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APPARITION & LATE FICTIONS by Thomas Lynch

August 31, 2010

POET, ESSAYIST, and undertaker Thomas Lynch collects his short stories: best stuff is about the Michigan woods. B MINUS

APPARITION & LATE FICTIONS: A NOVELLA AND STORIES
W. W. Norton & Company
2010

Grade: B MINUS

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THREE SISTERS by Feiyu Bi

August 30, 2010

RURAL CHINA in the 1970s, brought vividly to life in the interlocking tales of three sisters. Astonishing. A MINUS

THREE SISTERS
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH)
2010

Grade: A MINUS

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THE GREEN LEOPARD PLAGUE AND OTHER STORIES by Walter Jon Williams

August 29, 2010

NINE SHORT STORIES from one of SF’s most innovative voices, most set in cyberspace and virtual worlds. Gripping! B PLUS

THE GREEN LEOPARD PLAGUE AND OTHER STORIES
Night Shade Books
2010

Grade: B PLUS

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THE EDGE OF PHYSICS by Anil Ananthaswamy

August 27, 2010

ENGAGING TOUR of the world’s most advanced scientific installations and the people revolutionizing physics. B PLUS

THE EDGE OF PHYSICS: A JOURNEY TO EARTH’S EXTREMES TO UNLOCK THE SECRETS OF THE UNIVERSE
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
2010

Grade: B PLUS

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ROY & LILLIE by Loren Estleman

FICTIONAL FANTASIA on the real-life, now lost, correspondence between Judge Roy Bean and Lillie Langtry. SOLID B

ROY & LILLIE: A LOVE STORY
Forge
2010

Grade: SOLID B

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TREACHERY IN THE YARD by Adimchinma Ibe

August 26, 2010

NIGERIAN POLICE PROCEDURAL tells a taut, tense story of murder and political corruption. SOLID B

TREACHERY IN THE YARD: A NIGERIAN THRILLER
Minotaur Books,US
2010

Grade: SOLID B

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THE DOUBLE HUMAN by James O’Neal

August 25, 2010

POSTAPOCALYPTIC POLICE THRILLER has some terrific action scenes, but suffers from an overcrowded premise. SOLID C

THE DOUBLE HUMAN
Doherty, Tom Associates, LLC
2010

Grade: SOLID C

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ALL OVER THE MAP by Laura Fraser

August 24, 2010

TRAVEL WRITER’S search for herself and the secret of love has great descriptions of place, not so much insight. B MINUS

ALL OVER THE MAP
Crown
2010

Grade: B MINUS

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THE BATTERY by Henry Schlesinger

August 23, 2010

CHARMING, IMPECCABLY RESEARCHED history of electrical batteries is both educational and fun. B PLUS

THE BATTERY: HOW PORTABLE POWER SPARKED A TECHNOLOGICAL REVOLUTION
Smithsonian
2010

Grade: B PLUS

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THE DEAD REPUBLIC by Roddy Doyle

August 22, 2010

RODDY DOYLE’S brilliant Henry Smart trilogy concludes with the exiled revolutionary returning home to Ireland. A MINUS

THE DEAD REPUBLIC
Viking Books
2010

Grade: A MINUS

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