Greg Bear, The Forge of God

Greg Bear, The Forge of God. A decent science fiction read, enjoyed the Von Neumann machines, and good characters with some believable relationships. But such a terrible, terrible translation to digital with lots of mistakes, wonky font, and page problems; I don't know if my basal irritation was with the format or the book.

Michael Chabon, Mysteries in Pittsburgh

Michael Chabon, Mysteries in Pittsburgh. Much less polished than Chabon's later work, but nice to see a male's bisexuality taken seriously and explored in a matter-of-fact and believable way.

Sherman Alexie, The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven

Sherman Alexie, The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. Intense, concentrated stories.

Alison Lurie, Foreign Affairs

Alison Lurie, Foreign Affairs. Alison Lurie is a new author to me, and one I think I will really appreciate. An American professor of folklore and children's literature on research. She's middle aged, solitary, interesting. I loved the scenes where she stews over an unfair critical review of her work - so realistic to academia, so funny and true, She's the sort of character who is rare. really really rare, in my reading. I will read more of Lurie.

Ruth Ozeki, A Tale for the Time Being

Ruth Ozeki, A Tale for the Time Being. I am a sucker for an epistolary novel (even a not-quite epistolary novel like this one). A transoceanic correspondence between a lonely 16 year old young woman and an isolated middle-aged writer who can't write. Mystical/mythical/metaphysical and disjointed in time without stupidity or bullshittery. Comic and touching, without irritating or soggy sentiment.

Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote

Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote. When I read this as a kid, I read it as a straightforward comedic adventure story - I was alternately frustrated with/ amused by/ sorry for the poor knight and horrified/ amused /sympathetic toward Sancho. That's all still there, but after 20 more years loving novels, wow, everything else is there. The line from Quixote to Tristram Shandy continues straight through to every self-aware, playful book I've ever loved.

Haruki Murakami, Sputnik Sweetheart

Haruki Murakami, Sputnik Sweetheart. Another lovely, surreal, lonely book. Sumire and "K" are more sympathetic and human than most Murakami protagonists and narrator. And I just love, really I do, I love the title.

Alice Munro, Dear Life

Alice Munro, Dear Life. Lean stories. Felt odd to have read some and not others in periodicals.

Jane Smiley, Private Life

Jane Smiley, Private Life. Solid story - interesting: early 20th century - marriage - constrainment of a single woman's role - passivity in private life -  WWI & WWII - Japanese culture in Pacific Northest - paranoia & internment camps - astronomy.

Alice McDermott, Someone

Alice McDermott, Someone. It took me about eight chapters to confirm that, no I had not actually read this particular book before, because I kept thinking 'Oh god, not this book again'.

Karen Joy Fowler, We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves

Karen Joy Fowler, We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves. Gave this book to my mother based entirely on the title. Not what I expected, but funny. And timely, as my youngest has a non-human primate obsession at the moment.

Jeffrey Eugenides, The Marriage Plot

Jeffrey Eugenides, The Marriage Plot. Thin. Stupid.

Robin Sloane, Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore

Robin Sloane, Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore. This is a cute little silly story. At first you think is is going to descend into a lugubrious "one big misunderstanding" sort of book, but it stays light and funny. And for what it's worth, it is infinitely better that The Circle (which tried to be a funny satire of current technological and social trends and failed dreadfully - Mr. Penumbra has some of the same topical Google-ly stuff, also a little ridiculous, but without the strident whining and bitterness).

More scifi and fantasy

Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter, The Long Earth, The Long War, and The Long Mars. These are good, although there are some problematic aspects that would take me a long and careful post to explain. But the Long Earth idea is compelling and fruitful.

George R.R. Martin (and others), Dangerous Women (anthology): some good, some great, and some terrible stories.

Lev Grossman, The Magician's land. OK, this is actually really fun.

Haruki Murakami, The Elephant Vanishes

Haruki Murakami, The Elephant Vanishes. I love these lonely and strange short stories.

Gary Shteyngart, Little Failure

Gary Shteyngart, Little Failure. I love, love, Gary Shteyngart. I would forgive him anything, even Super Sad True Love Story, after Absurdistan, but no forgiveness is needed. This memoir is wonderful, funny, bitter, angry, and kind. I shrieked and snorted on the bus while reading, apologies to fellow commuters, and aren't you glad I usually bike. I have a dear friend who emigrated from the USSR in the late 80s as well, and so many of her reminisces, particularly food related ones, make so much more sense to me now. Beet everything, dill and salt sandwiches? Of course.

Martha Grimes, some older Jury/Plant mysteries

Martha Grimes, The Man with a Load of Mischief, Jerusalem Inn, I am the Only Running Footman. Grimes back when her RJ series was good. Man with a Load more so, Footman less so. Love Melrose, love Wiggins, love her comic relief - so much better than forced sadness. Although to be fair, when she tries, Grimes hits the melancholic notes with the best (The End of the Pier, Hotel Paradise).

Matthew Quick, The Good Luck of Right Now

Matthew Quick, The Good Luck of Right Now. This story of a non-neurotypical adult dealing with the loss of his mother and only friend started with both comedy and a potential for uniqueness, but devolved into sugary predictability.

Lev Grossman, The Magicians and The Magician King

Lev Grossman, The Magicians and The Magician King. Harry Potter and his friends go to Narnia in college. Better than you'd expect, and fun to read. The rare sequel that is better than the first, partly because there is an actual female character rather than stage prop, if she is a bit flat - so are the rest of them.

George Eliot, Middlemarch

George Eliot, Middlemarch. I enjoyed this so much more than the first time. I have more sympathy for the constrained choices and maddening behaviors of the young women, probably because I no longer identify with them. I think that it tied up too neatly with happy endings for all honesty, but it does make for a satisfied glow at the finish.