Lexacat's List

What I'm reading now.

Monday, June 17, 2013

Lost at Sea, Jon Ronson

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Having been a fan of Jon Ronson's writing for years, I was thrilled to read this collection of articles. They do go back some time, so ...

The Uninvited, Liz Jensen

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In Jensen's new novel, The Uninvited, children across the world are committing horrifying murders of adults, while somehow sharing drea...

Facing the Wave: A Journey in the Wake of the Tsunami , Gretel Erlich

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While Gretel Erlich obviously feels deeply about Japan, and her experiences there both before and after the tsunami, I did not enjoy this b...

This is Running For Your Life: Essays, Michelle Orange

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A singularly talented voice. Michelle Orange's propulsively readable essays take the reader across the globe, and through time, but al...

Angel Wings, Howard Kaminsky

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When murdered prostitutes start being found in Providence, made up to look like dead angels, Detective Danny Martell is on the case. But wh...

Toms River: A Story of Science and Salvation , Dan Fagin

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This was a tour de force of narrative nonfiction, somehow going into medieval dye-making history at the same time as being as readable as a...
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French Twist: An American Mom's Experiment in Parisian Parenting , Catherine Crawford

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This book, along with Bringing Up Bébé: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting and The Panic-Free Pregnancy: An OB-...

Frozen Solid, James Tabor

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This book has gripping descriptions of the South Pole research stations, and the claustrophobic setting adds ambience to an already chillin...

The Disaster Diaries: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Apocalypse , Sam Sheridan

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The most paranoid man alive? or the most prepared? This entertaining and disturbing book is part confession, part how-to, part amusing nar...

The Tao of Martha, Jen Lancaster

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Jen Lancaster's evolution from Bitter is the New Black: Confessions of a Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smartass, Or, Why Y...

Pain, Parties, Work: Sylvia Plath in New York, Summer 1953 , Elizabeth Winder

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This book is a fascinating glimpse into what the author argues is the most transformative time of Sylvia Plath's short life- the summer...

Everything is Perfect When You're a Liar, Kelly Oxford

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I was unfamiliar with Kelly Oxford's writing, but hoped to enjoy her work as much as I do other blogger-turned-authors, and she did not...

It's Only Slow Food Until You Try to Eat It: Misadventures of a Suburban Hunter-Gatherer , Bill Heavey

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This was a very well written and well done book about how to see the food in front of our eyes, and how to go about eating it! Bill Heavey...

You Are One Of Them, Elliot Holt

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This was the best novel I've read this year, easily. When 2 young girls write to Yuri Andropov in 1982, neither could have known that t...

The Doll, by Taylor Stevens

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Vanessa Michael Munroe, a gender-bending bad-a** James (or Jamie?) Bond, is on the case of The Doll Maker- a human trafficker specializing i...

Crime of Privilege, Walter Walker

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Reminiscent of Nelson De Mille, this is a great beach book. Young student George is thrilled to be invited to a party at the home of the not...

The Execution of Noa P. Singleton, by Elizabeth Silver

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Thought provoking and disturbing, this novel raises questions about how one's childhood can determine one's future, and the seemingl...

Life is short, Laundry is eternal, by Scott Benner

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This was charming, heart warming, and moving. This father, who writes with such love, sounds like a wonderful man, and I'm so glad he s...
Monday, December 17, 2012

Reached, Allie Condie

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Last one in the Matched series. good wrap up.

Ashen Winter, Mike Mullin

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Post apocalyptic survival story- Yellowstone.

Wolves of the Beyond, Kathryn Lasky

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Talking, surfing wolves. WTF?

All The Right Stuff, Walter Dean Myers

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Preachy urban YA.

Dead To You, Lisa McMann

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YA abduction trauma drama.

Darkwater, Catherine Fisher

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Soul selling nonsense.

Shadows Cast By Stars, Catherine Knutson

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Paranormal YA with First People legends and lots of blood harvesting.

Call The Shots, Don Calame

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Wonderful, funny YA about making a low low low budget zombie movie.

Dangerous Boy, Mandy Hubbard

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Evil twins!!! Stupid girl!!!

Boy 21, Matthew Quick

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Mental illness, YA, basketball.

Jersey Angel, Beth Ann Baumann

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Young girl on Jersey Shore, lots of sex.

Quarantine, Lex Thomas

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Teens trapped in an X, with diseases.

The Chaos, Nalo Hopkinson

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??? Surreal apocalyptic paranormal GLBQT YA.

Changeling, Philippa Gregory

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Hist fic, paranormal YA.

Pizza, Love, and Other Stuff that Made Me Famous, Kathryn Williams

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Reality TV cooking show, father issues, romance.

The Whisper, Emma Clayton

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Post-apocalyptic scifi with psi-powers.

Flirting in Italian, Lauren Henderson

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Daft YA romance.

The Best Night of Your (Pathetic) Life, Tara Altebrando

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Fun YA scavenger hunt.

Red Heart Tattoo, Lurlene McDaniel

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School shooting, trauma drama.

My Awesome/Awful Popularity Plan, Seth Rudetsky

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Devine Intervention, Martha Brockenbrough

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Paranormal YA.
Monday, September 24, 2012

Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion, Elizabeth Cline

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Fantastic non-fiction examining the decline in quality of clothing, and the ethical and environmental damages wrought by disposable fashio...

The Dog Stars, Peter Heller

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Hauntingly beautiful post-apocalyptic adult fiction. Hig is a pilot who survived the flu that killed off most of the population, and he an...

Hide and Seek, Sara Shepard

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Another absurdly enjoyable book in Shepard's increasingly absurd series. The Lying Game is no Pretty Little Liars, but it's still ...
Monday, September 17, 2012

Lionel Asbo, by Martin Amis

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Dark and bitter Amis, again mocking the "feral underclass" of England. Shooting fish in a barrell. Wish he'd attack his own ...

Anastasia's Chosen Career, by Lois Lowry

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Adorable Anastasia book! Somehow I don't remember this one from my major love of Anastasia Krupnik, so had to give it a read. I love h...

A Wanted Man, Lee Child

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Another fantastic entry into the Jack Reacher thriller series. Everything blows up, Reacher kicks ass, incredibly satisfying.

Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn

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Excellent dark psychological thriller. Worst. Marriage. Ever. Flynn's elegant style and endless twists make her one of the most inter...

Some Like It Hawk, by Donna Andrews

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Another funny and sweet entry into the Meg Langslow Caerphilly series.

Handmade Chic, by Laura Bennett

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Disappointing book from Project Runway star Laura Bennett. Too many of the projects were simply adaptations of each other, and as leather ...

And When She Was Good, by Laura Lippman

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Decent mystery about a suburban madam. Good but not striking.
Thursday, August 30, 2012

Seating Arrangements, by Maggie Shipstead

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Set over the course of a 3 day WASPY New England island wedding, Seating Arrangements perectly depicts and skewers the faux-genteel worl...

The Muffin Tin Cookbook: 200 Fast, Delicious Mini-Pies, Pasta Cups, Gourmet Pockets, Veggie Cakes, and More, by Brette Sember

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I have to say, I do prefer cookbooks with lots of photos of the finished product, but in this case, I was almost glad not to see images ...

Too Much Magic: Wishful Thinking, Technology, and the Fate of the Nation, James Howard Kunstler

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I have been a long term fan and reader of Kunstler, and felt that this was sadly his weakest book yet. He covers much of the same territ...

12.21, by Dustin Thomason

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Very much in the tradition of Michael Crichton, 12.21 is a rollicking, fast paced thriller. Chel Manu, a Guatemalan American artifact res...

Visit Sunny Chernobyl, by Andrew Blackwell

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Excellent and interesting disaster tourism. Blackwell visits some of the world's most polluted areas, and tries to figure out what kin...

Broken Harbor, Tana French

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Excellent 4th book in French's Dublin Murder Squad series. Set in a lonely, half-built "luxury estate" on the coast, Detecti...
Sunday, July 1, 2012

After the Snow, by S.D. Crockett

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Post-apocalyptic ice age neo-feudalism in the woods, with a corrupt government dystopia in the cities. Well done. Willo's outsider ski...

The Gathering Storm, by Robin Bridges

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ABSURD YA. Set among the Russian aristocracy in the 1890s, I thought this had promise, but the inclusion of vampires, zombies, witches and...

In-Flight Entertainment, by Helen Simpson

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Wonderful and heartfelt collection of short stories. My favorite is the title story, but there were many stong ones among the 13 stories....

In Search of The Rose Notes, by Emily Arsenault

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Wonderful thoughtful mystery. Charlotte and Nora were 11 when their teenage babysitter dissapeared, and they tried to 'solve' the ...

The Next One to Fall, by Hilary Davidson

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Absorbing sequel to The Damage Done, set in and around Macchu Pichu.

The Damage Done, by Hilary Davidson

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Excellent mystery with a powerful protagonist. one to follow.

Dust & Decay, by Jonathan Maberry

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Great sequel to Rot & Ruin. Zombies, etc.

Rot & Ruin, by Jonathan Maberry

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Excellent YA zombie novel.

The Art of Creative Pruning, by Jake Hobson

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Phenomenal and inspiring book. Breathtaking.

Bad Intentions, by Karin Fossum

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Another positively miserable Nordic Noir, from the relentlessly depressing Karin Fossum. Bleak and unpleasant.

Midnight Movie, by Tobe Hooper

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Very meta B-Book based on a fictional B-movie that has the power to turn viewers into zombies. Fast paced and fun horror, if that's no...

Pompeii, by Robert Harris

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Wonderfully detailed historical fiction set in the days leading up to the eruption of Pompeii.

World War Z, by Max Brooks

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Pretty much my favorite zombie book, and I read A LOT of zombie books.

Gone West, by Carola Dunn

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Another enjoyable Daisy Dalrymple mystery. Solid series, growing nicely.

I Brake for Yard Sales, by Lara Spencer

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Eh. She has some great finds, but obviously is in a large urban market, with a taste for midcentury, neither of which is true of me, so no...

Enlightened Polymer Clay: Artisan Jewelery Inspired By Nature, by Rie Nagumo

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Beautiful and inspiring pieces. So many great ideas and techniques in this, this is one I'd like to own.

Sugarhouse, by Matthew Batt

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expected a funny take on home renovation, similar in tone to The House on First Street  , but despite the fun looking cover and title, ...
Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Ladies in Waiting, by Laura Sullivan

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Wildly unrealistic historical fiction set at the court of King Charles II. 3 Elizabeths, outspoken island girl Zabby, wealthy but bourgoi...

Beauty, by Lisa Daily

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Cute but predictable and many-times-told story. After making a wish with a mysterious gypsy, Molly wakes up beautiful (seriously) and her...

Article 5, by Kristen Simmons

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This was a weird one. Felt like a cross between Hillary Jordan's When She Woke and Twilight, if you can grok it- near future right-win...

Enigma, by Robert Harris

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Excellent tense thriller set at Bletchley Park during WWII.

Gilt, by Katherine Longshore

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Great lusty bodice-y hist fic! I loved this for it's vitality and the realness of the characters as written- I don't know enough ...

Erebos, by Ursula Poznanski

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Wow- well, this was one I've been so excited to read, but I can't help but wonder if something was (literally) lost in translation...

The Unbearable Book Club for Unsinkable Girls, by Julie Schumacher

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I was expecting something much more like The Mother Daughter Book Club series, but this had a bit of a darker side. Some really solid wri...

Pilgrims Don't Wear Pink, by Kate Strohm

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Cute summer romance, set in a historical re-enactment settlement in Maine. Awfully close in plot to Past Perfect, by Leila Sales.

A Voyage Long and Strange, by Tony Horowitz

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Fantastic history of pre-Plymouth European contact with the Americas.

Damned, by Chuck Palahniuk

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I still can't stand Palahniuk. This was loathsome.

Chelsea Mansions, by Barry Maitland

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Decent mystery with a huge red herring and a LOT of characters, but it was nicely done, set around the Chelsea flower show.

Momentum, by Saci Lloyd

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I LOVED both of the Carbon Diaries books, and had really high expectations for this one, but it felt like Lloyd, rather than keeping on wr...

Kill Switch, by Chris Lynch

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Danny has always been close to his grandfather, Da, and during the summer after his senior year, Danny wants to spend as much time as poss...

The Night She Dissapeared, by April Henry

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This was a fast paced mystery, and a decent read, but the police were painted as being such obstructionist dolts that it was ridiculous...

The Supergirl Mixtapes, by Meagan Brothers

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Maria, desperate to leave the small Southern town she lives in, persuades her father and grandmother to let her go stay with her mother in...
Monday, April 30, 2012

The Ghost, by Robert Harris

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Phenomenal thriller. When a ghostwriter is offered the chance to write the autobiography of a former Prime Minister, he jumps at the chan...

Guy Langman: Crime Scene Procrastinator, by Josh Berk

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This was a really enjoyable, entertaining and moving novel. When Guy's best friend Anoop convinces him to join the school Forensics C...
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