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LUNCH IN PARIS by Elizabeth Bard

September 21, 2010

AN AMERICAN WOMAN IN PARIS finds love, culture clashes, and new recipes in this better-than-the-usual memoir. SOLID B

LUNCH IN PARIS: A LOVE STORY, WITH RECIPES
Little, Brown & Company
2010

Grade: SOLID B

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THE BOHEMIAN GIRL by Kenneth Cameron

September 20, 2010

GRIMLY EVOCATIVE of 1901 London, historical thriller has memorable characters, tense–if a bit baroque–plot. B PLUS

THE BOHEMIAN GIRL
St. Martin’s Press
2010

Grade: B PLUS

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NEVER TELL OUR BUSINESS TO STRANGERS by Jennifer Mascia

September 19, 2010

A MEMOIR OF FAMILY SECRETS that turn out to be Family secrets, as in “Mafia”. Deftly written and insightful. SOLID B

NEVER TELL OUR BUSINESS TO STRANGERS: A MEMOIR
Random House Publishing Group
2010

Grade: SOLID B

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GAME OF CAGES by Harry Connolly

September 18, 2010

WHIZBANG FANTASY THRILLER with a noir feel and a wisecracking, reluctantly magical hero. Second in a series. A MINUS

GAME OF CAGES: A TWENTY PALACES NOVEL
Del Rey Books
2010

Grade: A MINUS

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NASHVILLE CHROME by Rick Bass

September 17, 2010

FICTIONALIZED BIO of 1950s folk-country stars The Browns never quite catches fire, despite fascinating subject. B MINUS

NASHVILLE CHROME
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH)
2010

Grade: B MINUS

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THE MAPPING OF LOVE AND DEATH by Jacqueline Winspear

September 16, 2010

1930s PSYCHOLOGIST SLEUTH Maisie Dobbs returns for adventure #7; gripping plot adds to strong characterization. B PLUS

THE MAPPING OF LOVE AND DEATH: A MAISIE DOBBS NOVEL
Harper
2010

Grade: B PLUS

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UP JIM RIVER by Michael Flynn

September 15, 2010

DASHING SPACE OPERA set in a post-Earth interstellar diaspora with a Celtic/Chinese flavor. Second in a series. SOLID B

UP JIM RIVER
Tor Books
2010

Grade: SOLID B

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WHAT WE ARE by Peter Nathaniel Malae

September 13, 2010

THE GREAT SAMOAN-AMERICAN novel, at least so far, is a gangsta-Bukowski kaleidoscope of California street life. B PLUS

WHAT WE ARE
Grove/Atlantic, Inc.
2010

Grade: B PLUS

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STUFF by Randy Frost

INSIDE THE MINDS of hoarders with two psychologists/professors, leaders in treating the disorder. Illuminating! B PLUS

STUFF: COMPULSIVE HOARDING AND THE MEANING OF THINGS
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
2010

Grade: B PLUS

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A SPIDER ON THE STAIRS (PHILLIP BETHANCOURT AND JACK GIBBONS MYSTERIES) by Cassandra Chan

September 11, 2010

WELL-CRAFTED COZY mystery in the great English tradition solves puzzle of deaths at an old-fashioned bookshop. B PLUS

A SPIDER ON THE STAIRS (PHILLIP BETHANCOURT AND JACK GIBBONS MYSTERIES)
Minotaur Books
2010

Grade: B PLUS

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