IT'S A CRIME! (OR A MYSTERY...)

Good words but too late…

Way too late.  And after all those smiling faces in pictures.  It makes it look like squeezing out an awkwardly placed belligerent blackhead is easier.  Could News Corp be this millennium’s Ratner?  Is anyone capable of believing that blind eyes missed all this?  And again, British MPs do not look clean at all.  It is time the UK revisited the concept of shame to be able to re-establish some decent ethics.

 

Shocking Breaking News: Daily Mail Oversight on Updating Books Pages

Like many, I may take a swipe at the Daily Mail now and again, but I do like their books pages (Fridays).  Mainly, they select books for mass market popularity and hence the commercial end of the market, with wide appeal.  But they don't paddle in the dregs just as they don't try to starch in some high brow.

This week - could it be Royal Wedding fever? - they appear to have forgotten to update their online book pages.  But it's the era of the Middleton story grand chase with only a few short days to go before the nuptials.  I can just imagine their employees investigating this one in intricate detail.

‘Is she too thin, do you think?’
‘Not yet, by the looks of it.’
‘Speak for yourself. Look at those bones.  She’s really thin.  I’m worried about her. Can we run that?’
‘Can we count her ribs? She might have an extra one.  It could be a story as big as Anne Boleyn's.’

And let's not overlook sister Pippa, bottom right.  How handy to spend an evening out showing off her legs.  Now we can all share in 'Pippa's Perfect Pins'.  Do you reckon someone called Alice is doing the headlines?  Alice's Alluring Alliteration...

 

The Lady and the Revamp (Cutting Edge Documentary, Channel 4): to be taken with a large dose of salt & a dollop of syrup

Last Wednesday evening I was at a party in London and during that party I spent some time talking to someone in publishing about this keenly anticipated documentary.  Love it or hate it, read it or not read it, recent changes at The Lady have caused quite a stir.  A documentary on this would be an insight and enlightenment, yes?  Sadly, not quite.

The Lady is the longest established women’s weekly magazine in the UK, said to be the Queen’s favourite read.  But for proprietor/publisher Ben Budworth and his family, it’s haemorrhaging cash and needs an update to bring it kicking it and screaming into the 21st century.  So, Mr Budworth employs Rachel Johnson as the new editor and the documentary follows her progress – and the magazine’s – from her first day into her first few months.

The TV Book Club - UK

The TV Book Club starts on Sunday 17 Jan on More4 at 19:30, to be repeated on Monday 18 Jan on Channel 4 @ 12:05.  It is, of course, produced by Cactus TV who introduced the Richard & Judy Book Club, and producer Amanda Ross remains the book selector.  Week 1 looks at The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters and week 2 brings a crime novel with Blacklands by Belinda Bauer.

On celebrities, Ross recently said "As broadcasters we were being forced into forking out ridiculous amounts of money. What kind of a person can literally be worth £50,000 for an afternoon of their time? It's wrong – it really is wrong."  But it is celebrities to whom Ross has turned for presenting the show:

• Jo Brand (comedian, actress and writer)
• Nathaniel Parker (actor who participated in the R&J Book Club)
• Gok Wan (has written books on styling)
• Laila Rouass (actress)
• Dave Spikey (comedian).

The Literary World in the New Year's Honours List

In comparison with previous years, the list of those in the publishing industry is shorter for 2010.  Congratulations go to:

• Ronald Gordon (Dick) King -Smith for services to children's literature.
• Ms Lauren Child, author and illustrator for services to literature.
• Ms Anthea Bell for services to literature and literary translation.
• Lemn Sissay, poet and performer for services to literature.
• Ms Helen Fraser, lately MD of Penguin UK for services to the publishing industry.

Crime & thriller special and a tribute to Christie

Dear crime and thriller fan (especially in the UK),

I think I may have written before about changes at weekly magazine The Lady.  Rachel Johnson is about to take over as editor and the magazine is already undergoing a metamorphosis of sorts, aimed at a broader demographic audience and having come over, well, a bit literary of late.  This week is no exception with "Thriller Special" as the lead banner on the front cover.  And what do we have?

(1) An article on south Devon, Agatha Christie and her works, with mention of the forthcoming festival running from 13 to 20 September.

(2) An interview with her grandson Mathew Pritchard.

(3) A note of the next The Lady Literary Lunch on 26 October with Norman Tebbit, Ann Widdecombe and Stanley Johnson (£65 at the Institute of Directors in London).

(4) Paul Blezard's usual literary column, this week reviewing the latest from Ian Rankin, Val McDermid and Mark Billingham, plus a little more on Christie.

UK Christie fans may want to purchase a copy.  Blogging Christie aficionados from further afield than these shores may want to see if a UK-based blogging friend will send them a copy.

Last, but not least, the price has just gone up to £1.80 (from a previous £1.50).  But where would you get such a concentration of crime and thriller articles elsewhere?

Bad MSM reviews of books as opposed to bad book reviews, an example...

It's a short one, but I have to ask: where is the evidence and argument to support the conclusion drawn here at The Independent for Chris Ewan's Paris?

What a dire waste of page space, internet and paper (I presume on the latter).  Chris has my utmost sympathies.  It's really so easy to slag off a book and give no reason in the MSM, isn't it?   And has anyone heard of Emma Hagestadt, the reviewer?  Answers on a postcard please: I really don't think you'll need to pay the postage for a printed dossier.

The 50 greatest crime writers in The Times?

Well, it wasn't as controversial as The Daily Telegraph's previous offering.  You can see the full list here, which for me proved inaccessible via the main page yesterday, but thanks to Kerrie at MYSTERIES in PARADISE, I found the full list.  Comments are far fewer than with the Telegraph, but this list was compiled by specialists, so you'd expect it to easily surpass, when it comes to quality.  (The set of endless links don't help; where best to leave your comment anyway?)

But I wonder how they could have overlooked the superb Michael Connelly?  Did he plant a seed of thought with his most recent offering entitled The Overlook?  Michael is coming back soon with a new novel, so perhaps he'll reach those parts previously, well, overlooked.

However, yesterday this little gem in The Times caught my eye.  For most of the day it appeared as the second highest in the "most read" category.  Dr Thomas Stuttaford and Suzi Godson reply to the predicament of one couple's 6 year old daughter walking in on them "having rough sex".  It's worth reading for the comments at the bottom: only in the UK could an article about sex find a comment tangent that leads to a discussion about English grammar.  Discussion?  Sorry.  Someone thought she knew better and was then shot down in flames by those who did know better.  They say the Brits are repressed.  Here's proof...