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THIS IS HOW YOU LOSE HER, by Junot Díaz

November 30, 2012

GORGEOUS, GRITTY STORIES illuminate the nature of love, and bring Dominican-American culture vividly to life.

Grade: A MINUS

THIS IS HOW YOU LOSE HER
Riverhead
2012

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FOOLING HOUDINI, by Alex Stone

November 29, 2012

THE SECRET WORLD of stage magic and magicians, explored with love and humor by a writer/scientist/magician.

Grade: SOLID B

FOOLING HOUDINI: MAGICIANS, MENTALISTS, MATH GEEKS AND THE HIDDEN POWERS OF THE MIND
HarperCollins
2012

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DREAMLAND, by David K. Randall

November 28, 2012

A JOURNALIST DELVES INTO the complex science (and business) of sleep and makes some interesting discoveries!

Grade: SOLID B

DREAMLAND: ADVENTURES IN THE STRANGE SCIENCE OF SLEEP
W. W. Norton & Company
2012

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ARE YOU MY MOTHER? by Alison Bechdel

November 27, 2012

ALISON BECHDEL IS SIMPLY a national treasure! Her latest memoir in graphic novel form is thoughtful and wise.

Grade: A MINUS

ARE YOU MY MOTHER? A COMIC DRAMA
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
2012

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THE ST. ZITA SOCIETY, by Ruth Rendell

November 26, 2012

SECRETS AND TENSIONS in an upscale London neighborhood boil over with deadly results. Ruth Rendell in fine form!

Grade: B PLUS

THE ST. ZITA SOCIETY
Scribner
2012

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GONE, by Cathi Hanauer

November 25, 2012

TALE OF AN UNRAVELING family has some truly lovely moments, but falls back too often on easy epiphanies.

Grade: B MINUS

GONE
Atria
2012

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HOW SHOULD A PERSON BE? by Sheila Heti

November 24, 2012

UNFLINCHINGLY COMPLEX AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL novel follows a young writer’s search for friendship, love, and art.

Grade: B PLUS

HOW SHOULD A PERSON BE? A NOVEL FROM LIFE
Henry Holt
2012

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SEVERAL SHORT SENTENCES ABOUT WRITING, by Verlyn Klinkenborg

November 23, 2012

ESSAYIST VERLYN KLINKENBORG distills the wisdom gained in his long writing career into concise, spot-on advice.

Grade: B PLUS

SEVERAL SHORT SENTENCES ABOUT WRITING
Knopf
2012

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RED ARMY FACTION BLUES, by Ada Wilson

November 22, 2012

SHARP, COMPLEX HISTORICAL thriller captures the turbulence of the 1967 radical student movement in Berlin.

Grade: B PLUS

RED ARMY FACTION BLUES
Route
2012

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THE AMISTAD REBELLION, by Marcus Rediker

November 21, 2012

COMPELLING NEW HISTORY of the Amistad uprising: deeply revelatory about the lives of its African leaders.

Grade: A MINUS

THE AMISTAD REBELLION: AN ATLANTIC ODYSSEY OF SLAVERY AND FREEDOM
Penguin
2012

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