Devil May Care   Sebastian Faulks
Rather lame update of the Bond series. Didn’t have the energy, wit, or sex of the Fleming originals, though it followed the plot formula closely. Too bad, kind of a waste of time.

My Brief History   Stephen Hawking
Disappointingly lame “autobiography.” Very short and superficial. A complete waste of time and money, even though I got a 30% discount. Useless.

Bloodmoney   David Ignatius
Involved plot about a rogue CIA group whose members start being assassinated and the woman agent sent to find out what’s going on. A little surprise, but not nearly good enough to justify the effort; shallow, unbelievable characterizations, unjustified resolution, and a dopey ending.

The Deep Zone   James M. Tabor
Cliché-filled novel about a CDC researcher required to do extreme caving to get microbes to combat a new super bacterium. Embarrassing characterizations, and a tiring plot. Waste of time.

Bertrand Russell: The Ghost of Madness 1921-1970   Ray Monk
Deeply disappointing second volume that covers the second half of Russell’s life. Monk seems intent on character assassination, disparaging anything good that Russell accomplished and writing like a tabloid expose about everything else. Too bad, especially in light of the quality of the first volume. Glad to get the whole 1200 pages behind me.

Bertrand Russell: The Spirit of Solitude 1872-1921   Ray Monk
Excellent, well-written, philosophical, and excruciatingly meticulous biography of the first half of Russell’s life. Felt great sympathy and empathy for his personal struggles and awe for what he accomplished. I’ve always been interested in him because of our shared name, and I was very aware of his politics when I was a teenager. Very glad I read it.

Savages   Don Winslow
Story of Ben, Chon, and O and their attempt to live the California lifestyle fuelled by their drug business but without any consequences. Guess how that turns out. Exactly like the Oliver Stone movie except for O’s narration and the silly, focus-group required second ending. Liked the more recent prequel better.

The Kings of Cool   Don Winslow
Beautifully written (I really like Winslow’s prose) prequel that gives the background, even generational, of the characters and circumstances described in Savages. Actually liked this book, and the characters, better.

A Mercy   Toni Morrison
Excellent, beautifully-written novel about women in slavery in 17^th century America. Tragic, sad, abhorrent, and hugely insightful about what slavery does to people. Couldn’t put it down. Very good.

Capital Punishment   Robert Wilson
Very enjoyable thriller about a kidnapping consultant who gets involved in a situation that is more than it seems. Well written, complicated and compelling narrative, and surprisingly good characterizations. Really liked it. Wish it hadn’t ended.