"Dead Mountain-The True Story of the Dyatlov Pass" by Donnie Eichar

This is the first book I purchased for my Kobo, at the amazing sum of $3.00. I had it in mind that Mama might enjoy this account, but I bought it for myself as well.... Why not, I thought, the story interests me, why not splurge and live a little.

And for all of its very straightforward writing style, I did enjoy the book, which posits its own explanation for the apparently suicidal behaviour of some experienced Russian hikers in the Urals in the 1959. The exact cause of their deaths remains a mystery to this day. The author gives the apparently credible suggestion of infrasound.

I enjoyed reading about everyday Russian life, and when the author described wood cutting camps near the Urals, I thought of my father during World War ll. I wondered whereabouts in Russia, south of Siberia, his forestry camp was. I remember Tato mentioning that his boss liked him, and that he did singing.

"A Thief of Time" by Tony Hillerman

I bought this book for Ray soon after we met because this detective series has a heavy anthropological component. Ray wasn't impressed when he read it, and I can see why. It isn't well written.... It feels choppy with missing pieces. It's not horrible, either, and it did what I wanted... It gave me a bit of a glance into Southwestern US culture. I am interested in that because we are likely soon going to the Grand Canyon.

I had no idea that pottery and arachaeological digs were so significant to the area. Nor did I know about the cultural group (called Anasazi by the Navaho) which suddenly disappeared 5 or 600 years ago.

"The Silkworm" by Robert Galbraith

The second Cormoran Strike novel by JK Rowling. It was recommended to me by Eva and I enjoyed it very much. The writings in Bombyx Mori, (the book at the center of the murder), and also the scientific term for silkworm, were excellent. And Cormoran's character and life are evolving nicely.

That said, I find that the book could have used some sharper editing in the middle, where I found that it dragged. As with her Harry Potter novels, Rowling sometimes has a tendency to overdo her writing.

"Small Favor" by Jim Butcher

I actually found this book quite riveting, though parts of the mythology are becoming confusing. There are so many names floating around, archangels, fallen angels, demons, etc, that it becomes difficult tracking who's who.

One reason I enjoy the series is that every once in awhile, Dresden makes a surprisingly wise, or even poetic, observation.  In this book, I like the way he described the passage of time on a clock in the hospital, as he waited to hear the outcome of Michael's surgeries.