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DATING JESUS by Susan Campbell

May 31, 2009

AN EVANGELICAL GIRLHOOD in 1970s Missouri, remembered with a refreshing touch of sardonic, yet always loving, wit. B PLUS

DATING JESUS: A STORY OF FUNDAMENTALISM, FEMINISM, AND THE AMERICAN GIRL by Susan Campbell
Boston: Beacon Press
January 2009

Grade: B PLUS

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DRINKING PROBLEMS AT THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH by Beth Teitell

May 30, 2009

CHATTY, breezy look at the business and culture of defying the aging process engages, but avoids the big questions. B PLUS

DRINKING PROBLEMS AT THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH by Beth Teitell
New York: William Morrow
October 2008

Grade: B PLUS

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BENTO BOX IN THE HEARTLAND by Linda Furiya

May 29, 2009

SWEET MEMOIR of growing up Japanese in rural Indiana has charm, poignancy, but may seem slight to some readers. B PLUS

BENTO BOX IN THE HEARTLAND: MY JAPANESE GIRLHOOD IN WHITEBREAD AMERICA by Linda Furiya
Berkeley, CA: Seal Press
January 2009

Grade: B PLUS

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THE SUICIDE COLLECTORS by David Oppegaard

May 28, 2009

SPOOKY TALE outlines a grim near-future in spare, simple language reminiscent of Palahniuk, early Stephen King. A MINUS

THE SUICIDE COLLECTORS by David Oppegaard
New York: St. Martin’s Press
December 2008

Grade: A MINUS

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EVERYONE IS BEAUTIFUL by Katherine Center

May 27, 2009

LITERATE CHICKFIC with a few new twists: artist heroine, composer hero, grad-school setting. Still, familiar turf. B PLUS

EVERYONE IS BEAUTIFUL by Katherine Center
New York: Ballantine Books
February 2009

Grade: B PLUS

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MOTHER ON FIRE by Sandra Tsing Loh

May 26, 2009

FUNNY VIGNETTES of Hollywood helicopter parents and media madness offer laughs, insights, but don’t hold together. B MINUS

MOTHER ON FIRE: A TRUE MOTHER F%#$@ STORY ABOUT PARENTING by Sandra Tsing Loh
New York: Crown
August 2008

Grade: B MINUS

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LIFE IS SHORT BUT WIDE by J. California Cooper

May 25, 2009

20th-CENTURY FABLE of a black family and community in Oklahoma, told in rich, lyrical language. Vivid characters. A MINUS

LIFE IS SHORT BUT WIDE by J. California Cooper
New York: Doubleday
March 2009

Grade: A MINUS

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THE NUMERATI by Stephen Baker

May 24, 2009

MATHEMATICAL MODELS/algorithms, and how they’re being used to describe/predict human behavior, chattily presented. SOLID B

THE NUMERATI by Stephen Baker
New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
August 2008

Grade: SOLID B

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BANQUET AT DELMONICO’S by Barry Werth

May 23, 2009

19TH CENTURY US SOCIAL HISTORY, centering on a star-studded 1882 banquet honoring Social Darwinist Herbert Spencer. SOLID A

BANQUET AT DELMONICO’S: GREAT MINDS, THE GILDED AGE, AND THE TRIUMPH OF EVOLUTION IN AMERICA by Barry Werth
New York: Random House
January 2009

Grade: SOLID A

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EVERYTHING ASIAN by Sung J. Woo

May 22, 2009

THE GREAT KOREAN-AMERICAN NOVEL in stories. Fresh/ nuanced/funny/touching; vivid pix from an immigrant kid’s life. A MINUS

EVERYTHING ASIAN by Sung J. Woo
New York: Thomas Dunne Books
April 2009

Grade: A MINUS

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