The Motive, by John Lescroart

More of the same from Lescroart, and always good.

The Last Assassin, by Barry Eisler

I just realized with this book what Eisler is doing with perspective. All of the action/operational parts are from Rain's point-of-view, while we occasionally get chapters from the lives of other characters. It's a neat way to get us firmly in John Rain's head, while also allowing us to know things he doesn't. Clever, and pretty seamless, since it took 3 books for me to notice it.

Killing Rain, by Barry Eisler

Another book about assassin John Rain. I'm enjoying these. The detailing is great, sort of like Tom Clancy restrained, and the characters are fascinating.

A is For Alibi, by Sue Grafton

Going back to the start of the whole alphabet-Kinsey thing. Very entertaining. Quick read.

How Green Was My Valley, by Richard Llewellyn

I love this book. I read it a long, long time ago, but it felt wonderfully familiar. I love the poetic prose, and the crazy Welsh names. Such a lovely story of family.

The Book of Ruth, by Jane Hamilton

I kept expecting to recognize this one from having read it before, but I guess I missed this one along the way. Also kind of horrifying, like the Meg Tilly book, and with a similarly clear narrative voice. This one was interesting--the narrator's voice changed as she aged, in a very clear and believable way. I liked it.

Magic City, by James W. Hall

Thorn and Sugarman and Miami and the Florida Keys. Nothing new here, but a good story.

Singing Songs, by Meg Tilly

I read Tilly's Gemma a while back and really enjoyed it, as much as you can enjoy horrifying abuse stories. This is her first novel, which grew out of some of her short stories, and it doesn't hold together quite as well. Written in the voice of a young girl (Tilly's younger self, I presume), the voice is really clear, which makes the sections describing abuse that much more awful. But as a full piece of fiction, it didn't hold together for me.

The Dead Stone, by Vicki Steifel

I abandoned this book about a quarter of the way in because it was nearly incomprehensible, it was so convoluted. Then, due to poor library-management on my part, I ran out of books, so I picked it back up. I am disappointed to report that it did not improve. I almost abandoned it again, but by that time I was more than halfway through, and I figured it would not take very long to finish, especially since I was only reading about half the words on any given page.

Why do I do these things? I can't say, other than a sick kind of optimism. And she's won all kinds of awards and whatnot, which I guess doesn't mean much unless you know something about who's giving them. I have this image of a bunch of crappy thriller writers getting together to take turns lauding each other.

Capitol Murder, by William Bernhardt

Legal thriller. Not great, but the characters are familiar; I must have read something else of his along the way.

Straight Man, by Richard Russo

Russo is one of my very favorite novelists of all time, and I think he might be my most-re-read author. Straight Man was the first book of his that I read, pulled off the never-ending bookshelves of my friend Andy while I was staying at his apartment in Oakland one summer, between summer camps. I laugh out loud still at this one, and if you've ever been part of academia, you will be more likely to do so, too.

It's funny to me that my favorite characters in literature are middle-aged men, but Russo makes them so relatable and real and funny. He has a real gift for dialogue, as well.

If you've never read him, this, or Nobody's Fool are your best bets as Russo-gateway-drugs.

Anne of Green Gables, by L. M. Montgomery

Just as sweet a book as I remember it being from my childhood. I am definitely going to pick up the rest of the Anne series soon. Charming characters, and wonderful dialogue. Anne's long stream-of-consciousness monologues are very funny.

In For The Kill, by John Lutz

Standard police/serial killer thriller. Not written particularly well, and intelligent-appearing characters do a lot of really stupid things.

The Nursing Mother's Companion, by Kathleen Huggins

As I said in the last post, much more dry to read than the other, but still full of information.

So That's What They're For: The Definitive Breastfeeding Guide, by Janet Tamaro

I think I can't really know how useful this book is until I'm doing the real thing, but it was chock full of information, and she uses a fairly entertaining prose style. It was easier to read than The Nursing Mother's Companion, and much less dry.

Projection, by Keith Ablow

Picks up where Denial left off and continues in the same vein. This one read more quickly, and slightly better. I don't know if it is actually better, or if my literary senses were just a little numbed by the first one. Maybe I'll try a third, just to see.

Company Man, by Joseph Finder

A reassuring thriller, after the Ablow book. A few segments where suspending your disbelief if just a little harder than it should be, but still a good read.