Of Resolutions and Reminders

• The formal announcement of Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine’s 2010 Readers Choice Award recipients won’t be available until that mag’s next issue hits newsstands in February. But author Dave Zeltserman made it known this last weekend that “my second Julius Katz story, ‘Archie’s Been Framed,’ has won first place” in the competition. Zeltserman’s 2010 novella, Julius Katz, introduced the title character and received a Shamus Award, a Derringer Award, and other acclaim.

• Sarah Weinman interviews Michael Koryta, author of the soon-to-be-released (and quite chilling) novel, The Cypress House, for American Express’ Currency site.

• Richard Robinson, who writes the Broken Bullhorn blog, suggests an interesting New Year’s resolution for 2011. He resolves to “read what I have.” Robinson elaborates:

That may not be entirely clear, so let me elaborate somewhat. I have a lot of books here, right now mostly in boxes but they will get out onto shelves in time. A heck of a lot of them have been here a long time and are still unread. I continue to buy books, sometimes only a few, sometimes many, while what’s here occupies shelf space. While I go through periods of keep them all--no, get rid of some of them--no keep them all, the main thing is I want to read the books I have. Once they have been read, I can decide if I’ll keep them, which means I think I’ll want them to reread, or for reference, or something, or if I’ll dispose of them (book swap, donate, gift, etc.).

So for 2011, my resolution is that 3 out of every 4 books I read will be ones I have in my possession right now--on January 1, 2011.

I have often boasted that I could be locked in my house for a couple of years, and never run out of new books to enjoy. Maybe I ought to embrace Robinson’s suggestion myself ...

• I’m always in the mood for a solid reminder of the 1974-1976 ABC-TV series Harry O, and Lee Goldberg provides one with the latest installment of his “TV Main Title of the Week” series.

• Speaking of reminders: Blooging for a Good Book looks back at The Devil in Music, the fourth and last of Kate Ross’ mysteries starring dandy Julian Kestrel and set in Regency-era England. Ross died in 1998.

• “He was showered with cries of ‘Betrayal!’ from some of his allies,” Salon writes of President Obama, “but he achieved more [in 2010] than you might realize.” Meanwhile, Washington Monthly contributors suggest what the president should say in this month’s State of the Union Address.

• Is this the most oddly titled radio mystery of all time?

• And I am sorry they’re not label-linked, so there’s no perfect way to pull up all the components of Chris Rhatigan’s “Top Five for 2010” series in Death by Killing. But they’re worth looking over, when you find some free time. Rhatigan has asked a diverse group of short-fiction writers and others to identify their five favorite crime-fiction short stories from the last year. At least most of those lists are accessible here.