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BLUE PLATE SPECIAL by Kate Christensen

August 21, 2013

GLORIOUS, WARM-HEARTED MEMOIR of food, love, and family from novelist Kate Christensen sparkles with joy. A MINUS

BLUE PLATE SPECIAL: AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MY APPETITES
Doubleday Books
2013

Grade: A MINUS

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LOLA BENSKY by Lily Brett

August 20, 2013

FROM SWINGING LONDON in the 1960s to today’s New York, an Australian writer is haunted by her family past. SOLID B

LOLA BENSKY
Counterpoint LLC
2013

Grade: SOLID B

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THE BARBED CROWN by William Dietrich

August 19, 2013

SWASHBUCKLING HISTORICAL ADVENTURE has a dashing secret-agent hero, lively supporting cast, and Napoleon too! B PLUS

THE BARBED CROWN : AN ETHAN GAGE ADVENTURE
Harper
2013

Grade: B PLUS

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AN ARMENIAN SKETCHBOOK by Vasily Grossman

August 18, 2013

AN AFFECTIONATE PORTRAIT OF ARMENIA in the early 1960s; gorgeous, newly translated work by Vasily Grossman. B PLUS

AN ARMENIAN SKETCHBOOK
New York Review Books
2013

Grade: B PLUS

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MERMAID IN CHELSEA CREEK by Michelle Tea

August 17, 2013

GRITTY BLUE-COLLAR MAGIC and the dream of hope for a broken city are the core of this hypnotic urban fantasy. A MINUS

MERMAID IN CHELSEA CREEK
McSweeney’s Books
2013

Grade: A MINUS

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THE FEUD by Dean King

August 16, 2013

THE MOST NOTORIOUS FEUD in US history, the long conflict between the Hatfields and McCoys, vividly recounted. B PLUS

THE FEUD: THE HATFIELDS AND MCCOYS: THE TRUE STORY
Little Brown and Company
2013

Grade: B PLUS

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CHANEL BONFIRE by Wendy Lawless

August 15, 2013

LIFE WITH A NARCISSISTIC mother whose beauty and glamour masked her cruelty to some. Compassionate, candid. B PLUS

CHANEL BONFIRE
Gallery Books
2013

Grade: B PLUS

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THE DOLL (VANESSA MICHAEL MUNROE SERIES #3) by Taylor Stevens

August 14, 2013

A HARDENED MERCENARY RACES against time, with the lives of her loved ones held hostage. Gripping thriller. SOLID B

THE DOLL (VANESSA MICHAEL MUNROE SERIES #3)
Crown Publishing Group
2013

Grade: SOLID B

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LAST HOURS ON EVEREST by Graham Hoyland

August 13, 2013

CLIMBER GEORGE MALLORY and his fatal 1924 attempt to summit Everest, explored in vivid, fascinating detail. B PLUS

LAST HOURS ON EVEREST
Collins Publishers
2013

Grade: B PLUS

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BANKSY by Will Ellsworth-Jones

August 12, 2013

THE ELUSIVE STREET ARTIST Banksy, profiled in a well-reported unauthorized bio. Lots of intriguing stories! SOLID B

BANKSY: THE MAN BEHIND THE WALL
St. Martin’s Press
2013

Grade: SOLID B

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