From Russia with Love by Ian Fleming

SMERSH plots to embarass MI-6 by taking down its top agent, James Bond, in this novel. A SMERSH agent offers to defect with a code machine--but only if Bond comes to get her. So Bond travels to Turkey. When they head back to England on the famed Orient Express, Bond must determine who to trust and who is trying to double cross him.

Kept by D.J. Taylor

This book models the novels of Dickens and Collins that it reads like; there are a lot of intertwining plots and characters. We also get to see early police in action (towards the end of the book). None of the main characters are entirely sympathetic, but Taylor has a good sense of the Victorian worlds. I loved the literary allusions. It covers a number of themes that play out in the period: criminality, interest in science, insanity, the role of women. It wasn't quite as good as a genuine Victorian novel, but it was a decent imitation of that kind of plot, and very well written.

Train Dreams by Denis Johnson

This novella has a lyrical, haunted quality. It's a patchwork of anecdotes from the life of Robert Grainier, a day laborer in the West, who started life as an orphan and who loses his wife and infant daughter in a massive forest fire while he's away. The stories move back and forth in time, and taken together give something of a portrait of the building of the American West.

Line in the Sand: A History of the Western U.S.-Mexican Border by Rachel C. St. John

This book gives a concise, yet informative history of the border between the U.S. and Mexico, especially between El Paso and the Pacific Ocean. In so doing, it shows how different people and governments use the border--not just to control immigration, but also to, at times, challenge state sovereignty, collect revenue, avoid customs duties, gain a military advantage, and police morality. Indeed, the idea of fencing the border came late. In the conclusion, St. John lays out her cards: she believes that the border fence is not the best solution to the challenges of illegal immigration, and that the U.S. and Mexico should work together, along with the transnational community, to come up with a more flexible method of policing the border. I also learned more than I ever knew about the Mexican Revolution. A well-written and thought-provoking book.

The Black Dove by Steve Hockensmith

I enjoyed this murder mystery, although it depended heavily on the story of On the Wrong Track, the previous book in the series. The mystery plot was pretty good, although the series depends a bit heavily on slapstick style comedy for my tastes. I thought the ending was a bit out of nowhere, or at least that there weren't enough clues for the reader to have a fair shot.

On the Wrong Track by Steve Hockensmith

This mystery is a lot like some of the best Agatha Christie novels: because it's set on a train, so there's a limited cast of characters who could be the criminal. I found this plot quite engaging and the twists kept coming till the end, though, it did start a little slow.

Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson

This book is a really engaging description of the author's madcap tour around Britain right before he leaves for an extend absence in the United States. At times, things get a bit silly (sure, there's no good rail service between Oxford and Cambridge [you have to connect through London]--but you could also take the bus, with which a day trip is very manageable), and at times, Bryson sounds like an unbearable jerk, but overall, I really enjoyed both Bryson's obvious enthusiasm for Britain and his witty description of his trip.

4:50 from Paddington by Agatha Christie

I loved this murder mystery. The conceit is really quite wonderful: a little old lady watches a murder being committed but can't do anything about it because she's on a different train at the time. Although this novel features Miss Marple, she does less solving than usual (Lucy Eylesbarrow taking on much of the legwork) and is actually on the scene, so it feels a little more like a Hercule Poirot mystery than usual. Of course, there's a wonderful, decaying family home, and the usual limited number of suspects scenario. I really enjoyed this mystery.