Book reviews and more!

AN AVAILABLE MAN, by Hilma Wolitzer

April 3, 2012

WARM-HEARTED, THOUGHTFUL NOVEL follows an introspective man through his first year of widowerhood into new love.

Grade: B PLUS

AN AVAILABLE MAN
Ballantine
2012

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SIMON: THE GENIUS IN MY BASEMENT, by Alexander Masters

April 2, 2012

WHIMSICAL BIOGRAPHY OF a quirky, little-known English mathematical genius and public transportation advocate.

Grade: B MINUS

SIMON: THE GENIUS IN MY BASEMENT
Delacorte
2012

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HOW IT ALL BEGAN, by Penelope Lively

April 1, 2012

A GROUP OF LONDONERS’ lives are changed by a chance event in this delightfully complex comedy of manners.

Grade: B PLUS

HOW IT ALL BEGAN
Viking
2012

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CURSE THE NAMES, by Robert Arellano

March 31, 2012

NUCLEAR, EXISTENTIAL, PARANORMAL horror combine in this evocative novel set in Los Alamos and the NM wilds.

Grade: SOLID B

CURSE THE NAMES
Akashic Books
2011

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THE BOY IN THE SUITCASE, by Lene Kaaberbøl and Agnete Friis

March 30, 2012

TAUT DANISH THRILLER follows an abducted toddler and his Red Cross nurse rescuer on the run. Chilling!

Grade: SOLID B

THE BOY IN THE SUITCASE
Soho Crime
2011

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EMMA GOLDMAN: REVOLUTION AS A WAY OF LIFE, by Vivian Gornick

March 29, 2012

VIVID PICTURES OF the revolutionary Emma Goldman shine in a short, beautifully-crafted bio by Vivian Gornick.

Grade: SOLID B

EMMA GOLDMAN: REVOLUTION AS A WAY OF LIFE
Yale University Press
2011

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ASSUMPTION, by Percival Everett

March 28, 2012

LITERARY MEETS NOIR in Percival Everett’s latest novel, a complex and playful twist on police procedurals.

Grade: B PLUS

ASSUMPTION
Graywolf Press
2011

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WAYWARD SAINTS, by Suzzy Roche

March 27, 2012

FOLK-POP ICON Suzzy Roche’s debut novel has all the charm, heart, and wild surrealist humor of her music.

Grade: B PLUS

WAYWARD SAINTS
Hyperion
2012

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DEMON FISH, by Juliet Eilperin

March 26, 2012

THE SECRET WORLD OF SHARKS comes alive in this easy-going, anecdotal, but thoroughly researched book.

Grade: SOLID B

DEMON FISH: TRAVELS THROUGH THE HIDDEN WORLD OF SHARKS
Pantheon
2011

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JUST MY TYPE, by Simon Garfield

March 25, 2012

CHATTY, IRREVERENT HISTORY of typeface design is delightful fun for font nerds and neophytes alike.

Grade: SOLID B

JUST MY TYPE: A BOOK ABOUT FONTS
Penguin
2011

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