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THE MAGNIFICENT THIRD RAIL by Roberto Pinchas

November 30, 2015

CYNICAL, SURREALIST SATIRE riffs on Nabokov, Pynchon, the idiocy of Internet comments. Sharp moments. SOLID B

THE MAGNIFICENT THIRD RAIL: A RETROSPECTIVE
None
2015

Grade: SOLID B

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THE BEST OF ENEMIES by Jen Lancaster

November 28, 2015

CHICK-LIT, SMARTER AND FUNNIER than most, with a clever and satirical thriller plot to boot. Lots of laughs. B PLUS

THE BEST OF ENEMIES
New American Library
2015

Grade: B PLUS

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BASTARDS by Mary Anna King

November 25, 2015

FIERCE, CANDID MEMOIR of a childhood in fractured families, both birth and adoptive. Sibling love shines. B PLUS

BASTARDS
W. W. Norton & Company
2015

Grade: B PLUS

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ALEXANDRIAN SUMMER by Yitzhak Gormezano Goren

November 23, 2015

A VANISHED WORLD, CAPTURED through a child’s eyes in a gorgeous novel of Egypt’s Jewish community ca. 1951. A MINUS

ALEXANDRIAN SUMMER
New Vessel Press
2015

Grade: A MINUS

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THE LOST DETECTIVE by Nathan Ward

November 20, 2015

DASHIELL HAMMETT, DETECTIVE: engaging, well-researched account of how the writer’s Pinkerton days shaped him. B PLUS

THE LOST DETECTIVE : BECOMING DASHIELL HAMMETT
Bloomsbury USA
2015

Grade: B PLUS

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BRIGHT LINES by Tanwi Nandini Islam

November 18, 2015

BANGLADESH TO BROOKLYN and back again: evocative, intense novel of a family facing changes and old secrets. B PLUS

BRIGHT LINES
Penguin Books
2015

Grade: B PLUS

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WHEN THEY SHINE BRIGHTEST by Yordan Zhelyazkov

November 16, 2015

RICHLY TEXTURED FANTASY set in a vividly imagined, Aztec-inspired world. Smart debut from a Bulgarian writer. B PLUS

WHEN THEY SHINE BRIGHTEST
None
2015

Grade: B PLUS

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TIME SALVAGER by Wesley Chu

November 13, 2015

BREAKNECK SF THRILLER with a smart time-travel premise, lots of action, and some unforgettable characters. A MINUS

TIME SALVAGER
None
2015

Grade: A MINUS

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RESURRECTION SCIENCE by Maura R. O’Connor

November 11, 2015

RECREATING EXTINCT SPECIES, preserving endangered species; on-site interviews with scientists shine most. SOLID B

RESURRECTION SCIENCE
St. Martin’s Press
2015

Grade: SOLID B

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ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS by Naja Marie Aidt

November 9, 2015

THE DEATH OF A SMALL-TIME CROOK shakes up the lives of his estranged son and daughter. Poetic Danish noir. B PLUS

ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS
Open Letter Books
2015

Grade: B PLUS

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