JUICY 16TH-CENTURY ROYALTY saga; not the Tudors for a change, but Juana of Castile. Great characterizations! B PLUS

REIGN OF MADNESS
Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated
2011

LATEST FLAVIA DE LUCE mystery: the best yet! A must for fans of edgy 11-year-old heroines, English manor houses. B PLUS

A RED HERRING WITHOUT MUSTARD
Delacorte Press
2011

WELL-CRAFTED CAMPUS THRILLER with glitz: GOSSIP GIRL meets THE SECRET HISTORY, maybe? Readable, engaging. B PLUS

THE SIXES
Harper
2011

DISTINGUISHED BIBLICAL SCHOLAR Bart Ehrman’s evidence-based challenge to the Christian canon’s authenticity.

SCREAMINGLY FUNNY ESSAYS, cute and goofy drawings, and other offbeat humor from comedian Demetri Martin. B PLUS

THIS IS A BOOK
Grand Central Publishing
2011

CHILLING EXPOSE OF the international trade in humans and their body parts. Not a fun read, but unforgettable. B PLUS

THE RED MARKET
William Morrow
2011

LOVE, LOSS, POETRY, neighborhood memories, and decaying illusions combine in a bittersweet cocktail of a novel. B PLUS

THE ASTRAL
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
2011

HILARIOUS SLICE-OF-LIFE essays from the irrepressibly entertaining Laurie Notaro. Truly delightful! B PLUS

IT LOOKED DIFFERENT ON THE MODEL: EPIC TALES OF IMPENDING SHAME AND INFAMY
Villard
2011

AN ORDINARY APARTMENT is a nexus for interdimensional beings in this edgy, witty speculative-fiction novel. B PLUS

CHASING THE MOON
Orbit
2011

A FAMILY SHAPED BY generations of guilt and shame gets the full saga treatment in this well-crafted #beachread. B PLUS

MAINE
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
2011