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NEVER TELL, by Alafair Burke

September 30, 2012

A TOUGH MANHATTAN DETECTIVE challenges herself to solve the complex mystery of an ultra-rich teenager’s death.

Grade: SOLID B

NEVER TELL
Harper
2012

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THE HYPNOTIST’S LOVE STORY, by Liane Moriarty

September 29, 2012

CHARMING AUSTRALIAN ROMANTIC comedy-drama takes on some tough issues of love and abandonment with grace.

Grade: B PLUS

THE HYPNOTIST'S LOVE STORY
Penguin/Amy Einhorn Books
2012

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SACRE BLEU, by Christopher Moore

September 28, 2012

RAMBUNCTIOUS VAN GOGH fanfic extravaganza from Christopher Moore: a surreal carnival ride through art history.

Grade: SOLID B

SACRE BLEU: A COMEDY D'ART
HarperCollins
2012

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A CONSPIRACY OF FRIENDS, by Alexander McCall Smith

September 27, 2012

THE HILARIOUSLY DYSFUNCTIONAL DENIZENS of Corduroy Mansions are back in another comedy of errors and egos.

Grade: SOLID B

A CONSPIRACY OF FRIENDS: A CORDUROY MANSIONS NOVEL
Pantheon
2012

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A SIMPLE MURDER, by Eleanor Kuhns

September 26, 2012

HISTORICAL MYSTERY HAS a fascinating setting—a Maine Shaker settlement in 1795—if a somewhat threadbare plot.

Grade: B MINUS

A SIMPLE MURDER
Minotaur/St. Martin's
2012

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ENERGIZED, by Edward Lerner

September 25, 2012

FAST-PACED SPACE THRILLER set in a near future with orbiting power satellites and resorts at center stage.

Grade: SOLID B

ENERGIZED
Tor
2012

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THE IMPOSSIBLE STATE, by Vincent Cha

September 24, 2012

AN EYE-OPENING OVERVIEW of the history of North Korea from a professor/former National Security Council staffer.

Grade: B PLUS

THE IMPOSSIBLE STATE: NORTH KOREA, PAST AND FUTURE
HarperCollins
2012

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NEUROGASTRONOMY, by Gordon M. Shepherd

September 23, 2012

A NEUROSCIENTIST’S FASCINATING INSIGHTS about how the brain perceives taste, smell, and flavor—a foodie must.

Grade: SOLID B

NEUROGASTRONOMY: HOW THE BRAIN CREATES FLAVOR AND WHY IT MATTERS
Columbia University Press
2012

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THE COLDEST WAR, by Ian Tregillis

September 22, 2012

GRIM, COMPLEX TALE of a Cold War fought with magic: British warlocks vs. Soviet-captured Nazi magical tech.

Grade: B PLUS

THE COLDEST WAR
Tor
2012

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THE JOURNAL OF BEST PRACTICES, by David Finch

September 21, 2012

FRANK, FUNNY MEMOIR by a man with Asperger’s Syndrome of his geeky quest to become a better husband and father.

Grade: SOLID B

THE JOURNAL OF BEST PRACTICES: A MEMOIR OF MARRIAGE, ASPERGER SYNDROME, AND ONE MAN'S QUEST TO BE A BETTER HUSBAND
Scribner
2012

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