Cockatiels at Seven

Cockatiels at Seven by Donna Andrews

Meg is confused when Karen, a friend she hasn't seen in over a year, drops by asking her to babysit her 2 year old son Timmy.  When the "only a little while" stretches into the night, Meg tries to track down the missing mom.  Along the way, Meg stumbles across an embezzling scheme and an assortment of shady characters.  But what happened to Karen?  Was she kidnapped, or worse?  Once again, it's up to Meg to solve the mystery.

Thank the heavens above there is less crazy family in this, the ninth Meg Lanslow mystery.  I am so tired of their stupidity.  Meg's dad, brother, cousin, and new husband figure a bit in a back story, so she doesn't run off to a deserted island.  It's like spring cleaning to clear out the random oddballs wandering through her house.  The author added a newly found grandfather, who is an egotistical bore, however.  Thankfully, he's not in much of the story, and actually keeps her father out of the way.  Except for a few, I wish her family would all stay home more and leave her alone.  Plus, I wish the title had a little more to do with the story, and the plot holes & bad guys weren't so obvious, but bump off a few relatives anytime, please.

SuperFreakonomics

SuperFreakonomics: Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes, and Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner

This "Freakquel" to Freakonomics covers such topics as "Why are doctors so bad at washing their hands?", "How effective are car seats?", and "Can eating kangaroo meat help save the planet?"  While some topics are relevant, intelligent discussions of common misconceptions, others seem to be included solely for arguments.  The authors like to include at least one salacious topic, but don't seem to care about whether they make sense or show any real depth.