EYE-OPENING, METICULOUSLY RESEARCHED account of the CIA’s Cold War meddling in the literary world. A MINUS

FINKS: HOW THE C.I.A. TRICKED THE WORLD’S BEST WRITERS
OR Books
2017

PERPLEXINGLY LOVELY NOVEL tells a story of two young girls in South Korea, and a story of writing that story. B PLUS

THE IMPOSSIBLE FAIRY TALE (PAPERBACK)
Graywolf Press
2017

WONDERFULLY PLOTTED, WITTY English mystery bridges 20th and 21st century styles. Glorious page-turner! A MINUS

MAGPIE MURDERS (HARDCOVER)
Harper
2017

NO-NONSENSE, THOUGHTFUL, BLISSFULLY pottymouthed guide to cleaning and organizing has solid advice, laughs. B PLUS

UNF*CK YOUR HABITAT : YOU’RE BETTER THAN YOUR MESS
St. Martin’s Griffin
2017

RE-ENGINEERING THE WOOLLY MAMMOTH? Inside a geneticist’s quest to recreate an extinct species. Fascinating! B PLUS

WOOLLY: THE TRUE STORY OF THE QUEST TO REVIVE ONE OF HISTORY'S MOST ICONIC EXTINCT CREATURES (HARDCOVER)
Atria Books
2017

AN ARTIST HAUNTED BY his past unlocks some of the memories that torment him. Brilliant character study. A MINUS

SO MUCH BLUE A NOVEL
GRAYWOLF PRESS
2017

A SRI LANKAN-AMERICAN COUPLE keeps a big secret from their families. Fresh, pointed take on love and family. B PLUS

MARRIAGE OF A THOUSAND LIES (HARDCOVER)
Soho Press
2017

A WEARY-WISE NOIR QUEST with a supernatural twist has deep things to say about love, family, race in the US. A MINUS

THE TALENTED RIBKINS
Melville House Publishing
2017

NEAR-FUTURE THRILLER WITH an SFF twist, set in a Chicago where poor neighborhoods are war zones. Sharp, sad. SOLID B

THE NEON HOUSES
Morning Glory Publishing
2016

LIVING WITH ANXIETY: a science and health writer’s own story, leavened by updates on anxiety research. SOLID B

ON EDGE : A JOURNEY THROUGH ANXIETY
Crown Publishing Group (NY)
2017