May 13, 2012
MARVELOUSLY CRAFTED NOVEL of an expatriate returning to England and being caught up in a 60-year-old murder.
Grade: A MINUS
BEFORE THE POISON
William Morrow
2012
Tags: A Minus Reviews, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Novels
May 12, 2012
THE EXTRAORDINARY LITERARY HISTORY of gay writers in America, particularly in the 20th and 21st centuries.
Grade: B PLUS
EMINENT OUTLAWS: THE GAY WRITERS WHO CHANGED AMERICA
Grand Central
2012
Tags: B Plus Reviews, LGBTQ Interest, Literary History, Non-Fiction, Social and Cultural Commentary
May 11, 2012
ENGROSSING ALTERNATE HISTORY thriller inverts the War on Terror in a parallel universe. Beautifully done!
Grade: B PLUS
THE MIRAGE
Harper
2012
Tags: Alternate History, B Plus Reviews, Novels, Science Fiction, Thriller
May 10, 2012
ENTERTAINING MEMOIR FOLLOWS a woman’s journey from cult film stardom to marijuana farming (and back out!)
Grade: SOLID B
GROWGIRL: HOW MY LIFE AFTER THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT WENT TO POT
Penguin
2012
Tags: California, Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Solid B Reviews
May 9, 2012
MULTIGENERATIONAL FAMILY SAGA takes on class, race, adoption, reproductive rights, but never quite comes alive.
Grade: SOLID B
THE POSSIBILITY OF YOU
Gallery Books
2012
Tags: Historical Fiction, Novels, Solid B Reviews, Women's Fiction
May 8, 2012
FASCINATING TRUE STORY of a 1919 confidence game (and the victim’s revenge) sheds light on the history of scams.
Grade: B PLUS
THE MARK INSIDE: A PERFECT SWINDLE, A CUNNING REVENGE, AND A SMALL HISTORY OF THE BIG CON
Knopf
2012
Tags: B Plus Reviews, History, Non-Fiction, Social and Cultural Commentary, Social History, Texas, True Crime, United States
May 7, 2012
THE IMPACTS OF HUMAN society on the evolution of other species, and vice versa, explored with admirable clarity.
Grade: B PLUS
EVOLUTIONARY HISTORY: UNITING HISTORY AND BIOLOGY TO UNDERSTAND LIFE ON EARTH
Cambridge University Press
2011
Tags: B Plus Reviews, Health, History, History of Science, Non-Fiction, Science
May 6, 2012
MAGNIFICENTLY ENTERTAINING SOAP-OPERA tale of a woman finding a secret society/support group for spurned wives.
Grade: B PLUS
SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER
Kensington/Dafina
2011
Tags: African American Writers, B Plus Reviews, Black Writers, Novels, Women's Fiction
May 5, 2012
GORGEOUS GRAPHIC NOVEL looks at three generations of the Irish-American experience through interlocking tales.
Grade: B PLUS
GONE TO AMERIKAY
Vertigo
2012
Tags: B Plus Reviews, Graphic Novels, Historical Fiction, Ireland, New York City, Social and Cultural Commentary
May 4, 2012
A LAID-BACK LOOK AT a wide range of “clean energy” inventors, from the mainstream to the maverick. Fascinating!
Grade: SOLID B
MAD LIKE TESLA: UNDERDOG INVENTORS AND THE RELENTLESS PURSUIT OF CLEAN ENERGY
ECW Press
2011
Tags: History of Science, Non-Fiction, Science, Social and Cultural Commentary, Solid B Reviews