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LIONHEART, by Sharon Kay Penman

November 30, 2011

EPIC, SWEEPING HISTORICAL novel follows Richard the Lionhearted on crusade. Lots of detail, court intrigue.

Grade: B PLUS

LIONHEART
Putnam
2011

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ELF GIRL, by Rev Jen

November 29, 2011

FUNNY, FUNKY, CUTE, and sometimes bittersweet memoir from an “Art Star” of the Lower East Side’s arts heyday.

Grade: SOLID B

ELF GIRL: A MEMOIR
Gallery Books
2011

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THE SINS OF BROTHER CURTIS, by Lisa Davis

November 28, 2011

INSIDE A COMPLEX, troubling investigation of a multi-victim case of child sexual abuse and its church coverup.

Grade: SOLID B

THE SINS OF BROTHER CURTIS: A STORY OF BETRAYAL, CONVICTION, AND THE MORMON CHURCH
Scribner
2011

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PRACTICAL JEAN, by Trevor Cole

November 27, 2011

CREEPY NOIR COMEDY about a woman who finds her calling in mercy killings–of her perfectly healthy friends.

Grade: SOLID B

PRACTICAL JEAN
Harper Collins
2011

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THE INFERNALS, by John Connolly

November 26, 2011

WONDERFULLY IMAGINATIVE FANTASY riff on a takeover bid in Hell is a YA title plenty sharp enough for grownups.

Grade: SOLID B

THE INFERNALS
Atria
2011

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MISSING, by Lindsay Harrison

November 25, 2011

A YOUNG WRITER’S MEMOIR of her mother’s disappearance eloquently conveys the impact of uncertainty and loss.

Grade: SOLID B

MISSING: A MEMOIR
Scribner
2011

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COOL, CALM & CONTENTIOUS

November 24, 2011

FUNNY, RUEFUL, WISE essays about family dysfunction, celebrity, love, and especially dogs from Merrill Markoe.

Grade: SOLID B

COOL, CALM & CONTENTIOUS
Villard
2011

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THE CURFEW, by Jesse Ball

November 23, 2011

WISTFUL, HAUNTING LITTLE fable of how love, friendship, and imagination persist and flourish under oppression.

Grade: B PLUS

THE CURFEW
Vintage Contemporaries
2011

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SEASON TO TASTE, by Molly Birnbaum

November 22, 2011

A YOUNG WOMAN’S MEMOIR of losing her sense of smell and (spoiler!) regaining it is intriguing, well researched.

Grade: B PLUS

SEASON TO TASTE: HOW I LOST MY SENSE OF SMELL AND FOUND MY WAY
HarperCollins
2011

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I AM HALF SICK OF SHADOWS, by Alan Bradley

November 21, 2011

DECK THE HALLS with Flavia de Luce! The spookily precocious child sleuth returns for a Christmassy whodunit.

Grade: B PLUS

I AM HALF SICK OF SHADOWS: A FLAVIA DE LUCE MYSTERY
Delacorte
2011

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