Faceless Killers (Wallander Mystery)

By Henning Mankell

Kurt Wallander, a Swedish detective, is called out to a small farmhouse.  There he finds an elderly couple, the husband beaten to death, and the wife left to die with a noose around her neck.  Before she dies, the wife says the word "foreign" over &over again. Why would anyone want to kill these old people in such a brutal way?  Were foreign refugees really to blame for all this violence?

Can't say I loved or hated this book.  The main story was good, but something was lost in the translation.  Why I needed to know that Wallander had roaring diarrhea after every lunch still baffles me...

Mrs. Pollifax Pursued

By Dorothy Gilman

Mrs. Pollifax discovers Kadi Hopkirk, a young girl who has been hiding in her hall closet. After hearing a weird story of Kadi running from kidnappers, and seeing a suspicious white van driving up & down the street for hours, Mrs. Pollifax jumps to the rescue. A phone call helicopter ride later, Mrs. Pollifax and Kadi go undercover at a circus until they can figure what's going on.

I like series that you can jump in the middle of and not be completely confused.  Good thing this storyline is good, because I had no idea this was number eleven.

The Keepers of the House

By Shirley Ann Grau

For seven generations, the Howlands have been the pillars of their Southern town.  But when Abigail Howland Mason discovers the secret between her grandfather, William, and Margaret, his black housekeeper, racism and revenge surround her home and family.  But Abigail is not going down without a fight.

Excellent book -- it deserved the Pulitzer Prize in 1965. The ending is especially good.

Seriously... I'm Kidding

By Ellen DeGeneres

Ellen being Ellen... I discovered that even a book on tape is not as funny as listening to a standup routine.  A few funny moments, but I'm glad I borrowed this from the library for free.

Thyme of Death (China Bayles Mystery)

By Susan Wittig Albert

China Bayles, a former lawyer, now owns the Thyme and Seasons Herb Shop in Pecan Springs, Texas. She's trying to escape the tension and headaches of her old job, but stress comes in different forms. Now, her good friend Jo has killed herself.  When another death happens, China starts to think the maybe someone killed Jo as well. She's smart around people, and knows her way around the law, so this is the first mystery heroine in a while that didn't stumble around until she figured out whodunit.

Don't Know Much About Mythology: Everything You Need To Know About the Greatest Stories in Human History But Never Learned

By Kenneth C. Davis

General overview of creation and other myths in Asia, Africa, Europe, and Native America. Includes stories of the Trojan War, Buddha, Druids, Thor, Machu Picchu, etc.. It has to be read in small bites, otherwise the information is overwhelming. You also have to slog through the bad jokes and liberal viewpoint.

In The Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin

By Erik Larson

In 1933, Professor William E. Dodd became ambassador to Germany just as Hitler was coming to power. He brought along his wife and two adult children to live with him in Berlin.  The story rests mostly on Dodd and his daughter Martha, who both kept journals during their stay.

Dodd complains constantly about paperwork, waste, and lack of respect.  Great of him to notice, but he only took the post to have more time to write a multi-volume history of the American South. It's hard to have sympathy for him when people are disappearing to concentration camps or getting beat up in the streets for not using the Nazi salute.

Martha is narcissistic and amoral.  She attaches herself to the local Nazi leaders, and seems shocked at their brutality, but doesn't seem to care enough to stop partying.  Martha meets up with a married Russian diplomat, has an affair with him, and would have developed into a world class spy if she actually knew anything.

I enjoyed reading this despite the fact that I thought the Dodds were Ugly Americans. I had no idea how much Jews were hated even by people in FDR's cabinet. No wonder people looked the other way... no one cared if a few Jews were imprisoned or abused.

The Lottery and Other Stories

By Shirley Jackson

Originally written in 1948, The Lottery is a perfect example of post WWII paranoia.  No one trusts anyone, nor should they, as a town is gathered for their annual lottery.

The title story is terrific. The more I read of the rest of the stories, the more bored and/or disgusted I became.  I stopped reading about halfway through, so who knows what else I missed, but I was tired of wasting my time.

Death Comes To Pemberley

By P.D. James

Six years after their wedding, Elizabeth and Darcy are preparing for their annual ball at Pemberley.  The night before, Elizabeth's sister Lydia arrives unannounced and hysterical, screaming that her husband Wickham has been killed in the woods. Although Wickham is found alive, he is weeping over the body of his best friend, who is lying dead. The entire household at Pemberley is upended and confused by the murder.

Much better book than I expected.  I enjoyed seeing everyone six years ahead -- Elizabeth & Darcy, Jane & Bingley, Georgiana, and even Lydia & Wickham. I'm sure a lot of P&P snobs will think this book is unnecessary, but I liked how James handled the characters.

The Miracle of Freedom: Seven Tipping Points that Saved the World

By Chris Stewart and Ted Stewart

How does the world manage to keep humanity, democracy, and culture alive?  The Stewart brothers examine points in history that, if events would have different, the world would have become a drastically different place.  The stories include the salvation of the kingdom of Judah, the victory of Greek democracy, and the conversion of Constantine to Christianity.

Simply told, but interesting. The Battle of Britain, for example, is interesting because if the Nazis would have kept up the air war, England would have been a goner.  Thank goodness European tyrants always try to take on Russia in the winter!  Spreads out the troops, saves the rest of Europe.

The Secret

By Rhonda Byrne

I'm only writing this down to remind myself never to pick up this book again... how do people get sucked into this drivel???  I know! The Secret is to write an insipid book, get Oprah to endorse it, and make millions!

Every Day

By David Leviathan

"A" wakes up in a different body every day.  Always has, and probably always will.  Then he wakes up in the body of Justin, and falls in love with Justin's girlfriend, Rhiannon.  After that, A brings nothing but problems for himself and others trying to see Rhiannon over and over, no matter what body A happens to inhabit.  Trouble ensues when one of the "bodies" claims on the internet to have been possessed by a devil.

Either I have finally grown out of teen-angst romance, or this was way too politically correct for me.  For me, the whole one-day-I'm-homosexual, one-day-I'm-a-druggie, blah blah blah, was silly.  The author tried too hard.  If he would have stuck more to the main storyline, it wouldn't have felt so forced.

Bloodborne

By Gregg Luke

Ubersmart Dr. Erin Cross sits in a deli, receiving mysterious, threatening text messages right before a man starts shooting the place up.  She escapes unharmed, thanks to Sean Flannery, a former Marine.  If the shooter meant to kill her, why did he kill himself instead?  Erin & Sean eventually go into hiding together, as Sean inexplicably tries to keep Erin alive.

Such a jumbled storyline.  While Erin & Sean are hiding in the Utah desert, a mad scientist is trying to unleash a strain of killer mosquitoes on a small island in Hawaii.  Convoluted bio-terrorism at its finest.

How We Decide

By Jonah Lehrer

Intuition? Gut feelings? Rational thought?  How we decide depends on what we are trying to decide.  Stock picks -- do your research. Buying a house -- happiness comes from the gut, but don't forget a home inspection! Most importantly, keep your skills and awareness sharp, so that when life throws you for a loop, your brain has already trained itself to react.