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THE UNCOUPLING by Meg Wolitzer

June 30, 2011

AMBITIOUS, QUIRKY PARABLE of NJ suburbanites compelled to reenact LYSISTRATA’s sex strike feels a bit uneven. SOLID B

THE UNCOUPLING
Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated
2011

Grade: SOLID B

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LIES THAT CHELSEA HANDLER TOLD ME by Chelsea Handler

June 29, 2011

FANS OF CHELSEA HANDLER will laugh at these stories about her many pranks and impostures; others might shrug. SOLID B

LIES THAT CHELSEA HANDLER TOLD ME
Grand Central Publishing
2011

Grade: SOLID B

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RED DUST ROAD by Jackie Kay

June 28, 2011

DISTINGUISHED SCOTTISH POET, essayist, novelist Jackie Kay’s amazing memoir about finding her birth parents. A MINUS

RED DUST ROAD: AN AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL JOURNEY
ATLAS
2011

Grade: A MINUS

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SEPARATE BEDS by Elizabeth Buchan

June 26, 2011

THOUGHTFUL RECESSION-ERA RIFFS on women’s fiction tropes in the latest gem from UK megastar Elizabeth Buchan. B PLUS

SEPARATE BEDS
Viking Adult
2011

Grade: B PLUS

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REMEMBRANCE OF THINGS I FORGOT by Bob Smith

June 25, 2011

FREEWHEELING, WARM-HEARTED, hilarious time travel fantasia stars Dick Cheney (and the mordant wit of Bob Smith). A MINUS

REMEMBRANCE OF THINGS I FORGOT: A NOVEL
University of Wisconsin Press
2011

Grade: A MINUS

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SAVE AS DRAFT by Cavanaugh Lee

June 24, 2011

AN EPISTOLARY ROMANCE for the social media era adds witty touches, some strong characterizations to its gimmick. SOLID B

SAVE AS DRAFT
Simon & Schuster
2011

Grade: SOLID B

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INDIA CALLING, by Anand Giridharadas

June 23, 2011

INSIDE INDIA’S CHANGING society with an Indian-American expatriate journalist. Fascinating interviews, insights.

Grade: SOLID B

INDIA CALLING: AN INTIMATE PORTRAIT OF A NATION'S REMAKING
Henry Holt & Company
2011

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THESE THINGS HIDDEN, by Heather Gudenkauf

June 22, 2011

EVOCATIVE, BEAUTIFUL, VIVID writing ultimately founders on the shoals of this novel’s soap-opera plot twists.

Grade: B MINUS

THESE THINGS HIDDEN
Mira
2011

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THE NOMINATION, by William G. Tapply

June 21, 2011

THE LAST THRILLER from the late, great William G. Tapply may lack polish, but has suspense and sizzle to spare.

Grade: SOLID B

THE NOMINATION
Skyhorse
2011

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RADIO SHANGRI-LA, by Lisa Napoli

June 20, 2011

INSIDE BHUTAN WITH an American who helped the transforming Himalayan nation set up its first FM radio station.

Grade: SOLID B

RADIO SHANGRI-LA: WHAT I LEARNED IN BHUTAN, THE HAPPIEST KINGDOM ON EARTH
Crown
2011

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