Book catch-up

I forbid myself to start another book until I post about the ones I've read. I knew I was behind, but didn't realize how far. So here are speedy reviews of the last nine books.

• Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America--an interesting look at the difficulty of supporting yourself with minimum wage jobs. Eye-opening.
• One to Nine: The Inner Life of Numbers--Remember the physics book I struggled through last year? Meet this year's equivalent. It started off promising, but by chapter 4 it fell into a depressing pattern. I would understand the first third of the chapter, vaguely grasp the second third, and be completely lost for the last third. Ugh. Maybe what I need is Physics for Dummies.
• Temples, Tombs & Hieroglyphs--an engaging read that is a lay-person's guide to both Egyptian history and the history of Egyptian history. I think the stories of the early archaeologists were my favorite part of the book.
• Taking Time Off--as EM gets older, I think more about his post-high school life. So far he doesn't show any sign of wanting a gap year, but that might change.
• The Virgin Blue--interesting mystery novel split between medieval and modern-day France by the author of The Girl with the Pearl Earring.
• Home--the sequel to Gilead, which was my first book of the year. A quiet, beautifully written book about family and faith.
• Elbows Off the Table, Napkin in the Lap, No Video Games During Dinner--a guide on teaching your children manners. Nothing earth-shattering, but some useful insights.
• The Enchantress of Florence--my first Salman Rushdie book ever, and the big surprise of the year. I had the idea that Rushdie's books were dense and boring. Clearly, I should read one of his books sometime, but it would undoubtedly be a chore. Certainly not a quickly-moving and engaging novel of historical fiction. It did illustrate how much I don't know about the history of India, Florence and Persia during the sixteenth century, but my ignorance didn't detract from the book too much.
• The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society--very quick read. As a bonus, you get to learn about the English Channel Islands during WWII.