Bookish thoughts 9 Aug: biographical lurve; ads, ads galore; Conan Doyleing Chandlers Marlowe & more!

RIASS stuff:

Book Review: Life! Death! Prizes! by Stephen May'Rating:

Book Review: Arkie Sparkle Treasure Hunter ' Code Crimson'Rating:

Excerpt and Giveaway: Big Sky Mountain by Linda Lael Miller'(open to US/Canadian readers

Young Adult Giveaway Hop: Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry'(open to all)

On a personal note, my edits have been approved by my agent, and my book is going out into the big bad and very slow world of publishing this week. Send chocolate (but only 80% cocoa and higher, please, Im snobby like that)!

Other bookish stuff:

Quotes on restaurants from the Uncustomary book review'It was a street of fakery and superfluity and at its nexus was a restaurant that, according to my review, was a celebration of both.

Do you remember the book that got you started as a reader?'I was a complete and utter Blyton glutton as a kid. By the end of Grade 1 I had shelves and shelves of the stuff. Before that, though, I suppose it was'Meg and Mog. And then it was a gazillion dodgy horror and fantasy books. Actually, really, just about anything. I was that MORE BOOKS! kid.

NPRs top 100 YA titles of all time have been announced.'There are some great titles on here, although it does seem to skew towards more recent fiction. Its interesting to note that there are a good many female authors represented.

which is something examined in this article in The Atlantic. Why do female authors dominate YA fiction? it asks. And why in other genresscience fiction, for one, and not to mention literary fictionare they so underrepresented? Why do females in these genres have to fight against being labelled as writing womens fiction rather than merely fiction? Curiously rather than looking explicitly at why women do dominate this genre, the author goes on to look at why the genre has become so popular. I think her argument is supposed to be that YA is a genre that is affected by fewer genre snobbery issues than others, in part due to its extreme popularity, and that therefore the glass ceiling is less of an issue. Its interesting that she doesnt tease out critics comments about YA being simplistic and devoid of nuancethese same things have been levelled at traditionally women-dominated genres such as romance for years, and Id certainly suggest that theres some societal expectation that women, as nurturers and lesser beings unable to deal with scary Proper Literature, are perfectly suited for this genre.

An interview with Leon Edel'The great and important biographies, however, derive from feelings akin to love and are written because the biographer feels a need to explore the given life regardless of publisher interest and possible success.

Pictures of original manuscripts from the 14 most important British authors'Cor! Look at that copperplate!

Microsoft patents contextual ads in ebooks.'Well, yes. I cant believe that this hasnt been done yet. But I think we should go a step further and actually insert ads in to'the text. Why arent authors signing marketing deals where their characters drink whatever theyre paid to drink until the agreement expires and they switch over to the new companys beverage? (Quite seriously, Im actually amazed that this hasnt been done. Not that Id endorse such a thing. I am drinking Nescafe right now, by the way.)

Paulo Coelhos attack on Ulysses insults readers. But only those who have read'Ulysses.

John Banvilles doing a Conan Doyle by reviving a detective. In this case, its Raymond Chandlers Philip Marlowe.

He Hit Send: On the awkward but necessary role of technology in fiction'This is why I choose to write about Luddites who live in pseudo-ye-olde-Londons but with good stuff like feminism and hygiene. Also, perhaps its why Amish fiction is so big right now.

Nansi Kunze on how to get a novel manuscript back on track

Does money make writers better?'I dont that money is a'primary motivator, but it certainly does create expectations about work and about the value placed on work. When someone tries to argue down my rates, it does make me feel as though my work isnt valued in the first place, and thats kind of a disincentive. I suppose the same may apply to some degree to novelists, with a huge advance and multiple book deal perhaps creating certain expectations about the performance of a given book, and thus affecting the creative process about subsequent books and perhaps the marketing efforts the author puts into that book? Money, however, is definitely an enabler. I wouldnt know this, as I dont have any myself, but it must help to be not having to juggle half a dozen jobs and living off discounted tuna. Honestly, the whole starving artist thing is a bit overrated. Mostly because Hipsters have taken everything that was cool about it and added a designer price tag.

Should authors get political?'Um, isnt everything political? Honestly, though, for me it depends on the forum, and also on the extent to which a particular message is being pushed (and yes, in some cases the message itself).

Do you select your books based on book reviews?'I had a rude little aside about certain trends and me-tooism here, but Ill be nice. Um. Dum-de-dum. I do buy books based on book reviews, actually. But mostly due to word-of-mouth. And occasionally a beautiful cover. And also if theyre cheap. Or just because I feel like buying a book. Or if its right there in front of me. Or

And on a similar note: mistakes writers make on Twitter'Basically, being a spammy bastard. And using too many hashtags. All right, I made up that last one, but if Ive unfollowed you, its because your tweet stream is #hashtag #central.

Why self-published authors need editors.'Shot in the dark, but is the same reason that every writer needs an editor? (Except Anne Rice, because'we all know she doesnt deal in red pen.)