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MALA VIDA (HARDCOVER) by Marc Fernandez

January 31, 2019

A MURDER IN MADRID starts uncovering some dark secrets long kept by supporters of Spain’s brutal Franco dictatorship. Sharp, insightful thriller. B PLUS

MALA VIDA (HARDCOVER)
Arcade
2019

Grade: B PLUS

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WHITE POINTER by John Lee Schneider

January 28, 2019

A ROGUE SHARK MENACES a California beach, and an unlikely duo of scientist and surf bum fight to find out why. Vivid excitement! B PLUS

WHITE POINTER
Severed Press
2018

Grade: B PLUS

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WHY WE DREAM by Alice Robb

January 26, 2019

THE SCIENCE AND STUDY OF DREAMS, from neuroscience labs to informal groups. Engaging and thought-provoking. B PLUS

WHY WE DREAM : THE TRANSFORMATIVE POWER OF OUR NIGHTLY JOURNEY
Eamon Dolan/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
2018

Grade: B PLUS

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THE BAGHDAD CLOCK (HARDCOVER) by Shahad Al Rawi

January 24, 2019

A BAGHDAD CHILD’S TALES of her neighborhood as it dissolves under the strains of war. Beautiful, dreamlike novel. B PLUS

THE BAGHDAD CLOCK (HARDCOVER)
ONEWorld Publications
2018

Grade: B PLUS

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OVER A GOD’S DEAD BODY by Joel Spriggs

January 21, 2019

FAST-PACED COMIC FANTASY: a group of mythological beings descend on a small college town to battle over a god’s remains. Lots of fun! B PLUS

OVER A GOD’S DEAD BODY: A SUPERNATURAL COMEDY
Joel Spriggs
2018

Grade: B PLUS

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BEFORE SHE SLEEPS (HARDCOVER) by Bina Shah

January 19, 2019

IN A POST-APOCALYPSE WORLD where women are scarce, one group rebels against a society’s strictures. Fascinating, edgy SF. A MINUS

BEFORE SHE SLEEPS (HARDCOVER)
Delphinium
2018

Grade: A MINUS

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CRAVE by Christine S. O’Brien

January 17, 2019

FEAR, FOOD, AND HOPE, and how they shaped a writer’s childhood of alternative medicine and “healing diets.” Kindly but harrowing memoir. B PLUS

CRAVE : A MEMOIR OF FOOD AND LONGING
St. Martin’s Press
2018

Grade: B PLUS

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THE BATTLE OF LINCOLN PARK by Daniel Kay Hertz

January 14, 2019

THE ROOTS OF GENTRIFICATION in one Chicago neighborhood, traced back to 20th century “urban renewal” and “neighborhood conservation” initiatives. Insightful social history! B PLUS

THE BATTLE OF LINCOLN PARK: URBAN RENEWAL AND GENTRIFICATION IN CHICAGO
Belt Publishing
2018

Grade: B PLUS

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PARIS ECHO by Sebastian Faulks

January 12, 2019

TWO EXPATRIATES IN PARIS, an American historian and a young Moroccan student, haunted by history—and perhaps actual ghosts. SOLID B

PARIS ECHO
Henry Holt & Company
2018

Grade: SOLID B

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THE BEST BAD THINGS (HARDCOVER) by Katrina Carrasco

January 10, 2019

A FIERCE WOMAN DETECTIVE fights and sleuths her way through a smuggling scheme in 1887’s Washington Territory. Vivid and exciting! A MINUS

THE BEST BAD THINGS (HARDCOVER)
MCD
2018

Grade: A MINUS

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