The Media Relations Department of Hizbollah Wishes You a Happy Birthday: Unexpected Encounters in the Changing Middle East by Neil MacFarquhar

Best title ever; strong beginning; by the end I was just skimming.

The Air We Breathe by Andrea Barrett

A slow start but then a decent finish.

Freedom by Jonathan Franzen

Dear Every Single Book Critic in the Entire Nation,

Why are you fawning over this yuppie whinefest when it is nothing more than third-rate chick lit?

Dear Unsuspecting Kindle Readers,

The first chapter of this book is witty, interesting, and not vulgar. The rest is the opposite.

Dear Me,

Stop buying books just because everyone is raving about them.

What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell

I probably wouldn't have picked this up if it weren't for book group because I catch most of what Gladwell writes in The New Yorker. That said, this book contains several fascinating essays, even the ones that were re-reads for me. Highly recommended.

A Bishop's Tale: Mathias Hovius Among His Flock in Seventeenth-Century Flanders by Craig Harline and Eddy Put

Mildly interesting.

Beautiful Lies by Lisa Unger

You know, I bought this expecting it to be a junk type of read (hey, it was less than a buck in the Kindle store and sometimes you just need a little mind candy) but it was quite good: suspenseful, great plot twists, decent (rarely eye-roll-inducing) writing, a great ending, and it explored several very compelling themes. Sometimes I wonder about the line between pulp and literary fiction.

My Brother Sam Is Dead by James Collier

I read this out loud to the boys. I thought the first 90% of this book was slow and dull but the ending was phenomenal in terms of both plot and theme. (We need more books that de-glorify war.)

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

A captivating book with a reasonably satisfying ending. (Although I wanted her to end up with the other boy. But that probably says something--something not good--about me. . .)

The Man Who Made Vermeers by Jonathan Lopez

Mildly interesting.

The Word of God in English by Leland Ryken

Some interesting ideas here, but this might be the most redundantly redundant and poorly organized book I have read in my life.

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson

A lovely, lovely book. Highly recommended.

My Life in France by Julia Child

Didn't hold my attention. Had this not been for book group, I would not have finished it.

The Story of Science: Einstein Adds a New Dimension by Joy Hakim

A preread for Simon.

I love this series but I have to admit that this book was something of a disappointment. I know Hakim is planning a separate series on life science, but this book had nothing but physics in it--no astronomy (a little astrophysics), no chemistry, no technology/computer science, etc. Did nothing happen in the world of twentieth century science except for physics?

The Last Town on Earth by Thomas Mullen

Nearly perfect in every way; highly recommended.

That's The Way the Cookie Crumbles by Joe Schwarcz

I read this out loud to the boys (with very minor editing for some inappropriate-for-young-ears material) and loved it. I love "living" science books--particularly when they are funny and historically grounded.

Exit Ghost by Philip Roth

meh

Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers

I read this to Truman, but really his older brothers got more out of it--I think much of the humor was lost on him. I thought it was OK, not extraordinary.

Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

Decent fluff.

The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell

The first third of this book was brilliant. Then it dragged. Then the ending partially redeemed the middle, but only partially.

Mrs. Woolf and the Servants by Alison Light

I liked this. I've always been fascinated by the history of service in Britain. Why, I do not know.

The Forger by Cioma Schonhaus

meh

One Second After William R. Forstchen

Fascinating concept, mediocre writing, insipid political commentary.

The Kindle

I've only had it for a few hours, but I'm already not clear how I survived without it. (And I'm pretty pleased that I got it brand new for $125--gotta love Craigslist!) Right now, Truman is sitting on the couch, having Aesop's fables read out loud to him.

Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali

This will, I'm sure, make for a very interesting book group discussion this week since Ali does a fabulous job situating the personal within the political. My own feelings about the book are quite mixed as, on the one hand, she presents a devastating critique of the usual western view of Islam but, on the other hand, the book sounds a little too much like the "disgruntled former member books" that we all know not to take too seriously. In any case, it was definitely interesting reading.

The Beak of the Finch: A Story of Evolution in Our Time by Jonathan Weiner

This is one of the very best books I have read in my entire life; it was utterly fascinating. I will save it and have my 9th graders read it as part of their biology curriculum.