| February 3, 2010 Talk of the Town - Salute to Black History Month |
| Changing My Mind Occasional Essays |
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Zadie Smith |
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Penguin |
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“Zadie Smith, the award-winning author of White Teeth proves why she is one of our best writers in this collection of non-fiction essays. Smith opines on everything from deceased author David Foster Wallace to Katherine Hepburn and President Barack Obama. A great read.”
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| Known to Evil |
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Walter Mosley |
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Riverhead |
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“We love Walter Mosley. Leonid McGill is one of today's most interesting mystery characters and the new characters who appear with McGill are as much fun to follow as those featuring our favorite Mosley character - Easy Rawlins, who starred in Mosley's bestseller Devil with the Blue Dress.”
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| Jericho's Fall |
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Stephen L. Carter |
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Knopf |
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“Our only complaint about Stephen L. Carter is that he does not turn out new books fast enough. We read The Emperor of Ocean Park in one sitting, same thing with New England White and Palace Council. All that Carter needs is Denzel Washington to star in the movie of one of his novels and things will be perfect. Carter uses his knowledge of politics and government to keep us on the edge of our seat in Jericho's Fall.”
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| In My Sister's House |
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Donald Welch |
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Ballantine |
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“Two sisters fight for control of Legends, one of Philadelphia's most successful nightclubs. One sister lives on the straight and narrow, the other, not so much. Which sister will be successful?”
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| The Darkness A Vampire Huntress Legend |
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L. A. Banks |
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St. Martin's Griffin |
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“Vampire lovers will find this book delicious! L. A. Banks has written a great series in the Vampire Huntress Legend. Read them all.”
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| Act Like A Lady - Think Like a Man What Men Really Think about Love, Relationships, Intimacy, and Commitment |
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Steve Harvey |
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Amistad |
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“Who knew that Steve Harvey, one of our favorite comedians, would also turn out to be a best-selling author? Every couple should read and discuss Act Like a Lady early on to see if their relationship will last!”
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| The Help |
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Kathryn Stockett |
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Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam |
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“Written by a white southern woman about African-American women who served as 'the help' in Mississippi during the 1960s. There is a reason this book remains at the top of the best seller list.”
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| Unholy - The Slaves Bible |
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David Charles Mills |
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Ghetto Kids Enterprises |
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“David Charles Mills is currently the associate director for state policy and legislative affairs for Vanderbilt University. Unholy - The Slaves Bible is based upon an edition of the Hebrew and Christian Bible that used scripture to justify the institution of slavery. Unholy - The Slaves Bible is a book that is worthy of reading and discussing so that we do not repeat our mistakes of the past. We hope that Mills will continue to write about history and social issues.”
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| The Civil Rights Movement in Tennessee: A Narrative History |
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Bobby L. Lovett |
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University of Tennessee Press |
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“Tennessee originated much of the movement for change in the history of the modern Civil Rights advances as Dr. Lovett, Tennessee State University history professor, illustrates with events and heroes from Memphis, Nashville and Knoxville.”
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| Love of Freedom Black Women in Colonial & Revolutionary New England |
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Catherine Adams & Elizabeth H. Pleck |
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Oxford |
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“A fascinating and in-depth narrative of discrimination and hardship that happened in the North as it did in the South. The American Revolution was very different for women than it was for men. Women, especially African-American women, sought freedom from slavery as well as spiritual and family freedom in this well-researched study of the African diaspora from Africa to New England.”
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| God Don't Like Ugly |
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Mary Monroe |
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Dafina/Kensington |
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“Best friends Annette Goode Davis and Rhoda O'Toole have a lot going on, especially helping Annette save her marriage. Monroe is one of the best writers today, especially when she tells it like it really is - and especially for women.”
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| Dying in the Dark A Tamara Hayle Mystery |
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Valerie Wilson Wesley |
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One World/Ballantine |
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“Valerie Wilson Wesley, an editor for Essence magazine, has created one of today's most fascinating characters. Wesley's creation - Tamara Hayle, is smart, sexy and a private detective. In Dying in the Dark, Hayle must confront a death that has haunted her since childhood. This novel is spellbinding.”
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| Cotton Comes to Harlem |
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Chester Himes |
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Vintage Crime/Random |
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“No one does it better than Himes. His crime and detective novels are truly the best and set the standard for crime classics.”
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| Roll, Jordan Roll The World The Slaves Made |
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Eugene Genovese |
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Pantheon/Random |
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“This is a landmark book of American history that changed the nation's view about the master-slaves myths of the South and accurately explained and showed the cruelty and immorality of the slavery system.”
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| Lost Delta Found |
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John Work, Lewis Wade Jones, Samuel Adams Jr., Robert Gordon & Bruce Nemerov |
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Vanderbilt University |
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“A brilliant work as the editors restored the research of Fisk University scholars, who joined Alan Lomax in Coahoma County, Mississippi to document the social and cultural history of the amazing music by Muddy Waters and others. Like the ending in the movie “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” their research was lost in the Library of Congress archives until rescued in recent years.”
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| W.E.B. Du Bois |
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David Levering Lewis |
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Henry Holt |
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“This is already the classic work from the life of the firebrand revolutionary, writer, scholar and political activist Du Bois who helped create the NAACP and who traveled in a Jim Crow car to attend Fisk University.”
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| The Mind of Frederick Douglass |
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Waldo Martin Jr. |
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North Carolina |
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“Douglass' crusades for abolition of slavery, education of blacks and women's rights were revolutionary during his 19th century lifetime. His moral passion and wisdom inspired President Abraham Lincoln and other leaders like Susan B. Anthony.”
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| The Dream Keeper & Other Poems |
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Langston Hughes |
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Scholastic |
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“The poetry of Langston Hughes has survived the test of time. It is beautiful.”
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| Maya Angelou - The Poetry of Living |
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Margaret Courtney-Clarke |
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Potter |
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“A photographic and written narrative of Maya Angelou giving poetry readings around the United States that includes thoughts from her friends along with pages of her poetry. Inspirational.”
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| Dancing in the Streets Confessions of a Motown Diva |
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Martha Reeves & Mark Bego |
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Hyperion |
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“The lead singer of Martha Reeves and the Vandellas tells all. Reeves started out as a secretary at Motown and while she sang she observed what it took to be successful in the music business. Play her records (or CDs) while reading this great book.”
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| Pride - The Charley Pride Story |
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Charlie Pride & Jim Henderson |
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Morrow |
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“A classy story about a class-act singer. Charley Pride shares the ins and outs of a successful country music star who happens to be African-American.”
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| Temptations |
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Otis Williams & Patricia Romanowski |
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Putnam |
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“Everyone has a favorite song by the Temptations. This book by Otis Williams, one of the original members of the Temptations, is a page-turner.”
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| Our Kind of People Inside America's Black Upper Class |
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Lawrence Otis Graham |
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Harper Collins |
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“An inside look at debutantes Jack and Jill Links and all of the requirements to be part of the high levels of society. A must-read to be really informed.”
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| Where Peachtree Meets Sweet Auburn |
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Gary M. Pomerantz |
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Penguin |
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“Fascinating Atlanta history of five generations of the Dobbs family, descendants of slaves and the Allen family, former slave owners.”
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| January 13, 2010 - Talk of the Town |
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The Lacuna
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Barbara Kingsolver
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Harper/Harper
Collins
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“Kingsolver proves why she stays at the top of the best seller list and is a favorite of bookclubs in this coming of age story during the McCarthy era.”
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Under the Dome
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Stephen King
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Scribner
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“King is simply the best as he returns to his early form which equals scary at its very finest. Under the Dome is his best book since The Stand.”
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U is for Undertow
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Sue Grafton
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Putnam
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“U should be for unbelievable. We fight over who gets to read her newest book first. U is one of the best of her alphabet mysteries and Kinsey Millhone continues to fascinate us.”
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The Swan Thieves
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Elizabeth Kostova
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Little Brown
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“The Historian was one of the best books in recent years and in The Swan Thieves, Kostova proves she has more than one best seller in her repertoire. The Swan Thieves will zip to the top of the best-seller list.”
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Stones into Schools: Promoting Peace with Books, Not bombs, in Afghanistan
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Greg Mortenson
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Viking
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“Mortenson, the author of the wildly successful Three Cups of Tea, is a true hero and role model through his efforts to promote peace. He has helped build more than 130 schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan by focusing on education for young girls. This book should be required reading for the National Security Council, the CIA and everyone who is concerned about Afghanistan.”
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Louisa May Alcott The Woman Behind Little Women
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Harriet Reisen
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Holt
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“We predict this will be the best biography of 2010. Louisa May Alcott is fascinating and was way ahead of her time. She was the one of the few in her family of two parents and four girls who was not afraid to work and earn money. The real story behind one of the best novels ever, Little Women, is compelling, beautiful and heartbreaking. You will be sorry when this biography ends of a life that ended too soon.”
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Puttering About in a Small Land
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Philip K. Dick
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TOR
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“An overwhelming indictment of Los Angeles suburban life in this sensitive and catastrophic story of two couples and their children. Many of Dick's stories have been produced into very successful movies such as Blade Runner, but this is the frightening society that Dick is warning us about in his other novels.”
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The American Rifle A Biography
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Alexander Rose
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Bantam Dell/Delta
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“From George Washington through every American war up to Afghanistan, the rifle has been the primary offensive weapon of every soldier. This irresistible history is both deadly and insightful.”
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Shades of Grey
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Jasper Fforde
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Viking
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“This is your typical boy-meets-girl thriller with one big exception - this time the girl tries to murder the boy! In a near monochrome world of grey, your status and future depends on what colors you can perceive in this wildly successful mixture of art, literature and suspense.”
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101 Optimal Life Foods
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David Grotto
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Bantam Books
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“The must-have reference book to save your life.”
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Food Matters
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Mark Bittman
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Simon & Schuster
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“Save the world and watch your weight at the same time with 'sane eating' by focusing on the right kind of basics.”
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The Other Brain
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R. Douglas Fields
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Simon & Schuster
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“A great summary of the cutting edge of science and how it is revolutionizing medicine and health by focusing on Albert Einstein's brain 30 years after his death.”
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Lark and Termite
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Jayne Anne Phillips
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Vintage/Knopf/
Doubleday
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“Love and family as seen through the eyes of Lark, a teenage girl, who is the primary caretaker of her younger brother, Termite. Thought provoking and a sure pick for bookclubs in 2010.”
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Trial by Fire
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J. A. Jance
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Simon & Schuster/
Touchstone
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“Returning heroine, Ali Reynolds, takes a temporary job running the press office for the Yavapai County Police Department in Arizona. Bestselling author Jance puts Reynolds in a tough and dangerous spot in solving a horrific murder.”
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Too Many Murders
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Colleen McCullough
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Simon & Schuster
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“McCullough, the author of The Thorn Birds, successfully mixes historical fiction, (1960s Connecticut) with the basic rules of a whodunit mystery where a dozen separate murders are committed on the same date. One of her best books yet.”
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Funeral for a Stranger
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Becca Stevens
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Abingdon
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“Nashville priest and activist Becca Stevens finds herself officiating at the funeral of a stranger. Funeral for a Stranger is a wonderful collection of essays that is the perfect book to share with someone on any occasion.”
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The Last Founding Father
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Harlow Giles Unger
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Da Capo
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“A fascinating account of the life and politics of James Monroe who was only 18 when the Declaration of Independence was signed. Monroe served in the Continental Army, the Virginia Legislature, as Secretary of State, Secretary of War and as our Fifth President. Learn more than you ever knew about Monroe, who authored the Manifest Destiny surge of the United States as far as the Rocky Mountains and created the Monroe Doctrine.”
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The Disappeared
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M. R. Hall
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Simon & Schuster
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“A great British mystery where two boys disappeared seven years ago. Now one has been declared 'presumed dead' and coroner Jenny Cooper leads the inquest investigation. A brilliant debut thriller that explores religion and bias while Cooper suffers from a dysfunctional family. Author Hall is a true Hitchcock-type storyteller.”
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The Making of African-America
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Ira Berlin
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Viking
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“Just in time for the celebration of Black History Month, author Berlin has written an unsettling description of how the slave trade, the failure of reconstruction, the automation of industry and the Voting Rights Act have changed the landscape of minority presence and participation in America. A great synthesis of some of the most important issues in our history.”
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Following Isabella: Travels in Colorado then and Now
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Robert Root
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University of Oklahoma
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“An expression of the true beauty of the Rocky Mountains as Root retraces the life and travels of Isabella Bird who was the author of A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains.”
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Lady Vernon and Her Daughter: A Jane Austen Novel
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Jane Rubino & Caitlen Rubino-Bradway
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Crown/Random
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“Jane Austen fans can celebrate. Authors Rubino and Rubino-Bradway take the plot of Austen's novella Lady Susan and have expanded it into a full feature novel. Lady Vernon and Her Daughter is most worthy to be read.”
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A Rainbow In the Night
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Dominique Lapierre
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Da Capo
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“The epic story of the birth, failure and resurrection of the Union of South Africa from the early days of the Dutch invaders to Nelson Mandela. Disturbing but powerful.”
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Bloodroot
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Amy Greene
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Knopf
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“The most exciting debut novel of the year. A story of generations, love and identity.”
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