Jonathan Barnes, THE SOMNAMBULIST

I'm usually a sucker for anything Victorian, but this one didn't grab me. In fact I'd probably give this closer to 2.5 stars. I guess my lukewarm feeling is because this feels half-mystery novel/half-fantasy ... perhaps partly because nearly every character is half-human/half-monster. We've got a bearded lady with an appendage that sticking out of her chest, the eponymous giant who communicates by writing on a slate (in misspellings) and can survive having swords stuck through him, a human fly, and (SPOILER ALERT) S.T. Coleridge appearing, like Frankenstein's monster, having been stitched up and reanimated by some mysterious green substance, just in time for the apocalyptic scene at the end. Not that Victorian England didn't have its horrors, certainly, but I like my Victorian fictional world to have the feel of the real. But Barnes is a good writer, has a wonderful facility with language, I was often wowed by his turn of phrase. I would certainly give him another shot.

Celeste Ng, EVERYTHING I NEVER TOLD YOU

I read this in one night; it's quick and well-written. A painful and at times heartbreaking story about a family, the members of which leave some crucial things unsaid at important moments. An Asian man and a white woman with children who just don't fit in, in a small midwest town in the 1970s. The most painful moment for me is when the daughter fakes talking to "friends" on the phone, so that her father won't know she doesn't have any--because her being popular is so important to him. The enormous gaps between what the parents think they know about the kids and the truths (and vice versa) are alarming and, in the end, tragic.  (I'm not spoiling anything ... you know the daughter dies on page one.)

Antonia Hodgson, THE LAST CONFESSION OF THOMAS HAWKINS

I'm a sucker for any historical mystery, and this one was just plain fun, sardonic, with good period details and some interesting plot twists. Set in early 1700s London, it's told first-person by a rake, who drinks too much, constantly gets himself in trouble by provoking the wrong people in the worst sections of town, and is in love with a profane and clever owner of a printshop that specializes in porn.

Susan Rieger, THE DIVORCE PAPERS

Enjoyed this debut novel, told as a collection of legal memos, emails, lists, legal documents, etc. Yes, I found myself skimming some of the long legal documents that only supported the more accessible cover memos, for example. But I found parts of it touching, much of it wry. There's one primary divorce--an acrimonious one between a high-end doctor and his brilliant, funny wife (who comes off as the Good one, pretty unambiguously) that is largely concerned with the custody of their 11-year-old daughter Jane--but there are quite a few others too, so there's a kaleidoscope effect: Sophie's own parents were divorced; her current boyfriend is actually married and separated and seeking a divorce; the high-end doctor has been divorced before ... plus there are plenty of references to adultery, etc. Reminded me a bit of DEAR AMERICAN AIRLINES, or I DON'T KNOW HOW SHE DOES IT. The book covers a serious topic, with a slightly breezy and literary treatment. (No surprise that she's a lawyer and David Denby's better half.)

Bill Konigsberg, OUT OF THE POCKET

Excellent, deeply satisfying debut YA novel, about a star high school quarterback who, somewhat unwillingly, comes out of the closet. I felt like BK nailed the teen boy voices, and the writing seemed virtually transparent. Read it in one sitting. One of my favorite things about this book is the cast of secondary characters--imperfect and evolving.

Rosalind Wiseman, MASTERMINDS AND WINGMEN: Helping Our Boys Cope with Schoolyard Power, Locker-Room Tests, Girlfriends, and the New Rules of Boy World

There's a lot of good, solid information in here--including lots of quotes from boys, ages 10 to 17, about everything from girls to gaming to lying to fighting. She says it is a mistake to think that boys are easier than girls; her thesis is that boys aren't easier, they're just quieter. As with her book on girls (QUEEN BEES & WANNABEES) she has a lot of specific and practical advice on how to guide and support them and get them to share their thoughts, including the words to say in certain situations and the landmines to avoid. Maybe my favorite was the contract she has her boys sign about the rules of gaming, which begins: I realize I have no ability to accurately agauge how long I've played because I lose track of time. Therefore, when my mom or dad tell me time's up, I won't respond with, "What!? But I've only been on for a few minutes! I'm about to get to the next level! Let me just throw myself off this cliff! It'll only take one minute, I promise!"

Carrie Arcos, OUT OF REACH

A YA (National Book Award Finalist) about a girl who, with her brother's good-looking friend Tyler, spends a day looking for her meth-addicted brother Micah on the beaches near San Diego. I thought the book did a very good job portraying Rachel's ambivalence about her brother--she loves him but is absolutely furious with him for the lies, the addiction, the pain he's caused the family. But the romance that blooms between Tyler and Rachel during the one day, as they take "time out" from looking for Micah to eat ice cream and ride the roller-coaster and bumper cars, felt forced. The book doesn't cop out (spoiler: they don't find Micah) but the ease with which Rachel accepts that left me a bit cold.