For the past several weeks I have listened to the CD format of the book The girl with the dragon tattoo by Stieg Larsson during my commute.  The narrator was excellent--I completely forgot about him, although I can't speak to his ability with the Swedish language.  The story kept me fascinated from beginning to end.  One caveat--this is a gritty read. It has all the factors which usually drive me away from an author--extreme violence, language, sex, and more.  

     If you want to be entertained by the changing cleanliness customs through the ages and across the world, read The dirt on clean: an unsanitized history by Katherine Ashenburg. Dwelling in depth upon European and American customs, Ashenburg finds fun and amazing trivialities while laying out a case for American over-cleanliness. "'Clean'keeps receding into the distance," she says.

    As 2010 begins, the unemployment rate is showing some improvement, but there are still too many Michiganders out of work.  In 2009 the Jackson District Libraries ordered new materials targeting job hunters.

One of the best books I have read in a long time is the Man Booker Prize winner for 2009, Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel.

    One book with an unlikely title has consistently shown up on the bestsellers lists.  People called it a horror novel, which put me off, but I finally took home the audio book of The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova.  It comprises 22 discs, which was attractive, given my long commutes. Still wary, I began listening and found myself drawn in by the book's intricate weaving of three fascinating stories. At first.