2012: Books 12 - 16

Title	Author	Review
REAMDE	Neal Stephenson	One of the most addictive books I've read in ages.  I re-arranged my workout schedule for 2 weeks, substituting much more time on the recumbant bike and stairclimber than originally planned so I could turn these pages.  This is no doubt due in part to the author's commitment to linguistics (if you just started studying Mandarin, this book has tantalizing word bits to taunt you), and his commitment to the 2nd Amendment Gun-Nut Pacific Northwest culture, which I probably understand inherently due to my family, but recently, got a first hand look at during our tour of the Pacific Northwest.  I'm ordering the Baroque Cycle trilogy.
Men Who Stare at Goats	Jon Ronson	Funny and scary at the same time -- an exploration of the U.S Army's (and CIA's) exploration of New Age and paranormal techniques for peace and war.  A quick and easy read of many very funny tales linked to (predictably) some horrifically grim ones.
Trip of the Tongue	Elizabeth Little	See the full review
Townie: A Memoir	Andre Dubus III	This memoir from the author of House of Sand and Fog is filled with the struggle with darkness you'd expect from the source of that haunted tale.  But it's full of joy and grit and fight and triumph and learning to love, as well.  Daily violence is described without drama and the matter-of-factness of the tone is what makes this book simultaneously shock the reader while reminding her that “of course this is the uglier stuff of how life works”.
Quicksilver (Abandoned)	Neal Stephenson	A historical fiction with recognizeable characters such as Isaac Newton and Lord Byron, but too much arcana, theatrical verse, and commitment to historical details for me to enjoy.  After 361 slow pages, I finally purged the book from my todo list and moved on.