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THE TURQUOISE LEDGE, by Leslie Marmon Silko

January 31, 2011

QUIRKY, OFTEN POETIC memoir of art, nature, family, and Native culture from Leslie Marmon Silko.

Grade: SOLID B

THE TURQUOISE LEDGE
Viking
2010

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THE DAMAGE DONE, by Hilary Davidson

January 30, 2011

STYLISH, ATMOSPHERIC mystery with a Manhattan setting: compelling, if mildly improbable. Impressive first novel!

Grade: B PLUS

THE DAMAGE DONE
Forge/Tom Doherty Associates
2010

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BRAVE GIRL EATING, by Harriet Brown

January 29, 2011

SCIENCE WRITER’S MEMOIR of her daughter’s recovery from anorexia is a tough read, but a helpful resource.

Grade: SOLID B

BRAVE GIRL EATING: A FAMILY'S STRUGGLE WITH ANOREXIA
William Morrow & Company
2010

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THE CRUEL EVER AFTER, by Ellen Hart

January 28, 2011

LESBIAN SLEUTH/RESTAURATEUR Jane Lawless’s 18th outing offers tensely plotted scenes, but too much backstory.

Grade: SOLID B

THE CRUEL EVER AFTER
St. Martin's/Minotaur
2010

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UNDER THE HARROW, by Mark Dunn

January 27, 2011

EXTRAORDINARY NOVEL: part thriller, part science fiction, part time travel, part historical, totally original.

Grade: A MINUS

UNDER THE HARROW
Macadam/Cage
2010

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THE BOOK OF SPIES by Gayle Lynds

January 26, 2011

QUEEN OF SPIES (spy thrillers, anyway) Gayle Lynds’s tensely plotted adventure focuses on a legendary library.

Grade: SOLID B

THE BOOK OF SPIES
St. Martin's Press
2010

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CHASTENED: THE UNEXPECTED STORY OF MY YEAR WITHOUT SEX, by Hephzibah Anderson

January 25, 2011

FASCINATING PREMISE–a woman’s diary of a year spent celibate by choice–doesn’t pan out. Psychobabble ahoy!

Grade: C PLUS

CHASTENED: THE UNEXPECTED STORY OF MY YEAR WITHOUT SEX
Penguin
2010

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CHANTERELLE DREAMS AND AMANITA NIGHTMARES by Greg Marley

January 24, 2011

BREEZY FIELD GUIDE to collecting and enjoying wild mushrooms focuses on New England varieties. Yummy recipes!

Grade: SOLID B

CHANTERELLE DREAMS AND AMANITA NIGHTMARES
Chelsea Green Publishing
2010

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THE ENGLISH OPIUM-EATER by Robert Morrison

January 23, 2011

AUTHORITATIVE BIOGRAPHY of Thomas de Quincey, famed writer, opium addict, and Wordsworth/Coleridge groupie.

Grade: B PLUS

The English Opium-Eater
Pegasus Books
2010

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THE EX-BOYFRIEND’S HANDBOOK by Matt Dunn

January 22, 2011

STANDARD LAD-LIT schlub’s breakup ‘n’ makeover story told crisply, engagingly, but nothing new here. SOLID B

THE EX-BOYFRIEND’S HANDBOOK
Sourcebooks Landmark
2010

Grade: SOLID B

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