One Man's Castle : Clarence Darrow in Defense of the American Dream by Phyllis Vine

This was fabulous. Highly recommended.

The Widow's War by Sally Gunning

Started out very strong and then kind of limped to a close.

Confederacy of Silence : A True Tale of the New Old South by Richard Rubin

meh

1 Samuel (Word Biblical Commentary Series) by Ralph W. Klein

meh

Ink on His Fingers by Louise A. Vernon

This was a pre-read for Simon. I came at it with a grudge for two reasons:

(1) I've really soured on the "historical fiction with overt Christian emphasis" sub-sub-genre lately. These books get raves in homeschooling circles, but they are generally wooden, predictable, and moralistic. Ugh.

(2) I've OD'ed on the "historical fiction with a child as apprentice to a major historical figure" sub-sub-genre, perhaps because we've done The Second Mrs. Gionconda and I, Juan de Pareja in quick succession. I get that this is an obvious was to write YAL on an historical figure, but enough already!

But to my surprise, I like this book. The wooden-ness and cheap moralizing were there, but there is a scene which is positively brilliant: the child approaches all of the wealthy people in town to get money out of them to support Gutenburg and each one has a different reason for believing that printing will never catch on.

Little Children by Tom Perrotta

Good plot, good characterization, but too vulgar.

The Speckled Monster : A Historic Tale of Battling Smallpox by Jennifer Lee Carrell

This was excellent. Recommended.

The Beduins' Gazelle by Frances Temple

A pre-read for Simon. This was a great book--recommended for kids or as a read-aloud.

Ada Blackjack : A True Story of Survival in the Arctic by Jennifer Niven

This was a good book. Had it been 100 pages shorter, it might have been a great book.

Dreams from My Father : A Story of Race and Inheritance by Barack Obama

I was not expecting this to be so well-written, so interesting, so un-self-consciously non-political, so bawdy, or so racially-focused. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

All Souls : A Family Story from Southie by Michael Patrick MacDonald

Mildly interesting.

Kaaterskill Falls by Allegra Goodman

Excellent characterization; no plot.

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress : A Novel by Dai Sijie, Ina Rilke (Translator)

meh

Second Mrs. Gioconda by E.L. Konigsburg

I read this to the boys. I wasn't impressed.

The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie

meh

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

I think I liked this.

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

I was not real impressed with this.

Last Man Out : The Story of the Springhill Mine Disaster by Melissa Fay Greene

Moderately interesting.

The NIV Application Commentary: Proverbs by Paul E. Koptak

I didn't love this book, but it isn't easy to comment on Proverbs so my expectations may have been too high.

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

I'd never read any Agatha Christie before this. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and didn't anticipate the twist(s) at the end.