Books I read in August 2015

Where'd You Go, Bernadette: A Novel by Maria Semple (library audiobook)  Listened to on my way to trailheads for WTA hike-a-thon hikes. I read this one when it first came out and it was a totally different experience listening to it. The memo's and email's format was a little weird to hear instead of read. I enjoyed Bernadette's rants about the things she hates about Seattle, cracked me up.
Zone One by Colson Whitehead (library) another post apocalyptic novel. I liked it  All you Zombie/I am Legend, Walking Dead fans out there, check this one out too.
Think of a Number by John Verdon (library) great mystery/thriller. I enjoyed it
Come Tell Me How You Live by Agatha Christie Mallowan  A nonfiction account of her days on an archaeological dig in Syria with her husband, renowned archeologist Max Mallowan. I loved it!! Of course I am a HUGE Christie fan and this little book is just a slice of life of what it was like for her to go with him on these digs in the Middle East. Very fascinating considering everything that has gone on there in recent history. The book was published in 1946, so it is very interesting to see her view of the area from that time period.
The Associate by John Grisham (audiobook) I stopped reading Grisham after Street Lawyer...I have never been a huge fan of the legal thriller.  So I don't think I ever read this one prior to listening to it on tape.
Flashback by Nevada Barr I reread this one, the first time I had read it, I had not been to the Dry Tortugas. So after having been to the Fort, it was easier for me to imagine the things that she had going on there
Chasing the Dime by Michael Connelly I liked this one. It was not a Hieronymous Bosch one, but was still enjoyable. And the case does tie in with a case that H. Bosch worked in another book.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith I had not read this since I was about 12 or so!
Dark of the Moon by John Sandford  Another Virgil Flowers mystery. Great fun
Cold Company by Sue Henry Murder Mystery set in Alaska
Break Up by Dana Stabenow another Alaska Murder Mystery and for some reason, this one makes me laugh a lot. It has a lot of craziness in it about spring in Alaska. I especially enjoy the parents who come to visit their daughter and all that they experience in a single day.
The Last Picture Show by Larry McMurtry I enjoyed this one, much more on a second reading. I remember not really liking it that much the first time. And I was never a huge fan of the movie either.
Towards Zero by Agatha Christie These last 8 books are paperbacks that I brought with me on vacation in Eastern Europe. After I finish each book, I am leaving it here at book exchanges in the hostels and inns. This also leaves more room in my luggage to bring home souvenirs! :-) So they are all books that I have read before and they are paperback copies that I got from used bookstores at home specifically to leave here in Europe.
The Almost Nearly Perfect People by Michael Booth ( library) behind the myth of the Scandinavian Utopia.   Since I have been loving all things Swedish.  I really enjoyed this look at the area and culture of all these countries.  I learned a lot!
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury I could not resist picking this one up at one of our hotels in St. Petersburg, Russia. It is in English, but published by a Russian Company as part of their series of classics. I also enjoyed this one on a second reading. It was never a favorite when I read it as a kid.
Wolf to the Slaughter by Ruth Rendell read these last two on the flight home
Poirot Loses a Client by Agatha Christie I always have time to read another Agatha Christie!!
Inherit The Family by Vello Vikerkaar I found out about this author when I was in Estonia. He is from Canada (and of Estonian descent) he married an Estonian and now lives there.....this is a collection of stories that he wrote about the Expat experience in Tallinn. Very entertaining!
Tantra Man by Vello Vikerkaar Another collection of stories about being an ExPat in Estonia. I really enjoyed these, and because my family has experience with being Expat, and I like to think of myself as a sophisticated and worldly world traveler....I could relate to much of it. :-)