Book Review

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  Book Review Hampton Fancher: The Shape Of The Final Dog And Other Stories

  The 74-year-old screenwriter behind Blade Runner makes his fiction debut with this weird, wild collection of short stories.

  November 12, 2012 | 12:00am -

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  Book Review Kurt Vonnegut: Letters

  This collection of correspondence spans seven decades and offers a warm, human look into the life of an icon.

  November 5, 2012 | 12:03am -

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  Book Review Stephen Colbert: America Again: Re-Becoming the Greatness We Never Weren’t

  The latest cash-grab book parodying other pundits’ cash-grab books is funny, but necessarily lacks the timeliness that boosts The Colbert Report.

  November 5, 2012 | 12:02am -

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  Book Review Pete Townshend: Who I Am

  The Who’s guitarist looks back with humility, arrogance, and a pleasant amount of fanboy reference for his idols.

  November 5, 2012 | 12:01am -

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  Book Review T.C. Boyle: San Miguel

  The latest from the author of Drop City once again focuses on isolated communities and insular relationships.

  November 5, 2012 | 12:00am -

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  Book Review Justin Cronin: The Twelve 

  The author of the bestselling thriller The Passage continues his literary post-apocalyptic vampire-novel experimentation.

  October 29, 2012 | 12:05am -

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  Book Review John Avide Lindqvist: Little Star

  The Swedish author of Let The Right One In temporarily sets aside the ghosts and vampires, but he’s still writing unsettling horror. 

  October 29, 2012 | 12:00am -

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  Book Review R.L. Stine: Red Rain 

  The Goosebumps author has extended his reach into adult horror, but his latest book for grown-ups shows much of the simplicity of his kids’ books.

  October 29, 2012 | 12:00am -

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  Book Review Mark Z. Danielewski: The Fifty Year Sword

  The author of House Of Leaves presents a ghost story in an innovative package, though not as innovative as its original form. 

  October 29, 2012 | 12:00am -

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  Book Review Tom Wolfe: Back To Blood

  The author of The Right Stuff and The Bonfire Of The Vanities sniffs distastefully over the modern Sodom of Miami, in fictional form.

  October 22, 2012 | 12:03am -

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  Book Review Salman Rushdie: Joseph Anton: A Memoir

  The author of The Satanic Verses describes his life before and after the death threats against him, in third person and with plenty of name-dropping.

  October 22, 2012 | 12:02am -

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  Book Review Kenny Rogers: Luck Or Something Like It: A Memoir

  A ’70s country hitmaker discusses his life of constant reinvention, with the easygoing craft of a ’70s country hit.

  October 22, 2012 | 12:01am -

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  Book Review Lemony Snicket: Who Could That Be At This Hour?

  Snicket in the shadows.

  October 22, 2012 | 12:00am -

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  Book Review Neil Young: Waging Heavy Peace

  This disorganized but polite, mild-mannered memoir is a surprise, coming from a man with such strong opinions.

  October 15, 2012 | 12:03am -

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  Book Review Felix J. Palma: The Map Of The Sky

  A Spanish author’s follow-up to a tremendously winning historical-fantasy bestseller again returns to H.G. Wells, but without hitting the same highs.

  October 15, 2012 | 12:02am -

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  Book Review Dave Tomar: The Shadow Scholar: How I Made A Living Helping College Kids Cheat

  A much-debated Chronicle Of Higher Education article about people who make a living ghostwriting academic papers gets a book-length expansion of mixed quality.

  October 15, 2012 | 12:01am -

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  Book Review Simon Lelic: The Facility

  A thriller combines the government’s historical reactions to AIDS and terrorism in a meticulously crafted, angry novel about a secret facility for “undesirables.”

  October 15, 2012 | 12:00am -

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  Book Review Hanna Rosin: The End Of Men And The Rise Of Women

  A controversial Atlantic article on the rise of women’s independence gets a full-book treatment, with plenty of facts and no polemics.

  October 8, 2012 | 12:03am -

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  Book Review John Varley: Slow Apocalypse

  The Hugo-and-Nebula-winning author of Steel Beach and the Gaea series comes down to Earth in this surprisingly practical Michael Crichton-esque thriller.

  October 8, 2012 | 12:02am -

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  Book Review Hank Phillippi Ryan: The Other Woman

  This political mystery is packed with smart threads and exciting twists, but leans too heavily on the romance angle.

  October 8, 2012 | 12:01am -

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  Book Review Philip Norman: Mick Jagger

  Is the Rolling Stones frontman the ultimate victim of the “Tyranny of Cool”

  October 8, 2012 | 12:00am -

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  Book Review J.K. Rowling: The Casual Vacancy 

  The author of the bestselling children’s series has put great effort into making The Casual Vacancy different. 

  October 1, 2012 | 11:20am -

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  Book Review Sylvie Simmons: I’m Your Man: The Life Of Leonard Cohen

  A rock biographer explores a rock troubador’s history, from his late-night teen wanderings to his forced late-life touring.

  October 1, 2012 | 12:03am -

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  Book Review Junot Díaz: This Is How You Lose Her

  The Pulitzer-winning author of The Brief Wondrous Life Of Oscar Wao returns to obsessively documenting the ongoing life of one narrator.

  October 1, 2012 | 12:02am -

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  Book Review Jonathan Evison: The Revised Fundamentals Of Caregiving

  The author of West Of Here presents a tragicomic, admirably even-handed novel about a middle-aged caregiver and a critically ill teenager.

  October 1, 2012 | 12:01am -

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  Book Review Vaddey Ratner: In The Shadow Of The Banyan

  A Cambodian-born woman draws her debut novel out of her own shocking childhood experiences with the Khmer Rouge.

  October 1, 2012 | 12:00am -

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  Book Review Damien Echols: Life After Death

  One of the West Memphis Three, whose shady child-murder conviction was documented in the Paradise Lost films, tells his own revealing story.

  September 24, 2012 | 12:03am -

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  Book Review Neal Stephenson: Some Remarks: Essays And Other Writing

  The author of Snow Crash and Anathem collects his non-fiction into a book, with justifiable reluctance.

  September 24, 2012 | 12:02am -

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  Book Review Carol Miller: Up All Night: My Life And Times In Rock Radio 

  A popular New York DJ who hobnobbed with celebrities for decades comes back with only a few mild, reasonable, bland stories. 

  September 24, 2012 | 12:01am -

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  Book Review Emma Straub: Laura Lamont’s Life In Pictures 

  A debut novel chronicling the rise of a ’30s Hollywood star reveals the loneliness and transience of fame.

  September 24, 2012 | 12:00am -