review but I’ve been a Rudolfo Anaya fan for many years, back to Rio Grande Fall in 1996. PI Sonny Baca is the main character although the rich Spanish culture of the southwest often takes center stage. Sonny first appeared in Zia Summer. I don’t know if these books are still in print; hunt them down and check them out.

Gwenda at Bondgirl has a wonderful post about her secret life as a YA author; she shares the writer’s angst about first drafts, critique groups, rewrites and more rewrites. She’s very eloquent as she ruminates on the private struggle to complete a book.

Booksquare has a link to Elizabeth Spier’s article on the gender gap among prominent bloggers; it’s not specific to literary blogs but addresses male to female ratios in other categories.

I finished reading Drama City by George Pelecanos. It’s a very fast read with a deceptively simple set-up; hopefully I’ll have a review for Friday. I started The Effects of Light by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore. This is a debut novel that should do very well; I’m planning to review All This Heavenly Glory by Elizabeth Crane if I ever recover from my fan boy awe of her skills as a writer.

Meanwhile Sam Lipsyte dropped a note to say he enjoyed the review of Home Land last week. At some point in the next few weeks the review will appear on the front page of Backspace; see, you don’t need the Washington Post or the New York Times for book reviews. The paper boy won’t throw your favorite blog into the rose bushes either.

Phil is probably to shy to promote his own site, so I will do it for him. Lars Walker has been guest blogging over at Brandywine Books. Mr. Walker is the author of four fantasy novels published by Baen books. He has some interesting thoughts on writing and publishing. Check it out.