A Few More Reviews

Ok remember when I said I was weary of talking about The Cold Cold Ground and myself. Well I am. But I said that just before half a dozen reviews about the book started appearing everywhere. In the last week we've had the Spinetingler review, The Sydney Morning Herald review, The Melbourne Age review and the verdict from The Irish Times. The blog reviews and reviews on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com have been rolling in as well. For my sins I read ALL the reviews and so far it's been a pretty pleasant experience with this book (it is not always thus, believe me). I do want to thank everyone who has bought CCG and left a rating or a review, it really means a whole lot to me. I think my favourite sentiment from all the reviews came from Nerd of Noir in Spinetingler who said that he'd recommend the book to basement dwelling noir geeks as well to his (presumably surface dwelling) mother. Oh and yeah Dec Burke said in the Irish Times that if a mad scientist had gene spliced David Peace, Eoin McNamee and Brian Moore together and forced this weird baldy Japanese speaking monster to write a novel it might have produced The Cold Cold Ground.  

My Local Bookshop

In a belated response to Farhad Manjoo's misinformed and poorly written attack on bookshops in Slate Magazine I thought I would tell you about my local bookshop: Readings on Acland Street here in St. Kilda. Readings is a great local bookshop with a friendly atmosphere, opinionated staff who know the stock, and a handy location right in the heart of St. Kilda opposite half a dozen cake shops and patisseries. 
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Bookshop worker George Orwell used to live in fear of the little old lady who would appear on a busy Saturday morning asking for the "novel that came out a few years ago with the green cover, about the man, who was doing all those things." At Readings St. Kilda I believe they would find you that book because they love literature and they pride themselves on being well read. Contra Farhad Manjoo bookshops are a sign of high civilization and any town or large city district without one isn't really partaking of the culture at all. Readings is a notch above your average bookshop with a terrific children's section and (I love this) separate sections for Penguin Books, Faber, the New York Review of Books Press, Dalkey Archive Press and other terrific independent or smaller quality labels. 
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Sometimes Australian books can be a little bit pricey so when I do buy a novel I want it to be excellent before I lay down my cash. At Readings they don't mind if you read for a while before purchasing. For the last week or so I've been checking out Chad Harbach's The Art of Fielding and I'm now at page 30 and it's pretty good - so I think I'm going to buy it, unless the Melbourne Age sends me a free copy which I don't think they will because they already reviewed it. 
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Another good thing about Readings is that they don't serve coffee, muffins, biscotti, tea, herbal tea or anything that you can eat or drink. The only reason to enter the shop is to buy a book, or, admittedly one of the vinyl records at the back. I'm not knocking desperate book shop owners who've had to convert their shops into cafes to get the punters in, but its nice in Readings not to hear the annoying hiss of the espresso machine or to find muffin crumbs on the floor. What you might hear however is some eclectic music. Last week I was pleasantly surprised to get the Blade Runner soundtrack album which I've never heard in another bookshop, ever. 
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Ok that's that. If you're in Sydney check out Jon Page's wonderful bookshop (see previous post). If you're in St. Kilda do check out Readings. (I have nothing to gain from this if you do. They have no idea who I am and I don't even know if they stock my books as I avoid the crime section.) And the cake shops across the street are pretty damn good too. Oh and if you're looking for the only place that sells Ruddles County or Marston's Pedigree in Australia try Acland Cellars also just across the street. 

Bringing Sexy Back To Sydney

Yours truly, the second sexiest Irish crime writer, will be reading in Sydney tomorrow Tuesday September 1 at 7pm at the Mosman Art Gallery on Myahgah Rd. phone (02) 9978 4178‎. Contact: Jon Page. I'll be appearing with the far more sensible and crowd pully: Barry Maitland, Kathryn Fox and Robert Wilson. And to be honest I'm not feeling that sexy at the moment (an admission you will never hear from Justin Timberlake). I've just got back from Queensland and the humidity has done amazing things to my hair. I now look like Sideshow Bob on a very off day, but if you want to hear me read Fifty Grand or talk about Cuba or just gape in wonder at a 70's fro, I'll see ya there.