MORE WELL-WRITTEN SHERLOCK HOLMES stories from Donald Thomas; historical detail, Doyle-worthy characterization. SOLID B

SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE KING’S EVIL: AND OTHER NEW TALES FEATURING THE WORLD’S GREATEST DETECTIVE
Pegasus
2009

CHARMING, RAMBLING, HAZY memoir by founding Saturday Night Live writer, Al Franken’s comedy partner. Crazy 70s fun. SOLID B

THIRTY-NINE YEARS OF SHORT-TERM MEMORY LOSS: THE EARLY DAYS OF SNL FROM SOMEONE WHO WAS THERE
Grove Press
2009

WACKY, LIGHTHEARTED CAPER novel with a gay angle and a bit of Hollywood glitz, glam. Over-the-top fun! SOLID B #beachread

STRAIGHT LIES
Kensington
2009

IMAGE-RICH, SMART RETROSPECTIVE traces the origins of spy icon James Bond in the life of his creator, Ian Fleming. SOLID B

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY: IAN FLEMING + JAMES BOND
Bloomsbury UK
2008

FICTIONAL GUIDE to the nitty-gritty of life on a future inhabited Mars offers food for thought along with laughs. SOLID B

HOW TO LIVE ON MARS: A TRUSTY GUIDEBOOK TO SURVIVING AND THRIVING ON THE RED PLANET
Crown Publishing Group
2008

HARROWING, candid, surprisingly funny memoir of life in a family where mom, dad, 2 kids were diagnosed as bipolar. SOLID B

SCATTERSHOT: MY BIPOLAR FAMILY
Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated
2008

1931 HOLLYWOOD is the setting for a noir detective novel. Rich details of time, place get lost in too-complex plot. SOLID B

DEATH WAS IN THE PICTURE: A MYSTERY
Minotaur Books
2009

MATHEMATICAL MODELS/algorithms, and how they’re being used to describe/predict human behavior, chattily presented. SOLID B

THE NUMERATI by Stephen Baker
New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
August 2008