The Coroner's Lunch

The Coroner's Lunch is by Colin Cotterill. The first installment of his historical fiction mystery series, the Dr. Siri Paiboun Mysteries. Set in 1970s Laos, Dr. Siri has been appointed the country's coroner by the Communist government. He is in his seventies and really just wants to retire, but when the Party calls, a Comrade answers. Dr. Siri trained in medicine in France when he was young and has no training as a coroner, but he does his best. When the wife of a party leader drops dead at a lunch, Dr. Siri suspects she was poisoned all right, but it wasn't the food. While he is trying to determine what to do with this knowledge, another corpse arrives that opens another political can of worms. Suddenly, Dr. Siri is being shot at and doesn't know who to trust in a country where no one trusts anyone. A totally enjoyable series, I can't wait to read the next book.

Ratings: 11th grade - 8 out of 10 - P (profanity). 

Sparrowhawk

Sparrowhawk is by Delilah S. Dawson. A fantasy complication of the five books of the Sparrowhawk comic book series. Artemisia is dragged into the realm of Faerie when the evil Faerie Queen takes her place in the real world. Artemisia must fight her way to the queen's castle and defeat enemies along the way - but every fey she kills makes her more fey herself and less human. A tragic, but fascinating series. 

Ratings: 11th grade - 7 out of 10 - P (profanity) - V (violence) - AC (some mature thematic content). 

The Organized Mind: Thinking Straight in the Age of Information Overload

The Organized Mind: Thinking Straight in the Age of Information Overload is by Daniel J. Levitin. A fascinating look at the way our brain works and how it organizes information, both accurately and problematically. A little dry, but VERY interesting. 

Ratings: Adult - 8 out of 10. 

Sabotaged

Sabotaged is by Margaret Peterson Haddix. The third installment in the science fiction "Missing" series. Jonah and Katherine must help Andrea, who is really Virginia Dare, reunite with her tracer. They land in the wrong time period and try to figure out what's happening without changing history, or is changing history really such a bad thing? Can't it be changed for the better? Fans of the series will enjoy this installment.

Ratings: 7th grade - 6 out of 10. 

The Forgetting Time

The Forgetting Time is by Sharon Guskin. An interesting realistic fiction novel about a four-year-old boy named Noah, who claims he is someone else. Janie's son keeps telling her he wants to go home to his mother and that his name is not Noah it's Tommy, and he is terrified of water and refuses to take a bath. Janie has tried everything to understand what is wrong with her son. She finally calls in a psychiatrist who threw away his career to research the possibility of reincarnation. Anderson believes that Noah is the reincarnation of a boy named Tommy and he and Janie set out to find Noah's "other" family. This search will have amazing ramifications for everyone involved. 

Ratings: Adult - 7 out of 10 - P (profanity) - AC (some mature thematic content). 

Soulless

Soulless is by Gail Carriger. This is the first book in the fantasy series called "The Parasol Protectorate." Alexia Tarabotti is a preternatural, she is soulless. When she comes in contact with a supernatural (vampire, werewolf, etc) she counteracts their supernatural powers and renders them human as long as she is touching them. When she is attacked by a vampire at a ball and has to to kill him; she is forced to deal with Lord Maccon (a Scottish werewolf Alpha) who cleans up these kinds of messes for Queen Victoria. When vampires and werewolves begin to disappear, Alexia and Lord Maccon must discover what is happening, if they can keep their hands off each other long enough. A charming and well written novel, can't wait to read the rest of the series. 

Ratings: 11th grade - 9 out of 10 - AC (some mature thematic content). 

Magpie Murders

Magpie Murders is by Anthony Horowitz. An interesting cross between realistic and historical fiction. This is the story of a murder mystery writer and his final book. Alan Conway is a British mystery writer who is famous for his Atticus Pund series, set in 1950s England. His editor Susan Ryeland receives his latest novel and begins reading it to discover that the final chapter is missing. Immediately after this Conway commits suicide - or does he? As Susan tries to track down the missing last chapter she discovers that the secret to Alan's death my be found in his final novel. This book is interestingly written in that you are allowed to read both Alan's novel and follow Susan as she tries to find the missing chapter. 

Ratings: Adult - 9 out of 10 - P (profanity) - AC (some mature thematic content). 

Fates and Furies

Fates and Furies is by Lauren Groff. A realistic fiction novel about a playwright and his wife and the ups and downs of their marriage. The first half of the book is told from Lotto's point of view and the second half from Mathilde's point of view. All of the characters are quite flawed and some parts of the story are uncomfortable to read. It was an interesting read, but I don't think it lived up to the hype surrounding it. 

Ratings: Adult - 5 out of 10 - P (profanity) - AC (mature thematic content) - S (sexual content). 

The Queen of the Night

The Queen of the Night is by Alexander Chee. A sweeping historical fiction novel set during the Second Empire in Paris. Lillet Berne is a legendary falcon soprano in the Paris Opera. She is presented with an opera written for her and discovers when she reads it that it is based on her life; a life which she believes very few people even know about. The story follows her as she attempts to discover who wrote the opera and if they are trying to ruin her, and also flashes back in time to allow her to tell her own story. A bit hefty, but a good read and a great exploration of the period. 

Ratings: Adult - 8 out of 10 - P (profanity) - AC (mature thematic content).