"Travels with Charley" by John Steinbeck

This was a pleasant enough read, and at times amusingly retro (attitudes towards alcohol and expectations of women.) The most riveting section for me was Steinbeck's description of negro issues in the south, including New Orleans, where a tiny black girl, and then a white parent with a child, had to be accompanied to school by the police, while white "cheerleaders" shouted very ugly things, to the pleasure of the crowd.

"Career of Evil" by Robert Galbraith

The story was much uglier than previous ones in the "Strike" series, and I got bogged down about halfway through, but overall I enjoyed this book. Strike and Robin are an interesting partnership, indeed.

"The Chrysalids" by John Wyndham

This was a very good read for a Sci Fi story that was write so many decades ago. I'm adding this in 2016, even though I read it a few years ago. I could have sworn I entered it into my book blog.

"Shifu, You'll do anything for a Laugh" by Mo Yan

I enjoyed these short stories by a Chinese Nobel prize winner. But the translation was poor and I lacked the context to be able to fully understand or appreciate the stories.