ATMOSPHERIC, ELOQUENT novel paints a delicate portrait of the last years of the British occupation of Cyprus. B PLUS

SMALL WARS
HarperCollins Publishers
2010

WOMEN”S FRIENDSHIP, CELEBRITY and the end of a marriage are center stage in Kate Christensen’s novel of midlife. B PLUS

TROUBLE
Doubleday
2009

FASCINATING, COMPASSIONATE book about pain by an MD who’s also a literary scholar, critical-illness survivor. A MINUS

THE LANGUAGE OF PAIN: FINDING WORDS, COMPASSION, AND RELIEF
W. W. Norton & Company
2010

FAST-PACED WALL STREET THRILLER is rich in insider detail, twists and turns. Characterization a bit flat, alas. SOLID B

TOP PRODUCER
St. Martin’s Press
2009

FASCINATING BIOGRAPHY of Mildred Burke, who pioneered professional women’s wrestling in the 1930s. Eye-opening! B PLUS

THE QUEEN OF THE RING: SEX, MUSCLES, DIAMONDS, AND THE MAKING OF AN AMERICAN LEGEND
Grove/Atlantic, Inc.
2009

GENTLE, COMPELLING novel about the working-class Englishwoman who was the 19th century’s greatest fossil-hunter. B PLUS

REMARKABLE CREATURES
Dutton Books
2010

WARMHEARTED STUNT BOOK by “Yes Man” Danny Wallace follows him as he reconnects with childhood friends. Good fun! B PLUS

FRIENDS LIKE THESE: MY WORLDWIDE QUEST TO FIND MY BEST CHILDHOOD FRIENDS, KNOCK ON THEIR DOORS, AND ASK THEM TO COME OUT AND PLAY
Little Brown and Company
2009

SWEEPING NOVEL of 40 years in the rock-band business has tons of insider detail, but old-fashioned prose style. SOLID B

EVENING’S EMPIRE
Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group
2010