Every Last One: Review Haiku

Brutal tragedy
and the thousand small betrayals
that presaged it.

Every Last One by Anna Quindlen. Random, 2010, 320 pages.

Sex, Murder, and the Meaning of Life: Review Haiku

Debunks "lizard brain"
idea, but not as clever
as he thinks he is.

Sex, Murder, and the Meaning of Life: A Psychologist Investigates How Evolution, Cognition, and Complexity Are Revolutionizing Our View of Human Nature by Douglas T. Kenrick. Basic Books, 2011, 256 pages.

Crazy U: Review Haiku

Hapless dad tackles
college admissions while
trying not to succumb.

Crazy U: One Dad's Crash Course in Getting His Kid Into College by Andrew Ferguson. S&S, 2011, 240 pages.

Awkward Family Photos: Review Haiku

And I thought that pic
of me in pegged jeans and a
black beret was bad.

Awkward Family Photos by Doug Chernak and Mike Bender. Three Rivers Press, 2010, 192 pages.

What Happened to Goodbye: Review Haiku

Mom's betrayal means
Mclean lets no one in --

until, at last, she does.

What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen. Viking, 2011, 402 pages.

How I Killed Pluto: Review Haiku

Astronomy has
never been so entertaining,
so cut-throat.

How I Killed Pluto (And Why It Had It Coming) by Mike Brown. Spiegel & Grau, 2010, 288 pages.

The Cookbook Collector: Review Haiku

Tech-bubble tycoon
and eco-scholar sister
navigate love, loss.

The Cookbook Collector by Allegra Goodman. Dial, 2011, 432 pages.

Thirteen Reasons Why: Review Haiku

Searing, yet oddly
hopeful look at how we fail
those who need us most.

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. Razorbill, 2007, 304 pages.

Wonderstruck: Review Haiku

A fitting HUGO
follow-up: creativity
and family.

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick. Scholastic, 2011, 608 pages.

Smokin' Seventeen: Review Haiku

Oh, Stephanie. You
claim a cursed sex drive, but you're
quickly turning skank.

Smokin' Seventeen by Janet Evanovich. Bantam, 2011, 320 pages.

Around the World: Review Haiku

Three adventurers
circumnavigate under
Phelan's trusty pen.

Around the World by Matt Phelan. Candlewick, 2011, 240 pages.

Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Review Haiku

Why millennial
feminists go Gaga for
Disney prosti-tots.

Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Dispatches from the Front Lines of the New Girlie-Girl Culture by Peggy Orenstein. Harper, 2011, 256 pages.

Spoiled: Review Haiku

The Fug Girls do YA,
to bitchy-keen effect.
Well played, as they say.

Spoiled by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan. Poppy, 2011, 368 pages.

Swimming in the Steno Pool: Review Haiku

Packaged like chick lit;
dry like academia.
Caveat reader.

Swimming in the Steno Pool: A Retro Guide to Making It in the Office by Lynn Peril. Norton, 2011, 291 pages.