Body Copy   Michael Craven
Disappointing novel about an L.A. P.I. trying to solve a cold case murder. Characters are shallow and undeveloped, plot is simplistic and slow, there is no dark edge, and many of the conversations are laughably unbelievable. A waste of time, too bad.

Griftopia: Bubble Machines, Vampire Squids, and the Long Con that is Breaking America   Matt Taibbi
Taibbi’s irreverent, highly intelligent analysis and history of the financial crisis of 2008 and the division of America into the grifter (obtains money illicitly and illegally) class and the rest of us. To call the current construction of the U.S. economy deeply troubling would be a gross understatement. Made me angry and disgusted, the game is incredibly rigged. Everyone should read this book.

Introducing Semiotics   Paul Cobley and Litza Jansz
Excellent introduction to the “study of signs and systems of signs.” Very thorough, from Saussure and Pearce to Eco, including even the Soviets, the Prague school, anthroposemiosis, zoosemiosis, and the British. Plenty of good information well presented.

Station Eleven   Emily St. John Mandel
Beautiful novel about people who live through the end of civilization caused by a new flu virus that wipes out 99% of the human population. Exquisite prose, a compelling narrative, and haunting images. Moving and deeply sad. Outstanding fiction, wish it hadn’t ended.

Good-bye   Tatsumi Yoshihiro
More manga/gekiga short stories, these set during the 1960s and 1970s. Drenched in Tatsumi’s typically bleak worldview, they depict life and failed relationships of Japan’s underclass. Very good.

Abandon the Old Tokyo   Tatsumi Yoshihiro
A collection of manga/gekiga short stories set after World War II. Drenched in Tatsumi’s typically bleak worldview, they depict life and failed relationships of Japan’s underclass. Very good, really liked them.

The Selfish Gene   Richard Dawkins
Bloated, condescending explanation of how the gene is the “immortal replicator” that fuels natural selection. Only about 200 pages too long. Dawkins is at his usual self-obsessed, thin-skinned, and petulant best. Even with the smattering of good information, kind of a waste of my time. Too bad.

Bust   Ken Bruen and Jason Starr
Complicated noir thriller about a man and his mistress who hire a nut case to kill the guy’s wife. Everything goes wrong right from the start, and the killings multiply. Nasty, brutish, and deeply cynical. Kind of fun.

Libraries in the Ancient World   Lionel Casson
History of libraries from Alexandria to the beginning of the middle ages. Too much emphasis on the physical layout, cataloging techniques, and who the librarians were at the expense of what the libraries contained. Author sounded like all the librarians I have known. But not a total waste.

Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life   Jon Lee Anderson
Well researched, well written, exhaustive biography of the iconic 60s revolutionary. Che has always fascinated and intrigued me because of his politics, idealism, and personality, even more now that I have worked through this nearly 800-page work, though now there is sadness mixed with my interest. Very good.