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NEXT STOP, by Glen Finland

August 31, 2012

A MOTHER’S MEMOIR of her son’s autism, and of his fierce determination to work and advocate for independence.

Grade: SOLID B

NEXT STOP: A MEMOIR OF FAMILY
Putnam/Amy Einhorn Books
2012

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THE YEAR OF THE GADFLY, by Jennifer Miller

August 30, 2012

SLY, GRIMLY CHARMING prep-school thriller: part HARRIET THE SPY, part THE SECRET HISTORY, entirely engrossing.

Grade: A MINUS

THE YEAR OF THE GADFLY
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
2012

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THE APOCALYPSE CODEX, by Charles Stross

August 29, 2012

TENSE PARANORMAL THRILLER with a touch of snark as the UK’s supernatural secret service takes on US cultists.

Grade: B PLUS

THE APOCALYPSE CODEX: A LAUNDRY FILES NOVEL
Penguin/Ace
2012

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GARBOLOGY, by Edward Humes

August 28, 2012

COMPELLING, WELL RESEARCHED look at the US’s culture of trash creation and its impact on the environment.

Grade: B PLUS

GARBOLOGY: OUR DIRTY LOVE AFFAIR WITH TRASH
Penguin/Avery
2012

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THE AFTER WIFE, by Gigi Levangie Grazer

August 27, 2012

LIGHTHEARTED CHICK-LIT tone sits oddly with the “seeing ghosts” theme of this novel. Great LA details, though!

Grade: SOLID B

THE AFTER WIFE
Random House
2012

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SAY NICE THINGS ABOUT DETROIT, by Scott Lasser

August 26, 2012

RETURNING TO DETROIT after a mysterious murder, a man and woman find new hope as well as answers. Atmospheric.

Grade: B MINUS

SAY NICE THINGS ABOUT DETROIT
W. W. Norton & Company
2012

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WHEN I WAS A CHILD I READ BOOKS, by Marilynne Robinson

August 25, 2012

MEDITATIVE, ELOQUENT ESSAYS from novelist Marilynne Robinson touch on faith, aging, and the joy of reading.

Grade: B PLUS

WHEN I WAS A CHILD I READ BOOKS: ESSAYS
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
2012

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A SURREY STATE OF AFFAIRS, by Ceri Radford

August 24, 2012

CHARMING COMIC NOVEL in blog form follows a sweet but dim English housewife through a crash course in reality.

Grade: SOLID B

A SURREY STATE OF AFFAIRS
Penguin Group/Pamela Dorman Books
2012

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SEX AND PUNISHMENT, by Eric Berkowitz

August 23, 2012

QUIRKY, HIGHLY INFORMATIVE overview of laws about sexual behavior from Hammurabi to the trial of Oscar Wilde.

Grade: SOLID B

SEX AND PUNISHMENT: FOUR THOUSAND YEARS OF JUDGING DESIRE
Counterpoint
2012

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THE NERUDA CASE, by Roberto Ampuero

August 22, 2012

GORGEOUS, ELEGAIC PRIVATE-EYE yarn captures the spirit of 1970s Chile–with poet Pablo Neruda as the client!

Grade: B PLUS

THE NERUDA CASE
Penguin
2012

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