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HOW TO SLOWLY KILL YOURSELF AND OTHERS IN AMERICA, by Kiese Laymon

December 31, 2013

RAW, BRILLIANT ESSAYS by Kiese Laymon (with notes from family and friends) unfold a black American experience. B PLUS

Grade: B PLUS

HOW TO SLOWLY KILL YOURSELF AND OTHERS IN AMERICA
Agate Bolden
2013

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THE ULTIMATE BOOK OF IMPOSTORS, by Ian Graham

December 30, 2013

AN ENTERTAINING MISCELLANY OF impostors and hoaxsters through the ages. Lots of information, never boring! SOLID B

Grade: SOLID B

THE ULTIMATE BOOK OF IMPOSTORS: OVER 100 TRUE STORIES OF THE GREATEST PHONIES AND FRAUDS
Sourcebooks
2013

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CONFESSIONS OF A FAST FOOD WORKER (PART 1), by George Dwight

December 29, 2013

A SAVVY AND SLY memoir of life in the trenches at a big-city fast food restaurant. Not always appetizing!  SOLID B

Grade: SOLID B

CONFESSIONS OF A FAST FOOD WORKER (PART 1)
George Dwight
2013

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EMPTY SPACE, by M. John Harrison

December 28, 2013

THE WILD, DREAMLIKE WORLDS of M. John Harrison span galaxies and centuries, woven with science and magic. SOLID B

Grade: SOLID B

EMPTY SPACE: A HAUNTING
Night Shade Books
2013

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BLEEDING EDGE, by Thomas Pynchon

December 27, 2013

A SPRAWLING EXISTENTIAL DETECTIVE novel that only Thomas Pynchon could have written. Wonderful and baffling. B PLUS

Grade: B PLUS

BLEEDING EDGE
Penguin
2013

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HOME FIRES by Elizabeth Day

December 26, 2013

THE LASTING IMPACT OF WAR on four generations of an English family; everyday tragedies shown with compassion. SOLID B

HOME FIRES
Bloomsbury USA
2013

Grade: SOLID B

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JUNKYARD PLANET by Adam Minter

December 25, 2013

THE GLOBAL RECYCLING INDUSTRY, explored in unexpectedly entertaining depth. Informative, but never dry! B PLUS

JUNKYARD PLANET: TRAVELS IN THE BILLION-DOLLAR TRASH TRADE
Bloomsbury Press
2013

Grade: B PLUS

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ALMOST TRUE CONFESSIONS by Jane O’Connor

December 24, 2013

APPEALING NEW YORK cozy mystery draws on the publishing world and the city’s old-money elite for color. SOLID B

ALMOST TRUE CONFESSIONS : CLOSET SLEUTH SPILLS ALL
William Morrow & Company
2013

Grade: SOLID B

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SEX AND THE CITADEL by Shereen El Feki

December 23, 2013

SEXUAL POLITICS IN the Arab world, presented in depth (via years of interviews), with compassion, with wit. B PLUS

SEX AND THE CITADEL
Pantheon
2013

Grade: B PLUS

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BROTHERS AND BONES by James Hankins

December 22, 2013

TAUT, FAST-PACED THRILLER combines non-stop action, a gripping plot, and plenty of local Boston detail. B PLUS

BROTHERS AND BONES
James Hankins
2012

Grade: B PLUS

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