MAGIC (SOVIET) REALISM in this little parable inspired by the endless lines of Moscow; truly touching moments. SOLID B

THE LINE
Putnam Adult
2010

PART WORLD WAR II SPY thriller, part proto-cyberpunk SF, part demon-haunted fantasy, completely fascinating. B PLUS

BITTER SEEDS
Tor Books
2010

DELIGHTFULLY COMPLEX gangster thriller is Thomas Perry at his finest. Seedy LA detail adds richness, texture. A MINUS

STRIP
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
2010

FASCINATING, WELL RESEARCHED history of the Statue of Liberty is entertaining read, great scholarly resource. A MINUS

ENLIGHTENING THE WORLD: THE CREATION OF THE STATUE OF LIBERTY
Cornell University Press
2010

POINTED SATIRE of celebrity scientists, jet-set environmentalists is blunted a bit by unappealing protagonist. B PLUS

SOLAR
Nan A. Talese
2010

LUMINOUS, DELICATE, wistful novel-in-stories focuses on the staff of an international newspaper in decline. A MINUS

THE IMPERFECTIONISTS
Dial Press
2010

WELL-CONSTRUCTED MYSTERY, rich in regional Canadian (Saskatchewan!) detail and intrigue; twelfth in a series. SOLID B

THE NESTING DOLLS
McClelland & Stewart Ltd.
2010

EASY TO READ despite impressive breadth of research, this history of Prohibition in the US is smart and funny. B PLUS

LAST CALL: THE RISE AND FALL OF PROHIBITION
Scribner Book Company
2010

COMPLEX STRUCTURE may not be for everyone, but there are great details in this sprawling music-industry saga. SOLID B

A VISIT FROM THE GOON SQUAD
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
2010

A SHELTERED WHITE SUBURBANITE gets 15 months in federal women’s prison: interesting, often insightful memoir. B PLUS

ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK: MY YEAR IN A WOMEN’S PRISON
Spiegel & Grau
2010