This is Katherine so don't be confused.  Now and then I hijack Jim's place here and write something.  This is one of those days.

I've polished off another bunch of books and thought I'd do some quick reviews while I can still remember the books.  Nothing inspirational today.

1.  Thinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman, Non-fiction. The first half of the book covers the psychology of System 1 (intuitive and speedy) and System 2 (analytical and lazy). The last part of the book connects to economics.  People prefer to avoid losses more than they seek gains.  Kahneman's work suggests people are reasonable, but not rational because their thinking lacks consistency (go figure). Libertarians vote based on the idea that we all will behave reasonably and that economic "nudges" in policy will drive rational thought. The book uses things like seat belt laws and social security as examples of policy increasing rational thought.  I learned some things, but the second half about economics was tedious for me. There's a lot of conservative rationalization in how the author argues for policy to limit safety nets for struggling folks. The writer is a prize-winning economist so I'm thinking if conservative economics are your thing, go for it.  It's several years old so I bet you can find it on sale. One more note, this book is in stark contrast to the psychology book I'm reading now (Why Buddhism is True) which says people are driven by evolutionary needs and we prefer pleasure because it is so fleeting.  Two Stars.

2.  The Monk of Mokah, Dave Eggers, Non-fiction.  Jim read this one after I did, but got a review up first.  His is more thorough.  I loved this book about an American son of Yemeni immigrants who returns to his country to try and create a great coffee from his homeland. He wants to restore Yemeni coffee to its glory days. Moktar (our hero) goes from being a San Francisco doorman to a successful brewer of specialty coffee. I learned about Yemen (war torn, but lovely in the mountains), coffee (how to grow and sort and roast and taste it), and the determination of this child of immigrants. Loved the book.  Four Stars.

3.  The Possessed, Elif Shafik, Non-fiction (I think). This seems to be a non-fiction book about a graduate student studying Russian Literature. She explores the lives and books of the Russian greats while mastering the language. Like me, she believes in the power of literature to heal and to pull you into so much more than a story.  Her life moves between books, boyfriends, campuses, and Russian landscapes. Her insights into Russian Lit are intriguing and make the tragic nature of it all more real and understandable.  I learned stuff and she writes good sentences. Not sure this is for everyone and I only picked it up because I read Anna Karenina not too long ago. I was sad this book never really discussed Tolstoy. Three Stars.

4. Birding Without Borders, Noah Strycker, Non-Fiction. I bought this book more to review the geography of the world rather than to learn about birds.  I learned so much about both, but the true lessons were about how wonderful people are all over the world and how much they will try to help you.  It made me feel sad about all the travel fears our country promotes and our fears of being any place without the comforts of home.  Sträcker moves through the world at a breathtaking pace notching off bird sightings (always confirmed by another viewer for verification's sake).  In each flight from one dinky spot to the next, local guides showed up when and where Strycker needed them and created miniature friendships. The geography and birds were both wondrous and Strycker limits what he shares perfectly. I really liked this book.  Four Stars.

5.  Many Lives, Many Masters, Brian Weiss, Non-fiction. Another psychology book. Our lives have messages and we just might not really know or understand what those messages are.  Weiss, a psychiatrist, leads a troubled patient, Catherine, through about 12 of her 86 previous lives.  He learns our lives have lessons and debts and we return to other lives for learning and repaying debts. Paying a debt can take many forms--living the type of life you imposed on another, dying the way you killed someone, or helping to guide another through a life from a different dimension as some sort of guardian angel. Most lessons are about overcoming greed, lust, and violence and evolving to unselfishness, love, charity and hope.  There is nothing religious in the book, but it feels very Buddhist to me. I read it on the advice of Terry Connell, a friend and acupuncturist,  I'd felt a real presence in the room when he treated me once and he told me about the book.  There is more about that, but not now:)  Four Stars.

6. The Fortunate Ones, Ellen Unmansky. Fiction.  This one reminded me a bit of The Goldfinch because it explores the power of art and how owning a great piece of art can change you. In fact the book talks about how art and history (both personal and of the world) change you.  The story covers how two women of two different generations each owned a famous painting (a fictional painting credited to Chaim Soutine). Rose's mother owned and loved the painting and it was lost to the Nazi's along with most of her family in Vienna. Lizzie, a hip California lawyer, threw a teenage party in the 60's the night the same painting was stolen from her father's house. When the two women meet and discover their connection, a lovely friendship blooms.  A good book.  Three Stars.

7. Bring the War Home, Kathleen Belew, Non-Fiction.   This is a powerful account of the growth of the while supremacy movement from the Viet Nam War until the Oklahoma City Bombing by Timothy McVeigh. The data is overwhelming.  The book documents the outrage of some Viet Nam vets and the growth of single-cell organization that made all the violence seem to be lone wolf behavior. Anti-abortion is the preservation of the white race and many defense positions were based on "protecting white women" who were complicit in the violence.  The theft from military bases (weapons), the use of the internet, the ability to recruit evangelicals and skinheads, and the fury over Ruby Ridge and Waco drive the movement.  Now we have Donald Trump.  A powerful and important book.  Not happy. Also Kathleen was a former student. We both are so incredibly proud. Four Stars.

8.  The Disappeared. C. J. Box. Fiction.  Joe Pickett books (he's a Wyoming game ranger) are my guilty pleasures. There's one a year. They aren't great, but he's covered all of Wyoming and I love learning the nooks and crannies of that state.  This one sends Joe to Saratoga to look for a missing British lady who vanished after a stay at a guest ranch.  Nate Romanowski and his falcons come into play in the story and I always enjoy that. He' a vicious good guy:) I like this one until the end.  There was no end. Now I wait until May for the next book.  C. J. Box just lost a star for that.  Two Stars.

9.  Less, Andrew Sean Greer, Fiction. Cindy Fite recommended this one.  I liked it.  The book follows Arthur Less around the world as he nears his 50th birthday.  Less is feeling low and lost.  He lover (Freddy and the ultimate narrator) has left him and Less is traveling the world to heal his wounds. Less thinks about loss, writing, grief, love, and age. He learns everybody does really like him.  It's a nice book.  Three Stars.

10.  An Odyssey, Daniel Mendelsohn, Non-Fiction.  A classics professor invites his father to audit his seminar reading The Odyssey. The book combines thoughtful literary criticism of Homer's work.  I thought about the meaning of words, the nature of heroes, the importance of recognition, and marriage. There were lots of times the book made me think about Jim and I as we age. The later part of the book, Mendelsohn takes his father on a cruise that supposedly retraces the Odyssey and ends all too naturally with the father's death.  I loved this book.  I even briefly thought about re-reading the Odyssey.  Four Stars.

11.  The Escape Artist, Brad Meltzer, Fiction.  I don't know why I bought the book.  Then I read the whole book.  I know I read a review that indicated it was about the history of the artists who work for the army and draw battle scenes and that intrigued me.  A character does that, but this is a pulp fiction, government conspiracy, silly short chapter book that I'm ashamed I read even though it was a big best seller.  Sometimes I wish I knew how to just quit reading a book.  I just can't do it though.  One Star.

That's it.  I managed 21 books last year.  I count:)