Friday, August 02, 2013

Overlooked by Mr. Beam?

Alex Beam
Boston Globe

Although I always read Alex Beam's column in my hard copy of the International Herald Tribune, I find him online at the Boston Globe if I need to cite a column, and when I saw the title to his recent column on a summer reading list, I just knew I'd find something exciting to cite! Especially when I reached the genre section:
Genre novels? Absolutely. I push Olen Steinhauer's "The Tourist" trilogy on everyone I can. I read the second book first, then the third, then the first, which worked well for me. Steinhauer recently let slip that CIA "tourist" Milo Weaver is taking some well-deserved time off. I'm happy for Milo, less happy for me, the avid reader. ("Really real summer reading list," Boston Globe, July 25, 2013)
Steinhauer is great! I had some contact with him a few years back and read every novel he'd published so far, even reviewing the first of them, The Bridge of Sighs, and commenting on his writing career more generally, as he was threatened with success. I therefore concur with Beam's recommendation!

Checking further, I saw that Beam also recommends Charles Willeford and Justin Cartwright, neither of whom I've read, but I'll take his word as proof of their value. With great expectations, checking still further, I saw . . . nonfiction? What the dickens? No other genre fiction? No fantasy novels? Nothing with a title like, maybe, The Bottomless Bottle of Beer?

Surely that's an oversight, and if I just send him an email . . .

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