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THE ORDER OF DAYS, by David Stuart

March 11, 2012

THE ANCIENT MAYA CALENDAR and concept of time explained vividly by a distinguished scholar. Debunks 2012 myths!

Grade: B PLUS

THE ORDER OF DAYS: THE MAYA WORLD AND THE TRUTH ABOUT 2012
Crown
2011

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MARY BOLEYN, by Alison Weir

March 10, 2012

MARY BOLEYN, MISTRESS and later sister-in-law to Henry VIII, is richly envisioned in this adept biography.

Grade: B PLUS

MARY BOLEYN: MISTRESS OF KINGS
Ballantine
2011

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RAN AWAY, by Barbara Hambly

March 9, 2012

19th CENTURY NEW ORLEANS is the setting for a well-crafted, complex mystery with a free man of color as sleuth.

Grade: B PLUS

RAN AWAY
Severn House
2012

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BACK IN THE HABIT, by Alice Loweecey

March 8, 2012

ENGAGING MYSTERY STARS an ex-nun turned sleuth, unwillingly returning to her old convent to solve a murder.

Grade: SOLID B

BACK IN THE HABIT: A FALCONE AND DRISCOLL INVESTIGATION
Midnight Ink
2012

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SEE ME NAKED, by Amy Frykholm

March 7, 2012

THOUGHTFUL COLLECTION OF people’s true stories about reconciling their sexuality with their Christian beliefs.

Grade: B PLUS

SEE ME NAKED: STORIES OF SEXUAL EXILE IN AMERICAN CHRISTIANITY
Beacon Press
2011

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THE EXTERMINATORS, by Bill Fitzhugh

March 6, 2012

FUNNY, CLEVERLY WROUGHT, occasionally gory tale of pest control professionals on the run from assassins.

Grade: B PLUS

THE EXTERMINATORS: AN ASSASSIN BUG THRILLER
Poisoned Pen Press
2012

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CONTENTS MAY HAVE SHIFTED, by Pam Houston

March 5, 2012

PAM HOUSTON’S NOVEL mixes travel narratives with tales of difficult relationships; alas, vaguely unsatisfying.

Grade: B MINUS

CONTENTS MAY HAVE SHIFTED: A NOVEL
W. W. Norton & Company
2012

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THE DARK ROSE, by Erin Kelly

March 4, 2012

INTRICATE PSYCHOLOGICAL SUSPENSE novel follows two loners and the secrets they carry to the English countryside.

Grade: B PLUS

THE DARK ROSE
Penguin/Pamela Dorman Books
2012

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HITCHERS, by Will McIntosh

March 3, 2012

COMPLEX, ULTRA-SMART PARANORMAL thriller takes us inside an epidemic where people are possessed by angry ghosts.

Grade: B PLUS

HITCHERS
Night Shade Books
2012

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PARTS OF A WORLD, by A. G. Mojtabai

March 2, 2012

POETIC AND TROUBLING novel follows a social worker’s loss of faith in himself, obsession with a homeless client.

Grade: B PLUS

PARTS OF A WORLD
Northwestern University Press
2011

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