The International Book Publishers Association announced the finalists for the annual Ben Franklin Award, celebrating excellence in book editorial and design. The Mystery & Thriller category shortlist includes Bleed Through: Alex Greco, ADA Series Book 2 by Roger Canaff (Brooklyn Writers Press); The Last Getaway by Clay Savage (Ocean Park Press); and A Veil Removed: A Henrietta and Inspector Howard Novel by Michelle Cox (She Writes Press).
The South Carolina State Museum has been hosting the International Exhibition of Sherlock Holmes, which takes visitors through an elaborate display of Victorian Era artifacts. It's also interactive, allowing visitors to play detective in analyzing clues and solving crimes. The museum has temporarily shut down through April 5 due to the coronavirus, but if they are able to reopen at that time, the exhibit is expected to continue through April 19.
If you order print books from Amazon, don't be surprised if they are a little delayed. Amazon announced it was deprioritizing book sales amid the coronavirus crisis as it works to meet the surge in demand for "household staples, medical supplies, and other high demand products." The delays should continue until at least April 5 - and it's another good reason to shop via your local indie bookstore, many of which are now having same-day home delivery and curbside pickup.
Bloomberg Businessweek profiled James Daunt, the new CEO of Barnes & Noble, about his plan to rescue the ailing bookstore chain by to acting like an idie bookseller.
In a surprise announcement, Macmillan has abandoned its controversial embargo on new release e-books in libraries, effective this week. Macmillan CEO John Sargent sent a memo to librarians, authors, illustratos, and agents, saying, "There are times in life when differences should be put aside. Effective on Friday (or whenever thereafter our wholesalers can effect the change), Macmillan will return to the library e-book pricing model that was in effect on October 31st, 2019. In addition, we will be lowering some e-book prices on a short term basis to help expand libraries collections in these difficult times. Stay safe."
Good news, according to a relatively recent report from the NEA that indicates 55.5 percent of U.S. adults (131 8. million) read books outside work or school—either in print or digital formats, inclusive of audiobooks. The bad news from the same report is that the average reading score of 4th and 8th-graders slipped between 2017 and 2019, with the number of "proficient" readers also in decline.
More good news: LibraryThing is now offering free membership. LT is similar to Goodreads with the ability to set up personal bookshelves, participate in giveaways and review books, but it has a few added features, as well, such as leeting you know if local libraries or bookstores have the book you’re looking for.
If you're a fan of Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch series, Crimereads has a listing of "The Essential Crime Novels of Los Angeles."
Writing for Rock Paper Shotgun, Matthew Castle has an introductory look at Japanese crime fiction.
If you want to know "Which Political Thriller Should You Read?," Bookriot has a quiz for you.
How good are your sleuthing skills? Do you savor Agatha Christie novels and figure out who did it before the big reveal? If so, the skills you use to read a good detective novel may also help you discover the origins of cyberthreats, according to Maya Horowitz, director of threat intelligence and research at Check Point Software Technologies.
Beer-loving bookworms can now indulge both pleasures with the launch of the UK’s first-ever literature-labelled beer can. The collaboration between Glasgow-based Drygate Brewing Co and Scottish crime fiction giant Chris Brookmyre is named Killer Twist and features the first chapter of Brookmyre’s new paperback, Fallen Angel, on the beer can. Killer Twist is the latest release from Drygate’s Convergence concept, an ongoing series of unique small-batch releases which combines creativity in all varieties with the brewing process, celebrating music, art, brewing and beyond.
This week's crime poem at the 5-2 is "The Ogre's Wife" by Robert Plath.
In the Q&A roundup, E. B. Davis interviewed Mary Daheim over at the Writers Who Kill blog as they chatted about Bitter Alpine, Mary Daheim’s twenty-eighth Emma Lord mystery; and the Mystery people's Scott Montgomery quizzed author Scott Phillips about his satirical crime novel, That Left Turn at Albuquerque featuring Southern California attorney Douglas Rigby.
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