THOUGHTS ON FACING LIFE challenges–from hip replacement to the joy of a new dog–with grace. Charming, wry. B PLUS

NEW LIFE, NO INSTRUCTIONS
Random House
2014

AN UNLIKELY QUINTET OF SLEUTHS (four elderly Italian barflies and a young bartender) solve a local murder. B PLUS

GAME FOR FIVE
Europa Editions, Incorporated
2014

A WRITER REDISCOVERS HER mother’s virtues in challenging times. Lovely, loving memoir is both sweet and wry. B PLUS

GLITTER AND GLUE
Ballantine Books
2014

BOSTON’S INDIE ROCK scene in the 1980s, vividly evoked in a smart, gritty tale of a young band on the rise. B PLUS

NEXT BIG THING
self-published
2013

A FAST-PACED HIGH-TECH THRILLER about a secret war between the US and China, and the rogue unit fighting it. B PLUS

THE ASCENDANT
Simon & Schuster
2014

A PROVOCATIVE, INSIGHTFUL INQUIRY into whether some US and UK anti-terrorism initiatives foster Islamophobia. B PLUS

THE MUSLIMS ARE COMING!: ISLAMOPHOBIA, EXTREMISM, AND THE DOMESTIC WAR ON TERROR
Verso Books
2014

PRECOCIOUS ENGLISH SLEUTH Flavia de Luce’s toughest mystery ever: untangling war secrets and family legends. B PLUS

THE DEAD IN THEIR VAULTED ARCHES: A FLAVIA DE LUCE NOVEL
Delacorte Press
2014

IN AN INSOMNIAC APOCALYPSE, the few who can still sleep struggle to survive. Terrifying near-future thriller! B PLUS

BLACK MOON
Hogarth
2014

SLEEP SCIENCE! A DELIGHTFUL, informative overview of research on sleep, complete with charming illustrations. B PLUS

THE SECRET WORLD OF SLEEP
Palgrave Macmillan
2013

ENCHANTING, POETIC HISTORICAL novel tells the tale of a hermit nun in 12th century France. Gorgeous writing! B PLUS

THE CASTLE OF WHISPERS
Europa Editions, Incorporated
2014