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SEEKING PEACE by Mary Pipher

November 30, 2009

WISE, WITTY meditation on age, challenges of facing life’s challenges by REVIVING OPHELIA author Mary Pipher. B PLUS

SEEKING PEACE: CHRONICLES OF THE WORST BUDDHIST IN THE WORLD
Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated
2009

Grade: B PLUS

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DEATH MESSAGE by Mark Billingham

November 29, 2009

GRITTY ENGLISH POLICE PROCEDURAL is long on atmosphere and character, a bit short on plot. Still a decent read. SOLID B

DEATH MESSAGE: A NOVEL OF SUSPENSE
Harper
2009

Grade: SOLID B

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HEROIC MEASURES by Jill Ciment

November 27, 2009

POIGNANT, QUIRKY little novel follows an elderly couple and their sick dog through a weekend of tension in NYC. B PLUS

HEROIC MEASURES
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
2009

Grade: B PLUS

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UNSEEN ACADEMICALS by Terry Pratchett

TERRY PRATCHETT’S 37th Discworld novel, in which soccer comes to Ankh-Morpork and supernatural hijinks ensue. A MINUS

UNSEEN ACADEMICALS
Harper
2009

Grade: A MINUS

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LOLA’S LUCK by Carol Miller

November 26, 2009

AN UNFORGETTABLE CHARACTER, the extraordinary Roma fortune-teller Lola, takes center stage in a flawed memoir. SOLID B

LOLA’S LUCK: MY LIFE AMONG THE CALIFORNIA GYPSIES
GemmaMedia
2009

Grade: SOLID B

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LARRY’S KIDNEY by Daniel Asa Rose

November 25, 2009

STRANGE, UNSETTLING, frenetic real-life picaresque saga of middle-aged American medical tourists in China. B PLUS

LARRY’S KIDNEY: BEING THE TRUE STORY OF HOW I FOUND MYSELF IN CHINA WITH MY BLACK SHEEP COUSIN AND HIS MAIL-ORDER BRIDE, SKIRTING THE LAW TO GET HIM A TRANSPLANT–AND SAVE HIS LIFE
William Morrow
2009

Grade: B PLUS

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RAVENS by George Dawes Green

November 24, 2009

WELL-CRAFTED BUT TRULY REPULSIVE thriller about a charismatic sociopath taking lottery winners hostage. C PLUS

RAVENS
Grand Central Publishing
2009

Grade: C PLUS

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THERE GOES THE BRIDE by M. C. Beaton

November 23, 2009

AGATHA RAISIN RETURNS, in another engaging mystery halfway between Cotswold cozy and ripped-from-the-headlines. B PLUS

THERE GOES THE BRIDE: AN AGATHA RAISIN MYSTERY
Minotaur Books
2009

Grade: B PLUS

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SOULLESS (PARASOL PROTECTORATE SERIES) by Gail Carriger

November 22, 2009

SPUNKY, FUNKY, STEAMPUNKY vampire/werewolf/ghost romp with a Victorian setting and charming heroine. A treat! B PLUS

SOULLESS (PARASOL PROTECTORATE SERIES)
Orbit/Yen
2009

Grade: B PLUS

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PAUL NEWMAN by Shawn Levy

November 21, 2009

IMPRESSIVELY IN-DEPTH bio of actor, philanthropist, racing fan Paul Newman paints him as down-to-earth megastar. B PLUS

PAUL NEWMAN: A LIFE
Crown Archetype
2009

Grade: B PLUS

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