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MONEYMAKERS, by Ben Tarnoff

February 28, 2011

AMERICA’S OBSESSION with money explored through quirky biographies of 18th and 19th- century counterfeiters.

Grade: B PLUS

MONEYMAKERS
Penguin
2011

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THE DERVISH HOUSE, by Ian McDonald

February 27, 2011

CULTURE CLASHES, NANOTECHNOLOGY are flashpoints for this suspenseful SF novel set in a near-future Istanbul.

Grade: B PLUS

THE DERVISH HOUSE
Pyr
2010

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THE HEIR, by Grace Burrowes

February 26, 2011

EROTIC REGENCY gets an A for playful, sexy fun and complex characters, but draws a D for historical accuracy.

Grade: SOLID B

THE HEIR
Sourcebooks
2010

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SLEEPWALK WITH ME, by Mike Birbiglia

February 25, 2011

THE FUNNIEST BOOK yet about sleep disorders! A comedian’s jokey, frank memoir of these and other challenges.

Grade: B PLUS

SLEEPWALK WITH ME
Simon and Schuster
2010

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THE ORCHID AFFAIR, by Lauren Willig

February 24, 2011

DELIGHTFUL HISTORICAL ADVENTURE continues Lauren Willig’s series of spy romps with strong, smart heroines.

Grade: B PLUS

THE ORCHID AFFAIR
Dutton
2011

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I’LL MATURE WHEN I’M DEAD, by Dave Barry

February 23, 2011

DAVE BARRY does his Dave Barry thing. Highlights: a hilarious TWILIGHT parody; a guide to ridiculous dogs.

Grade: B PLUS

I'LL MATURE WHEN I'M DEAD
Penguin
2010

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IN UTOPIA, by J. C. Hallman

February 22, 2011

IDEALS OF UTOPIA explored in the context of today’s planned environments; reportage adds fun to philosophizing.

Grade: SOLID B

IN UTOPIA
St. Martin's
2010

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FATED, by S. G. Browne

February 21, 2011

FUNNY DUDEBRO TWIST on the “immortal being falls in love with human” trope; New York setting adds grit.

Grade: SOLID B

FATED
Penguin
2010

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DISASTER PREPAREDNESS, by Heather Havrilesky

February 20, 2011

BRUTALLY CANDID, SNARKILY funny memoir of an anxious childhood in 1970s North Carolina.

Grade: B PLUS

DISASTER PREPAREDNESS
Riverhead
2010

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THE HISTORY OF HISTORY, by Ida Hattemer-Higgins

February 19, 2011

COMPLEX NOVEL portrays a troubled young woman–a US expatriate in Berlin–literally haunted by Nazi history.

Grade: SOLID B

THE HISTORY OF HISTORY
Doubleday
2011

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