What I've been reading

"The Dark is Rising" by Susan Cooper, the second in the 5-book series that began with "Over Sea, Under Stone." I felt the main character was a bit of a passive hero, but I loved the mythology interwoven into the story.

and

"The Calculus Diaries" by Jennifer Ouelette. She was a math-phobe and decided to teach herself calculus, and this is a book about some of the things she learned along the way, with fun examples like how fast a zombie plague will spread and what your best bet is in Vegas.

My full comments on both books here.