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DEEP STATE, by Walter Jon Williams

April 20, 2011

MASSIVE ONLINE GAMES collide with real-world politics in this technothriller from the great Walter Jon Williams.

Grade: B PLUS

DEEP STATE
Orbit
2011

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POSER, by Claire Dederer

April 19, 2011

BREEZY, OPEN-HEARTED memoir centers around yoga as a metaphor for life; introspection is balanced by light tone.

Grade: B PLUS

POSER: MY LIFE IN TWENTY-THREE YOGA POSES
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
2010

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REVOLUTION WORLD, by Katy Stauber

April 18, 2011

A PICARESQUE FUTURE TEXAS, plus riotgrrl gene splicers, mutant rabbits, vampires, and online revolutions = fun!

Grade: B PLUS

REVOLUTION WORLD
Night Shade Books
2011

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LAY THE FAVORITE, by Beth Raymer

April 17, 2011

SNARKY, ODDLY SWEET memoir of a young woman’s days in the nerds-gone-Damon Runyon world of sports betting.

Grade: SOLID B

LAY THE FAVORITE
Spiegel & Grau
2010

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HOW TO MELLIFY A CORPSE, by Vicki León

April 16, 2011

LIGHT-HEARTED COMPENDIUM of facts about science and superstition in ancient Greece and Rome is surprising fun.

Grade: SOLID B

HOW TO MELLIFY A CORPSE: AND OTHER HUMAN STORIES OF ANCIENT SCIENCE AND SUPERSTITION
Walker & Company
2010

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DEATH IN A SCARLET COAT, by David Dickinson

April 15, 2011

ENJOYABLE EDWARDIAN WHODUNNIT features an aristocratic detective, a dead foxhunting Earl, and a juicy mystery.

Grade: SOLID B

DEATH IN A SCARLET COAT
Soho/Constable
2011

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THE COMPANION, by Lorcan Roche

April 14, 2011

ANGRY, ELOQUENT novel explores families through the eyes of a young Irishman working as a caregiver in New York.

Grade: B PLUS

THE COMPANION
Europa Editions
2010

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THE POISON TREE, by Erin Kelly

April 13, 2011

SPOOKY, ATMOSPHERIC, STYLISH novel about obsession and family–BRIDESHEAD REVISITED times THE SECRET HISTORY!

Grade: A MINUS

THE POISON TREE
Viking/Pamela Dorman Books
2011

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HEARTSTONE, by C. J. Sansom

April 12, 2011

GRAND TUDOR EPIC is also a tightly plotted mystery/thriller, and sheer page-turning delight for history buffs!

Grade: B PLUS

HEARTSTONE
Viking
2011

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THE SECRET LIVES OF DRESSES, by Erin McKean

April 11, 2011

ROMANCE IS ALMOST an afterthought in this sweet, charming chick-lit book that celebrates grandmotherly love.

Grade: SOLID B

THE SECRET LIVES OF DRESSES
Grand Central Publishing
2011

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