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YES, CHEF, by Marcus Samuelsson

October 21, 2012

THE FASCINATING LIFE AND WORK of chef Marcus Samuelsson, a Swedish adoptee from Ethiopia. Revealing, touching!

Grade: B PLUS

YES, CHEF: A MEMOIR
Random House
2012

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THE ROUND HOUSE, by Louise Erdrich

October 20, 2012

POWERFUL, DELICATELY SKETCHED portrait of an Ojibwe family in crisis, through the eyes of a 13-year-old boy.

Grade: A MINUS

THE ROUND HOUSE
HarperCollins
2012

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FALLING IN LOVE WITH JOSEPH SMITH, by Jane Barnes

October 19, 2012

CANDID MEMOIR OF a researcher’s surprising (to her) enchantment with her subject, Mormon founder Joseph Smith.

Grade: SOLID B

FALLING IN LOVE WITH JOSEPH SMITH: MY SEARCH FOR THE REAL PROPHET
Tarcher
2012

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THE RUINS OF LACE, by Iris Anthony

October 18, 2012

UNUSUAL HISTORICAL DRAMA revolves around the smuggling trade that trafficked Flemish lace into 1630s France.

Grade: B MINUS

THE RUINS OF LACE
Sourcebooks
2012

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A BIT OF DIFFERENCE, by Sefi Atta

October 17, 2012

QUIETLY COMPELLING NOVEL focuses on a Nigerian expatriate in London, and her sense of alienation even at home.

Grade: B PLUS

A BIT OF DIFFERENCE
Interlink Publishing Group
2012

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HIDDEN THINGS, by Doyce Testerman

October 16, 2012

VIVID CONTEMPORARY FANTASY follows a detective’s search for her missing partner. Scary creatures, noir zing!

Grade: B PLUS

HIDDEN THINGS
Harper Voyager
2012

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GUN DEALERS’ DAUGHTER, by Gina Apostol

October 15, 2012

A FILIPINA HEIRESS TURNED revolutionary takes center stage in a novel marvelously evocative of the Marcos era.

Grade: A MINUS

GUN DEALERS' DAUGHTER
W. W. Norton & Company
2012

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BURIED IN THE SKY, by Peter Zuckerman and Amanda Padoan

October 14, 2012

GRIPPING ACCOUNT OF THE 2008 disaster on K2, the most dangerous Himalayan peak, focuses on two Sherpa climbers.

Grade: SOLID B

BURIED IN THE SKY: THE EXTRAORDINARY STORY OF THE SHERPA CLIMBERS ON K2'S MOST DANGEROUS DAY
W. W. Norton & Company
2012

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THE RULES OF INHERITANCE, by Claire Bidwell Smith

October 13, 2012

OPEN, EVOCATIVE MEMOIR by a woman who lost her mother in her late teens, her father in her twenties—powerful!

Grade: SOLID B

THE RULES OF INHERITANCE
Hudson Street Press
2012

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IMMOBILITY, by Brian Evenson

October 12, 2012

POST-APOCALYPTIC THRILLER’S ANTIHERO is amnesiac, recently unfrozen—still a quintessentially noir detective.

Grade: B PLUS

IMMOBILITY
Tor
2012

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