REVIEWED BY LIZA NELSON
NOVEL
Gregory's ribald, unsentimental fiction charts the faltering reign of Henry VIII within the context of his relationships with two wives and an aristocratic schemer. In this sequel to The Other Boleyn Girl, inspired by Anne and Mary Boleyn, Henry has grown grossly unattractive. When fourth wife Anne of Cleves—in reality drab and dull, but here an attractive survivor—inadvertently insults the King's virility, she dooms the marriage. In cahoots with the conniving Duke of Norfolk, half-mad Jane Rocheford plays on Henry's insecurity to steer him towards the duke's niece Katherine Howard, a flirty teenager. The novel's chewy pleasure lies less in historical accuracy than in its gossipy approach to the Tudors' lust and greed.
By Charlotte Moore
REVIEWED BY MICHELLE GREEN
MEMOIR
A divorced British writer with two autistic sons, Moore has written a memoir driven by her unconditional love for boys known to eat like wolves or "shriek with horror" at the sight of a gift. George, now 16, and Sam, 15, are "deeply handicapped ... autistic through and through," she writes; brother Jake, 7, is not autistic. While Moore addresses theories about brain development and offers advice for others with autistic children, it's the intimate view of her family life that's unforgettable. Explaining why she finds George and Sam "funny, interesting and beautiful" as well as maddening, she captures the moments that make her case. Sam describes a storm thus: "It's a blue rainin' and a black windy." Dismantling a hamburger, George hands the limp pickle to her: "Mum, this is my conscience," he says. Moore's book is a lesson in keeping one's heart open, particularly to those who can only be themselves.
By Dean Koontz
REVIEWED BY BOB MEADOWS
THRILLER
Koontz's fry-cook and amateur sleuth Odd Thomas returns for his third outing, and he still sees dead people. Some, like Elvis, just want to have fun, while others, whom Odd dubs "bodachs," are prophets of doom. When Odd, who has taken shelter in a monastery that also houses special-needs children, detects the bad-news haints near the kids, he has to suss out and thwart the disaster. By the end of this poignant but quick-moving thriller, he's marshaled forces including a Goodfella turned monk and, yes, the King of Rock and Roll to battle Death itself. Koontz deftly mixes humor with horror as he tackles the big questions: Can humans prove that God exists? And why is Elvis scared to go to Heaven?
By Kelly Braffet
REVIEWED BY FRANCINE PROSE
NOVEL
Why would someone want to disappear and start a whole new life? And what happens to those left behind? Those questions are at the center of Braffet's deft second novel, Last Seen Leaving. Years before, Anne Cassidy's husband, Nick, a pilot, went missing during a flight over Central America. And now her daughter Miranda has survived a car crash and taken off with her mysterious rescuer for a town where she lives under an assumed name. Anne's frantic search and lessons about the perils of ignorance keep the plot moving along. Some of the novel's loose ends are tied up a bit too neatly and not entirely plausibly, but Braffet has a gift for creating an atmosphere of suspicion—and suspense.
By Joanna Scott
REVIEWED BY JOANNA POWELL
SHORT STORIES
A bee rises from a bride's bouquet searching the "buttery sheen of her cheek" for a place to pierce it. A sexually needy young woman angers a lover when she inadvertently releases his finches into the dusky Brooklyn sky. A coddled housewife's secretive children go missing. Sinister undercurrents hum through this second collection of short stories from novelist Joanna Scott, lending tantalizing suspense to even the most benign surroundings. Set in and around New York City from 1919 to the present, these 10 tales showcase Scott's masterly storytelling—and her skill with unpredictable twists.
Gregory's '02 bestseller, due in theaters in '07, features Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman (left, on the set) as sisters Mary and Anne Boleyn. Says the author: "I think they are extraordinarily well cast."
Real People
The Lives and Loves of Daisy and Violet Hilton by Dean Jensen A poignant, richly detailed biography of the English conjoined "Brighton United Twins," sadly exploited by their distant mother and famous for their roles in Tod Browning's 1932 film Freaks.
Lone Wolf by Maryanne Vollers A meticulous, compelling account of how the killer Eric Rudolph—who set a bomb at the Atlanta Olympic Games—eluded capture for five years in the North Carolina mountains.
Thunderstruck by Erik Larson The author of The Devil in the White City interweaves gripping storylines about a cryptic murderer and the race for technology in the early 20th century. An edge-of-the-seat read.
Soldier by Karen DeYoung Gen. Colin Powell, once the "most trusted man in America," is portrayed in this powerful biography as an earnest, intelligent and temperate soul whose belief in following orders may have compromised his behavior after 9/11.
Tis the season—for piling on those partying pounds. Think you know how to avoid it? Mehmet C. Oz and Michael F. Roizen, the MD authors of You on a Diet, have some not-so-obvious tips.
• Gobble white-meat turkey It contains tryptophan, which increases serotonin to improve mood and help you resist cravings for simple carbs.
• Make beer your cocktail The bitter compounds in hops seem to activate agents that make your metabolism more efficient.
• Try scenting your home with grapefruit oil before entertaining Preliminary studies suggest the scent alone reduces appetite.
• Eat nuts half an hour before a party They cut your appetite.
• Use a breath mint strip before you eat It will dull your taste buds and make you a more popular guest.
Dating down (sizewise) is becoming less taboo for women, says Stephen S. Hall (see him and wife Mindy, right, and the lovebirds below). But as he explains in Size Matters: How Height Affects the Health, Happiness and Success of Boys—and the Men They Become, anatomy still influences destiny.
• Tall men earn more, but it's their height as adolescents that correlates most with earnings. Researchers think that's because tall teens succeed athletically and socially, building confidence and what economists call "human capital."
• Sperm banks like height: Some won't take donations from men under 5'8".
• In China, where jobs often have height requirements, cosmetic leg-lengthening surgery was increasingly common until the government banned it as dangerous this year.
• Good news for the untall: Recent animal research shows that bigger alpha males are often romantically challenged and struggle with reproductive failure—meaning females look elsewhere. "If you can't dominate physically," points out the 5'5¾" Hall, "you have to develop other skills."
Saved by the Bell Reunion
The hookups, the meltdowns, the memoires
The case reveals what was really going on what they think of each other now!
