Book #29 was "House of Sand and Fog" by Andre Dubus III. This novel is about three lives colliding. Kathy Lazaro is a recovering drug addict whose house is auctioned off from under her due to a clerical error. The man who buys her house, Colonel Behrani, is an Iranian-American military man who fled Iran after the Shah was deposed and all his cronies were attacked and many killed. And Lester Burdon is the sheriff's deputy who helps Kathy move out of her house and becomes her white knight. All three are trying to do what's right, but each one has a flaw that means this situation will not be resolved without violence. I've seen a reviewer refer to it as a "Greek tragedy," and it definitely has a timeless, classical quality to it. It's very sad, but wonderfully written. I want to read more by Dubus now.
Book #30 was "Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes" by Maria Konnikova. This book combines two interests of mine: cognitive science and Sherlock Holmes, so how could I not love it? Konnikova talks about brain science and how to master critical thinking skills, using quotes and cases from Sherlock Holmes to illustrate the ideas and exericises. There were only a few ideas that were totally new to me, but I like the way she put the book together. I also think a lot about cognitive error and biases and how to counteract them, and there's lots of good advice about that in this book. Highly recommended!
1. Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace ... One School at a Time" [nonfiction]- David Oliver Relin and Greg Mortenson (unabridged audiobook)
2. The Detroit Electric Scheme [fiction]- D.E. Johnson
3. Classic Philip Jose Farmer 1964-1973 (Volume 5 in the Classics of Modern Science Fiction series) [fiction/short stories]- PJ Farmer
4. "The Aspern Papers" and "The Turn of the Screw" (omnibus volume with notes and commentary) [fiction]- Henry James
5. Ever After (11th in "The Hollows" series) [fiction]- Kim Harrison (unabridged audiobook)
6. On Gold Mountain: The One-Hundred-Year Odyssey of My Chinese-American Family [nonfiction]- Lisa See
7. Are You My Mother?: A Comic Drama [nonfiction/ graphic memoir]- written and illustrated by Alison Bechdel
8. My Year with Eleanor: A Memoir [nonfiction/memoir]- Noelle Hancock
9. House of Leaves [fiction]- Mark Z. Danielewski
10. Ready Player One [fiction]- Ernest Cline (unabridged audiobook)
11. Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America [nonfiction]- Barbara Ehrenreich
12. Too Late to Die Young: Nearly True Tales from a Life [nonfiction/memoir]- Harriet McBryde Johnson
13. The Blood of Olympus (Heroes of Olympus series) [fiction]- Rick Riordan (unabridged audiobook)
14. Ivanhoe [fiction]- Sir Walter Scott
15. Ancillary Justice [fiction]- Ann Leckie
16. Beauty Queens [fiction]- Libba Bray (unabridged audiobook)
17. Burnt Mountain [fiction]- Anne Rivers Siddons
18. Midnight in Siberia: A Train Journey into the Heart of Russia [nonfiction]- David Greene
19. Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex [nonfiction]- Mary Roach (unabridged audiobook)
20. The Likeness [fiction]- Tana French
21. Atonement [fiction]- Ian McEwan
22. The Westing Game [fiction]- Ellen Raskin (unabridged audiobook)
23. Nappy Edges [poetry]- Ntozake Shange
24. Childhood's End [fiction]- Arthur C. Clarke
25. Tartuffe [play/drama]- Moliere, translated and with introduction by Richard Wilbur
26. Bicycle Diaries [nonfiction]- David Byrne
27. Cotton Comes to Harlem [fiction]- Chester Himes
28. Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox [fiction]- Eoin Colfer (unabridged audiobook)
