Happy International Women's Day with The Cramps' DAMES, BOOZE, CHAINS AND BOOTS.
Nice prizes for the Bloody Scotland short story competition, and Scottish crime fiction authors provide some short story advice.
Crime Fiction Lover reviews Doug Johnstone's HIT AND RUN, Tricky Nag reviews several Alexander McCall Smiths, while Cozy Library reviews just the one. And a review of Josephine Tey's THE FRANCHISE AFFAIR.
Is the Edinburgh Guide calling Ian Rankin a twit? See Ian in Lochgelly on May 30th. And Mysteries in Paradise reviews the audio version of WITCH HUNT.
Val McDermid on the intellectual property issue, and the value of publishers. And a review of Val's stage play.
And, talking of stage plays, Ian Pattison has written a play about my least favourite politician (and there are plenty of candidates to choose from).
See youse after the weekend. Busy weekend (did I mention I'm in a play, gawd help us?) and then it's off to see the brilliant Killing Joke on Monday.
Showing posts with label doug johnstone. Show all posts
Showing posts with label doug johnstone. Show all posts
Thursday, 8 March 2012
Tuesday, 28 February 2012
"You gotta beat it with a stick"
Your weekly Cramps with Garbageman.
Rob Kitchin reviews Philip Kerr's PRAGUE FATALE over at The View From The Blue House, Karen at Eurocrime says that Alexander McCall Smith's PRECIOUS AND THE MONKEYS is a delightful book and Maxine at Petrona calls Peter May's THE LEWIS MAN "a readable mystery with a tragic core".
Val McDermid celebrates her 25th book. Congratulations Val.
Lucy Liu to play Sherlock Holmes' sidekick John...errrrrr...Joan Watson.
Iain Banks at the Hexham Book Festival.
Lots of upcoming events for Alex Gray as she launches her new book A POUND OF FLESH. And both Alex and Caro Ramsay will be at the Lit Up Festival in Renfrewshire at the end of March.
Ian Rankin and Doug Johnstone's Twitter chat is quoted in the Independent.
Why I Really Like This Book features Josephine Tey's MISS PYM DISPOSES.
An excellent and funny article by Anthony Horowitz on whether authors still need publishers.
And, finally, 9 foreign words the English language really needs (hat tip to the lovely Steve Mosby). I must admit, I rather like Pilkkunnussja. I would add a 10th word - one that I was told when I was in Alaska - Slaqtaaq.
Rob Kitchin reviews Philip Kerr's PRAGUE FATALE over at The View From The Blue House, Karen at Eurocrime says that Alexander McCall Smith's PRECIOUS AND THE MONKEYS is a delightful book and Maxine at Petrona calls Peter May's THE LEWIS MAN "a readable mystery with a tragic core".
Val McDermid celebrates her 25th book. Congratulations Val.
Lucy Liu to play Sherlock Holmes' sidekick John...errrrrr...Joan Watson.
Iain Banks at the Hexham Book Festival.
Lots of upcoming events for Alex Gray as she launches her new book A POUND OF FLESH. And both Alex and Caro Ramsay will be at the Lit Up Festival in Renfrewshire at the end of March.
Ian Rankin and Doug Johnstone's Twitter chat is quoted in the Independent.
Why I Really Like This Book features Josephine Tey's MISS PYM DISPOSES.
An excellent and funny article by Anthony Horowitz on whether authors still need publishers.
And, finally, 9 foreign words the English language really needs (hat tip to the lovely Steve Mosby). I must admit, I rather like Pilkkunnussja. I would add a 10th word - one that I was told when I was in Alaska - Slaqtaaq.
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".
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.
Thursday, 11 August 2011
I have a headache...
...and cannot think of a suitable title for this post, so here is the Scottish crime fiction news.
A sucker punch from Philip Kerr, apparently.
Nigel Bird reviews Douglas Lindsay's THE LONG MIDNIGHT OF BARNEY THOMPSON. Brilliant stuff, and I am thrilled to be mentioned in the same breath. My regular reader (hello Dad!) will know I am a big fan of Douglas Lindsay. And Nigel has been very busy. In Dancing With Myself Scottish crime fiction fan Fiona Johnson interviews herself. As does Doug Johnstone.
Talking of Doug Johnstone, here's another interview with him over at Len Wanner's excellent The Crime of It All. And you can catch him at various events over the next few months. Personally, I'm hoping to get to the Literary Death Match. It's a couple of days before we head off to Berlin, so hopefully I'll make it. I'm not quite sure how it works, despite this helpful article, but I'm sure it will be fun. Which makes me wonder who, dear reader, would you like to see in a Literary Death Match?
A great interview with the multi-talented Ray Banks over at Vince Keenan's blog (and goodness me, thank you, Ray!).
Chris Ewan is having a lovely time on his US grand tour.
A review of the theatrical adaptation of Alexander McCall Smith's THE WORLD ACCORDING TO BERTIE.
The Scotsman reviews Lin Anderson's PICTURE HER DEAD.
Like whisky? Like Ian Rankin's Rebus? Got a spare £1000? Just think how many bottles of Buckie you could buy with that.
Irvine Welsh on the cast of FILTH. And he returns home to Leith to support young talent.
Chris Brookmyre on the shortening of his name.
Finally, a look at Raymond Chandler's dislike for the genteel British amateur detective.
A sucker punch from Philip Kerr, apparently.
Nigel Bird reviews Douglas Lindsay's THE LONG MIDNIGHT OF BARNEY THOMPSON. Brilliant stuff, and I am thrilled to be mentioned in the same breath. My regular reader (hello Dad!) will know I am a big fan of Douglas Lindsay. And Nigel has been very busy. In Dancing With Myself Scottish crime fiction fan Fiona Johnson interviews herself. As does Doug Johnstone.
Talking of Doug Johnstone, here's another interview with him over at Len Wanner's excellent The Crime of It All. And you can catch him at various events over the next few months. Personally, I'm hoping to get to the Literary Death Match. It's a couple of days before we head off to Berlin, so hopefully I'll make it. I'm not quite sure how it works, despite this helpful article, but I'm sure it will be fun. Which makes me wonder who, dear reader, would you like to see in a Literary Death Match?
A great interview with the multi-talented Ray Banks over at Vince Keenan's blog (and goodness me, thank you, Ray!).
Chris Ewan is having a lovely time on his US grand tour.
A review of the theatrical adaptation of Alexander McCall Smith's THE WORLD ACCORDING TO BERTIE.
The Scotsman reviews Lin Anderson's PICTURE HER DEAD.
Like whisky? Like Ian Rankin's Rebus? Got a spare £1000? Just think how many bottles of Buckie you could buy with that.
Irvine Welsh on the cast of FILTH. And he returns home to Leith to support young talent.
Chris Brookmyre on the shortening of his name.
Finally, a look at Raymond Chandler's dislike for the genteel British amateur detective.
Tuesday, 5 July 2011
Swing The Big-Eyed Rabbit
I'm rather enjoying this being made redundant lark. In the last few days I have finished the screenplay I was writing (sent off to lovely agent Allan Guthrie. I'm sure it's crap, but I had great fun writing it and it was great experience), and I've written two short stories, with a third on the go.
I don't know why, but when I'm writing a short story, it generally starts off (at least) with a title that's a song. One of the stories is called What Do I Get? (the Buzzcocks) and another is called Bikini Girls With Machine Guns (the Cramps), although I'm contemplating changing that one to Hens (not a song title). The third one, which I have just started, and which is a sort of homage to NIGHTMARE ALLEY (one of my favourite noir books/films) is tentatively titled Depravity Lane (Alien Sex Fiend). None of the stories have anything to do with the content of the songs, by the way, it's just the titles. (And the story Bikini Girls With Machine Guns has neither girls in bikinis nor machine guns, incidentally.)
The title of this post is another song by The Cramps. It's also the name of a book by John Pleasant McCoy. When I found this in a used bookstore in America I snapped it up. How could I resist? I haven't read it yet, but the back cover blurb says 'SWING THE BIG-EYED RABBIT is a vivid novel filled with the lusty pleasures and primitive emotions of the backwoods people. Here they are in all their earthy splendor - from the hell-fire and damnation preacher to the lush and laughing girls. This is an unforgettable novel that has won high praise from critics for its zestful humor, Rabelasian characters and abounding vitality.'
I bought it at the same time as SWAMP BRAT by Allen O'Quinn. I found this one hard to resist because of the excerpt on the back cover:
'She stepped out from behind the tree trunk, her daddy's shotgun cradled in her arms.
"What are you doing here?" I said.
"Squirm, Eddie." All that black hair curtained her eyes, but she kept the gun slanted at my face.
"Look here, Rosamay, what you aim to do with that double barrel?"
"Maybe kill dogs, Eddie, maybe you. Look over my shoulder, Eddie. She's down there waiting for you, ain't she? All soft and pink and prettied up. Eddie, I swore up and down last night when you left me that I wouldn't let her have you in one piece. It ain't easy staying awake all night, Eddie, and when you do, you get dizzy in the head so you could do most anything. Eddie, I aim to kill you."
I am really rubbish at titles, but find it difficult to start writing without one. Is that just me? For the writers out there - how do you choose your titles? And for the readers - how important is a title to you?
Anyway, I digress. On to the Scottish crime fiction news.
Several prominent Scottish authors - including Ian Rankin and Karen Campbell - talk about books they are looking forward to reading this summer. Ian Rankin sends Allan Guthrie's kindle sales sky high with his praise. Excellent stuff.
Another list of books for the summer, including Morag Joss' AMONG THE MISSING. And the Herald chooses Karen Campbell's PROOF OF LIFE as one of theirs.
An excellent review of Doug Johnstone's THE OSSIANS over at Dear Scotland.
The Vancouver Sun calls Alexander McCall Smith "an old-fashioned writer plugged into today's world."
More on the mysterious Ian Rankin sculptures. And Ian Rankin and Alexander McCall Smith are amongst authors backing Oxfam's Bookfest.
An interview with Kate Atkinson.
Thanks to Bill Crider for this website, which has some absolute crackers.
And, finally, it really took them over 8 hours? Not just Scotland's only theme park, but Scotland's slowest theme park. What on earth were they doing all that time?
I don't know why, but when I'm writing a short story, it generally starts off (at least) with a title that's a song. One of the stories is called What Do I Get? (the Buzzcocks) and another is called Bikini Girls With Machine Guns (the Cramps), although I'm contemplating changing that one to Hens (not a song title). The third one, which I have just started, and which is a sort of homage to NIGHTMARE ALLEY (one of my favourite noir books/films) is tentatively titled Depravity Lane (Alien Sex Fiend). None of the stories have anything to do with the content of the songs, by the way, it's just the titles. (And the story Bikini Girls With Machine Guns has neither girls in bikinis nor machine guns, incidentally.)
The title of this post is another song by The Cramps. It's also the name of a book by John Pleasant McCoy. When I found this in a used bookstore in America I snapped it up. How could I resist? I haven't read it yet, but the back cover blurb says 'SWING THE BIG-EYED RABBIT is a vivid novel filled with the lusty pleasures and primitive emotions of the backwoods people. Here they are in all their earthy splendor - from the hell-fire and damnation preacher to the lush and laughing girls. This is an unforgettable novel that has won high praise from critics for its zestful humor, Rabelasian characters and abounding vitality.'I bought it at the same time as SWAMP BRAT by Allen O'Quinn. I found this one hard to resist because of the excerpt on the back cover:
'She stepped out from behind the tree trunk, her daddy's shotgun cradled in her arms.
"What are you doing here?" I said.
"Squirm, Eddie." All that black hair curtained her eyes, but she kept the gun slanted at my face.
"Look here, Rosamay, what you aim to do with that double barrel?"
"Maybe kill dogs, Eddie, maybe you. Look over my shoulder, Eddie. She's down there waiting for you, ain't she? All soft and pink and prettied up. Eddie, I swore up and down last night when you left me that I wouldn't let her have you in one piece. It ain't easy staying awake all night, Eddie, and when you do, you get dizzy in the head so you could do most anything. Eddie, I aim to kill you."
I am really rubbish at titles, but find it difficult to start writing without one. Is that just me? For the writers out there - how do you choose your titles? And for the readers - how important is a title to you?
Anyway, I digress. On to the Scottish crime fiction news.
Several prominent Scottish authors - including Ian Rankin and Karen Campbell - talk about books they are looking forward to reading this summer. Ian Rankin sends Allan Guthrie's kindle sales sky high with his praise. Excellent stuff.
Another list of books for the summer, including Morag Joss' AMONG THE MISSING. And the Herald chooses Karen Campbell's PROOF OF LIFE as one of theirs.
An excellent review of Doug Johnstone's THE OSSIANS over at Dear Scotland.
The Vancouver Sun calls Alexander McCall Smith "an old-fashioned writer plugged into today's world."
More on the mysterious Ian Rankin sculptures. And Ian Rankin and Alexander McCall Smith are amongst authors backing Oxfam's Bookfest.
An interview with Kate Atkinson.
Thanks to Bill Crider for this website, which has some absolute crackers.
And, finally, it really took them over 8 hours? Not just Scotland's only theme park, but Scotland's slowest theme park. What on earth were they doing all that time?
Wednesday, 15 June 2011
Wednesday Allsorts
Chris Ewan guest blogs over at Martin Edwards' place. And here, Martin talks about Paul Johnston. Lovely man that Martin Edwards (as well as being supremely knowledgeable about crime fiction).
Fifty Edinburgh Book Festival short stories. (Most of them are from last year's festival). Stories by Scottish crime fiction authors are from Gillian Philip, Karen Campbell, Denise Mina, Doug Johnstone, Louise Welsh,
A review of Craig Robertson's SNAPSHOT at Eurocrime.
If you're near Middlesbrough tomorrow, why not spend An Evening With Val McDermid? Or, if you're in Aberdeen on Sunday, you can see Stuart MacBride tossing a caber. Or talking about books. I'm not quite sure which. A bit further in advance, how about Christopher Brookmyre in North Berwick on August 9th?
The Telegraph offers audio chapters of Alexander McCall Smith's A CONSPIRACY OF FRIENDS read by Andrew Sachs.
BookDagger has an interview with Quintin Jardine.
Fifty Edinburgh Book Festival short stories. (Most of them are from last year's festival). Stories by Scottish crime fiction authors are from Gillian Philip, Karen Campbell, Denise Mina, Doug Johnstone, Louise Welsh,
A review of Craig Robertson's SNAPSHOT at Eurocrime.
If you're near Middlesbrough tomorrow, why not spend An Evening With Val McDermid? Or, if you're in Aberdeen on Sunday, you can see Stuart MacBride tossing a caber. Or talking about books. I'm not quite sure which. A bit further in advance, how about Christopher Brookmyre in North Berwick on August 9th?
The Telegraph offers audio chapters of Alexander McCall Smith's A CONSPIRACY OF FRIENDS read by Andrew Sachs.
BookDagger has an interview with Quintin Jardine.
Monday, 6 June 2011
Happy Monday
Tony Black interviews Doug Johnstone over at Pulp Pusher. And one at The Scotsman with Iain Banks.
Tara Moss recommends WIRE IN THE BLOOD by Val McDermid. And here Val talks about A PLACE OF EXECUTION on the BBC's World Book Club.
Listen to Craig Russell's LENNOX on Radio 4. For some reason, I can only find episode 3.
More on the Ayot Festival, where Alexander McCall Smith will be appearing.
A reviewlet of Kate Atkinson's STARTED EARLY, TOOK MY DOG. And Atkinson's CASE HISTORIES had its first airing on TV last night. I haven't watched it yet - did anyone see it?
Quintin Jardine talks about sitting by his pool reading his Kindle. Envious, moi?
The Washington Times reviews Philip Kerr's FIELD GRAY.
£8000 to spare. How about buying one of Robert Louis Stevenson's letters?
And if you live in Paisley watch out that you don't fall down drain holes. I don't know, you can't leave anything lying around. I once had my washing nicked off the line - apparently, it's called 'getting snowdropped'. It wasn't even fancy underwear - it was tea towels and an old duvet cover.
Tara Moss recommends WIRE IN THE BLOOD by Val McDermid. And here Val talks about A PLACE OF EXECUTION on the BBC's World Book Club.
Listen to Craig Russell's LENNOX on Radio 4. For some reason, I can only find episode 3.
More on the Ayot Festival, where Alexander McCall Smith will be appearing.
A reviewlet of Kate Atkinson's STARTED EARLY, TOOK MY DOG. And Atkinson's CASE HISTORIES had its first airing on TV last night. I haven't watched it yet - did anyone see it?
Quintin Jardine talks about sitting by his pool reading his Kindle. Envious, moi?
The Washington Times reviews Philip Kerr's FIELD GRAY.
£8000 to spare. How about buying one of Robert Louis Stevenson's letters?
And if you live in Paisley watch out that you don't fall down drain holes. I don't know, you can't leave anything lying around. I once had my washing nicked off the line - apparently, it's called 'getting snowdropped'. It wasn't even fancy underwear - it was tea towels and an old duvet cover.
Wednesday, 1 June 2011
Back to Normal post CrimeFest
Dear Reader - it's taken me a while to get back to normal after the wonderful CrimeFest weekend, and things have been really hectic here in Badsville. Apologies.
A couple of excellent interviews with Christopher Brookmyre.
And one with Doug Johnstone who has a number of events coming up. And check out the multi-talented Mr Johnstone's music here.
Hear M C Beaton's Agatha Raisin on the radio (only available for the next couple of days).
A review of Denise Mina's THE END OF THE WASP SEASON. And James McAvoy is Mina's first choice for the role of the Tommy Sheridan-like character in her forthcoming novel, GODS AND BEASTS.
Val McDermid at the Lambda Literary Awards.
Alexander McCall Smith on Gabarone, Botswana.
A review of Catriona McPherson's DANDY GILVER AND THE PROPER TREATMENT OF BLOODSTAINS.
Here's a treat - a new Barney Thompson short story from the lovely Douglas Lindsay.
A couple of excellent interviews with Christopher Brookmyre.
And one with Doug Johnstone who has a number of events coming up. And check out the multi-talented Mr Johnstone's music here.
Hear M C Beaton's Agatha Raisin on the radio (only available for the next couple of days).
A review of Denise Mina's THE END OF THE WASP SEASON. And James McAvoy is Mina's first choice for the role of the Tommy Sheridan-like character in her forthcoming novel, GODS AND BEASTS.
Val McDermid at the Lambda Literary Awards.
Alexander McCall Smith on Gabarone, Botswana.
A review of Catriona McPherson's DANDY GILVER AND THE PROPER TREATMENT OF BLOODSTAINS.
Here's a treat - a new Barney Thompson short story from the lovely Douglas Lindsay.
Monday, 2 May 2011
A Comma Would Definitely Help
Ian Rankin votes Green and receives underwear from Pythons.
Lots about the TV version of Denise Mina's FIELD OF BLOOD, including a couple of video interviews with Mina. Also a piece on her new book THE END OF THE WASP SEASON.
A review of Stuart MacBride's DYING LIGHT.
Chris Ewan launches THE GOOD THIEF'S GUIDE TO VENICE.
A fact meets fiction crime story set in Glasgow, Manchester and London.
Doug Johnstone - crime writer, musician, man of many talents - has a new EP out.
And, finally, I love this - facebook responses to spelling mistakes.
Lots about the TV version of Denise Mina's FIELD OF BLOOD, including a couple of video interviews with Mina. Also a piece on her new book THE END OF THE WASP SEASON.
A review of Stuart MacBride's DYING LIGHT.
Chris Ewan launches THE GOOD THIEF'S GUIDE TO VENICE.
A fact meets fiction crime story set in Glasgow, Manchester and London.
Doug Johnstone - crime writer, musician, man of many talents - has a new EP out.
And, finally, I love this - facebook responses to spelling mistakes.
Wednesday, 27 April 2011
Small But Perfectly Formed Wednesday
Several reviews today. First of all, Mouth London reviews Kate Atkinson's STARTED EARLY, TOOK MY DOG. Next, a great review for Ray Banks' CALIFORNIA, the Washington Post on Philip Kerr's FIELD GRAY and ReviewingTheEvidence on Charles Cumming's THE TRINITY SIX.
Ian Rankin is addicted to Twitter.
Denise Mina and Doug Johnstone (amongst others) at the Ullapool Book Festival from 6th-8th May. And, if you're in Dundee tomorrow you can catch Doug Johnstone in a saloon. Wait, it's a literary salon. Possibly followed by a saloon.
Glenn Chandler talks about Taggart and musicals.
Christopher Brookmyre's speech as President of the Humanist Society Scotland. He makes some excellent points about royal weddings and orange walks.
Ian Rankin is addicted to Twitter.
Denise Mina and Doug Johnstone (amongst others) at the Ullapool Book Festival from 6th-8th May. And, if you're in Dundee tomorrow you can catch Doug Johnstone in a saloon. Wait, it's a literary salon. Possibly followed by a saloon.
Glenn Chandler talks about Taggart and musicals.
Christopher Brookmyre's speech as President of the Humanist Society Scotland. He makes some excellent points about royal weddings and orange walks.
Wednesday, 20 April 2011
Blue-eyed boys and girls
Thanks to the marvel that is Allan Guthrie, I have discovered a new author - a new Scottish author, no less. Well, he was born in Glasgow, so that counts. Anyway, I've added Barry Graham to the list, and I've also read the prologue and first chapter of his novel HOW DO YOU LIKE YOUR BLUE-EYED BOY? Oh my god. Wonderful stuff so far. And you can download it for the paltry price of 99p or 99c. Oh, and here, he's giving away copies of the aforementioned Allan Guthrie's BYE BYE BABY.
Denise Mina will be appearing in Dundee on Thursday 19th May. And Doug Johnstone is...well, Doug is putting himself about all over the place, the hussy.
Talking of Doug Johnstone, he's interviewed by Allan Guthrie here, and by Alistair Braidwood here. Excellent interviews, both.
An interview with John Dodds. And one with Manda Scott.
The Washington Independent Review of Books reviews Kate Atkinson's STARTED EARLY, TOOK MY DOG. And Onyx Reviews on Alexander McCall Smith's SATURDAY BIG TENT WEDDING PARTY.
Ian Rankin joins the fight to save Anstruther Wester Town Halls.
Denise Mina will be appearing in Dundee on Thursday 19th May. And Doug Johnstone is...well, Doug is putting himself about all over the place, the hussy.
Talking of Doug Johnstone, he's interviewed by Allan Guthrie here, and by Alistair Braidwood here. Excellent interviews, both.
An interview with John Dodds. And one with Manda Scott.
The Washington Independent Review of Books reviews Kate Atkinson's STARTED EARLY, TOOK MY DOG. And Onyx Reviews on Alexander McCall Smith's SATURDAY BIG TENT WEDDING PARTY.
Ian Rankin joins the fight to save Anstruther Wester Town Halls.
Monday, 28 March 2011
Cheerless, chippy, sozzled and tight-fisted? Us?
I hope you had a lovely weekend, Dear Reader. It's my last week of work this week - thanks again to all of you for your good wishes - I got on the Masters in Community Learning and Development course I wanted so, come September, I will be a student (pushing up the average age of the student population of Glasgow University quite considerably). I'm really looking forward to it, and to my placement at the wonderful Glasgow Women's Library, where I'm looking forward to becoming involved in all sorts of literacy and community projects. Before that, a few months to do some writing. I feel like the luckiest person in the world!
And now, on to the Scottish crime fiction round-up.
The Scotsman reviews Gordon Ferris' THE HANGING SHED, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Kate Atkinson's STARTED EARLY, TOOK MY DOG and Nigel over at Sea Minor enjoyed Doug Johnstone's SMOKEHEADS.
Talking of Doug Johnstone, he's talking about books over at Untitled Books.
Kate Atkinson appears on 3rd April at Book Passage in Corte Madera. And Helen Fitzgerald is appearing at the Ramshorn Theatre in Glasgow this Wednesday (interviewed by the aforementioned Doug Johnstone, I do believe). Wine and twisted filth is promised. Excellent.
Russel McLean with a really interesting post on becoming a writer over at Musings of An All Purpose Monkey and Elizabeth - the blog's host - loves THE LOST SISTER.
Ian Rankin on structuring a crime novel.
And, finally, the depiction of Scottish people on the big screen. "Unkempt attire, wild-eyed aspect and eccentric haircut"? I do believe that's how my mother usually greets me when I go down for a visit.
And now, on to the Scottish crime fiction round-up.
The Scotsman reviews Gordon Ferris' THE HANGING SHED, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Kate Atkinson's STARTED EARLY, TOOK MY DOG and Nigel over at Sea Minor enjoyed Doug Johnstone's SMOKEHEADS.
Talking of Doug Johnstone, he's talking about books over at Untitled Books.
Kate Atkinson appears on 3rd April at Book Passage in Corte Madera. And Helen Fitzgerald is appearing at the Ramshorn Theatre in Glasgow this Wednesday (interviewed by the aforementioned Doug Johnstone, I do believe). Wine and twisted filth is promised. Excellent.
Russel McLean with a really interesting post on becoming a writer over at Musings of An All Purpose Monkey and Elizabeth - the blog's host - loves THE LOST SISTER.
Ian Rankin on structuring a crime novel.
And, finally, the depiction of Scottish people on the big screen. "Unkempt attire, wild-eyed aspect and eccentric haircut"? I do believe that's how my mother usually greets me when I go down for a visit.
Tuesday, 8 March 2011
Fancy a quickie?
Because that's all you're going to get today. I am very behind (does my bum look big in this blog?)
I was at the CWA lunch in Glasgow last week - lovely lunch, even lovelier people. There was a wee bit of chat about the Scottish crime fiction convention Bloody Scots, which is all sounding very exciting. It will be held in mid-September 2012 in Stirling and some top Scottish names have already signed up. More in due course. I'm really looking forward to seeing how it develops.
And now a wee bit of Scottish crime fiction news.
Doug Johnstone's SMOKEHEADS is now out and there's a great article on him in The Skinny. And, in a conversation on Twitter with Russel McLean, Doug mentions that he was asked about swearing in his books. The comment was - can you believe this - "I think your book is disgusting." Actually, if I hadn't already bought the book, that comment would make me rush out and buy it. Incidentally, Russel's response was that someone once spoke to him about his book, without realising he was the author, saying "I couldn't have such filth in my house. So I burned it." Reporting a Twitter conversation makes me feel like some creepy eavesdropper, standing behind a wall, while all the cool kids chat. But there you go.
Talking of Twitter, Ian Rankin gives his views on the subject.
Val McDermid talks about Irish crime fiction.
And Ian Rankin again - this time he's asked 7 questions by Book Page, Crime Watch interviews Liam McIlvanney, and Quercus interviews Peter May.
Alexander Mc Call Smith's THE MEMORY OF LOST THINGS is reviewed in The Herald.
I was at the CWA lunch in Glasgow last week - lovely lunch, even lovelier people. There was a wee bit of chat about the Scottish crime fiction convention Bloody Scots, which is all sounding very exciting. It will be held in mid-September 2012 in Stirling and some top Scottish names have already signed up. More in due course. I'm really looking forward to seeing how it develops.
And now a wee bit of Scottish crime fiction news.
Doug Johnstone's SMOKEHEADS is now out and there's a great article on him in The Skinny. And, in a conversation on Twitter with Russel McLean, Doug mentions that he was asked about swearing in his books. The comment was - can you believe this - "I think your book is disgusting." Actually, if I hadn't already bought the book, that comment would make me rush out and buy it. Incidentally, Russel's response was that someone once spoke to him about his book, without realising he was the author, saying "I couldn't have such filth in my house. So I burned it." Reporting a Twitter conversation makes me feel like some creepy eavesdropper, standing behind a wall, while all the cool kids chat. But there you go.
Talking of Twitter, Ian Rankin gives his views on the subject.
Val McDermid talks about Irish crime fiction.
And Ian Rankin again - this time he's asked 7 questions by Book Page, Crime Watch interviews Liam McIlvanney, and Quercus interviews Peter May.
Alexander Mc Call Smith's THE MEMORY OF LOST THINGS is reviewed in The Herald.
Wednesday, 2 March 2011
Alternative World Book Night
First of all, over at Confessions of A Mystery Novelist, Margot Kinberg is holding a book raffle in aid of the Christchurch earthquake relief.
Next, a reminder of Alternative World Book Night on Saturday. Just in case you can't be bothered to click, it's all about a book that you love and that you wish was better known. The idea is simple. If you're a blogger, post on Saturday (or Sunday, or Monday...) about a book you love to recommend to people and which you wish everyone knew about because it's so good. Tell us what it's about, and why you love it. Then give a copy of it away on your blog, in any way that you like. Let me know when you've posted and I'll link to them all here. If you're not a blogger, then I'm happy to host your book rave here at Badsville. Send it to me any time - just a paragraph about the book, and also let me know how you want to give it away. I'll then post yours when I post mine on Saturday (or Sunday, or Monday if you like - I'm not good with rules :o)). It's all about loving crime fiction and wanting to share our favourites.
And now, the crime fiction news.
The intrepid Douglas Lindsay changes a light bulb.
Win a copy of M C Beaton's DEATH OF A CHIMNEY SWEEP over at Mystery Scene Magazine.
The Badly-Behaved Guest - a short story by Alexander McCall Smith.
Several reviews of Scottish authors over at the wonderful Crimesquad HQ - Alex Gray's SLEEP LIKE THE DEAD, Doug Johnstone's SMOKEHEADS (which is next on my TBR list too), and Chris Ewan's THE GOOD THIEF'S GUIDE TO LAS VEGAS. Mysterious Reviews on Louise Welsh's NAMING THE BONES. And a review of Craig Robertson's RANDOM.
An excellent post from Nigel Bird over at Sea Minor, including a lovely wee charity book from a class of six-year olds.
Ian Rankin on writing comic books.
David Ashton's McLEVY on the radio.
Val McDermid will be appearing at the Brisbane Writers Festival. I feel that there should be an apostrophe in there...
Blogger Alyssa looks at how Kate Atkinson writes characters. And the FT reviews STARTED EARLY, TOOK MY DOG.
And now, I'm off for a lie down to try and recover from a yoga class in which we did the Cobra, the Cat, the Downward Dog, the Cow Face, the Warrior and the Eagle. Although, if you happened to be looking at me through the door you would think we did the Baby Hippo, the Baby Hippo, the Baby Hippo, the Baby Hippo With A Face Like A Cow, the Baby Hippo and the How The Hell Did The Baby Hippo Tie Herself In That Knot?
Tata for now, dear Reader.
Next, a reminder of Alternative World Book Night on Saturday. Just in case you can't be bothered to click, it's all about a book that you love and that you wish was better known. The idea is simple. If you're a blogger, post on Saturday (or Sunday, or Monday...) about a book you love to recommend to people and which you wish everyone knew about because it's so good. Tell us what it's about, and why you love it. Then give a copy of it away on your blog, in any way that you like. Let me know when you've posted and I'll link to them all here. If you're not a blogger, then I'm happy to host your book rave here at Badsville. Send it to me any time - just a paragraph about the book, and also let me know how you want to give it away. I'll then post yours when I post mine on Saturday (or Sunday, or Monday if you like - I'm not good with rules :o)). It's all about loving crime fiction and wanting to share our favourites.
And now, the crime fiction news.
The intrepid Douglas Lindsay changes a light bulb.
Win a copy of M C Beaton's DEATH OF A CHIMNEY SWEEP over at Mystery Scene Magazine.
The Badly-Behaved Guest - a short story by Alexander McCall Smith.
Several reviews of Scottish authors over at the wonderful Crimesquad HQ - Alex Gray's SLEEP LIKE THE DEAD, Doug Johnstone's SMOKEHEADS (which is next on my TBR list too), and Chris Ewan's THE GOOD THIEF'S GUIDE TO LAS VEGAS. Mysterious Reviews on Louise Welsh's NAMING THE BONES. And a review of Craig Robertson's RANDOM.
An excellent post from Nigel Bird over at Sea Minor, including a lovely wee charity book from a class of six-year olds.
Ian Rankin on writing comic books.
David Ashton's McLEVY on the radio.
Val McDermid will be appearing at the Brisbane Writers Festival. I feel that there should be an apostrophe in there...
Blogger Alyssa looks at how Kate Atkinson writes characters. And the FT reviews STARTED EARLY, TOOK MY DOG.
And now, I'm off for a lie down to try and recover from a yoga class in which we did the Cobra, the Cat, the Downward Dog, the Cow Face, the Warrior and the Eagle. Although, if you happened to be looking at me through the door you would think we did the Baby Hippo, the Baby Hippo, the Baby Hippo, the Baby Hippo With A Face Like A Cow, the Baby Hippo and the How The Hell Did The Baby Hippo Tie Herself In That Knot?
Tata for now, dear Reader.
Thursday, 24 February 2011
Berlin Calling
I've been investigating things to see and places to visit for our forthcoming trip to Berlin - so far my list includes an abandoned amusement park, some mechanical monsters, a cinema in a squat, and a sex museum. Plus I'm wondering how Ewan feels about a tank driving experience. For me, not him, of course.
I've always said that Ian Rankin is one of the most generous people in crime fiction and this just proves it.
A few interviews. First of all ten minutes with Irvine Welsh, a video interview with William McIlvanney, an excellent interview with Tony Black over at Crimeculture, and Craig Robertson talks about RANDOM.
And, talking of Tony Black, he and the equally lovely Russel McLean will be at Cowdenbeath Library on March 17th.
Here's Doug Johnstone in the Scottish Review of Books. And he's having a launch party for SMOKEHEADS (which I've just received - woohoo!) on Thursday 3rd March in Edinburgh. And here's the unofficial trailer. And he's all over the place, the floozy. I'm hoping to make the Aye Write event on the 8th.
Milo of Milo's Rambles reviews Charles Cumming's THE TRINITY SIX.
Alexander McCall Smith's opera - The Okavango Macbeth - has its first UK airing in Edinburgh on 20th and 21st April.
Have a lovely weekend, dear Reader. More on Sunday.
I've always said that Ian Rankin is one of the most generous people in crime fiction and this just proves it.
A few interviews. First of all ten minutes with Irvine Welsh, a video interview with William McIlvanney, an excellent interview with Tony Black over at Crimeculture, and Craig Robertson talks about RANDOM.
And, talking of Tony Black, he and the equally lovely Russel McLean will be at Cowdenbeath Library on March 17th.
Here's Doug Johnstone in the Scottish Review of Books. And he's having a launch party for SMOKEHEADS (which I've just received - woohoo!) on Thursday 3rd March in Edinburgh. And here's the unofficial trailer. And he's all over the place, the floozy. I'm hoping to make the Aye Write event on the 8th.
Milo of Milo's Rambles reviews Charles Cumming's THE TRINITY SIX.
Alexander McCall Smith's opera - The Okavango Macbeth - has its first UK airing in Edinburgh on 20th and 21st April.
Have a lovely weekend, dear Reader. More on Sunday.
Sunday, 20 February 2011
Cinematic Sunday Round-Up
This weekend's film viewing was a real mixture. First of all, we saw a fast paced thriller called LONDON TO BRIGHTON which was excellent, if sometimes very uncomfortable viewing. A low key British thriller which has a prostitute and a young female runaway fleeing London for the safety of Brighton. The first scene has the young girl - her face tear-stained and make-up streaked - hiding out in a grubby public toilet, while the prostitute - one eye blackened a swollen - goes out onto the street to get some money for their train journey. Right from the start I knew this wasn't going to be easy viewing. And it wasn't. It was brutal, hard-hitting and pretty bloody grim, but not unrelentingly so. Good job we watched it at home, since I cried. The acting was excellent - particularly from the actress playing the runaway (Georgia Groome). If you do see the film, watch the outtakes - it lightens the mood and makes you remember it's just a film.
On Saturday it was off to the Glasgow Film Festival to see two films. The first of these was ATTENBERG - a Greek film from the same director as the weird and wonderful DOGTOOTH. It's about a naive young woman - Marina - who tries to make sense of the world around her by watching the animal documentaries of David Attenborough and listening to the band Suicide. She has one friend - Bella - who she practises kissing with, as well as spitting out of windows and doing weird walks. The only other characters are Marina's father, who's dying of cancer, and a man visiting the town who Marina drives around. I quite liked bits of it but there were a lot of scenes that seemed pointless and only there for padding. There was no real plot, and not enough other stuff to replace a plot, if that makes sense. It doesn't have enough soul. OK, but not as good as Dogtooth.
The second film was an altogether much more satisfying experience - a Danish film called NOTHING'S ALL BAD. Like Attenberg, it focuses on four main characters - each of them has their own problems, all of them have experienced pain and their wounds are raw - be they physical, psychological or emotional, all of them are lonely and isolated, and all of them have needs and desires. Their stories really draw you in, and none of them are as you expect. Funny, touching, sad, compelling, witty, understated. It's sometimes shocking, sometimes grim, sometimes hilarious - I really loved this film. Dad - it's not one for Mum. There's a fair bit of sex in it. In fact, you'd better not watch it either.
Onto the crime fiction news. Loads of reviews today. First of all, Publisher's Weekly review Gerald Hammond's ILLEGAL TENDER, oneregard enjoyed Kate Atkinson's STARTED EARLY, TOOK MY DOG and The Guardian liked Charles Cumming's THE TRINITY SIX, relishing the 'tweedy warmth of an old school spy thriller'
Peter May is getting lots of ink - both print and virtual. Lovereading reviews THE BLACKHOUSE, as does The Scotsman, while the LitWitch reviews BLOWBACK.
The Scotsman has an article on Gordon Ferris' THE HANGING SHED - apparently a Kindle hit. I downloaded it to my lovely new Kindle last week and am looking forward to reading it.
Join The Pelican Post for An Afternoon With Alexander McCall Smith on March 3rd. And Itchy Coo, publishers of Alexander McCall Smith's Scots language books, are to close.
Talking of events, I was gutted to discover that both Women On The Dark Side events at Aye Write, with Karen Campbell, Denise Mina, Caro Ramsay, Louise Welsh, Alice Thompson and Alex Gray are sold out. However, on the plus side, my friend Twenty-Seven and I have tickets for this event with Allan Guthrie, Denise Mina and Louise Welsh, and I'm hoping to go to this one with Doug Johnstone.
On Saturday it was off to the Glasgow Film Festival to see two films. The first of these was ATTENBERG - a Greek film from the same director as the weird and wonderful DOGTOOTH. It's about a naive young woman - Marina - who tries to make sense of the world around her by watching the animal documentaries of David Attenborough and listening to the band Suicide. She has one friend - Bella - who she practises kissing with, as well as spitting out of windows and doing weird walks. The only other characters are Marina's father, who's dying of cancer, and a man visiting the town who Marina drives around. I quite liked bits of it but there were a lot of scenes that seemed pointless and only there for padding. There was no real plot, and not enough other stuff to replace a plot, if that makes sense. It doesn't have enough soul. OK, but not as good as Dogtooth.
The second film was an altogether much more satisfying experience - a Danish film called NOTHING'S ALL BAD. Like Attenberg, it focuses on four main characters - each of them has their own problems, all of them have experienced pain and their wounds are raw - be they physical, psychological or emotional, all of them are lonely and isolated, and all of them have needs and desires. Their stories really draw you in, and none of them are as you expect. Funny, touching, sad, compelling, witty, understated. It's sometimes shocking, sometimes grim, sometimes hilarious - I really loved this film. Dad - it's not one for Mum. There's a fair bit of sex in it. In fact, you'd better not watch it either.
Onto the crime fiction news. Loads of reviews today. First of all, Publisher's Weekly review Gerald Hammond's ILLEGAL TENDER, oneregard enjoyed Kate Atkinson's STARTED EARLY, TOOK MY DOG and The Guardian liked Charles Cumming's THE TRINITY SIX, relishing the 'tweedy warmth of an old school spy thriller'
Peter May is getting lots of ink - both print and virtual. Lovereading reviews THE BLACKHOUSE, as does The Scotsman, while the LitWitch reviews BLOWBACK.
The Scotsman has an article on Gordon Ferris' THE HANGING SHED - apparently a Kindle hit. I downloaded it to my lovely new Kindle last week and am looking forward to reading it.
Join The Pelican Post for An Afternoon With Alexander McCall Smith on March 3rd. And Itchy Coo, publishers of Alexander McCall Smith's Scots language books, are to close.
Talking of events, I was gutted to discover that both Women On The Dark Side events at Aye Write, with Karen Campbell, Denise Mina, Caro Ramsay, Louise Welsh, Alice Thompson and Alex Gray are sold out. However, on the plus side, my friend Twenty-Seven and I have tickets for this event with Allan Guthrie, Denise Mina and Louise Welsh, and I'm hoping to go to this one with Doug Johnstone.
Monday, 31 January 2011
Sunday Summary and Monday Winner
First of all, thank you for the good wishes! Back from a weekend in Bristol where we finalised the programme for Crimefest without too much stress (mine) and pain (Adrian's). Lots of great authors going and I'm really looking forward to it.
An excellent article in the music magazine Hot Press in which Doug Johnstone talks whisky and crime fiction. And here is his list of forthcoming events. I can't wait to get my hands on SMOKEHEADS.
Read 'Em, Don't Weep reviews Alexander McCall Smith's THE CHARMING QUIRKS OF OTHERS, PhiloBiblos with a few words for Charles Cummings' THE TRINITY SIX - which gets a few more words in The Scotsman, and Paul Brazill with a small but perfectly formed review of the small but perfectly formed KILLING MUM by Allan Guthrie.
Alexander McCall Smith talks to the Mail Online.
Over at Travelling Booky, a run down of M C Beaton's Hamish MacBeth mysteries.
The Museum of The Macabre talks about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the History of Spiritualism.
Philip Kerr will be appearing in Toronto on April 20th.
And, finally, after putting all the names in my favourite pair of Docs, the winner of Tony Black's TRUTH LIES BLEEDING is Janet. Janet - if you send me your address I'll forward it to the lovely people at Random House.
An excellent article in the music magazine Hot Press in which Doug Johnstone talks whisky and crime fiction. And here is his list of forthcoming events. I can't wait to get my hands on SMOKEHEADS.
Read 'Em, Don't Weep reviews Alexander McCall Smith's THE CHARMING QUIRKS OF OTHERS, PhiloBiblos with a few words for Charles Cummings' THE TRINITY SIX - which gets a few more words in The Scotsman, and Paul Brazill with a small but perfectly formed review of the small but perfectly formed KILLING MUM by Allan Guthrie.
Alexander McCall Smith talks to the Mail Online.
Over at Travelling Booky, a run down of M C Beaton's Hamish MacBeth mysteries.
The Museum of The Macabre talks about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the History of Spiritualism.
Philip Kerr will be appearing in Toronto on April 20th.
And, finally, after putting all the names in my favourite pair of Docs, the winner of Tony Black's TRUTH LIES BLEEDING is Janet. Janet - if you send me your address I'll forward it to the lovely people at Random House.
Sunday, 23 January 2011
Aye, Right, it's Aye Write
First of all, this weekend's film viewing. First was a French film called Harry, un ami qui vous veut du bien. The English title - although sticking reasonably close to the French - was the rather rubbish - Harry, He's Here To Help. Don't let the title put you off. It's a lovely little witty psychological thriller. A French family, on the way to the holiday home which they are doing up, meet up with an old school-friend of the husband, Michel. Michel has only the vaguest memories of Harry, but Harry seems to be rather more...obsessed... with Michel. Hitchcockian suspense, black comedy, and nicely low-key. Our next film was The Disappearance of Alice Creed - a claustrophobic British thriller with a cast of three and which mostly takes place in one room - a room where two men take a young woman and hold her hostage, in order to extract a large ransom from her rich father. A good (but not great) thriller - gritty and twisty but lacking in something. I didn't care enough about any of the characters. Well worth a watch, though.
The Aye Write programme is up. From a quick look through, the crime related events are (I've put a * by the ones I'm planning on attending, if anyone fancies meeting up):
Friday March 4th
Jasper Fforde - 18.00 - 19.00
Saturday March 5th
Alexander McCall Smith - 10.30-11.30
Denise Mina, Karen Campbell, Caro Ramsay - 14.00-15.00 *
Alex Gray, Louise Welsh, Alice Thompson - 15.30-16.30 *
Mark Billingham and Jo Nesbo - 19.00-20.00
Sunday March 6th
Val McDermid - 17.00-18.00 *
Monday March 7th
Allan Guthrie, Denise Mina, Louise Welsh - 19.30-20.30 *
Tuesday March 8th
Kevin MacNeil - 18.00-19.00 (not sure if it's crime fiction but one description calls it a 'dark, maniacal thriller'. It looks excellent. *
Doug Johnstone - 19.30-20.30 *
Friday March 11th
Christopher Brookmyre - 21.00-23.00
Saturday March 12th
Iain M Banks and Ken MacLeod 14.00-15.00 (although this one is more SF)
Neil Forsyth - 15.30-16.30 (more his comedy than crime fiction)
I think that's it, but if I've missed anything, please let me know.
And another event, on 4th February Louise Welsh at the GFT talking about Robert Louis Stevenson and the Theatre of The Brain.
And now, a few reviews. First of all, a very thoughtful and interesting review of Stuart MacBride's SHATTER THE BONES, The Star Online reviews Ian Rankin's THE COMPLAINTS, and the lovely Dorte enjoys John Buchan's THE THIRTY-NINE STEPS.
Ian Rankin, amongst others, talks about turning fifty.
And, finally, David Thomas in The Mail on The Pitbull of The Baskervilles.
The Aye Write programme is up. From a quick look through, the crime related events are (I've put a * by the ones I'm planning on attending, if anyone fancies meeting up):
Friday March 4th
Jasper Fforde - 18.00 - 19.00
Saturday March 5th
Alexander McCall Smith - 10.30-11.30
Denise Mina, Karen Campbell, Caro Ramsay - 14.00-15.00 *
Alex Gray, Louise Welsh, Alice Thompson - 15.30-16.30 *
Mark Billingham and Jo Nesbo - 19.00-20.00
Sunday March 6th
Val McDermid - 17.00-18.00 *
Monday March 7th
Allan Guthrie, Denise Mina, Louise Welsh - 19.30-20.30 *
Tuesday March 8th
Kevin MacNeil - 18.00-19.00 (not sure if it's crime fiction but one description calls it a 'dark, maniacal thriller'. It looks excellent. *
Doug Johnstone - 19.30-20.30 *
Friday March 11th
Christopher Brookmyre - 21.00-23.00
Saturday March 12th
Iain M Banks and Ken MacLeod 14.00-15.00 (although this one is more SF)
Neil Forsyth - 15.30-16.30 (more his comedy than crime fiction)
I think that's it, but if I've missed anything, please let me know.
And another event, on 4th February Louise Welsh at the GFT talking about Robert Louis Stevenson and the Theatre of The Brain.
And now, a few reviews. First of all, a very thoughtful and interesting review of Stuart MacBride's SHATTER THE BONES, The Star Online reviews Ian Rankin's THE COMPLAINTS, and the lovely Dorte enjoys John Buchan's THE THIRTY-NINE STEPS.
Ian Rankin, amongst others, talks about turning fifty.
And, finally, David Thomas in The Mail on The Pitbull of The Baskervilles.
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