Crossed: Aly Condie

The second book in the trilogy, which started with Matched. In this book Cassia does find Ky in the outer providence after they both escape from the decoy posts. They come across an abandoned town belonging to the "farmers" and decide where to go from there after finding maps and propaganda from the rebellion. Ky, Cassia, and their new addition "Indy" all join up with the rebellion. In this book we find out Xander is part of the rebellion in town and we begin to believe that the "rebellion" is actually a faction of the government set up for weeding people out. At the end Ky notices that one of the "airships" is damaged and seems to line up with the damage the farmer had mentioned the 12 people who had died on the hill were setting up.

No Name: Wilkie Collins

I so enjoyed this book, I assumed it would be drab and wordy like other books in its day, but it was quite lovely! Two sisters find out they are penniless after a freak accident befalls their father and their mother dies in childbirth. The parents hadn't been married until the year they passed away and hadn't updated the will. The children weren't "legitimate" at the time of the old wills creation. The fortune was left to the nearest relative, the eldest brother of the father. We end up following the fortune from person to person as the brother dies leaving the wealth to his son- Noel Vanstone.
I thought the characters were clever- I especially liked Mr. Wragge's speech on how he was a leech and how he was entitled to what other people had-regardless on how hard they had worked for it even though he never worked. His scheming was probably more stressful than if he just got a job. It reminded me of a lot of people today! The housekeeper of Noel Vanstone was also intriguing on how obvious her manipulating was, but Noel really believed he thought up everything she told him to do because she added "I agree with you sir" as if they were his thoughts. The book was amusing. It was suspenseful up to the very end and you just knew Magdalen's (the youngest sister) plan to marry her father's nephew was going to fail. I also liked how things ended where the oldest sister who just gave up and succumbed to her fate married the man who got their fortune after Noel Vanstone's death. I was glad Mr. Wragge ended up working in the end, though how honest his work was is debatable.

Matched: Ally Condie

A cute teen girl book about a future society where everything is done via computer. Even Matchmaking. At first, she is excited about her match and her future, then she starts thinking for herself and freedom of choice. She falls in love with someone else who is from the "outer Providences" and cannot marry. It is very reminiscent of the Hunger Games. Two boys- one rebellious, one perfect in the eyes of society and one is already chosen for her. The book ended where there would be a sequel, she and this new guy she likes-Ky are separated. It was interesting and enjoyable to read and I will seek out the rest of the series. I just have a problem with the "teen girl" character type, but it is probably accurate for girls that age- I just can't remember it was so long ago!

Permanent Security: Kip Hawley and Nathan Means

I am sure this was an interesting book, but the voice sort of put me off. It was a bit bitter and pompous. I liked learning about how everyone came together and the organization was born and evolved. This book also mentioned disphoria with the FBI. The book alternated between what the terrorist cells were doing to what the TSA was doing to battle the threat. I hadn't realized the exact threats that were being prevented with each new security procedure- like a person claiming they have a pin in their hip and that they will set off the detector, but they actually had a gun?! Bombs in wheelchair wheels?! I guess they are clever :(

The Grand Inquisitor's Manual: Jonathan Kirsch

A very interesting read I happened to pick up simply because I liked the old timey cover. The book covered all the inquistitions from the 600 years of persecution of Cathars, witches, Jewish and Muslim converts, protestants to WWII, Moscow show trials, and the McCarthy Era. There are several other things that could be added like the Chinese Revolution, Rowanda, and Bosnia etc.
I knew a lot of the ideas the Nazi's used were used previously, but I was reminded that the nuremberg Laws were similar to the Jewry Law of 1268.
Disturbing book, but very insightful- I seem to be reading a lot of disturbing books lately...but this was very educational about history and how it repeats itself. It leaves you realizing humans can be very vile.

Terrorist Hunter: Anonymous

A fantastic book, it is frightening that the same theme I read in this genre of books over and over again is how messed up the FBI and CIA are throughout the entire organization. A woman attends terrorist funding activities and the religious services of extremist to obtain information about terrorist activites. Her findings were paramount in stopping funding for terrorist organizations and their leaders in the US from getting citizenship. It was both ridiculous and terrifying that our government agencies who are dedicated to this sort of thing knew less than she did about the terrorist and activities and all she was able to access were public records. I cannot believe she was then sued by some of the terrorist organizations- messed up! This woman was incredibly brave and a true patriot. A very well written and interesting read.

Double Cross: James Patterson

I haven't read a Patterson book in a while and after reading this one, I want to catch up on the series. A fast paced, didn't see it coming sort of book. Alex Cross, who has retired from fighting crime and become a psychiatrist, gets drawn back into the action when his detective girlfriend's crime scene evidence was addressed to Cross. Two killers sort of working together from different parts of the country are trying to get at Cross and his girlfriend. In the end one gets away to wreck havoc in another book. Clever story though, a fun to read- page turner.

Zen and Now on the Trail of Robert Pirsig and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance :Mark Richardson

I thought I had put a hold on the actual Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig, so I was a little irritated when I started reading and realized it was someone reliving the Zen experience and writing about it. I thought it was going to be a copycat. It was actually a writer for a motorcycle magazine (which was the only reason I decided to read it and give this book a chance) who took the route to see where it would take him. This Zen and Now was Mark sharing his story about his collection of people and memories. He referenced Pirsig and quoted the original book throughout his story which made it seem more heartfelt about his purpose. I did enjoy it and if anything it made me want to read the original even more.