XO, by Jeffrey Deaver

This sounded interesting, and Deaver's a popular author. Well, I enjoyed the story, but it was pretty formulaic. I think I have read my last by this author, which is too bad; I sorta like the main character.

Agent 6, by Tom Rob Smith

Wow. Convoluted. Takes place over the course of 30 years, from the visit to the USSR of a black American singer in the early 50s, to New York City 15 years later, to 1980 in Afghanistan. I really wanted to like Leo, but he really annoyed the crap out of me in this book. There were a lot of rather unbelievable situations here, but the story is pretty good.

"Agent 6" shows up early in the book, but under his actual name. It's not till the last 50 or so pages that we find out who that name refers to. And the end....what the heck? I don't even know what to say about it.

A House Reunited, by Professor Jay Winik (on CD)

Interesting information here, all of the events that occurred in the month of April 1865. I learned a great deal, for instance putting together the timing of Lee's surrender and the remainder of the Confederate Army's (or rather Armies') surrenders. And Lincoln's assassination, which happened less than a week after Appomattox.

The downside of this recording is that Winik has some of Tom Brokaw's more annoying speech difficulties, and talks too fast, misspeaks regularly, and repeats himself word-for-word over and over. Ugh.

David, by Mary Hoffman

About the (fictionalized) model for the statue carved by Michelangelo.

Apricot Jam, and Other Stories, by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

I mostly snagged this so I can say I have read Solzhenitsyn, even if it's not one of his famous publications. These stories are good snapshots of a certain time and place (pre-1950, post-Revolutionary Soviet Union) and while they differ in major details, they are similar in tone. The tone is dismal, somewhat cynical, and angry at the corruption of the country that continued after the fall (and murder) of the Tsar. Nothing changed, except that different people were running things, and poor people still starved.

I didn't finish all the stories. I got through two that were more-or-less centered on the Eastern Front during World War II, and just couldn't swallow anymore. I wouldn't have made it that far if I didn't know some history of the era, though. The most memorable one for was a very depressing story about a young idealistic college graduate trying to teach Russian literature to children; every year the curriculum changes, the ideology changes, the list of "allowed" authors changes...horrible.

The Scottish Prisoner, by Diana Gabaldon

Hmm, I need to reread the "Companion" to see how this fits in and to figure out...a bunch of stuff. Anyway, this is about Lord John and Jamie going to Ireland to stop an Irish plot to restart the rebellion that ended at Culloden. A bit silly, but the story is less important than John and Jamie equalizing their relationship. This is also prior to John's marriage, so Jamie is still living at Helwater as the (paroled) prisoner of the title.

Breakdown, by Sara Paretsky

Good. As usual, I was pretty annoyed by V.I. at times, but it's very fun to watch her careening around a city I know pretty well, getting irritated at traffic and some of the same stupid things that irritate me.

This is about a group of teenage girls doing some sort of vampire ritual in a cemetery at night when they happen upon a dead body. And then things get crazy: between a FOXNews-like local network, rabid right-wingers trying to dig up dirt on the Democratic candidate for Senate (or House?), and her supporters trying to keep their private lives private. There's a lot of stuff about a large mental hospital that houses the criminally insane, an old law school classmate, Vic's ex-husband...and WWII, sorta.

Betrayal of Trust, by J.A. Jance

Beaumont and his wife Mel are asked to investigate the Washington State governor's step-grandson's activities when the governor finds an apparent snuff video on the kid's cell phone.

From that, the case explodes into the death of the boy, the death of the girl in the video, the intermixture of the rich and poor at a teenage sort-of-halfway-house, and politics. Not a strong plot, but the characters are so well-drawn that it feels like more than it is. And I do like Beau, even as he gets old and creaky and his knees get more and more painful. Oh, and he gets to meet his father's side of the family finally, too.

Dead on the Fourth of July, by R.E. Derouin

OK, so these are self-published, but really-and-truly, every book is better in terms of writing, and the description of the city of Ouray and the scenery and history are well-done, I'm totally enjoying the series. In this one, David and Cynthia's pseudo-foster daughter is reunited with her recently-released-from-prison mother and removed to Denver, and the rest of the crew are in the midst of David's campaign for sheriff and a search for a missing skeleton while dealing with four very unpleasant b&b guests.

Good Morning, Midnight, by Reginald Hill (on CD)

Wow. Good book: I caught myself thinking through some of the themes yesterday at work. The end brings readers to the realization that a lot of our lives go on below the surface, and things aren't always spelled out clearly. The narrator was outstanding.

And I think I'll take a page from Dalziel and start calling political maneuverers "funny buggers."

Do Hard Things : A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations, by Alex & Brett Harris

The concept is VERY good. The execution of the book is massively flawed, however, in that it seems to presume that all Christian teens [should] feel precisely the same on all social and political issues. [Disclaimer: by and large, I disagree with most of those political points of view.] As many books like this are, it's also incredibly didactic.

Still, there are nuggets of goodness here that I agree with: teens have a great deal going for them that society as a whole prefers to repress--at worst--or discount. I'm still trying to figure out if there is a way to salvage the main point to present as a series of Sunday School or youth group topics.

The Great Upheaval : America and the Birth of the Modern World, 1788-1800, by Jay Winik (on CD)

Long, somewhat repetitive, but definitely thought-provoking and informative.

When Madeline Was Young, by Jane Hamilton (on CD)

I really do like the way Jane Hamilton writes. This story is about the most untraditional family you could probably come up with, a family that is also as loving as a family could be. The MacIvers are a fairly traditional family in the late 1950s except for the fact that Aaron's MacIver's first wife, Madeline, lives with them. She was in an accident months after her wedding and sustained a brain injury that has left her with the capacity of a young girl.

But yes. It's a surprisingly happy book about the importance and love a family brings to us.

Please Don't Remain Calm : Provocations & Commentaries, by Michael Kinsley

A bit dated. Did not finish.