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1. THE
INTERPRETATION OF MURDER: A Novel
By Jed Rubenfeld
"I inhaled this juicy murder mystery set in 1909 high society Manhattan.
Rubenfeld spins an intricate and intelligent web of elegant young ladies,
grand mansions and great construction projects, eager and earnest young
men -- and Sigmund Freud. Readers will become entwined." --Rebecca
Dayton, The Vermont Book Shop, Middlebury, VT
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THE
KING'S ENGLISH: Adventures of an Independent Bookseller
By Betsy Burton
"Book clubs and solitary readers alike find The King's English
an essential resource with its copious listing of Betsy Burton's favorites,
as well as diverse recommendations from independent bookstores across
the country. Add to that her thrilling tales of being a lifelong bookseller,
and you've got the perfect book-lover's read." --Gwen Marcum, Capitola
Book Cafe, Capitola, CA
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ON
AGATE HILL: A Novel
By Lee Smith
"Set in post-Civil War North Carolina, Lee Smith's latest tells the love
story of Molly Petree, orphaned by the war and its aftermath, and a free-spirited
banjo picker and man of the mountains. Told by voices as clear and lively
as a mountain stream, this may be Smith's finest novel yet." --Sarah
Goddin, Quail Ridge Books & Music, Raleigh, NC
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THE
LAW OF DREAMS: A Novel
By Peter Behrens
"This novel seems to have burst forth from a vein of genetic memory, so
spot-on are the voices of its characters and the mood that is set. Recounting
all the tragic details of the Irish diaspora during the Potato Famine
of 1847 in language both lyrical and resonant, the book charts one man's
desperate course. Poignant and vivid in details, this novel will haunt
the imagination of its readers." --Nan Hadden, Books, Etc., Portland,
ME
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THE
EMPEROR'S CHILDREN: A Novel
By Claire Messud
"A beautifully laced and layered novel of people finding and losing their
way through life, purpose, and love in a New York City that almost seems
of any time, yet subtly and powerfully becomes of a very certain, eventful
time. The ways of individuals coming of age at 20 or 30, of couples, families,
friends -- their couplings, betrayals, accommodations -- are written of
with wit, empathy, and great knowing." --Rick Simonson, The Elliott
Bay Book Company, Seattle, WA
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THE
LAST TOWN ON EARTH: A Novel
By Thomas Mullen
"In 1918, the United States is fighting two wars -- WWI and the devastating
flu epidemic. The inhabitants of a remote town in Washington State decide
to quarantine the town to try to keep the flu from reaching its occupants;
however, when two soldiers ask for sanctuary, the town is faced with far-reaching
legal and moral issues. Mullen has managed to create historical fiction
made for contemporary times." --Patti McCall, Queen Anne Books, Seattle,
WA
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SMONK:
A Novel
By Tom Franklin
"In the Alabama town of Old Texas, Tom Franklin has created a world resembling
a nightmarish cross between the lawless Old West and the worst of Dickens'
London, so richly depraved and violent is his new novel. Since his spectacular
Hell at the Breech, he has ratcheted up the body count but spared
none of his sublimely beautiful prose and astonishing storytelling ability."
--Stan Hynds, Northshire Bookstore, Manchester Center, VT
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BILLY
BOYLE: A World War II Mystery
By James R. Benn
"It's 1942 and America is just entering the war in Europe. Billy Boyle
goes from Boston cop to special investigator for his Uncle Ike, that is,
General 'Ike' Eisenhower. Within 48 hours of his arrival in England, Boyle
has a death to investigate and his attempts to avoid the horrors of war
are lost. This is an engaging WWII novel with murders, thrills, spies,
and, every so often, a little humor. A winner." --Mary Jane Weber,
The Town Book Store, Westfield, NJ
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MESSENGER
OF TRUTH: A Maisie Dobbs Novel
By Jacqueline Winspear
"Jacqueline Winspear has another hit on her hands. With each Maisie Dobbs
book, I have learned about another phase of war, viewed another side of
London, and become an even bigger fan. Messenger of Truth combines
some of the worst of London after the war and another look at the human
reaction to the Great War." --Barbara Theroux, Fact & Fiction, Missoula,
MT
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ST.
LUCY'S HOME FOR GIRLS RAISED BY WOLVES: Stories
By Karen Russell
"In her astonishingly good and delightfully clever debut, Karen Russell
unveils the magic realism of youth through her child and teen narrators.
In these stories, her young heroes fight their fears and plunge headlong
into the chimerical coves and sinkholes of their beautifully crafted worlds.
These brilliant stories will transport you." --Michael Keefe, Annie
Bloom's Books, Portland, OR
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ANGEL'S REST
By Charles Davis
"In this debut novel, an 11-year-old boy discovers the depth of his mother's
love, the truth about his own actions, and the many angels who have come
to rest near his life, as the violence and fear that surround him are
overshadowed by deep love and compassion. Charles Davis has created a
late-20th-century Huck Finn, whom no reader will be able to let go."
--Peter Marsh, Briggs Carriage Bookstore, Brandon, VT
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THE RETURN OF THE PLAYER
By Michael Tolkin
"Tolkin's film executive from The Player, Griffin Mill, is back
in a surgically funny novel that's like attending a literary version of
Fight Club, where the savage beating of Hollywood culture by one
of its own is the main event. Tolkin is able to masterfully describe and
destroy the entertainment industry in the same scene. It violates the
first rule of Fight Club, but I'll be talking about The Return
of The Player with everyone I know." --Geoffrey B. Jennings, Rainy
Day Books, Fairway, KS
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THE
ZERO: A Novel
By Jess Walter
"Brian Remy, who is suffering from memory lapses, is working for an unnamed
authority just after 9/11. As he (and readers) are dropped into situations
without any knowledge of how they got there, Jess Walter wonderfully recreates
the helpless feelings many of us have about our role in the post-9/11
world." --Lisa Sharp, Nightbird Books, Fayetteville, AR
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DARK
ANGELS: A Novel
By Karleen Koen
"Twenty years I have had to wait for another swashbuckler of an historical
novel from Karleen Koen. Well, it was well worth it. This marvelous prequel
tells the tale of Charles II's court in the aftermath of The Reformation."
--Sally Brewster, Park Road Books, Charlotte, NC
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I'M
PROUD OF YOU: My Friendship With Fred Rogers
By Tim Madigan
"Unconditional love could be the subtitle for this recounting of the special
friendship between the author and Mister (Fred) Rogers. The book authenticates
the value of the man and the 'Neighborhood' that charmed my children and
me." -- Sally Van Wert, MacDonald Book Shop, Estes Park, CO
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LEAVING
MICROSOFT TO CHANGE THE WORLD: An Entrepreneur's Odyssey to Educate
the World's Children
By John Wood
"John Wood's life-changing decision to start up a library and school in
Nepal has snowballed into a fantastic organization called Room to Read.
To date, the program now supports small villages in building educational
centers in Nepal, Cambodia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, and probably more as I
write. An engrossing and inspiring story you can't put down." --Chris
Vietmeier, St. Helens Book Shop, St. Helens, OR
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THE
DISSIDENT: A Novel
By Nell Freudenberger
"Nell Freudenberger sets her story in Los Angeles, where Yuan Zhao, a
famous performance artist from Beijing's East Village, has come to teach
at St. Anselm's School for Girls. Cultural issues are explored in both
personal and art-historical contexts, as Yuan Zhao becomes enmeshed in
his host family's dissolving marriage and in the brutal adolescent rivalries
of his students. Flashbacks to the chaotic world of the Beijing art scene
just after the Cultural Revolution punctuate -- and possibly mirror --
the drama in Beverly Hills." --Jan Weissmiller, Prairie Lights Books,
Iowa City, IA
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AFTER
THIS: A Novel
By Alice McDermott
"Alice McDermott's story of a Long Island Catholic family in mid-20th-century
America, dealing with a world that is changing dramatically, is as wonderful
as Charming Billy, one of my all-time favorites. She is a master,
whose language and pace take you out of the present and into another time
and place with incredible immediacy." --Carole Horne, Harvard Book
Store, Cambridge, MA
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SMALL
ACTS OF SEX AND ELECTRICITY
By Lise Haines
"From the provocative opening scene to the déjà vu ending,
Haines plucks us from our mundane lives and drops us into the chaos that
is the lives of Jane, Mattie, and Mike, three friends with long histories.
Haines looks at love and loyalty and relationships in this provocative
and honest novel." --Keri Holmes, The Kaleidoscope: Our Focus Is You,
Hampton, IA
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ON BEAUTY
By Zadie Smith
"With very vividly drawn characters, Zadie Smith's latest novel, set in
New England and Britain, is at once both a send-up of academia, liberals,
and conservatives and a warmhearted look at how families work. Smith's
ear for language is superb." --Dede Gallagher, Book Ends, Winchester,
MA
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