The Android's Dream (John Scalzi)

A complicated and fun SF story about aliens who are maneuvering for control over their own government and Earth as well, aided by humans who want to rule the planet as their governors. All that stands in their way is a resourceful ex-military diplomat, a pet shop owner, a few honest diplomats, an odd religion, and a sentient computer (or maybe two). A droll, tongue-in-cheek style smooths out the twists and turns, making the whole journey very enjoyable.

On Stranger Tides (Tim Powers)

This was recommended by someone (I don't remember who) as their favorite ghost-pirate story, and I guess I'd have to agree with that. I loved his mythic fantasy "Last Call" and didn't much care for his magic spy thriller "Destiny," and this fell somewhere in the middle. Jack Shandy's transformation in a few months from angry Englishman seeking revenge to supremely powerful magic wielder, pirate, and skilled sailor was a little too much do me to buy, but the action was good and the darkly fantastical atmosphere well drawn.

The Cheese Monkeys (Chip Kidd)

This is an odd little book, but interesting, about a young man who decided to major in art, though he's not sure why. His first semester he falls for a wild, dangerous, challenging young woman who enjoys pushing boundaries and everyone's buttons. His second semester focuses on a graphic design course they both take, taught by a man who is even more wild and challenging. The author has a lot to say about Art, Design, and the differences between them, but the book is mostly about their relationship, which is frustrating and baffling. I can't say I enjoyed it, really, but I was fascinated in an appalled sort of way, and the writing itself was fine.

Halting State (Charles Stross)

This is also a re-read of a past favorite (I'm in comfort-book mode, I guess, as the semester is winding down). It's a mind-boggling trip through the virtual realities of near-future Scotland, opening with a bank in the online world being robbed by a party of Orcs and a dragon and going sideways from there. The story is action-packed and the mystery is gripping, as it explores how the digital world has changed us fundamentally (one character, looking around Edinburgh, notes that it looks pretty much as it has looked for about a hundred years, but underneath the stone and glass all the nerves and muscles that make things work have been ripped out and completely replaced). I enjoyed it.

What's the Worst That Could Happen? (Donald Westlake)

I've read this before, and loved it just as much the second time! Max Fairbanks, a spoiled, rich egomaniac, caught Dortmunder red-handed in a botched small-time robbery, and added insult to arrest by laying a claim to a ring Dortmunder's lady May had given him. "What's the worst that could happen?" he asked, smugly. The rest of the book answers that question, as Dortmunder and his gang of quirky crooks make it their single-minded mission to relieve Fairbanks of the ring, and whatever else of value they could take in the process.

On Food and Cooking (Harold McGee)

I was looking forward to reading this famous book about the science of food. It fulfilled all my expectations and more - much more - too much more, in fact. I got so bogged down in all the details of the chemistry, history, linguistics, and so on that I found it tough going. Maybe I'm not as much of a science geek as I'd like to think, but I was looking more for practical cooking techniques with their scientific foundations, and less for the full college-level scientific analysis of every fiber and component. I wound up abandoning it early.