FUNNY, FASCINATING, fact-filled look at invented languages from Esperanto to Klingon makes for a great beach read. SOLID A

IN THE LAND OF INVENTED LANGUAGES: ESPERANTO ROCK STARS, KLINGON POETS, LOGLAN LOVERS, AND THE MAD DREAMERS WHO TRIED TO BUILD A PERFECT LANGUAGE
Spiegel & Grau
2009

PRIVATE-EYE ROMP with wisecracking Latina detective scores on charm, originality, but the plot never catches fire. B MINUS

LIVING THE VIDA LOLA: A LOLA CRUZ MYSTERY (LOLA CRUZ MYSTERIES)
Minotaur Books
2009

THE FUNNIEST, most touching book ever written about instant ramen, sex addiction, and the meaning of life. A MINUS

THE RAMEN KING AND I: HOW THE INVENTOR OF INSTANT NOODLES FIXED MY LOVE LIFE
Gotham Books
2009

ORANGE COUNTY through the eyes of the creator of “Ask A Mexican!”; well-researched, irreverent, poignant, and real. B PLUS

ORANGE COUNTY: A PERSONAL HISTORY by Gustavo Arellano
New York: Simon and Schuster
September 2008

RICHLY DETAILED BIOGRAPHY of Victorian England’s greatest acting duo follows the public and private lives of each. A MINUS

A STRANGE EVENTFUL HISTORY: THE DRAMATIC LIVES OF ELLEN TERRY, HENRY IRVING, AND THEIR REMARKABLE FAMILIES by Michael Holroyd
New York: Farrar Straus Giroux
March 2009

AN EVANGELICAL GIRLHOOD in 1970s Missouri, remembered with a refreshing touch of sardonic, yet always loving, wit. B PLUS

DATING JESUS: A STORY OF FUNDAMENTALISM, FEMINISM, AND THE AMERICAN GIRL by Susan Campbell
Boston: Beacon Press
January 2009

CHATTY, breezy look at the business and culture of defying the aging process engages, but avoids the big questions. B PLUS

DRINKING PROBLEMS AT THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH by Beth Teitell
New York: William Morrow
October 2008

SWEET MEMOIR of growing up Japanese in rural Indiana has charm, poignancy, but may seem slight to some readers. B PLUS

BENTO BOX IN THE HEARTLAND: MY JAPANESE GIRLHOOD IN WHITEBREAD AMERICA by Linda Furiya
Berkeley, CA: Seal Press
January 2009

SPOOKY TALE outlines a grim near-future in spare, simple language reminiscent of Palahniuk, early Stephen King. A MINUS

THE SUICIDE COLLECTORS by David Oppegaard
New York: St. Martin’s Press
December 2008

LITERATE CHICKFIC with a few new twists: artist heroine, composer hero, grad-school setting. Still, familiar turf. B PLUS

EVERYONE IS BEAUTIFUL by Katherine Center
New York: Ballantine Books
February 2009