Kirkus Star
THE KIRKUS STAR
Awarded to Books of Exceptional Merit

BROWSE BOOK REVIEWS




Available Now (page 2)


Cover art for THE BODY ECONOMIC
NONFICTION
Released: May 21, 2013

"A dramatic study emphasizing some of the combined consequences of ideological obsessions and bureaucratic thoughtlessness."
How budget-cutting responses to recession produce increases in death rates and epidemiclike breakdowns in public health. Read full book review >
Cover art for HOW TO READ LITERATURE
NONFICTION
Released: May 21, 2013

"Perfect for an intro course that features some of the literature the book discusses."
A genial guide to exactly what the title promises, for readers who aren't particularly experienced or critical. Read full book review >
Cover art for COOL WAR
NONFICTION
Released: May 21, 2013

"Current affairs books always run the risk of going rather quickly from the New Releases shelf to the remainder bin, but Feldman's book carries enough insight to warrant serious attention from anyone interested in what may well be the defining relationship in global affairs for decades to come."
A brief consideration of the current state of Sino-American relations. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE BLACK COUNTRY
FICTION
Released: May 21, 2013

"Grecian packs in almost more plot than a body can stand, but he presents with fine precision the gray and gritty atmosphere of late-Victorian England."
Scotland Yard inspector Walter Day, first introduced in Grecian's The Yard (2012), returns to help solve a murder or two in the Black Country of the Midlands. Read full book review >
Cover art for ALL THE SUMMER GIRLS
FICTION
Released: May 21, 2013

"A good beach read, set in a beach town."
A fast-paced novel about the enduring friendship of three young women who spent their summers in Avalon on the Jersey shore before dispersing across the country. Read full book review >
Cover art for STUMBLING GIANT
NONFICTION
Released: May 21, 2013

"A thoughtful reconsideration of China's actual place in the new world order, based on reality rather than fanciful speculation."
A Hong Kong–based executive suggests that the dreaded Chinese juggernaut has a few cracks in its armor. Read full book review >
Cover art for AT THE ZOO
CHILDREN'S
Released: May 21, 2013

"While the information is solid and simply presented, and the photos are eye-catching, the layout gets in the way of clarity. Stick with Kingfisher's Baby Animals series for zoology in board-book form. (Board book. 3-4)"
This introduction to zoology features a cover of layered, bubble-shaped pages of various sizes, each with an image of a zoo animal peeking through. Read full book review >
Cover art for ALL I NEED
CHILDREN'S
Released: May 21, 2013

"Grab your blankets and sunscreen now: This is an ideal summer beach book. (Romance. 13 & up)"
An unlikely young couple finds true love during summer break--but can it withstand their different lives? Read full book review >
Cover art for TIME NO LONGER
NONFICTION
Released: May 21, 2013

"A difficult, unsettling and ultimately disappointing critique of the American worldview."
"[E]xceptionalism is a national impediment America can no longer afford," declares journalist Smith (Somebody Else's Century: East and West in a Post–Western World, 2010, etc.) in this challenge to Americans' view of themselves. Read full book review >
Cover art for BROTHERHOOD
NONFICTION
Released: May 21, 2013

"A charmingly conversational tale of devotion--to each other and to the science and art of medicine."
Two brothers, both doctors, reflect on a remarkable journey from their childhood in newly independent India to their success and renown in Obama's America. Read full book review >
Cover art for REQUIEM MASS
FICTION
Released: May 21, 2013

"An interminable slog with pauses for Fenwick (Innocent Blood, 2008, etc.) to reconnect with his kids, lust over Octavia and bicker with police superiors."
If you receive three dozen roses, should you be charmed or alarmed? Read full book review >
Cover art for SIDNEY CHAMBERS AND THE PERILS OF THE NIGHT
FICTION
Released: May 21, 2013

"Less engaging than Sidney Chambers and the Shadow of Death (2012), but still a sharp portrait of scholarly rivalries that makes room for a riff on jazz in a Mozart score and a grim reminder of East and West Germany as the wall was going up."
Six loosely connected stories featuring that mid-20th-century Cambridge sleuth Canon Chambers. Read full book review >