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WILD ROMANCE by Chloe Schama

August 21, 2010

TRUE STORY of a 19th-century bigamy scandal that shocked England and its social implications; well researched. SOLID B

WILD ROMANCE: A VICTORIAN STORY OF A MARRIAGE, A TRIAL, AND A SELF-MADE WOMAN
Walker & Company
2010

Grade: SOLID B

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MODEL HOME by Eric Puchner

August 20, 2010

TRIPPY, EVOCATIVE novel about a collapsing family in 1980s California has both poignant and hilarious moments. SOLID B

MODEL HOME
Scribner Book Company
2010

Grade: SOLID B

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DREAMS IN A TIME OF WAR by Ngugi wa Thiong’o

August 19, 2010

POETIC MEMOIR by the great writer Ngugi wa Thiong’o about childhood during Kenya’s struggle for independence. SOLID A

DREAMS IN A TIME OF WAR: A CHILDHOOD MEMOIR
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
2010

Grade: SOLID A

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THE BLACK MINUTES by Martin Solares

August 18, 2010

MARVELOUS POLICE PROCEDURAL with a surreal slant, set in fictional Mexican city full of characters. B PLUS #beachread

THE BLACK MINUTES
Grove Press
2010

Grade: B PLUS

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COUNTRY DRIVING by Peter Hessler

August 17, 2010

LIFE IN RURAL and industrializing China, as seen through an American reporter’s eyes. Fascinating true stories. B PLUS

COUNTRY DRIVING: A JOURNEY THROUGH CHINA FROM FARM TO FACTORY
HarperCollins Publishers
2010

Grade: B PLUS

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PEEP SHOW by Joshua Braff

August 16, 2010

TWO WORLDS COLLIDE for a 17-year-old: his father’s porn theater, and his mother’s newfound Hasidic faith. SOLID B

PEEP SHOW
Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill
2010

Grade: SOLID B

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THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO by Jeremy Black

August 15, 2010

DETAILED RECREATION of the Battle of Waterloo is a treasure trove for devoted military history buffs. B PLUS

THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO
Random House (NY)
2010

Grade: B PLUS

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HALF-PRICE HOMICIDE by Elaine Viets

August 14, 2010

HIGH-SOCIETY SCANDAL, seen from a secondhand store, in newest of the “Dead End Jobs” mystery series. SOLID B #beachread

HALF-PRICE HOMICIDE: A DEAD-END JOB MYSTERY
NAL Hardcover
2010

Grade: SOLID B

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THE POACHER’S SON by Paul Doiron

August 12, 2010

TOUGH-GUY NOIR set in the deep woods of Maine melds twisty plot and strong sense of place, character. B PLUS #beachread

THE POACHER’S SON
St. Martin’s Press
2010

Grade: B PLUS

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LIVES LIKE LOADED GUNS by Lyndall Gordon

ODD, INTERESTING book about poet Emily Dickinson and her family’s conflicts and lawsuits is well researched. SOLID B

LIVES LIKE LOADED GUNS: EMILY DICKINSON AND HER FAMILY’S FEUDS
Viking Books
2010

Grade: SOLID B

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