I See What You Did There

After several days' worth of posts on awards for literature, now we finally get to the good stuff - the ITV3 Crime Thriller Awards, celebrating the best in mystery/thriller writing for books and for television. I note that they are sponsored by Specsavers, a chain of eyeglass shops across the UK, which is appropriate because this is the award program most likely to ruin my eyesight.

I usually find myself in a frenzy of reading/watching to catch up with all of the nominees before the awards are announced, which leaves me a scant 10 days at this point. Good thing I just got my own new pair of specs. So let's get started with the lists of nominees!

Crime Thriller Book Club Nominees

Before We Met, by Lucie Whitehouse

Entry Island, by Peter May (love him!)

Letters to My Daughter's Killer, by Cath Staincliffe

Treachery, by SJ Parris

The Tilted World, by Tom Franklin and Beth Ann Fennelly (fabulous book)

Watch Me, by James Carroll

Living Legends Nominees

Best living writer of crime/thrillers.

Michael Connolly

Robert Harris

Dean Koontz

Lynda La Plante

Val McDermid

Denise Mina

Wow - tough category!

CWA Gold Dagger Nominees

Crime Novel of the Year from the Crime Writers Association.

This Dark Road to Mercy, by Wiley Cash

Keep Your Friends Close, by Paula Daly

The First Rule of Survival, by Paul Mendelson

How the Light Gets In, by Louise Penny

CWA Steel Dagger Nominees

For the CWA's Ian Fleming-esque thriller.

Apple Tree Yard, by Louise Doughty

An Officer and a Spy, by Robert Harris

I Am Pilgrim, by Terry Hayes

Natchez Burning, by Greg Iles

CWA New Blood Dagger Nominees

CWA's nominees for the best crime novel by a first-time author. 

The Strangler Vine, by MJ Carter

The Axeman's Jazz, by Ray Celestin

The Devil in the Marshalsea, by Antonia Hodgson

The Silent Wife, by ASA Harrison

Best Film Dagger Nominees

Cold in July

Dom Hemingway

Filth

Prisoners

Starred Up

Best Television Dagger Nominees

Happy Valley (a must-see on Netflix)

Line of Duty, series 2

Sherlock, series 3 (so amazing)

The Bletchley Circle, series 2

The Honourable Woman

Luckily for my eyes, I've seen many of the film and television nominees. But now it's time to buckle down to those books. Let me know which of the nominees you've read or seen! The winners will be announced on Oct. 24.

Over a Barrel and Under the Table

The Brits are a quirky bunch, which is why I'm such an Anglophile myself. Maybe it's my Southern roots, which in my part of the country lead straight back across the pond.
British writers and Southern writers have a lot in common – there's an odd fascination with the dark side of life, mixed with an earthy pragmatic attitude, overlaid with a sense of humor. And both Brits and Southerners have been known to enjoy a tipple...or two.
Never is that more true than in the world of mystery writers. The awards that mystery aficionados bestow on their favorite authors are a perfect example of that dark whimsy, with honors such as a dagger, a teapot, a skull, or a barrel. At least the dagger and the skull make some sort of sense.
The teapot is for the Agatha Award, presented by Malice Domestic and meant to signify Ms. Christie's veddy British history. The barrel is my favorite, and this year it was presented to one of my favorite writers.
The fine old oak barrel (in miniature, of course) is presented at the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate, England. Theakston Brewery has been producing Old Peculier beer in Yorkshire since the 1890s, and the little cask represents that long history. What it has to do with mystery writing is beyond me.
Denise Mina won the award this year for her book The End of the Wasp Season, which I loved. That book was also shortlisted for one of the coveted CWA Dagger Awards last year, and I reviewed it here.
Above is Mina with her Old Peculier. Judging by the photos from the Theakstons, perhaps the honorary casks were originally full when they were presented.
I've been to the Malice Domestic convention, which was fun but a little staid. I was able to meet Lindsey Davis and Peter Lovesey and that made the weekend entirely worthwhile.
But I get the feeling that I would have more fun at the Theakstons, and I have now added that festival to my bucket list. So if you're looking for me in the middle of July next year, I'll be in Yorkshire. Probably under a table.

Review and Recipe

For today's Review and Recipe, I'm going to step out of the Read.Eat.Think box a bit and highlight a food event for the "recipe," rather than an actual step-by-step procedure. Think of it as a recipe for fun for this weekend.
And speaking of doing things differently, since it's a major book award season, for the month of October I am going to give you more reviews:
CWA Daggers
On Oct. 7, the Crime Writers Association will announce the Dagger Awards. Starting on Monday, each day I will highlight one of the nominees for the Gold Dagger award. Since there are only four nominees, on Friday I will write about one of my favorite mystery writers, who won last year's CWA Diamond Dagger Award for a lifetime of mystery writing. She has written over 20 books in one series, and I adore her. But no more hints.
Man Booker Prize
This award honors the best novel of the year by a citizen of the United Kingdom. The winner will be announced on Oct. 18, and I will highlight the shortlist nominees the week of Oct. 10.
Mysterious and Spooky
Since I will hit a bit of a black hole at the end of October, thanks to my day job, I'll give you two weeks of seasonal suggestions. The week of Oct. 17, we'll start out gently with spooky and kooky books and then hit my list of the five scariest books I've ever read the week of Oct. 24. On Halloween, we'll return to the treats instead of the tricks. Now back to the Review and Recipe:

Review: New York
by Edward Rutherfurd
Historical fiction can be tricky, but the thing I have always admired about Edward Rutherfurd's extensively researched books is the seamless blend between historical facts and fictional characters that you think about even when you've finished the book.
Known for novels that stretch across centuries, Rutherfurd has only ventured off the British Isles once before, with the book Russka. So I was intrigued to see how he would approach the long history of the New World.
He begins as he always does, by drawing you in to the earliest days of the location, and beginning to build the land into the real central character of the book. With New York, those early days did not include the Europeans, of course, but rather the indigenous tribes who called the island Manna hata. Once settlers arrive, the forested island almost overnight becomes the bustling city of immigrants that it still is today, moving from a Dutch settlement to a British city to the center of revolution.
Interwoven into the history of New York City is the fictional story of families based on the real immigrants who came here for a new life. Some succeed and begin great empires, some are ground down by hardship and challenges. New York is an engrossing book that captures the can-do spirit that became the signature for the city that never sleeps. (2009 - Random House) 
Other Recommended Books By Edward Rutherfurd: Sarum, London, The Forest

Recipe for Fun: New York City Wine & Food Festival
Autumn is the time for some of the best food festivals in the country. I plan to indulge a bit myself this weekend at the Dixie Classic Fair. In keeping with the theme of today's book, this weekend also kicks off the New York City Wine & Food Festival (click here). This year, the theme seems to be all about food that's easy to carry.
Tonight, burgers are on the menu and chefs will create 21 varieties on the all-American classic. On Saturday, chefs like Bobby Flay will serve up 30 takes on tacos. Sunday's theme is meatballs, made of more unusual ingredients like crab, mushroom, or lamb.
All of the cooking, and the accompanying wines, are for a good cause, with proceeds from the event going to the Food Bank for New York City. So enjoy the crisper temperatures and find your favorite foodie event this weekend.