in the middle of:Restless Ambition: Grace Hartigan, Painter by Cathy Curtis

just finished: Nature's Gambit,by David H. Feldman

next up:The Unraveling: High Hopes and Missed Opportunities in Iraq by Emma Sky

ROMANTIC OUTLAWS The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft and Her Daughter Mary Shelley By Charlotte Gordon is what i'm reading now...

The Boy Who Played With Fusion Extreme Science, Extreme Parenting, and How to Make A Star,by Tom Clynes is great!

IAN ZACK Say No To The Devil: The Live and Musical Genius of Rev. Gary Davis

just finished "Unseemly Science" by Rod Duncan

Agnes Martin: Her Life and Art: by Nancy Princenthal,a great artist,can't wait...

Madeleine L'Engle 's Arm of the Starfish is very good...

about to start Asylum by Madeleine Roux

just put on reserve at NYPL: Mosquitoland by David Arnold

KIRKUS DEC 10, 2014

Arnold pens a stunning debut, showcasing a cast of dynamic characters whose individual struggles are real but not always fully explained, a perfect decision for a book whose timeline is brief. Ultimately, Mim revises moments from her own narrative, offering readers tantalizing glimpses of the adult Mim will eventually become...Mesmerizing. Full Review

about to start: The Making of a Master by Mark Evans a life of John Constable

just finished Our Kids by Robert Putham,similar to Coming Apart by Charles Murray

finished The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion "I want to build a soundproof crib" a riot!

what is the difference between the aristocratic and the merely expensive? Anthony Eden

next up:Marilyn's Monster by Michelle Knudsen

just finished:The One,by RJ.Smith,a bio about James Brown...

Pops,by Terry Teachout,a great bio of Louis Armstrong

La Belle Créole: The Cuban Countess Who Captivated Havana, Madrid, and Paris by Alina García-Lapuerta is next up

just finished The Blue Labyrinth by Preston and Child,very good...

AWC Amphibian S Ruger MKII .22,beautiful,something for your carry on,next trip to Paris...

Originally developed for Amphibious Special Warfare Operations, the Amphibian S has undergone 13 variations over 29 years making it the most advanced and sought after integrated .22 cal. suppressor system in the world.  From salt ocean water to dry land - dependable operation is guaranteed.   The Amphibian S was developed to meet performance requirements in 3 specific areas: reduced weight, improved accuracy and extended service life.  If you are already one of the thousands of users who are familiar with our previous Amphibian series pistols you will be pleasantly surprised how the Amphibian S lays in the hand.  The weight reduction is remarkable and is achieved through a new baffle design that utilizes a Titanium & 303 stainless steel primary baffle system with 6061T6 secondary chambers.  Improved accuracy is primarily achieved with this new integral design, and is also more responsive to simple user maintenance.  Due to the radical aerodynamic function of this unit the sound reduction performance of the Amphibian S is simply remarkable. Often imitated, never equaled, the Amphibian S stands alone.

next up:Modern Man The Life of Le Corbusier, Architect of Tomorrow by Anthony Flint

The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace by Jeff Hobbs,looks good,but familiar

about to start:Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life -by William Deresiewicz.

What is the difference between the aristocratic and merely expensive? the Trench coat

What is the difference between the aristocratic and merely expensive? the Aga cooker

just finished:fear city by f paul wilson

this looks interesting:Pioneer Girl The Annotated Autobiography Wilder, Laura Ingalls, 1867-1957

The Escape by David Baldacci i just finished,recommended...

How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny,that Ruth is a riot!

i'll give this a try:Treat Us Like Dogs and We Will Become Wolves by Chute, Carolyn "big, sprawling, messy, tour de force"

LIBRARY JOURNAL

LJ Reviews 2014 October #2

In this latest work from Chute (The Beans of Egypt, Maine), newspaper reporter Ivy Morelli investigates the Home Place Settlement in Maine, a collective that exists outside the social and economic norms of modern America under the charismatic but troubled leadership of Gordon St. Onge. What Ivy finds is more nuanced and complex than the tempting soundbites of "cult" or "militia"; despite some unsavory aspects of Settlement life, it's hard to argue that St. Onge and his followers don't have a point about the destructive nature of much of the media and the detrimental effects on ordinary citizens of corporate and political corruption. Unfortunately, the sympathetic story Ivy relates is the first in a chain of events that threatens to break down the settlement way of life. This big, sprawling, messy, tour de force employs multiple narrators (including space aliens) and metafictional techniques. Though she does evolve, Ivy's character is so annoying and shallow that it's something of a relief when she takes a backseat in the last half of the novel and other characters emerge. VERDICT At turns funny, moving, and disturbing, this book will challenge readers to check their assumptions about how people choose to live in today's society.—Christine DeZelar-Tiedman, Univ. of Minnesota Libs., Minneapolis 
It's the summer of 1999 at the school on Heart's Content Road, and there are rumors of rampant violence, weapons hoarding, and child abuse. It's the perfect story for budding journalist Ivy Morelli. Her plan is to meet Gordon St. Onge, the mysterious leader of the school, who is also known as "the prophet." Once Ivy immerses herself in the story, she finds herself increasingly drawn to Gordon, who is also a magnet for Brianna, a young and gifted girl. As both women settle into communal life, the publication of Ivy's article sends shock waves throughout the settlement and into the community at large. Chute returns once again to her beloved school in this second in a projected series of five novels. As in The School on Heart's Content Road (2008), the story is told from multiple points of view. Although lengthy, Chute's latest is a complex, multilayered story worth digging into, which explores, among other things, poverty, democracy in America, and the role of community in helping those living on the fringe of society take even the tiniest steps forward. Copyright 2014 Booklist Reviews. 

In this latest work from Chute (The Beans of Egypt, Maine), newspaper reporter Ivy Morelli investigates the Home Place Settlement in Maine, a collective that exists outside the social and economic norms of modern America under the charismatic but troubled leadership of Gordon St. Onge. What Ivy finds is more nuanced and complex than the tempting soundbites of "cult" or "militia"; despite some unsavory aspects of Settlement life, it's hard to argue that St. Onge and his followers don't have a point about the destructive nature of much of the media and the detrimental effects on ordinary citizens of corporate and political corruption. Unfortunately, the sympathetic story Ivy relates is the first in a chain of events that threatens to break down the settlement way of life. This big, sprawling, messy, tour de force employs multiple narrators (including space aliens) and metafictional techniques. Though she does evolve, Ivy's character is so annoying and shallow that it's something of a relief when she takes a backseat in the last half of the novel and other characters emerge. VERDICT At turns funny, moving, and disturbing, this book will challenge readers to check their assumptions about how people choose to live in today's society.â€"Christine DeZelar-Tiedman, Univ. of Minnesota Libs., Minneapolis

[Page 78]. (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals 

re-reading: House Rules by Jodi Picoult, very good!

Jacob Hunt is a teenage boy with Asperger's syndrome, and like many kids with AS, Jacob has a special focus on one subject -- in his case, forensic analysis. He's always showing up at crime scenes, thanks to the police scanner he keeps in his room, and telling the cops what they need to do...and he's usually right. But then his town is rocked by a terrible murder and, for a change, the police come to Jacob with questions. The hallmarks of Asperger's can look a lot like guilt to law enforcement personnel. Suddenly, his family is forced to wonder: Did Jacob commit murder?