My November reading list:  

Finished -  

1. "IMPROBABLE CAUSE" by J.A. Jance (J.P. Beaumont #5) (A-) The dentist was sitting bolt upright in his chair. Mouth opened wide. Stone-cold dead. Homicide Detective J.P. Beaumont had plenty of suspects. Like the dentist's wife, who, after ten years of brutal beatings, certainly had a motive to kill. Or the pretty dental assistant, whose late night services would never appear on her resume. Or an ex-con who was the last person to see the dentist alive - and was an intimate friend of the widow. Beaumont knew he was closing in on his prey. But when a new piece of evidence surfaced, he discovered the true meaning of evil - and decided the killer should go free!
2. "TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH" by Elizabeth Lowell (Audio CD book) (A) Photographer Cat Cochran has been to exotic places most people only dream about - but all she wants to do is settle down and get her life in order. One last assignment and she can put her past behind her. But first she must photograph the mysterious and elusive ship designer T.H. Danvers and his awesome creations. Travis Danvers is dangerous - a millionaire with an athlete's body, an enigmatic charmer capable of breaking down Cat's well-constructed defenses with a buccaneer's arrogance and flourish. She knows she must resist him, for experience has taught her that pain is the eventual price of pleasure to be found in the arms of such a man. But caught in the waves of a sensual sea, Cat hears siren whisper seductively, telling her to abandon all caution; to ride with Travis on the winds of forever.
3. "RUSTY NAIL" by J.A. Konrath (Jack Daniels #3) (Audible book) (B) Lt. Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels of the Chicago Police Department is back, and once again she's up to her Armani in murder. Someone is sending Jack snuff videos. The victims are people she knows, and they share a common trait - all were involved in one of Jack's previous cases. With her stalwart partner, Herb, hospitalized and unable to help, Jack follows a trail of death through the Midwest, on a collision course with the smartest and deadliest adversary she has ever known. During the chase, Jack jeopardizes her career, her love life, and her closest friends. She also comes to a startling realization - serial killers have families, and blood runs thick. Rusty Nail features more of the laugh out loud humor and crazy characters that saturated Whiskey Sour and Bloody Mary, without sacrificing the nail-biting thrills. This is Lt. Jack Daniels' third, and most exciting adventure yet.
4. "MEXICAN HAT" by Michael McGarrity (Kevin Kerney #2) (A) Taking a job as a seasonal forest ranger in New Mexico's Gila Wilderness, Kevin Kerney is looking forward to a quiet summer high in the mountains. But the murder of a Mexican tourist, and the discovery of a disoriented old man in the wild, thrusts Kerney into an investigation that will carry him back in time to a sixty-year-old feud between two land-rich brothers, Edgar and Eugene Cox. Enlisting young state game and fish officer Jim Stiles to help solve the crimes, Kerney slowly uncovers evidence connecting the ruthless Cox feud with another suspicious death - and the radical actions of New Mexico's present-day county militia. But new assistant district attorney Karen Cox - Edgar's alluring daughter - is torn between hiding her father's long-buried secret and helping Kerney find the truth. Now someone wants Kerney dead - and the deeper he investigates, the more he may be digging his own grave. 
5. "BLOOD CANTICLE" by Anne Rice (Vampire Chronicles #10) (A) Surrounded by its brooding swampscape, Blackwood Farm is alive with the comings and goings of the bewitched and the bewitching. Among them is the ageless vampire Lestat, vainglorious enough to believe that he can become a saint, weak enough to fall impossibly in love. Gripped by his unspeakable desire for the mortal Rowan Mayfair and taking the not so innocent, new-to-the-blood Mona Mayfair under his wing, Lestat braves the wrath of paterfamilias Julien Mayfair and ventures to a private island off the coast of Haiti. There, Saint Lestat will get his chance to slay his dragon. For Mona and the Mayfairs share an explosive, secret blood bond to another deathless species: a five-thousand-year-old race of Taltos, strangers held in the throes of evil itself.
6. "SEALED WITH A KISS" by Mary Margret Daughtridge (A+) He can handle just about anything, except this...Jax Graham is a member of an elite military team, but when it comes to taking care of his four-year-old son after his ex-wife dies, he's completely clueless. One person can help him, if he'll let her...Family therapist Pickett Sessoms knows just how to help a rough, tough Navy SEAL deal with a scared and lonely little boy, but not if he insists on going it alone. When Jax and his young son Tyler get trapped by a hurricane, Pickett takes them in against her better judgment. Jax figures Pickett's high maintenance, just like all the women he knows, and she figures he's not commitment material. But when an outing turns deadly, Pickett discovers what it means to be a SEAL, and Jax discovers that even a hero needs help sometimes.
7. "THE JUDAS JUDGE" by Michael McGarrity (Kevin Kerney #5) (Audio Cassette book) (A) Deputy State Police Chief Kevin Kerney is weeks away from trading in his badge for a rancher's hat, when six murders are committed at a remote campground in New Mexico. Most of the evidence points to the work of a spree killer, but peculiarities at one crime scene suggest another grisly possibility: that five random people have been shot to death to cover the premeditated murder of the sixth, Vernon Langsford, a retired judge and wealthy businessman. Ruling out neither scenario, Kerney mounts a high profile search for the possible spree killer and conducts a deep probe into the life of Vernon Langsford - which quickly reveals a number of motives for Langsford's murder. But Kerney has no clear suspect, nor does he know why Langsford's son scornfully refers to his murdered father as "the Judas Judge." As Kerney pieces together a shocking history of family betrayal, he is harassed by a stalker, forced into a gunfight with a crooked cop, and is shaken by new doubts about his plan to give up police work. Challenged by the most sensational case of his career, Kerney must use all his skill to track down and bring to justice a brilliant and ruthless killer.
8. "THE BETRAYAL" by Beverly Lewis (Abram's Daughters #2) (B) Abram Ebersol and wife, Ida, are raising their daughters on a firm foundation of Plain traditions, and they expect the girls to carry on that heritage, safe and secure in their cloistered Lancaster County community. But Sadie, the oldest daughter, has found little appeal in her Amish life compared to the lure of the "English" world surrounding them. When Sadie's traditional rumschpringe before embracing baptismal vows goes terribly awry, sister Leah's life also may be forever altered by their secret pact. The twins, Hannah and Mary Ruth, have their own distinct and hidden yearnings, and fear clutches at each heart as the two begin to realize where those longings may lead. Is the Ebersol family tapestry unraveling too quickly, to permanently, to be repaired?
9. "AN ECHO IN THE BONE" by Diana Gabaldon (Audible book) (Outlander series #7) (A+++) Diana Gabaldon's immensely popular Outlander saga soars to new heights with this seventh novel, which takes a breathtaking journey to 1777 America. Jamie Fraser knows from his time-traveling wife Clair that, no matter how unlikely it seems, America will win the Revolutionary War. But that truth offers little solace, since Jamie realizes he might find himself pointing a weapon directly at his own son - a young officer in the British army. And Jamie isn't the only one with a tormented soul - for Claire may know who wins the conflict, but she certainly doesn't know whether or not her beloved Jamie survives. Epic in scope and featuring a colorful cast that includes many legendary figures - including hero-turned-traitor Benedict Arnold and bawdy statesman Benjamin Franklin - An Echo in the Bone is a thrill from start to finish.
10. "PASSING THROUGH PARADISE" by Susan Wiggs (A+) Less than two years ago Sandra was the happily married wife of Victor Winslow, the favorite son of a town called Paradise, a politician who could do no wrong. Then a mysterious accident took Victor's life, leaving Sandra under a dark cloud of suspicion. Now Sandra has had enough. Her only way out is to rebuild and sell her Victorian beach house at the edge of town. She hires Mike Malloy, who's as skilled with his hands as he is at touching her lonely heart. His fight to secure a future with his children awakens all her buried dreams. But can she trust a man with unbreakable ties to a community she's eager to leave behind? Torn between her need to confront the past and her longing to begin again. Sandra must soon decide where her heart is - in a new life far away or right here in Paradise.
11. "DISTANT SHORES" by Kristin Hannah (Audio Cassette book) (A) Elizabeth and Jackson Shore married young, raised two daughters, and weathered the storms of youth as they built a future together. But after the children leave home, they quietly drift apart. When Jack accepts a wonderful new job offer, Elizabeth puts her needs aside to follow him across the country. Until the sudden death of her father changes everything. Grieving and alone, she retreats to an isolated beach house where she packs away the last remnants of her parents' lives. There, the pieces of a past she never knew unfold to reveal a tender story of lasting devotion, the kind of steadfast commitment that Elizabeth admits is missing from her own marriage. Faced with her own disillusionment, she makes a terrifying decision, risking everything she has for a second chance at happiness.
12. "LONG TIME COMING" by Sandra Brown (Audible book) (A) In this classic tale, a woman is reunited with the man she has loved for years, and must reveal the secret that will jeopardize her chance for happiness at last. He arrived out of the blue, a flesh-and-blood phantom from the past in a sports car as sleek and sexy as Law Kincaid himself. The world-famous astronaut was as devastatingly attractive as the first time Marnie Hibbs had laid eyes on him, 17 years before. But she well knows the perils of falling for a ladies' man like Law. And this time she had someone beside herself to protect. Law is determined to discover who is sending him anonymous letters claiming he'd fathered a son he knows nothing about. Showing up at the Hibb's return address from the letters seemed like a step in the right direction. Marnie swears she isn't the guilty party, but when Law meets her son, it's like a one-two punch to his solar plexus. The boy is nearly the spitting image of Law. Law can't remember sleeping with Marnie: then again, he can't remember much about his crazy past. But there's more to it than that: Marnie claims the boy isn't biologically hers. As the tension between them becomes unbearable and the attraction undeniable, Marnie is forced to reveal a long-held secret...one that might cause her to lose both the boy she loves more than anyone, and the man she desires more than anything.
13. "COUNTDOWN" by Iris Johansen (Eve Duncan Forensics Thriller #6) (A) "Don't kill her, she's no good to us dead." These words haunt Jane MacGuire. She thought she'd escaped a random kidnapping, but she's about to learn that the truth is far more terrifying. Now Jane is running for her life. Her adoptive parents, forensic sculptor Eve Duncan and Joe Quinn, of the Atlanta PD, can't help. The FBI can't help. No one can. Except a man who may be more dangerous than those pursuing her. A smuggler, a con man, Mark Trevor had his own mysterious reasons for wanting to keep Jane safe from a relentless killer and a two-thousand-year-old mystery that could rock the modern-day world. For the past is returning with a vengeance that knows no mercy. The countdown has begun, and it's closer to zero than anyone thinks.
14. "RESCUE ME" - Tropical Heat by Cherry Adair (A) When Dr. Elizabeth Goodall is kidnapped and held captive in the African jungle, her only hope for rescue is counterterrorist operative Sam Pelton. But to escape from a brutal warlord, they must confront a powerful attraction that could prove more treacherous than the wilds of the jungle. Atlanta Heat by Lora Leigh (A) Em Delaney has wanted bad-boy Macey March for as long as she can remember. But as a Navy SEAL under the command of her overprotective godfather, Macey is off-limits to Em...until a kidnapping attempt forces them to share tantalizingly close quarters. Desert Heat by Cindy Gerard (A+) Assistant D.A. Elena Martinez never wanted to fall for police detective Seth King. When they are teamed up on a charity hike in the Grand Canyon, however, their chemistry sizzles under the desert sun. But a vengeful drug lord is determined not to let them survive the canyon with their lives intact.
15. "THE DRIFTER" by Susan Wiggs (A) He wanted to tell her everything. About the lost years that had changed him from a desperate young boy into a man hardened by life. About the night he'd sold his soul for a woman who wasn't worth the price. But Jackson Underhill said nothing. After all, he was an outlaw, clearly on the run - reason enough for silence. The truth was Dr. Leah Mundy scared him. She made him want to trust again, to share his burden. She made him want a home, a family. And it was dangerous to want such things. Because the past would find him if he stayed - and there could be no future with a woman who would not leave.

Currently Reading - 

1. "The Dark Wind" by Tony Hillerman
2. "Cross Country" by James Patterson
3. "Blue Bayou" by JoAnn Ross (Callahan Brothers trilogy #1)

Currently Listening To - 

1. "Outlander" by Diana Gabaldon (Outlander Series #1) (Audible book)

To Be Read - in alphabetical order no reading order

1. "Brought Together by Baby" by Carolyne Aarsen (Tiny Blessings, Love Inspired)
2. "Scenes of Passion" by Suzanne Brockmann
3. "Hidden Fires" by Sandra Brown
4. "The House On Olive Street" by Robyn Carr
5. "An Officer and a Princess" by Carla Cassidy (Royally Wed - The Stanbury Crown) 
6. "Keeper of the Light" by Diane Chamberlain (Keeper of the Light trilogy #1)
7. "Kiss River" by Diane Chamberlain (Keeper of the Light trilogy #2)
8. "Finding You/Knowing You" by Maureen Child
9. "Loving You" by Maureen Child 
10. "Some Kind of Wonderful" by Maureen Child
11. "Scarpetta" by Patricia Cornwell
12. "SEALed with a Promise" by Margret Daughtridge (SEALed #2)
13. "Just Breathe" by Dee Davis
14. "Eternity" by Jude Deveraux
15. "Multiple Blessings" by Jon & Kate Gosselin & Beth Carson
16. "The Tribes" by Ken Englade (Tony Hillerman's Frontier #2)
17. "A Week From Sunday" Dorothy Garlock
18. "Blood of the Prodigal" by P.L. Gaus (An Ohio Amish Mystery)
19. "Whisper No Lies" by Cindy Gerard (Black Ops Inc. #3)
20. "To the Limit" by Cindy Gerard (The Bodyguards #2)
21. "Unhallowed Ground" by Heather Graham
22. "Pale Moon Rising" by Ginna Gray
23. "Multiple Blessings: Surviving to Thriving with Twins and Sextuplets" by Kate Irene Gosselin, Beth Ann Carson
24. "The Family Man" by Irene Hannon (Love Inspired - Hamilton Family)
25. "The Hamilton Heir" by Valerie Hansen (Love Inspired - Hamilton Family)
26. "Hannah's Dream: A Novel"  by Diane Hammond
27. "Comfort & Joy" Kristine Hannah
28. "For the Twins' Sake" by Jillian Hart (Love Inspired - Tiny Blessings)
29. "Larger Than Life" by Kay Hooper
30. "Mackenzie's Legacy" by Linda Howard (Mackenzie's Mountain/Mackenzies Mission)
31. "Until I Find You" by John Irving
32. "The McCaffertys: Thorn" by Lisa Jackson
33. "The Friday Night Knitting Club"  by Kate Jacobs
34. "Butterfly Summer" by Arlene James (Love Inspired - Hamilton Family)
35. "Dismissed With Prejudice" by J.A. Jance (J.P. Beaumont #7)
36. "Fire and Ice" by J.A. Jance (Joanna Brady #13 & J.P. Beaumont #19)
37. "A More Perfect Union" by J.A. Jance (J.P. Beaumont #6)
38. "Quicksand" by Iris Johansen (Eve Duncan Forensics Thriller #7)
39. "The Official Nora Roberts Companion" by Denise Little and Laura Hayden
40. "Dawn In Eclipse Bay" by Jayne Ann Krentz (Eclipse Bay Trilogy #2)
41. "Eclipse Bay" by Jayne Ann Krentz (Eclipse Bay Trilogy #1)
42. "Summer in Eclipse Bay" by Jayne Ann Krentz (Ecliple Bay Trilogy #3)
43. "Lover's Lane" by Jill Marie Landis (Audio Cassette book)
44. "The Prodigal" by Beverly Lewis (Abram's daughters #3)
45. "The Sacrifice" by Beverly Lewis (Abram's daughters #4)
46. "An Accidental Hero" by Loree Lough (Love Inspired)
47. "Only His" by Elizabeth Lowell
48. "92 Pacific Boulevard" by Debbie Macomber (Cedar Cove #9)
49. "A Gift to Last" by Debbie Macomber
50. "That Holiday Feeling: "Silver Bells" by Debbie Macomber/The Perfect Holiday" by Sherryl Woods/"Under the Christmas Tree" by Robyn Carr 
51. "The Perfect Christmas" by Debbie Macomber
52. "Delicious" by Susan Mallery (The Buchanans #1)
53. "Too Far Gone" by Marliss Melton
54. "Forget Me Not" by Marliss Melton
55. "Convictions" by Maureen McKade
56. "Under the Color of Law" by Michael McGarrity
57. "One Last Look" by Linda Lael Miller
58. "There and Now" by Linda Lael Miller
59. "Chance Meeting" by Laura Moore
60. "Outsider" by Diana Palmer
61. "A Man Named Dave" by David Pelzer
62. "A Teenager's Journey" by Richard B. Peltzer
63. "Dog On It" by Spencer Quinn (A Chet and Bernie Mystery)
64. "Merrick" by Anne Rice (Vampire Chronicles #7)
65. "Blue Moon" by Luanne Rice
66. "Stone Heart" by Luanne Rice
67. "Ghost Moon" by Karen Robards
68. "Kindred in Death" by J.D. Robb
69. "Out of This World" by J.D. Robb, Laurell K. Hamilton, Susan Krinard, Maggie Shayne
70. "The Lost" by J.D. Robb, Patricia Gaffney, Mary Blayney & Ruth Ryan Langan
71. "Bed of Roses" by Nora Roberts (Wedding Quartet #2)
72. "From the Heart: Tonight and Always/A Matter of Choice/Endings and Beginnings" by Nora Roberts
73. "Moon Shadows" by Nora Roberts, Jill Gregory, Ruth Ryan Langan and Marianne Willman
74. "Reflections and Dreams" by Nora Roberts (Stanislaski series #7 & 8)
75. "The Stanislaskis" (Waiting for Nick & Considering Kate) by Nora Roberts (Stanislaski series #5 & 6)
76. "Windfall" by Nora Roberts
77. "Magnolia Moon"  by JoAnn Ross (Callahan Brothers trilogy #3)
78. "River Road" by JoAnn Ross (Callahan Brothers trilogy #2)
79. "Sweet Baby" by Sharon Sala
80. "The Blacksheep Prince's Bride" by Martha Shields (Royally Wed)
81. "A Memory of Love" by Bertrice Small
82. "Blind Curve" by Annie Solomon
83. "By Her Side" by Kathryn Springer
84. "The Kiss" by Danielle Steel
85. "The Long Road Home" by Danielle Steel
86. "Another Man's Son" by Katherine Stone
87. "The Hot Flash Club" by Nancy Thayer
88. "Enchanted Afternoon" by Susan Wiggs
89. "Lakeshore Christmas" by Susan Wiggs (The Lakeshore Chronicles)
90. "The You I Never Knew" by Susan Wiggs
91. "Wednesday's Child" by Gayle Wilson
92. "The Inn at Eagle Point" by Sherryl Woods
93. "Christmas Homecoming" by Lenora Worth (Love Inspired - Hamilton Family)

Currently Reading

1.  Stop me by Richard Jay Parker
2. Who Killed Marilyn Monroe? by Liz Evans 
3. Suspect by Michael Robotham
4. The Ritual Bath by Faye Kellerman
5. The Guards by Ken Bruen 
6. The Descent by Jeff Long
7. Privileged Information by Stephen White
8.  The Kill Artist by Daniel Silva

 Finshed

1. Edwin of the Iron Shoes by Marcia Muller
2.  First Avenue by Lowen Clausen
3. Chiefs by Stuart Woods 

TBR PILE

1. Trace Evidence by Elizabeth Becka
2.  The Black Echo by Michael Connelly
3. Death At La Fenice by Donna Leon
4. Plea of Insanity by Jilliane Hoffman
5. Biting the Moon by Martha Grimes
6. Dakota by Martha Grimes
7. Tilt A Whirl by Chris Grabenstein
8. By Order  of the President by W.E.B Griffin
9. Deep Storm by Lincoln Child
10. Sunset and Sawdust by Joe R. Lansdale
11. Savage Art by Danielle Girard
12. Forty Words for Sorrow by Giles Blunt
13. Hard Landing by Stephen Leather
14. Point of Impact by Stephen Hunter
15. Ice Trap by Kitty Sewell
16. The Moscow Club by Joseph Finder
17. Third Person by Steve Mosby
18. The Dying Hour by Rick Mofina
19. Full Dark House by Christopher Fowler
20. The Pardon by James Grippando
21. The Business of Dying by Simon Kernick
22. Pandemic by Daniel Kalla
23.  The Bone Garden by Tess Gerritsen
24. Black Dog by Stephen Booth
25. Flight of the Intruder by Stephen Coonts
26. The Lions Of Lucerne By Brad Thor
27. ShoeDog by George P Pelecanos
28. Missing Witness by Gordan Campbell
29. Contagion  By Robin Cook
30.  Against The Wind by J F Freedman
31. Dead Irish by John Lescroart
32. Rising Phoenix  by Kyle Mills 
33. Scared and Profane by Faye Kellerman
34. The Godwulf Manuscript  by Robert B Paker
35. Transfer of Power by Vince Flynn
36. Rules of Deception by Christopher Reich
37. Run Before the Wind Stuart Woods
38. Split Second by David Baldacci
39. Final Jeopardy by Linda Fairstein
40. Heart Sick by Chelsea Cain
41. Naked in Death by J.D. Robb
42. Until Proven Guilty  by J.A. Jance
43. Blindsighted by  Karin Slaughter
44. Postmortem by Patricia Cornwell
45. Two for the Dough by Janet Evanoich
46. Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs
47. The Sister Hood by Michael Palmer
48. Ask The Cards a Question by  Marcia Muller
49. The Tenth Justice by Brad Meltzer
50. The Blue Hour by  T Jefferson Parker
51. The Hundredth Man by Jack Kerley
52. The Bourne Idenity by Robert Ludlum
53. The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy 
54. Circle of the Dead by David Lawrence 
55. When the Bough Breaks by Jonathan Kellerman
56. Under Cover Daylight by James W Hall
57. Hell's Gate Stephen Frey
58. Big City Bad Blood by Sean Chercover
59. Mortal Fear  by Greg Iles
60. Some Danger Involved by Will Thomas
61. The Killing Floor by Lee Child
62. The Beach House by James Patterson
63. Temple by Matthew Reilly
64. The Big Bouce by Elmore Leonard
65. High Season by Jon Loomis

Impeachable Offense by Neesa Hart

Finished

1. Thinner by Richard Bachman
2. The Radioactive Redhead by John Zakour and Lawrence Ganem (Zach #3)
3. Earth Factor X by A.E. van Vogt
4. The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut
5. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling
6. A Touch of Dead by Charlaine Harris (Sookie collection)
7. Orphans of the Sky by Robert A. Heinlein
8. Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton

Reading

1. Firestarter by Stephen King
2. Eon by Greg Bear
3. IT by Stephen King
4. The Stand (uncut) by Stephen King
5. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
6. Mirrorshades edited by Bruce Sterling
7. The Integral Trees by Larry Niven
8. 30th Anniversary DAW SF Anthology
9. Lucifer's Hammer by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
10. Under the Dome by Stephen King
11. Dawn by Octavia E. Butler (Xenogenesis #1)
12. Smoke and Ashes by Tanya Huff (Smoke #3)
13. Count Zero by William Gibson

Finished:

1. Crossers - Philip Caputo

Reading:

1.  The Forgotten Garden - Kate Morton

Listening to:

Harry Potter - Order of the Phoenix - Book 5

TBR Stack: 

1. Sacred Hunger - Barry Unsworth
2. The Forgotten Garden - Kate Morton
3. The Help - Kahtryn Sockett
4. Last Night at Twisted River - John Irving
5. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson

My Smart Puppy by Brian Kilcommons and Sarah Wilson (half way)

Buster Midnight's Cafe by Sandra Dallas (just started)

It's election month so I thought I'd group my selections around topics or geographical locations that touch on domestic and international politics.
 
November Reading List:

Finished:

All the Shah's Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror - Stephen Kinzer  - A clear, concise history of 50+ years in US, Iran, and UK relations and the coup that toppled Mossadegh's largely democratic government.  Then the author takes you full circle to Mossadegh's house in Iran in 2002 to examine the confused legacy left to the Iranian people, weighing short term political gains vs. long term consequences. 

The Moral Center - David Callahan - For Callahan the ailment is excessive self-interest - in business, governement, and yes, even in the American family.  He focuses on some alarming trends and statistics that he hopes will compel readers to meet in the middle and work on solutions for today's problems and not focus on old cultural divides.

Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA - Tim Weiner - Dense, factual account of the CIA from Truman to Bush43.  Reveals the CIA warts and all and for the most part leaves you to draw your own conclusions about past events.  Based on recently declassified information (some quickly marked "classified" again) with extensive notes at the end. 

The Forever War - Dexter Filkins -   Reading more like a memoir than dry reportage, Filkins records his time as a reporter in Afghanistan and Iraq from 1998 to 2006.   Critics were right to give this one high marks.

Journey of the Jihadist: Inside the Muslim Militancy - Fawaz Gerges - Explores the mind of jihadists through interviews Gerges gave from 1998 - 2006 and through papers previously unavailable to the West.  He begins with the roots of jihadism in Egypt and how it went global.  He also sheds light on divides within Islam about jihad ranging from moderate to radical.  Overall very enlightening. 

Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East - Michael Oren -  An day to day account of the war from the perspective of the Arab and Israeli.  Each chapter represents a day in the war.  Rather dry and detailed but interesting in how the Israelis beat overwhelming odds.

Power Rules - Leslie Gelb - A look at presidential power and its potential pitfalls.  How political power can be used gainfully, and not wastefully, to further enhance national interests and security.  Gives examples of past triumphs and failures and outlines an agenda on future foreign and economic policy. 

Living Dead in Dallas - Charlaine Harris - Liked the first book much better but still a fun, easy read to pass the time.

The Wrecking Crew - Thomas Frank - Scathing look at the dark undercurrents of Washington D.C. politics.    

House Of Cards: A Tale of Hubris and Wretched Excess on Wall Street - William D. Cohan - The inside story of the collapse of Bear Stearns that is almost Shakepearean in its dramatic telling of pride and power - and failure.

Currently Reading:

(That's it for me this month.  I might carry "Three Cups of Tea" over into my December reading because I desperately need something more uplifting after my choice of reading material for November.) 

To Be Read:

The Prize: Epic Quest for Oil, Money and Power - Daniel Yergin

Three Cups of Tea -  Greg Mortenson

American Theocracy - Kevin Phillips

In case I need to break the monotony of all this non-fiction I'm adding these novels:

Bugles and a Tiger - John Masters

A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini

I just finished The Day the Falls Stood Still by Cathy Marie Buchanan.  It was riveting--a novel about the history surrounding Niagara Falls, with a great love story in it.  I highly recommend it.

Currently reading:

The 8th Day   by Thornton Wilder

The White Guard   by Mikhail Bulgakov

The People of the Abyss   by Jack London (nonfiction)

A Storm of Swords   by George R.R. Martin

Listening to:

The Dogs of Riga    by Henning Mankell

I just finished The Little Stranger.  I felt it was slow moving and then the ending was disappointing to me anyway.

CR  The Lady in the Tower, by Jean Plaidy

JF    His Excellency George Washington, by Joseph Ellis

Currently reading London by Edward Rutherfurd and it is really interesting.

I don't even want to think about what else I have to read  because my TBR pile is tooooo big.

amerigo, All the Shahs Men sounds interesting. . .will you post when you're done? 

current read: The Best Democracy Money Can Buy, Greg Palast & Oracles, Melissa Tantaquidgeion Zobel

recently finished: Up Country, Nelson DeMille (excellent novel on Viet Nam war & era, a good read)

on the list to read soon: The Party's Over: Oil, War and the Fate of Industrial Societies, Richard Heinberg; and two Vince Flynn political thrillers that should arrive any day!

Finished in November:

1. White Night by Jim Butcher (audio)
2. Vanished by Kat Richardson

Current reads:

• The Queen's Gambit by Diane A.S. Stuckart
• A Plague of Poison by Maureen Ash
• The Dead Cat Bounce by Sarah Graves (audio)

Cheryl

Finished Last Month

Transformation, by Carol Berg. Rated five stars.
Revelation, by Carol Berg. Rated three stars.
Death in the Clouds, by Agatha Christie. Re-read.
Restoration, by Carol Berg. Rated four stars.
Murder in Mesopotamia, by Agatha Christie. Re-read.
Sunshine, by Robin McKinley. Re-read.
Chalice, by Robin McKinley. Re-read.
Cards on the Table, by Agatha Christie. Re-read.

Reading Now

The Americans: The Colonial Experience, by Daniel J. Boorstin

Spindle's End, by Robin McKinley

Stranger at the Wedding, by Barbara Hambly

Vanishing Acts, ed. by Ellen Datlow (SF Challenge Book)

At the Top of my TBR Stack

All the Windwracked Stars, by Elizabeth Bear (SF Challenge Book)

Behold, Here's Poison, by Georgette Heyer

Fire: Tales of the Elemental Spirits, by Robin McKinley and Peter Dickinson

Murder in the Mews, by Agatha Christie

The Speed of Dark, by Elizabeth Moon (SF Challenge Book)

Wild Seed, by Octavia E. Butler (SF Challenge Book)

Gloria B. -  I will definitely post.  And I am intrigued by  The Party's Over   &   The Best Democracy Money Can Buy    on your list. 

Valerie V -  Yesterday,  I almost purchased  "His Excellency George Washington"  but decided to wait.  I really liked Ellis'  "American Sphinx" about Thomas Jefferson and have "American Creation" on my long TBR list.   I hope you post some feedback in the forum when you are done.

November reads so far:

Completed

1: A Study In Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

2: Agatha Raisin and the Haunted House by MC Beaton

3: Little Miss Innocent by Lori Foster

4: Orchard by Larry Watson

5: A Dangerous Mourning by Anne Perry

6: Pale Moon Rider by Marsha Canham

7: Dracula by Bram Stoker

8: The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

9: Emma by Jane Austen

10: On the Edge by Ilona Andrews

11: Taken by Lori Foster

12: Defend and Betray by Anne Perry

13: Back to the Bedroom by Janet Evanovich

14: Decider by Dick Francis

15: Love, Lies & Liquor by MC Beaton

16: The Perfect Paragon by MC Beaton

Finished:

Marked (House of Night #1) by P.C. and Kristin Cast

You Suck: A Love Story by Christopher Moore

All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris

Currently Reading:

Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey

On the Nightstand with a Hundred Others:

Fantasy Lover by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Dream-Hunter by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Church of Lies by Flora Jessop

These is My Words by Nancy Turner

The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

Bloodsucking Fiends by Christopher Moore

The Dark One by Ronda Thompson

Currently reading- Dismantled by Jennifer McMahon

Currently reading:

The Black City  by George Sand

Forty Miles a Day on Beans and Hay  by Don Rickey, Jr. (nonfiction)

Finished in November:

1. One Shot by Lee Child
2. Panic by Jeff Abbott

Current reads:

• Sail by James Patterson
• Immortan Hunter by Lynsay Sands
• Heir of the Dog by Judi McCoy

Up Next in no order

• The Third Wife by Jasmine Cresswell
• A Dinner to Die For by Claudia Bishop
• Snow Blind by P J Tracy
   

Finished in November:

1. Impeachable Offense by Neesa Hart

I just finished The Help :: Kathryn Stockett

Starting next Hunger Games :: Suzanne Collins

Necessary Evils by Nessa Hart