PEOPLE Book Review Index, 2012

People does not offer an online index to their reviews. Below is EarlyWord’s index to reviews from 2012 (link to our 2013 Book Reviews Index here).

The indices to previous years are archived here.

Links from the dates, below, are to the book section for each issue when available (People archives the complete issues on People.com, several weeks after publication); title links are to information from the publishers’ catalogs.

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12/31 Book Reviews

Top Ten Books

Five fiction, five nonfiction (with notes on appearances on other Top Ten lists)

1) Dear Life, Alice Munro, (RH/Knopf, short stories)

2) This Is How You Lose Her, Juno Diaz, (Penguin/Riverhead, fiction) —  #10 on Time magazine Top Ten Fiction

3) The Age of Miracles, Karen Thompson Walker, (Random House, fiction)

4) WildCheryl Strayed, (RH/Knopf, memoir) — #6 on Time magazine Top Ten Nonfiction

5) Gone GirlGillian Flynn, (RH/Crown, fiction) — #4 on USA Today‘s Top Ten

6) Behind the Beautiful Forevers, Katherine Boo, (Random House, nonfiction) – #10 on USA Today‘s Top Ten; one of five nonfiction titles on the NYT Book Reviews 10 Best Books; one of five nonfiction titles on the Washington Post’s 10 Best Books

7) Quiet, Susan Cain, (RH/Crown, nonfiction)

8) Bruce, Peter Ames Carlin. (Simon & Schuster, biography)

9) How Children Succeed, Paul Tough, (HMH, nonfiction)

10) Where’d You Go, BernadetteMaria Semple, (Hachette/Little Brown, fiction) — one of Entertainment Weekly’s Top Ten Fiction

12/24 Book Reviews

 

The Twelve Tribes of Hattie, Ayana Mathis, (RH/Knopf), 4 of 4 stars and a People Pick

The Child’s Child, Barbara Vine, (S&S/Scribner), 3.5 of 4 stars

Diary of a Stage Mother’s Daughter: A Memoir, Melissa Francis, 3 of 4 stars

Shiver, Karen Robards, (S&S/Gallery), 3 of 4 stars

Featured:

Because I Said So!: The Truth Behind the Myths, Tales, and Warnings Every Generation Passes Down to Its Kids, Ken Jennings(S&S/Scribner)

12/17 Holiday Gift Guide

12/10 Book Reviews

Magnificence, Lydia Millet, 3.5 of 4 stars

Oddly Normal, John Schwartz, 3.5 of 4 stars

12/3 Book Reviews

Heads in Beds, Jacob Tomsky, 4 of 4 stars and a People Pick

Help, Thanks, Wow, Anne Lamott, 3.5 of 4 stars

Married Love, Tessa Hadley, 4 of 4 stars

11/26 Book Reviews

Far from the Tree, Andrew Solomon, 4 of 4 stars and a People Pick

Featured: Winter Cookbooks

11/19 Book Reviews

Brain on Fire, Susannah Cahalan, 3.5 of 4 stars

Sweet Tooth, Ian McEwan, 3.5 of 4 stars

Dear Life, Alice Munro, 4 of 4 stars

She Loves Me Not, Ron Hansen, 3.5 of 4 stars

11/12 Book Reviews

Flight Behavior, Barbara Kingsolver, (Harper), 4 of 4 stars and a People Pick

The End of Your Life Book Club, Will Schwalbe, (RH/Knopf), 3.5 of 4 stars

The Middlesteins, Jami Attenberg, (Hachette/Grand Central), 3 of 4 stars

Elsewhere: A Memoir, Richard Russo, (RH/Knopf), 4 of 4 stars

A Year of Biblical Womanhood: How a Liberated Woman Found Herself Sitting on Her Roof, Covering Her Head, and Calling Her Husband “Master,” Rachel Evans, (Thomas Nelson), 3.5 of 4 stars

Marmee & Louisa: The Untold Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Mother, Eve LaPlante, (S&S/Free Press) 3 of 4 stars

Featured: Books About Dogs

Underwater Dogs by Seth Casteel, (Hachette/Little, Brown)

What’s a Dog For?: The Surprising History, Science, Philosophy, and Politics of Man’s Best Friend, John Homans, (Penguin)

I Want to Kill the DogRichard M. Cohen, (Penguin/Blue Rider)

Interview:

Full of Heart: My Story of Survival, Strength, and Spirit,  J.R. Martinez and Alexandra Rockey Fleming, (Hyperion)

11/5 Book Reviews

Bruce, Peter A Carlin (S&S/Touchstone), 4 of 4 stars and a People Pick

Friendkeeping : A Field Guide to the People You Love, Hate, and Can’t Live Without, Julie Klam, (Penguin/Riverhead),  4 of 4 stars

Driving the Saudis : A Chauffeur’s Tale of the World’s Richest Princesses (plus their servants, nannies, and one royal hairdresser)
Jayne Amelia Larson, (S&S/Free Press), 3.5 of 4 stars

Astray, Emma Donoghue, (Hachette/Little, Brown), 4 of 4 stars

GREAT READS: New in Nonfiction

We Killed : The Rise of Women in American Comedy, Yael Kohen, (Macmillan/ Sarah Crichton)

The John Lennon Letters, John Lennon, Hunter Davies, (Hachette/Little, Brown)

The Watchmaker’s Daughter : A Memoir, Sonia Taitz, (McWitty Press)

Featured:

Rod: The Autobiography, Rod Stewart (Rh/Crown Archetype)

Excerpts:

The Richard Burton Diaries, Richard Burton, Chris Williams, (Yale University Press)

Silent No More: Victim 1’s Fight for Justice Against Jerry Sandusky, Aaron Fisher, Michael Gillum, Dawn Daniels (RH/Ballantine)

10/29 Book Reviews

Back to Blood, Tom Wolfe, (Hachette/Little, Brown;Hachette Audio, read by Lou Diamond Phillips), 3.5 of 4 stars

The Round House, Louise Erdrich (Harper), 3.5 of 4 stars

Mrs. Queen Takes the Train, William Kuhn (HarperCollins; Dreamscape Audio), 3.5 of 4 stars

GREAT READS: New Fiction

Love, Anthony, Lisa Genova, S&S

A Working Theory of Love,  Scott Hutchins, Penguin Press

Object Lessons: The Paris Review Presents the Art of the Short Story, The Paris Review, Macmillan/Picador

Featured:

The King of Style: Dressing Michael Jackson, Michael Bush, Insight Editions

10/22 Book Reviews

Hello, Gorgeous: Becoming Barbra Streisand, William J. Mann, HMH, 3.5 of 4 stars

The Secret Keeper : A Novel, Kate Morton, S&S; Atria, 4 of 4 stars

Blasphemy: New and Selected Stories, Sherman Alexie, Grove Atlantic, 3.5 of 4 stars

American Ghost: A Novel by Janis Owens, S&S/Scribner, 3.5 of 4 stars

Best FIFTY SHADES Parodies

Fifty Sheds of Grey, C. T. Grey, Macmillan/St. Martin’s Griffin

Fifty Shames of Earl Grey: A Parody, Fanny Merkin, Perseus/Da Capo Press

Fifty Shades of Louisa May, Louisa May Anonymous, OR Books

GREAT READS: New In Non-Fiction

The Little Bookstore of Big Stone Gap: A Memoir of Friendship, Community, and the Uncommon Pleasure of a Good Book, Wendy Welch, Macmillan/St. Martin’s

Circles Around the Sun: In Search of a Lost Brother, Molly McCloskey, Overlook

All Gone: A Memoir of My Mother’s Dementia. With Refreshments, Alex Witchel, Penguin/Riverhead

FEATURED:

The Road To Reality:Voted off the Island!…My Journey as a Real-Life Survivor, Dianne Burnett, Hay House

Killing Kennedy: The End of Camelot, Bill O’Reilly, Martin Dugard, Macmillan/Holt

FROM OUR COLLEAGUES

The Sinatra Club: My Life Inside the New York Mafia, Sal Polisi, S&S/Gallery Books

The Godfather’s Daughter: An Unlikely Story of Love, Healing, and Redemption, Rita Gigante and Natasha Stoynoff, Hay House

10/15 Book Reviews

The Casual Vacancy, J.K. Rowling, (Hachette/Little, Brown), 3 of 4 stars

Say You’re Sorry, Michael Robotham, (Hachette/Little, Brown), 3 of 4 stars

The Cutting Season, Attica Locke, (Harper), 3.5 of 4 stars

Sutton, J. R. Hoehringer, (Hyperion) 4 of 4 stars and a People Pick

Great Reads:

A World without Cancer: The Making of a New Cure and the Real Promise of Prevention, Margaret I. Cuomo, MD (Macmillan/Rodale Books)

Dancing Dogs: Stories, Jon Katz (RH/Ballantine)

Drinking Diaries: Women Serve Their Stories Straight Up, Caren Osten Gerszberg, Leah Odze Epstein (PGw/Seal Press)

Celebrity Memoir Essentials:

Cyndi Lauper: A Memoir,  Cyndi Lauper and Jancee Dunn (S&S/Atria Books)

Waging Heavy Peace, Neil Young (Penguin/Blue Rider)

Rearview Mirror, Alana Stewart (Perseus/Vanguard)

10/8 Book Reviews

 

In Sunlight and Shadow,  Mark Helprin, (HMH; Blackstone Audio), 4 of 4 stars and a People Pick

Does This Church Make Me Look Fat?: A Mennonite Finds Faith, Meets Mr. Right, and Solves Her Lady Problems, Rhoda Janzen, 3 of 4 stars

Great Reads: New in Paperback

Friends Like Us, Lauren Fox, RH/Vintage

The Stranger’s Child, Alan Hollinghurst, RH/Vintage

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns), Mindy Kaling, RH/Three Rivers

Featured:

The Longest Way Home: One Man’s Quest for the Courage to Settle Down, Andrew McCarthy, S&S/Free Press

Joseph Anton: A Memoir, Salman Rushdie, Random House

10/1 Book Reviews

Fall’s Hot Titles

Sweet Tooth, Ian McEwan, RH/Doubleday/Nan A. Talese, 11/13/12

Flight Behavior, Barbara Kingsolver, Harper, 11/6/12

Back to Blood, Tom Wolfe, Hachette/Little,Brown, 10/23

Sutton, J.R. Moehringer, Hyperion, 9/25/12

The Casual Vacancy, J. K. Rowling, Hachette/Little, Brown, 9/27/12

The End of Your Life Book Club, Will Schwalbe, RH/Knopf, 10/2/12

Friendkeeping: A Field Guide to the People You Love, Hate, and Can’t Live Without, Julie Klam, Penguin/Riverhead, 10/25/12

Dear Life: Stories, Alice Munro, RH/Knopf, 11/13

The Round House, Louise Erdrich, Harper, 10/2/12

Far From the Tree: Parents, Children and the Search for Identity, Andrew Solomon, S&S/Scribner, 11/13

The Middlesteins, Jami Attenberg, Hachette/Grand Central, 10/23

9/24 Book Reviews

This Is How You Lose Her, Junot Diaz, Penguin/Riverhead, 3.5 of 4 stars

Kept in the Dark, Penny Hancock, Penguin original trade pbk, 3 of 4 stars

The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared, Jonas Jonasson, Hyperion, 3.5 of 4 stars

Why Have Kids?: A New Mom Explores the Truth About Parenting and Happiness, Jessica Valenti, HMH, 3 of 4 stars

Featured:

I’d Like to Apologize to Every Teacher I Ever Had: My Year as a Rookie Teacher at Northeast High, Tony Danza, RH/Crown Archetype

Kisses from Katie: A Story of Relentless Love and Redemption, Katie J. Davis, S&S/Howard Books original trade pbk

Great Reads in Nonfiction:

How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character, Paul Tough, HMH

Wallace: The Underdog Who Conquered a Sport, Saved a Marriage, and Championed Pit Bulls–One Flying Disc at a Time, Jim Gorant, Penguin/Gotham

The Universal Sense: How Hearing Shapes the Mind, Seth S. Horowitz, Seth Horowitz, Macmillan/Bloomsbury

9/17 Book Reviews

Telegraph Avenue, Michael Chabon, Harper, 4 of 4 stars and a People Pick

Mortality, Christopher Hitchens, Hachette/ Grand Central, 4 of 4 stars

No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama Bin Laden, Mark Owen, Kevin Maurer, Holter Graham, Penguin/Dutton, 3 of 4 stars

The Time Keeper, Mitch Albom, Hyperion, 3 of 4 stars

Laura Lamont’s Life in Pictures, Emma Straub, Penguin/Riverhead, 3.5 of 4 stars

Those We Love Most, Lee Woodruff, Hyperion, 4 of 4 stars

Featured

Suri’s Burn Book: Well-Dressed Commentary from Hollywood’s Little Sweetheart. Allie Hagan, Running Press

9/10 Book Reviews

Cascade, Maryanne O’Hara, Penguin/Viking, 4 of 4 stars and a People Pick

Happier at Home: Kiss More, Jump More, Abandon a Project, Read Samuel Johnson, and My Other Experiments in the Practice of Everyday Life, Gretchen Rubin. RH/Crown, 3 of 4 stars

NW , Zadie Smith, Penguin Press, 3 of 4 stars

And When She Was Good, HarperCollins/Morrow, Laura Lippman, 3 of 4 stars

The Orchardist, Amanda Coplin, Harper, 3 of 4 stars

Featured:

Curious Behavior : Yawning, Laughing, Hiccupping, and Beyond, Robert R. Provine, Harvard Press

9/3 Book Reviews

The Beautiful Mystery, Louise Penny, Macmillan/Minotaur, 4 of 4 stars and a People Pick

Lionel Asbo: State of England, Martin Amis, RH/Knopf, 3.5 of 4 stars

Interview — Hope Solo, Solo: A Memoir of Hope, HarperCollins

Great Reads: New in Nonfiction
Beginning With the End: A Memoir of Twin Loss and Healing, Mary R. Morgan, IPS/Vantage Point

Double Cross: The True Story of the D-Day Spies, Ben Macintyre, RH/Crown

The Year of Learning Dangerously: Adventures in Homeschooling, Quinn Cummings, Penguin/Perigee

8/27 Book Reviews

You Are the Love of My Life, Susan Richards Shreve, Norton, 3.5 of 4 stars and a People Pick

When It Happens to You, Molly Ringwald, HarperCollins/It Books, 3.5 of 4 stars

Winter Journal, Paul Auster, Macmillan/Holt, 3.5 of 4 stars

Featured:

After Etan, Lisa R, Cohen, Hachette/Grand Central — republished, with new chapter; brief inteview

The Sweetness of Forgetting, Kristin Harmel, S&S Gallery — by People contributor Harmel — “a divorcee travels to Paris and uncovers surprising family secrtes.”

8/20 Book Reviews

Summer Thrills & Chills

The St. Zita Society, Ruth Rendell, S&S/Scribner

The Playdate, Louise Millar (S&S/Atria/Emily Bestler)

The Case of the Deadly Butter Chicken, Tarquin Hall (S&S)

Kill You Twice, Chelsea Cain (Macmillan/Minotaur; Macmillan Audio; Thorndike Large Print)

The Prophet, Michael Koryta(Hachette/Little Brown; Little Brown Large Print)

A Killing in the Hills, Julia Keller (Macmillan/Minotaur)

Reviews

Hello Goodbye Hello, Craig Brown, S&S, 3.5 of 4 stars and a People Pick

January First, Michael Schofield, RH/Crown, Tantor Audio, 3.5 of 4 stars

8/13 Book Reviews

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce (Random House; RH Audio; BOT), 4 of 4 stars and a People Pick

The Forrests, by Emily Perkins, Bloomsbury US, Trade Pbk Original, 3 of 4 stars

What the Nanny Saw by Fiona Neill (Penguin/Riverhead; Tantor Media). 3 of 4 stars

Featured:

This Will End in Tears: The Miserabilist Guide to Music, by Adam Brent Houghtaling, HarperCollins/It Books

8/6 Book Reviews

In the Shadow of the Banyan, Vaddey Ratner, Simon & Schuster, 4 of 4 stars and a People Pick

The Light Between Oceans, ML. Stedman, S&S/Scribner, 3 of 4 stars

Triburbia, Karl Taro Greenfeld, Harper, 3 of 4 stars

Dare Me, Megan Abbott, Hachette/Little,Brown/Reagan Arthur, 3 of 4 stars

Great Reads: New in Nonfiction

The Long Walk, Brian Castner, RH/Doubleday

Dearie, Bob Spitz, RH/Knopf

Coming to my Senses, Alyssa Harad, Penguin/Viking

Interview:

Love Is the Cure: On Life, Loss, and the End of AIDS, Elton John, Hachette/Little, Brown

7/30 Book Reviews

Shine Shine Shine, Lydia Netzer. Macmillan/St. Martin’s, 4 of 4 stars and a People Pick

Some of My Best Friends Are Black: The Strange Story of Integration in America, Tanner Colby, Penguin/Viking, 3.5 of 4 stars

Tigers in Red Weather, Liza Klaussmann, Hachette/ Little, Brown, 3.5 of 4 stars

How to Be a Woman, Caitlin Moran, Harper Perennial, 3.5 of 4 stars

7/23 Book Reviews

Monkey Mind, Daniel Smith, S&S, 4 of 4 stars and a People Pick

The Next Best Thing, Jennifer Weiner, S&S/Atria, 3.5 of 4 stars

Great Reads: New in Fiction

The Sandcastle Girls, Chris Bohjalian, RH/Doubleday

True Believers, Kurt Anderson, Random House

Imperfect Bliss, Susan Fales-Hill, S&S/Atria

Featured:

Life at Home in the Twenty-First Century, Cotsen Institute of Archaeology

7/16 Book Reviews

Shadow of Night, Deborah Harkness, Penguin/Putnam, 3 of 4 stars

The World Without You, Joshua Henkin, RH/Pantheon, 3 of 4 stars

The Odyssey of KP2: An Orphan Seal, a Marine Biologist, and the Fight to Save a Species, Terrie M. Williams, Penguin Press, 3 of 4 stars

Summer Reads for Kids:

Summer of the Gypsy Moths, Sara Pennypacker, Balzer + Bray

Queen of the Track, Heather Lang, Boyds Mills Press

Breaking Stalin’s Nose, Eugene Yelchin, Macmillan/Holt

Surfer Chick, Kirsty DEmpsey, Abrams

…And One for Their Parents

P.S. I Still Hate it Here, Diane Falanga, Abrams

7/9 Book Reviews

The Age of Miracles, Karen Thompson Walker, Random House,4 of 4 stars and a People Pick

Summerland, Elin Hilderbrand, Hachette/Little, Brown/Reagan Arthur, 3 of 4 stars

Slouching Toward Adulthood, Sally Koslow, Penguin/Viking, 3 of 4 stars

Featured — two books on Marco Rubio

The Rise of Marco Rubio, Manuel Roig-Franzia, S&S

An American Son: A Memoir, Marco Rubio, Penguin/Sentinel

7/2 Book Reviews

Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt, RH/Dial, 4 of 4 stars

Beautiful Ruins, Jess Walter, Harper, 4 of 4 stars

Heartbroken, Lisa Unger, RH/Crown, 4 of 4 stars

6/25 Book Reviews

 

Summer Reading

Gilded Age, Claire McMillan, S&S, 6/12

Yes, Chef, Marcus Samuelsson, Random House, 6/26

Where’d You Go, Bernadette, Maria Semple, Hachette/Little, Brown, 8/14

A Conspiracy of Friends (A Corduroy Mansions Novel), Alexander McCall Smith, RH/Pantheon, 6/12

Gold, Chris Cleave, S&S, 7/3

Gone, Cathi Hanauer, S&S/Atria, 6/19

The Red House, Mark Haddon, RH/Doubleday, 6/12

Creole Belle, James Lee Burke, S&S, 7/17

Broken Harbor, Tana French, Penguin/Viking, 7/24

When In Doubt, Add Butter, Beth Harbison, Macmillan/St. Martin’s Press, 7/17

The Receptionist: An Education at The New Yorker, Janet Groth, Workman/Algonquin, 6/26

Picture This, Jacqueline Sheehan, HarperCollins/Morrow, 5/22

6/18 Book Reviews

The Innocents, Francesca Siegal, Hyperion/Voice, 3.5 of 4 stars

Diamond in the Rough, Shawn Colvin, HarperCollins/Morrow, 3.5 of 4 stars

The Chaperone, Laura Moriarty, Penguin/Riverhead, 3.5 of 4 stars

Wife 22, Melanie Gideon, RH/Ballantine, 3.5 of 4 stars

The Chemistry of Tears, Peter Carey, 3.5 of 4 stars

Featured:

A Kindle single about Mel Gibson, titled Heaven and Mel by Joe Eszterhas, who is a screenwriter (Jagged Edge, Jade, Betrayed, and Showgirls), and the author of two Hollywood memoirs. He worked with the Gibson on a screenplay for about the Maccabees which was never released. Says People, “in the end, no one gets out of Heaven and Mel clean, not even the reader.”

6/11 Book Reviews

Gone Girl, Giillian Flynn, RH/Crown, 4 of 4 stars

The Lower River, Paul Theroux, HMH, 4 of 4 stars

I Hate Everyone…Starting with Me, Joan Rivers, Penguin/Berkley, 3.5 of 4 stars

Calling Invisible Women, RH/Crown,Jeanne Ray, 3.5 of 4 stars

Featured:

Marilyn & Me, Lawrence Schiller (RH/Nan A. Talese and a Taschen limited edition for $1,000)

Spotlight on Health and Diet Books

The First 20 Minutes, Gretchen Reynolds, Penguin/Hudson St.

The Skinny Rules, Bob Harper, RH/Ballantine

The Dash Diet, Thomas J. Moore, Megan C. Murphy and Mark Jenkins

The Lean, Kathy Freston, Weinstein Books

6/4 Book Reviews

I Couldn’t Love You More, Jillian Medoff, Hachette/Grand Central, 4 of 4 stars

Dan Gets a Minivan, S&S/Scribner, 3 of 4 stars

I Am Forbidden, Anouk Markovits, RH/Crown, 3.5 of 4 stars

The Stonecutter, Camilla Lackberg, Norton/Pegasus Crime, 3 of 4 stars

5/28 Book Reviews

Father’s Day, Buzz Bissinger, HMH, 3 of 4 stars

I Never Promised You a Goodie Bag, Jennifer Gilbert, Harper, 4 of 4 stars

Love, Life, and Elephants, Dame Daphne Sheldrick, Macmillan/FSG, 3.5 of 4 stars

5/21 Book Reviews

Bring Up the Bodies, Hilary Mantel, Macmillan/Holt, 4 of 4 stars and a People Pick

Are You My Mother?, Allison Bechdel, HMH, 3.5 of 4 stars

When Women Were Birds, Terry Tempest Williams, Macmillan/Sarah Crichton, 3 of 4 stars

Ménage, Alix Kates Shulman, Other Press, 3.5 of 4 stars

5/14 Book Reviews

Home, Toni Morrison, RH/Knopf, 4 of 4 stars and a People Pick

The Uninvited Guests, Sadie Jones, Harper, 3.5 of 4 stars

To the Last Breath, Francis Slakey, S&S, 3 of 4 stars

In One Person, John Irving, S&S, 3 of 4 stars

5/7 Book Reviews

Waiting for Sunrise, William Boyd, Harper, 4 of 4 stars and a People Pick

Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake, Anna Quindlen, Random House, 3 of 4 stars

These Girls, Sarah Pekkanen, S&S/Washington Square Press, trade pbk, 3 of 4 stars

The Gods of Gotham, Lindsay Faye, 3.5 of 4 stars

Book Excerpt; Both of Us: My Life with Farrah, Ryan O’Neal, RH/Crown

4/30 Book Reviews

Let’s Pretend This Never Happened, Penguin/Einhorn, Jenny Lawson, 3.5 of 4 stars

Drop Dead Healthy A.J. Jacobs, S&S, 3 of 4 stars

Featured: Prom, Mary Ellen Mark, Getty Publications — a book (with DVD) of prom photos from across the country by documentary photographer Mark.

4/23 Book Reviews

Bloom: Finding Beauty in the Unexpected — A Memoir, Kelle Hampton, Lead review, HarperCollins/Morrow, 3 of 4 stars

Paris in Love, Eloisa James, Random House, 4 of 4 stara

Hand Me Down, Melanie Thorne, Penguin/Dutton, 3.5 of 4 stars

The Ten, Make That Nine, Habits of Very Organized People. Make That Ten: The Tweets of Steve Martin, Steve Martin, excerpt, Hachette/Grand Central

Feature — “Ricki Lake’s Surprise Wedding” — includes excerpt from:

Never Say Never: Finding a Life That Fits, Ricki Lake, S&S/Atria

4/16 Book Reviews

The Lifeboat, Charlotte Rogan, Hachette/Little,Brown/Reagan Arthur, Lead review, 3.5 of 4 stars

The Cove, Ron Rash, Harper, 4 of 4 stars

The Beginner’s Goodbye, Anne Tyler, RH/ Knopf, 3 of 4 stars

Features

Smart Chefs Stay Slim, Allison Adato, Penguin/NAL

You Have No Idea: A Famous Daughter, Her No-Nonsense Mother, and How They Survived Pageants, Hollywood, Love, Loss (and Each Other), Vanessa Williams and Helen Williams, Gotham

Mrs. Kennedy and Me: An Intimate Memoir, Clint Hill and Lisa McCubbin, S&S/Gallery Books

4/9 Book Reviews

The Red Book, Deborah Copaken Kogan, Hyperion, 4 of 4 stars and a People Pick

What They Do in the Dark, Amanda Coe, Norton, 3.5 of 4 stars

Soldier Dogs, Maria Goodavage, Penguin/Dutton, 3.5 of 4 stars

Triggered, Fletcher Wortman, Macmillan/St. Martin’s, 3.5 of 4 stars

4/2 Book Reviews

Carry the One, Carol Anshaw, S&S, 4 of 4 stars and a People Pick

Another Piece of My Heart, Jane Green, Macmillan/St. Martin’s, 3 of 4 stars

The Good Father, Andrew Abrahams, RH/Doubleday, 3 of 4 stars

The New Republic, Lionel Shriver, Harper, 3 of 4 stars

Stay Close, Harlan Coben, Penguin/Dutton, 4 of 4 stars

Hot Cripple, Hogan Gorman, Penguin/Perigee, 3.5 of 4 stars

3/26 Book Reviews

Wild, Cheryl Strayed, RH/Knopf, 4 of 4 stars and a People Pick

The Vanishers, Heidi Julavits, RH/Doubleday, 3 of 4 stars

Some Assembly Required, Anne Lamott, Penguin/Riverhead, 3.5 of 4 stars

3/19 Book Reviews

Arcadia, Lauren Groff, Hyperion/Voice, 4 of 4 stars

Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? Jeanette Winterson, Grove, 4 of 4 stars

Catch Me, Lisa Gardner, Penguin/Dutton, 3 of 4 stars

3/12 Books

King Peggy, Peggielene Bartels & Eleanor Herman, RH/Doubleday, 3.5 of 4 stars

Blue Monday, Nicci French, Penguin/Viking/Pamela Dorman Books, 3 of 4 stars

Forgotten Country, Catherine Chung, Penguin/Dutton, 3.5 of 4 stars

3/5 Feature:

In a Fisherman’s Language: An autobiography by Captain James Arruda Henry, North Stonington, CT: Fowler Road Press, 2011, available through In a Fisherman’s Language web site.

Books

Girlchild, Tupelo Hassmann, Macmillan/FSG, 3.5 of 4 stars

Other Waters, Eleni N. Gage, Macmillan/St. Martin’s, 4 of 4 stars

Lone Wolf, Jodi Picoult, S&S/Atria, 3.5 of 4 stars

Unorthodox, Deborah Feldman, S&S, interview

2/27 Books

Friends Like Us, Lauren Fox, RH/Knopf, 3.5 of 4 stars

The House I Loved,Tatiana de Rosnay, Macmillan/St. Martin’s, 3 of 4 stars

Rez Life, David Treuer, Atlantic Monthly, 3.5 of 4 stars

2/20 Books

Bringing Up Bebe, Pamela Druckerman, Penguin, 3.5 of 4 stars

The Flight of Gemma Hardy, Margot Livesey, Harper, 3 of 4 stars

Home Front, Kristin Hannah, Macmillan/St. Martin’s, 3.5 of 4 stars

All There Is, Dave Isay, Penguin, 3 of 4 stars

The Fault in Our Stars, John Green, Penguin/Dutton, 4 of 4 stars & labeled a “Buzz Book,”

2/13 Books

Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, death, and hope in a Mumbai Undercity, Katherine Boo, Random House, 4 of 4 and a People Pick

Bond Girl, Erin Duffy(HarperCollins/Morrow), 3 of 4 stars

Defending Jacob, William Landay(RH/Delacorte; Blackstone Audio; Thorndike Large Print), 3 of 4 stars

Immortal Bird: A Family Memoir, Doron Weber, S&S, 3.5 of 4 stars

2/6 Books

Heft, Liz Moore, Norton, 3.5 of 4 stars

Crazy Enough, Storm Large, S&S/Free Press, 4 of 4 stars

Passing Love, Jacqueline E. Lockett, Hachette/Grand Central, 3.5 of 4 stars

The World We Found, Thrity Umriger, Harper, 3.5 of 4 stars

1/30

Book Excerpt

Fairy Tale Interrupted, Rosemarie Terenzio, S&S/Gallery

Books

Quiet, Susan Cain, RH/Crown, 3.5 of 4 stars

There Is No Dog, Meg Rosoff, Penguin/Putnam, 4 of 4 stars

1/23 Books

How It All Began, Penelope Lively, Penguin/Viking, 3.5 of 4 stars

MWF Seeking BFF, Rachel Bertsche, RH/Ballantine, 3 of 4 stars

Believing the Lie, Elizabeth George, Penguin/Dutton, 3.5 of 4 stars

A Chance in the World, Steve Pemberton, Thomas Nelson, 3.5 of 4 stars

1/16 Books

American Dervish, Ayad Akhtar, 3.5 of 4 stars

Kayak Morning, Roger Rosenblatt, 4 of 4 stars

The Invisible Ones, Stef Penney, 3.5 of 4 stars

From the Memoirs of a Non-Enemy Combatant, Alex Gilvarry, 3 of 4 stars

1/9 Books

The Journal of Best Practices by David Finch, S&S/Scribner, 3.5 of 4 stars

The Leopard by Jo Nesbo, RH/Knopf, 4 of 4 stars

The Magic Room by Jeffrey Zaslow, Penguin/Gotham, 3 of 4 stars

The Impossible Dead by Ian Rankin, Hachette/Little Brown, 3 of 4 stars