INTRIGUING NEAPOLITAN NOIR mystery features an unlikely team of detectives solving a complex murder case. B PLUS

THREE, IMPERFECT NUMBER
Europa Editions, Incorporated
2013

WELL-REASONED POLEMIC FROM Julia Serano on the need for more inclusivity in feminist and queer activism. B PLUS

EXCLUDED
Seal Press
2013

INDIA’S “PINK GANG,” a grassroots women’s advocacy and self-help group, profiled in this inspiring book. B PLUS

PINK SARI REVOLUTION: A TALE OF WOMEN AND POWER IN INDIA
Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.
2013

ENGAGING RIFF ON the science-fiction standby of alien abduction shines with its humor, but could use editing. B MINUS

SEQUENCE
Adam Moon
2013

Science fiction and humor can be a tricky combination. When done well, the result can be as memorable as The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy; when handled clumsily…well, it’s best to pass over those books in silence. In his book Sequence, Adam Moon shows a gift for incorporating everyday humor into a familiar science-fiction plot.

Moon’s protagonist, Chris, is an average bro abducted by advanced aliens onto an ark-style spaceship for experimental breeding purposes. Where Moon absolutely shines is in catching the comedy inherent in a completely ordinary guy’s reaction to an extraordinary, and often imagined, situation. Chris knows enough about the conventions of UFO stories to understand that he’s an unlikely hero, but he’s also comfortable enough in his own skin to talk back to the aliens he encounters, and to trust in his own instincts even in these bizarre circumstances.

Comedy is hard, and Moon’s skill with it is impressive. Where the book falls a bit short is in its mechanics; the prose is still rough enough to distract from the story in places. All in all, though, Sequence is an enjoyable read.

ENGAGING RIFF ON the science-fiction standby of alien abduction shines with its humor, but could use editing.

CAPTURED BY THE CONFEDERACY, two New York reporters write from Civil War prisons. History reads like a novel! B PLUS

JUNIUS AND ALBERT’S ADVENTURES IN THE CONFEDERACY : A CIVIL WAR ODYSSEY
PublicAffairs
2013

A GRAND, EXTRAVAGANT LOVE letter to Dickens, to fine art, to New York, to the intricacies of the human heart. B PLUS

THE GOLDFINCH
Little
2013

Thanks to some good feedback from authors published by small presses and micropresses, I’ve decided to alternate Self-Publisher Sundays and Small Press Sundays here at Booktweeting.

“Small presses,” for the purposes of November’s reviews, will be limited to publishers putting out twelve or fewer titles per year; I’ll revisit that definition on the basis of reader feedback.

If you’d like to submit a small-press book for consideration, email me at Booktweeting {at} gmail [dot] com.

Self-Publisher Sundays return in December!

EXISTENTIAL DETECTIVE CLAIRE DEWITT investigates an old flame’s death in this philosophical California noir. B PLUS

CLAIRE DEWITT AND THE BOHEMIAN HIGHWAY
Mariner Books
2014