Mystery Bytes: Short News & Info for the Mystery ReaderOne of the biggest stories yesterday reported is that online book retailer Amazon.com removed the buy buttons from all active Macmillan titles on its site in a dispute over the pricing of e-books for the Kindle. Macmillan titles can only be purchased on the site through used book or third-party resellers. Many Indie booksellers have established special Macmillan displays or pages on their websites.
The big news this week for eReaders, and you have to be Outer Mongolia not to have heard about this, is Apple's new iPad. It will be interesting to see how the iPad decides on pricing of eBooks. In the meantime, here's a very funny Mad TV skit on the iPad.
This should not come as a surprise to readers, but the Daily News had a story today "American's [sic] indulge in simplest pleasures, like [sic] buying books, during tough economic times. Clearly the headline writer needs a refresher course in grammar.
"Three-quarters of adults questioned in an online poll said they would sacrifice holidays, dining out, going to the movies and even shopping sprees but they could not resist buying books." Good news, indeed. To find out what else people spent money on, you can read the rest of the article HERE.
AbeBooks.com, one of my favorite sources for out of print books, has a great article by Beth Carswell on The Skinny on Fat in Fiction. This is a wonderful discourse on 'fat' in fiction starting with Nero Wolfe, one of the heaviest detectives in the whole of the crime fiction world. The article raises some good questions. Read this article HERE.
Here's an article straight out of Carl Hiassen. MSNBC reported Friday: Body of Missing Lottery Winner Found: Winning $30 million in the Florida Lottery should have been the best thing that ever happened to Abraham Shakespeare. But with his newfound wealth came a string of bad choices and hangers-on who constantly hit him up for money. Nine months ago, he vanished. Friends and family hoped he was on a beach somewhere in the Caribbean.
On Friday, detectives confirmed that a body buried under a concrete slab in a rural backyard was his.
The difference between Memoir and Fiction is a fine line, even in mystery fiction. Read Taylor Antrim's article on BLOGS & STORIES HERE.Free entry to 2010 Theakstons Old Peculier Crime writing Festival: Harrogate, U.K. July 22-25. Alibi has teamed up with HarperCollins and Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, to find the hottest new crime-writing talent. xx will submit a crime fiction short story (2000-5000 words). Stuart MacBride has provided the first line of the story," In my experience, those who beg for mercy seldom deserve it." Read the particulars HERE.
Kelli Stanley, author of Nox Domienda: A Long Night for Sleeping and City of Dragons is interviewed by Heather Moore about moving from Small Press to Major Publisher. Read the interview HERE. Kelli will launch City of Dragons Tuesday night at M is for Mystery in San Mateo (CA). Chinese Food & Scotch.
And,on my Chocolate Blog: DyingforChocolate.com today mystery author Mary Kennedy, author of Dead Air, guest blogs her Killer Kahlua Brownie recipe. Lots of mystery/chocolate crossovers.
The news about people not being able to resist buying books in tough economic times makes me smile. And it rings true for me, certainly. Ten dollar splurge for a lunch or ten dollars for a book? The book would win every time!
ReplyDeleteMe, too, and it lasts longer and can be shared. Of course, if chocolate's involved, it can be tempting.
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