THE HEDGEHOG BLOG

I’ll keep it short, and not too ranty.

It’s just, well, IMAGINE MY SURPRISE. The Edgar nominations were posted. The surprise? That a book on my “best of 2005" list ACTUALLY is on the ballot. ’m so stunned. Jess Walter’s CITIZEN VINCE made the Edgar ballot. Holy shit. It’s a sleeper of a book that I actually read and liked a LOT - as opposed to the usual baffling list.

The thing is that in most cases, for best novel, I can see - or at least accept - why the winner won but it’s so seldom a list I GET. I don’t ever see more than one of my choices nominated for best novel. And as for the other novel categories – best first and best paperback original, it seems to be a question of either “tried it, didn’t finish it” or “haven’t even HEARD of it”. And that’s just odd. Not to have even encountered so many nominees is weird. And yeah, I tend to remember since I do TRY everything I’m sent or that I get from the library.

The shocks so far in this year’s list were the Walter and an obscure paperback original which I reviewed for I Love A Mystery (but alas, the review no longer is on the web) called Homicide My Own, by Anne Argula, published by a publisher whose website no longer seems to exist – Pleasure Boat Studio. I described it as quirky, with some problems but overall pretty darn good.

In best novel, we get Michael Connelly (big surprise) Thomas Cook’s Red Leaves (which I never saw/heard of, don’t know), Tess Gerritsen’s Vanish, Pelecanos’ Drama City and the stunner, Citizen Vince by Jess Walter, on my top ten list. I’ve tried for years to read both Connelly and Pelecanos, and can’t. I just checked the description of the Cook and it’s not a book I could read – it sounds way too dark for me and creepy and depressing. And I just read a review of the Gerritsen which tell s me that I’m not likely to look IT up any time soon – the review refers to international kidnapping, slavery and prostitution. Reviews refer to evil and I don’t really like medical thrillers, which this seems to be.

Several thriller nominees it seems I DO try them, but they’re just not my kind of book. I really keep trying but I just don’t get it.

The est first list has 2 books I tried and couldn’t read and 3 books I never heard of.

The best paperback original has the Argula, Reed Farrel Coleman’s The James Deans which I liked, and three books I never heard of. (see a pattern here?) (oh).

I never WILL get the Edgars. It’s not that I expect the Edgar juries to reflect my taste, really I don’t but its just that every damn year, so few of the books I ever remotely LIKED show up on the ballot. I just find ‘em baffling. I know how hard the jurors work – I really believe they do – to do a hard job but I just don’t get it. Not to include Lippman’s TO THE POWER OF THREE – well, I expected that to be honest, once I realized that books that are really hard, like SJ’s ABSENT FRIENDS and EVERY SECRET THING by Lippman, seldom make the cut

But just go check my December 8 blog post of my idea of the best books of 2005 if you want to and you’ll see why I just don’t get it.

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2006-01-28 10:19 PM Edgars Previous Entry :: Next Entry Mood: The usual baffled Read/Post Comments (6) Share on Facebook	I’ll keep it short, and not too ranty. It’s just, well, IMAGINE MY SURPRISE. The Edgar nominations were posted. The surprise? That a book on my “best of 2005" list ACTUALLY is on the ballot. ’m so stunned. Jess Walter’s CITIZEN VINCE made the Edgar ballot. Holy shit. It’s a sleeper of a book that I actually read and liked a LOT - as opposed to the usual baffling list. The thing is that in most cases, for best novel, I can see - or at least accept - why the winner won but it’s so seldom a list I GET. I don’t ever see more than one of my choices nominated for best novel. And as for the other novel categories – best first and best paperback original, it seems to be a question of either “tried it, didn’t finish it” or “haven’t even HEARD of it”. And that’s just odd. Not to have even encountered so many nominees is weird. And yeah, I tend to remember since I do TRY everything I’m sent or that I get from the library. The shocks so far in this year’s list were the Walter and an obscure paperback original which I reviewed for I Love A Mystery (but alas, the review no longer is on the web) called Homicide My Own, by Anne Argula, published by a publisher whose website no longer seems to exist – Pleasure Boat Studio. I described it as quirky, with some problems but overall pretty darn good. In best novel, we get Michael Connelly (big surprise) Thomas Cook’s Red Leaves (which I never saw/heard of, don’t know), Tess Gerritsen’s Vanish, Pelecanos’ Drama City and the stunner, Citizen Vince by Jess Walter, on my top ten list. I’ve tried for years to read both Connelly and Pelecanos, and can’t. I just checked the description of the Cook and it’s not a book I could read – it sounds way too dark for me and creepy and depressing. And I just read a review of the Gerritsen which tell s me that I’m not likely to look IT up any time soon – the review refers to international kidnapping, slavery and prostitution. Reviews refer to evil and I don’t really like medical thrillers, which this seems to be. Several thriller nominees it seems I DO try them, but they’re just not my kind of book. I really keep trying but I just don’t get it. The est first list has 2 books I tried and couldn’t read and 3 books I never heard of. The best paperback original has the Argula, Reed Farrel Coleman’s The James Deans which I liked, and three books I never heard of. (see a pattern here?) (oh). I never WILL get the Edgars. It’s not that I expect the Edgar juries to reflect my taste, really I don’t but its just that every damn year, so few of the books I ever remotely LIKED show up on the ballot. I just find ‘em baffling. I know how hard the jurors work – I really believe they do – to do a hard job but I just don’t get it. Not to include Lippman’s TO THE POWER OF THREE – well, I expected that to be honest, once I realized that books that are really hard, like SJ’s ABSENT FRIENDS and EVERY SECRET THING by Lippman, seldom make the cut But just go check my December 8 blog post of my idea of the best books of 2005 if you want to and you’ll see why I just don’t get it. Read/Post Comments (6) Previous Entry :: Next Entry Back to Top
:: HOME :: GET EMAIL UPDATES :: International Rescue Committee :: Brady Campaign to END GUN VIOLENCE :: Americans for Responsible Solutions :: David Zinn, artist :: Wendy Goldberg :: Kiva - microlending :: SQUISHIES!!!! :: Sluggo! Ann Arbor's Foremost two dimensional resident :: Mr. Monkey! :: Give Free books! :: Flying Spaghetti Monster! :: Matthew Shepard Foundation :: THE BLUE CARD :: Kickstarter :: EMAIL ::