Because time isn’t always kind: economic reviews in a world full of waste!

In Camille DeAngelis’ debut novel, the character of MARY MODERN is the carbon copy of Lucy’s grandmother from the 1920s, brought to life in modern times. The story really isn’t Mary’s at all, but Lucy’s – a 20something researcher who decides to impregnate herself using the DNA of her grandmother in the basement of the mansion where Mary once lived. When she gives birth to Gramma – albeit in the form of a 4-year-old toddler – you have solid proof that what you’re reading is certainly original. The book is part science fiction with soft suspense and the feel of a time-travel story, due to Mary trying to get used to all the technology and modern conveniences of today, such as the “upright coffin” we call a refrigerator. Initially, there are too many details and Lucy is not a likable character – purposely, I believe – but midway through, it picks up greatly and keeps you going with one great plot twist after another. The novel doesn’t given an answer as to whether cloning is good or evil, but it does hint at the problems it can create for love and the history of a family, a la FRANKENSTEIN. Prepare yourself for a big shock at the eerie but satisfying end. Comparisons to THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE are not out of the question. –Malena Lott

Six previously published short stories by Stephen King collected in an oversized hardcover with large print – so what’s the big deal? Well, quite a bit, actually. In Cemetery Dance’s THE SECRETARY OF DREAMS: VOLUME ONE, illustrator Glenn Chadbourne (BLOODSTAINED OZ) supplements King’s chilling text with gruesomely detailed, black-and-white ink drawings. Three of the six stories carry these generous spot illustrations, which wouldn’t be all that special … until you hit the full two-page spread of an astronaut in space disintegrating into maggots. But it’s the three other stories that make this SECRETARY worth the attention, as they’re rendered in comic-book form. Every. Single. Word. Chadbourne’s lettering leaves a lot to be desired, but his art is über-creepy, especially in “The Road Virus Heads North,” with the carnage in “Uncle Otto’s Truck” meriting a close second. The non-comic stories are such favorites as “The Reach,” the zombie-fied “Home Delivery” and the precursor to ‘SALEM’S LOT. With the slipcased packaging, this one is for collectors, and will be highly valued by such, impressive as it is.

I’ve now moved my bowels enough to finish THE AREAS OF MY EXPERTISE by “professional writer” John Hodgman, perhaps best known representing PC computers in that series of Mac ads. It’s a parody of an almanac that’s so tongue-in-cheek, the tongue has broken through. Separated into section dealing with the future, the past, the present and hoboes – each prefaced with a handy timetable for seasonal werewolf transformations – the book tackles such gripping topics as alternatives for asthmatic kids who can’t play in the snow like other children, terrible haircuts throughout history, and nine presidents who had hooks for hands. The list of 700 hobo names – yes, 700 – is much more digestible than you’d think, but the state-by-state section on America gets to be tiresome. Pick a page at random, and you’re bound to find a gag that makes you laugh out loud. With photos, charts and graphs that recalls a heavy Spy magazine influence, this book is best read in, um, short sittings.

Two or three times in my childhood, I started Ellen Raskin’s kid-lit novel THE WESTING GAME, only to never finish it. Since it recently was reissued in a Puffin Modern Classics edition, I thought I’d give it a final shot, nearly three decades later. I can see why I never stuck with it so long ago: too many characters, too-precious dialogue. The setup is intriguing enough: six floors’ worth of tenants in a new apartment building are named as beneficiaries in the will of a mysterious multimillionaire. But it’s not as simple as receiving a check: The deceased’s will claims he was murdered – by one of them, no less – and whoever figures out whodunit gets the entire take. He gives them each clues to help them out. I think it’d make an awesome mystery if only it were “written up” for adults. –Rod Lott

Buy it at Amazon.