Book reviews and more!

THE UNINVITED, by Liz Jensen

March 16, 2013

CHILLING ECO-HORROR TALE touches on love, innocence, science, history, and the future amid fast-paced thrills.

Grade: B PLUS

THE UNINVITED
Bloomsbury
2013

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THE FIDDLER ON PANTICO RUN by Joe Mozingo

March 15, 2013

A GENEALOGICAL MYSTERY, UNRAVELED, reveals much about US ideas of race. Thought-provoking and engaging. SOLID B

THE FIDDLER ON PANTICO RUN
Free Press
2012

Grade: SOLID B

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THE FIDDLER ON PANTICO RUN, by Joe Mozingo

March 14, 2013

A GENEALOGICAL MYSTERY, UNRAVELED, reveals much about US ideas of race.  Thought-provoking and engaging.

Grade: SOLID B

THE FIDDLER ON PANTICO RUN: AN AFRICAN WARRIOR, HIS WHITE DESCENDANTS, A SEARCH FOR FAMILY
Free Press
2012

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THE DISCIPLE OF LAS VEGAS, by Ian Hamilton

March 13, 2013

GLOBETROTTING FINANCIAL THRILLER stars Ava Lee, a sleuth with gifts for numbers and martial arts. Elegant fun!

Grade: B PLUS

THE DISCIPLE OF LAS VEGAS: AN AVA LEE NOVEL
Picador
2013

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HALLUCINATIONS, by Oliver Sacks

March 12, 2013

INSIDE THE WORLD OF hallucinations with Oliver Sacks, the Willy Wonka of the human brain. Fun, informative.

Grade: B PLUS

HALLUCINATIONS
Knopf
2012

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SKIRT STEAK, by Charlotte Druckman

March 11, 2013

PLAYFUL, ABSORBING DISQUISITION on women as chefs, with lots of interviews, lots of chefs’ perspectives.

Grade: B PLUS

SKIRT STEAK: WOMEN CHEFS ON STANDING THE HEAT AND STAYING IN THE KITCHEN
Chronicle Books
2012

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THE GOOD HOUSE, by Ann Leary

March 10, 2013

VIVID MASSACHUSETTS ATMOSPHERE, “townie”/”incomer” tensions, deftly captured in a tale of gossip and scandal.

Grade: B PLUS

THE GOOD HOUSE
St. Martin's Press
2013

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BAD ANIMALS, by Joel Yanofsky

March 9, 2013

A FATHER’S MEMOIR of his son’s experience of autism reflects their shared humor and bookish quirkiness.

Grade: SOLID B

BAD ANIMALS: A FATHER'S ACCIDENTAL EDUCATION IN AUTISM
Skyhorse Publishing
2012

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BREED, by Chase Novak

March 8, 2013

PERFECTLY POISED BETWEEN nightmare and satire, this horror tale rips into the upscale parenting Zeitgeist.

Grade: SOLID B

BREED
Little, Brown/Mulholland Books
2012

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MA, HE SOLD ME FOR A FEW CIGARETTES, by Martha Long

March 7, 2013

A HORRIFYING CHILDHOOD OF desperate poverty and abuse in 1950s Dublin, vividly recalled.  Harsh, compelling.

Grade: B PLUS

MA, HE SOLD ME FOR A FEW CIGARETTES: A MEMOIR OF DUBLIN IN THE 1950S
Seven Stories Press
2012

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