From the inside flap: The scene is Baltimore, the year is 1988. Twice every three days another citizen is shot, stabbed, or bludgeoned to death. And at the center of this hurricane of crime is the city's homicide unit, a small brotherhood of hard men who fight for whatever justice is possible in a deadly world. The homicide detective is an American icon, the hero of a … [Read more...] about Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets by David Simon: A+
Ouran High School Host Club 6 by Bisco Hatori: B
From the back cover: The school festival opens at Ouran, and the Host Club members are busy entertaining the visiting parents. Teasing his son is a favorite pastime of Tamaki's doting father, the school chairman, but Tamaki's grandmother is cut from a very different cloth. She despises and shuns Tamaki, banning him from the main Suoh Mansion. It's now time for Kyoya to take … [Read more...] about Ouran High School Host Club 6 by Bisco Hatori: B
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield: A-
From the back cover: Margaret Lea, a bookseller's daughter whose own past is a mystery, is contacted by Vida Winter, a venerated author renowned for her secrecy. Vida has always been reclusive, publishing popular "autobiographies" that are anything but the truth. Now, Vida is nearing death, and she wants to tell her last tale—the notoriously missing 13th tale—before her time … [Read more...] about The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield: A-
Bleach 5 by Tite Kubo: B+
From the back cover: Ichigo Kurosaki thought that Soul Reapers were the only ones hunting Hollows, but he was wrong. Enter Uryuu Ishida, a Quincy, and possibly the last member of a powerful clan that died out over 200 years ago. Unlike Soul Reapers who strive to cleanse Hollows of their sins and send them to the Soul Society, Quincies adopt a more direct approach—they kill … [Read more...] about Bleach 5 by Tite Kubo: B+
The Beatrice Letters by Lemony Snicket: C
From the back cover: To: My Kind Editor Top secret—only for readers deeply interested in the Baudelaire case. How I pity those readers. With all due respect, Lemony Snicket Review: Cons? Rather pointless and reminds me of the Griffin & Sabine series with its obscure epistolary nature. Pros? Short! No answers are forthcoming in this series of letters, but we do get … [Read more...] about The Beatrice Letters by Lemony Snicket: C