Revisiting the Carnival

Barbara Fister, that ringmaster extraordinaire, has brought the blog carnival back to the U.S. and placed it into my hands for the remainder of January. I have ventured onto some fun and heart-warming mystery blogs that will bring cheer to your spirits even as the ice pelts your windowpanes.

First, though, a couple quick references to non-American things: one can always get up-to-date mystery news at The Rap Sheet. Today's post celebrates Stieg Larson's number one position on the British bestseller list.

This has to be good news to Peter Rogovsky at Detectives Beyond Borders, whose blog reminds us that the world of mystery is an infinite one, and that every nation has its wonderful way with the genre. On Peter's blog you can find a link to Tulsa City-County Library's Mysteries Around the World, where you can window shop for that next great read.

And one more thing, before we return to American mystery: Martin Edwards' Wednesday post celebrates the fact that one of his favorite writers, Andrew Taylor, has been awarded the CWA Diamond Dagger Crime Writing Award. Edwards, a fine writer himself, credits Taylor as "a star of the genre."

Now back to American mysteries. I recently interviewed Cricket McRae, whose successful crafting series highlights the popularity of cozy or crafty mystery novels. Two blogs address this, as well: The Cozy Chicks, on which Maggie Sefton discusses the love affair one has with his or her first car; and the Killer Hobbies blog, on which Linda O. Johnston chats about pet safety. The women who write these blogs are the names behind some very popular mysteries about dolls, scrapbooking, quilting, crocheting, pets, miniatures, and more. Check out the phenomenon and the talented writers behind it.

Raymond Chandler fans (and what mystery reader isn't a Raymond Chandler fan?) will be interested by Mark Coggins' latest post on Riordan's Desk. Apparently Chandler had a cameo in a Billy Wilder classic. By the way, you can read my interview with Mark Coggins, who himself is rather Chandleresque, here.

After that nod to the hard-boiled, I must make one to the classical. I was perusing some Dorothy Sayers websites, and I found that there is an entire page with links to Sayers-related information, including how to join the Dorothy Sayers Society, which was formed "to promote the study of the life, works and thoughts of this great scholar and writer."

Off to a meeting now, but more to come in this carnival!