Peony in Love : A Novel by Lisa See

I didn't particularly like this. I did think the fact that Chinese traditions about the afterlife were treated as true was neat, but the story didn't do much for me.

The Bin Ladens : An Arabian Family in the American Century by Steve Coll

This was very interesting, but at almost 600 pages, a little bit of a slog. I appreciated that the book wasn't mostly about Osama but his siblings (who are fascinating in the way that all big-spending Saudis are) with a good bit of the history of Saudi Arabia thrown in. Recommended.

The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

I read this to the boys and we all loved it.

The House at Riverton by Kate Morton

As is typical for me, I became completely absorbed in this but then felt vaguely unsatisfied when it was done. The plot was hole-ly and I'm not always particularly quick on the uptake, but the protagonist was dumb as a post to not figure out the mystery of her birth 300 pages before she finally did.

Mormon Scientist by Henry Eyring

This was disappointing: there were a few good nuggets in here (including a taste of his disagreement with Joseph Fielding Smith over evolution) but overall it felt padded--material repeated from the preface to the intro to the first chapter, lengthy explanations of things like the plan of salvation, long references to Eyring's genealogy. But really not enough about him.

Sister Bernadette's Barking Dog : The Quirky History and Lost Art of Diagramming Sentences by Kitty Burns Florey

A short, lightweight, and goofy history of sentence diagramming. I wish it had been meatier, but it was mildly entertaining.

March by Geraldine Brooks

I'm still thinking about this one. I'm not sure if I find the story plausible, in the sense that I wonder if the main character really would have done what he did. And I also wonder about his consoler--whether she should have felt guilty for what she did. (I'm trying not to give too much away here . . . ) Anyway, I guess I just didn't think that the book held together.

The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series #1) by Rick Riordan

I read this to the boys and we all loved it. Highly recommended.

The Undercover Economist : Exposing Why the Rich Are Rich, the Poor Are Poor and Why You Can Never Buy a Decent Used Car! by Tim Harford

I listened to this on our trip. The first part was a little dull (but would be a good primer for someone who didn't know anything about markets) but the rest was very interesting and I recommend it for anyone interested in an economic (as opposed to ideological) approach to health care, globalization, poverty, etc. Recommended.

Digital Fortress by Dan Brown

This was so lame. So very, very lame. And poorly written.