Good-bye, Columbo

Aside from being a kick-ass writer, Adrian McKinty writes one of the best writer's blogs, covering a wide range of material, always in an informative, entertaining, and opinionated manner. He posted a BBC Radio piece by crime writer Mark Billingham to commemorate the passing of Peter Falk. It's less than ten minutes long, and beautifully done. Thanks to all concerned.

The Countdown Begins

I received word yesterday that Wild Bill is scheduled to be formatted by August 9. Now I know exactly how much time I have to complete the ISBN online data, see exactly what needs to be done to upload it to various sites, and get the word out without being any more obnoxious than I usually am. (The last shouldn’t be too hard, considering how high I’ve set the bar over the years.)

May’s Best Reads

May was busy at work and personally, so the quantity of reading that got done was limited. Still, I have a couple I can recommend wholeheartedly.

Maximum Bob, Elmore Leonard. A prime example of what made him the big deal he is today, taken from the period where he made hi8s reputation for being hip and funny while still keeping it real on the crime and violence front. The best thing about Leonard’s books from this period is, no matter how he portrays a character, or how much humor is dropped into the story, you never know for sure who will make it to the end until you get there. (Re-read.)

The Historical Baseball Abstract, Bill James. The King of Sabremetrics magnum opus. Updating the original while maintaining the writing and research what makes all of James’s work sing. A must for any serious fan of the history of the game, especially if you care about how its periods connect. (Not quite a re-read. I’d almost finished it before, and finally got around to it.