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.

Rock 'n' Roll and American Society. Part One, From the Beginning to 1960, by William McKeen (on CD)

Very interesting. I learned a great deal about the early years. I really wish they'd been able to include the songs in the recording. While I knew many of them, there were a large number of early ones that I haven't heard. Oh, well.

The best parts of this were stories about what went on behind-the-scenes, like Little Richard singing the original lyrics to "Tutti-Frutti" while facing away from the young English teacher/songwriter who wrote the ones we all know now, because he was mortified at how dirty those original lyrics were. I hope there is a Part Two (and following).

Sound Proof, by Barbara Gregorich

Another self-published book, this one set in Illinois at a folk-music festival. Frank Dragovic, a private investigator from Chicago, has been asked to impersonate a repairman for the week of the festival while he keeps his eyes out for the person behind the thefts of expensive musical instrument that have taken place at previous years' festivals. In the process of which, one of the instructors is murdered and everyone is under suspicion for doing something: stealing or killing.

There's a little too much going on, and the whole structure could have used some editing, but generally the story was interesting.

Watchlist : A Serial Thriller, based on an idea by Jeffery Deaver

Uneven, a little patchy and unbelievable. Very much in the TV/Movie vein of suspense. Not horrible, but not the best book ever.

U2 by U2, by Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, Larry Mullen, Jr., with Neil McCormick

Love is a Mix Tape: Life & Loss, One Song at a Time, by Rob Sheffield

Recommended to me by a friend. A lovely, sad book about how music gets inside of us in ways that are hard to understand. The result is that music can be joyous and yet turn to pain when the memories attached to it are painful.

This is a really wonderful elegy to the author's wife as well. I only wish I knew more of the songs he mentions--though I got a huge laugh out of the brief reference to Andy Gibb. He is just enough younger than me that I only recognize several bands by their names, not their songs.

I would also recommend this book.

Just One Look, by Harlan Coben (on CD)

Wow! I've never read anything by this author, and this was a good one to start with. The main character is Grace Lawson, whose husband disappears after she asks about a 15-year-old photo she just discovered. She takes it upon herself to try to track down her husband, which leads her back to a devastating accident that happened before she met him and brings her into contact with people who are willing to kill to keep the secret hidden.

Up until the very end, I had no idea what was going on. Coben sort of tipped his hand early there, but it still turned out well.

I realized about halfway through that many of the strongest main characters in this book are women, a REALLY welcome change from the normal suspense novel where women are constantly being rescued. This time, they go a good way toward rescuing themselves and making good choices that lead to solutions.

I may have to add Coben to my Authors List.

American Band : Music, Dreams, and Coming of Age in the Heartland, by Kristen Laine

Calling all Marching Band Geeks! If you had a band director like the one I had in high school, this book will bring it all band: the practices, the shouted commands from above to "START OVER--THAT WAS AWFUL!", the exhaustion, the all-weather marching...the pride when things come together at competition.

This book follows the Concord (IN) Minutemen as a group and as 5 or 6 individual members. It's really fascinating to see all the different strands of the season weave together. There's also an awful lot of church-related stuff that I could certainly relate to, but the focus rarely wavers on the question of what makes a leader in a group. Is the most important member the teacher, the popular kid, the hard-working quiet kid, the one who doesn't pull it all together until the week before the end of the season?

Good book. Highly recommended.