CLIMBER GEORGE MALLORY and his fatal 1924 attempt to summit Everest, explored in vivid, fascinating detail. B PLUS

LAST HOURS ON EVEREST
Collins Publishers
2013

WILD, ONLY-IN-MIAMI comic caper from the inimitable Dave Barry. Lots of action, laughs in this fun #beachread. B PLUS

INSANE CITY
Putnam Adult
2013

FASCINATING TRUE CRIME story of a brilliant academic whose career was cut short by his high-profile felonies. B PLUS

THE STRANGE CASE OF THE MAD PROFESSOR : A TRUE TALE OF ENDANGERED SPECIES, ILLEGAL DRUGS, AND ATTEMPTED MURDER
Lyons Press
2013

FASCINATING TRUE CRIME story of a brilliant academic whose career was cut short by his high-profile felonies.

INTRIGUING HISTORICAL NOVEL combines a lively evocation of 1920s New York with psychological twists and turns. B PLUS

THE OTHER TYPIST
Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam
2013

BIG, MYTHIC HORROR from Joe Hill, full of Americana, local color, a little sardonic humor. Scary #beachread! B PLUS

NOS4A2
William Morrow
2013

LOSING 180 POUNDS: how it changed one woman’s life for good (and ill). Devastatingly honest, quirky memoir. B PLUS

STRANGER HERE : HOW WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY TRANSFORMED MY BODY AND MESSED WITH MY HEAD
Seal Press (CA)
2013

LOVE IN A HIGH-TECH FUTURE, bleak despite a century’s scientific advancement. Smart, emotionally engaging SF. B PLUS

LOVE MINUS EIGHTY
Orbit
2013

A VERY ENGLISH GHOST story, complete with family secrets and haunted house. Crisp writing, strong characters. B PLUS

THE SILENCE
Severn House
2013

A YEAR OF LIVING MARTHA-STYLE (Martha Stewart, that is) with the delightfully snarky Jen Lancaster. #beachread B PLUS

THE TAO OF MARTHA: MY YEAR OF LIVING; OR, WHY I’M NEVER GETTING ALL THAT GLITTER OFF OF THE DOG
NAL Trade
2014