This is Your Brain on Music (Daniel Levitin)

I already know a fair amount about music and about the brain, so some of this book was old hat, but I still learned a lot about the intersection between the two. For instance, I never appreciated the importance of the cerebellum in timing and rhythm. I also never realized that even non-musicians can generally sing a very familiar song from memory and get the key, the tempo, and even the singer's vocal mannerisms right. Music is a very complex and meaningful set of promises, and I enjoyed learning more about it.

All the Birds in the Sky (Charlie Jane Anders)

I really enjoyed this book that perfectly straddles the line between science fiction and fantasy. Two children form a bond because they are both misfits, misunderstood by their families and rejected by other kids. Over time their lives cross, diverge, and recross as they follow different paths. Patricia is a witch who feels a mystical connection to nature, especially birds; Laurence is an engineer who invents machines to bend nature to his will. As the things around them begins to fall apart due to ecological disasters and ensuing war, they have to find a way to blend their different perspectives to save the world. I loved how the books language shifted as the children grew up into powerful adults, and their stories drew me in, though the ending didn't have as much resonance as the rest of the book did, at least for me. Still a worthwhile read.

Mars, Inc.: The Billionaire's Club (Ben Bova)

This story reminds me of some of the stories from my youth, about kids who put together a rocket in their backyard and go to the moon. It's grown up a little, but the basic thrill remains of someone who refuses to notice how impossible his plans are and makes them happen anyway. Art Thrasher is a millionaire, a rough-hewn, smooth-talking womanizer who can schmooze with the big guns, determined to get humanity to Mars without the help of the goddamn government (only once in the whole book that I noticed did he use the word "government' without "goddamn"). He runs into obstacles, and headbutts them or stomps them or jumps headlong right over them, to reach his goal. There's no deep insight here and no great technological precision, but it's a fun ride.

An Officer and a Spy (Robert Harris)

A gripping fictionalized retelling of the famous Dreyfus Affair that tore France apart at the start of the 1900s. Dreyfus was a Jewish army officer falsely accused of spying for the Germans, stripped of his rank, and imprisoned under the harshest conditions. Everyone from the highest levels of the government to the people in the streets believed him guilty and hated him with indescribable passion, partly because of widespread fear of Germany and partly because of rampant antisemitism. Piquart, the narrator of this tale, was as convinced as anyone of Dreyfus's guilt to begin with, but after Dreyfus was convicted Piquart took over as head of the army's intelligence division and became aware of inconsistencies in the government's case. The more he dug into it, the more convinced he became that Dreyfus was actually innocent and the German spy was still at large. His story, historically accurate but turned into an epic, fascinating novel, is one of courage and righteousness triumphing at last over power and greed. Highly recommended.

Maisie Dobbs (Jacqueline Winspear)

Just after WWI, Maisie Dobbs sets herself up in London as a private detective. She is a terrific character: former downstairs maid, university student, wartime nurse, and now solver of mysteries, someone who cares a lot about people and is stunningly brilliant. In this first story of the series she is drawn into an investigation of a secluded farm called The Retreat where soldiers disfigured in the war can find comfort and acceptance, but her instinct that something is amiss there proves appallingly true. Masie's weapons include a near-telepathic ability to tell what people are feeling and the ability to blend in and play many roles, but mostly she is brave and smart and compassionate. I expect to read more in this series.