Talking God

By Tony Hillerman

While Joe Leaphorn tries to identify a body found murdered in the desert, Jim Chee is arresting an attention hound for desecrating whites' graves.  The man, Henry Hightower, is a Smithsonian curator who wants thousands of Native American bones returned to their tribes.  Somehow, the dead man and Hightower are connected, and Leaphorn and Chee attack the case from their own angles to solve the crimes.

Hightower claimed to have a Navajo grandmother, yet he secretly recorded chants and didn't even know how to dress like a "regular Indian", preferring to copy the Hollywood version.  He also never needed to prove his heritage, which was strange, especially since he was blond.  I never believed the altruistic side of Hightower, which made the story unbelievable. Plus, they threw in this weird story arc about Chilean leftists that was only partially explained.  But I always like when Leaphorn & Chee are working together. Not Hillerman's best, but good.

Anne Frank Remembered: The Story of The Woman Who Helped to Hide the Frank Family

By Miep Gies and Alison Leslie Gold

For more than two years, Miep Gies and her husband Henk helped to hide the Frank family and four others from the Nazis.  Gies worked downstairs with others who were in on the secret, while her husband worked for the Dutch Resistance.  We have Miep to thank for Anne's book, since she gathered her journals after soldiers discovered the annex and sent the hidden away to Auschwitz.

While the story has its problems, it was very interesting.  There are many stories about the suffering of the Jewish people, but I hadn't read a book about general suffering of citizens conquered by the Nazis.  It started out slowly, and I sometimes wished for more details. For example, towards the end, their Jewish landlady returned from hiding.  In the next chapter, there's one line about a minor disagreement and the Gies family found a new apartment.  Really?  They took care of her belongings and home for two years, and that's all the explanation we get as to why they moved? I have heard that a DVD with interviews of Miep is more detailed, and I wanted to hear more about the people in the annex.  How could they not have more to say about people they spoke with and worried over everyday?

At Home: A Short History of Private Life

By Bill Bryson

Bryson takes the reader on a tour of his own English home, with a history of how each area came to be, including inside and outside areas.  While he gets off subject sometimes, including sections on rats, bats, and archaeology, he eventually gets back to why we have dining rooms, indoor plumbing, and gardens.

Very well written -- I even learned something about rats and the plague that I hadn't heard before.  The topic that sticks most in my mind was how so many unique structures were destroyed mainly due to the passage of death taxes.  Also, how Stonehenge was almost torn down by the landowner, then later almost torn down and reassembled in the United States.

Shutter Island

By Dennis Lehane

U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels, along with his new partner, Chuck Aule, are sent to a mental institution on Shutter Island to investigate how patient managed to disappear.  Surrounded by water, guards, and barbed wire, Rachel Solando escaped from her locked cell.  Along the way, Teddy stumbles upon hints of experimental surgeries, and the supposed killer of Teddy's wife.

No spoilers here, but this is one of my favorite movies, and now one of my favorite books.  Despite knowing what was going to happen, I couldn't stop reading this book.  The movie ending is actually sadder than the book's ending, but I loved how the emotions played out.  Man, this is a good story.

The Brain and Emotional Intelligence: New Insights

By Daniel Coleman

Information and research about how certain parts of the brain affect personality and how emotional intelligence might be more important than IQ.  For example, a person might be brilliant, but lack any sorts of communication skills, so they would be almost a hindrance in a work setting.

Interesting book, but pretty deep concerning brain functions.  I especially liked the part about creativity, persistence, and motivation --- the examples included why the founder of Google was more successful than other internet counterparts due to his intelligence combined with his personality traits.