Birdseye by Mark Kurlansky

Decent, but Kurlansky always seems to take a fascinating topic and ruin it by including exactly the wrong details.

Zoobiquity by Barbara Natterson-Horowitz and Kathryn Bowers

 Very interesting.

Warning:  Just in case you thought this would be an interesting family book, you should know that there is a lot about s-e-x in here.  I don't think it was inappropriate for adults (it was clinical, not lascivious), but it would be a bit much for kids and even younger teens.

Side note:  my reading habits have changed quite a bit recently.  I've mostly been listening to non-fiction, on 2x speed, checked out of the library through Overdrive, while I do needlework.

The Descendants by Kaui Hart Hemmings

 This was pretty good.

Quiet by Susan Cain

So here's a story:  I've had this book forever (as a review copy), but just couldn't get into it because the intro made it seem like it was going to be a self-help book, and there's nothing I dislike as much as a self-help book.  So I set it aside.

Then, one by one, all of my friends started raving about this book.  Just raving.  So I gave it another try.  And . . . it is one of my all-time favorite books.  Seriously, I've never thought a book described me as well as this one did--I kept wanting to shout out "Yes!" and "Yeah!" as I was reading.  It wasn't self-help-y after all--it was far more philosophical and psychological. It was also excellent social criticism.

If you are an introvert, or if you have to live with one, you really need to read this.

Review copy provided by publisher.

The Johnstown Flood by David McCullough

 Decent.

The Uninvited Guests by Sadie Jones

 Weird and unlikable.

That Used to Be Us by Thomas Friedman and Michael Mandelbaum

 I read this for book group.  I find it virtually impossible to express an opinion on a book that was so wide-ranging.  Some of it was profound, some shallow.  Some innovative, some obvious. Some I agreed with, some I didn't. Lots of good anecdotes.  I do think it would be a great primer for someone who is completely clueless about current events.  (And I also think they are pretty naive about possible solutions.)

Nightwoods by Charles Frazier

 This was good.  Not great, but good.

The Earth Moved by Amy Stewart

 I read this along with Simon for his schoolwork.  I liked it.

The Unfinished Work of Elizabeth D by Nichole Bernier

The prose was often clumsy and the subplots felt tacked on, but somehow I was captivated by this book.

Note:  The publisher provided me with a digital review copy of this book.

What Money Can't Buy by Michael Sandel

 Important and fascinating--everybody should read this, and I think everyone would enjoy it.  (And, for us, a great spur for family discussions.)  Highly recommended.