Book reviews and more!

BEFORE THE POISON, by Peter Robinson

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

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EMINENT OUTLAWS, by Christopher Bram

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

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THE MIRAGE, by Matt Ruff

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

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GROWGIRL, by Heather Donahue

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

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THE POSSIBILITY OF YOU, by Pamela Redmond

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

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THE MARK INSIDE, by Amy Reading

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

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EVOLUTIONARY HISTORY, by Edmund Russell

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

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SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER, by Grace Octavia

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

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GONE TO AMERIKAY, by Derek McCulloch and Colleen Doran

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

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MAD LIKE TESLA, by Tyler Hamilton

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

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