What I've been reading

"1912: Wilson, Roosevelt, Taft and Debs - The Election that Changed the Country" by James Chace.  What an election year! It was interesting to read about how radicalized the American people were in that era- the socialist candidate got the highest percentage of the vote before or since, and Theodore Roosevelt's Bull Moose party and the Democrats were running on progressive platforms. And, never before have I felt so sorry for an ex-president as I did for Taft after reading this book. He never wanted to be president, but Teddy Roosevelt and especially Taft's wife talked him into it. This book was more than readable and obviously well researched, and the content was really just incredibly interesting.

and

"Thirteen" by Richard K. Morgan. I've read two of his previous books, set in the same universe with the same protagonist, Takeshi Kovacs. I liked those books a lot, but was also happy to see Morgan trying out something different. The protagonist of "Thirteen," Karl Marsalis is a "variant 13" genetically-modified soldier who is taken out of prison and hired as a consultant on a multiple-murder case that involves another "13." It's fast-paced at the beginning and end. It bogs down in the middle with talky interviews and interrogations, but that's pretty much my only complaint. Morgan is becoming a favorite new author for me.

My full comments on both books here.