How to get Dressed by Alison Freer

• Labels aren't important.  Paying more for an item doesn't mean it will look better, fit better, or be well made.
• Tailoring makes a huge difference.  We shouldn't expect clothes off the rack to fit our individual bodies perfectly.
• I was surprised by the lack of photos.  There are some sketches, but the book is nearly exclusively text.  This may be an advantage since without pictures the book doesn't capture a specific trend.  Instead, the content is timeless and not dated by specific trends.
• My main takeaway is that fit matters more than selection.

A Desperate Fortune by Susanna Kearsley

• I can best describe this as a cozy adventure novel.  While there is risk, it feels extremely safe.
• Character dialogue is overly labored.
• Appeals to readers with an interest in historical fiction.  
• Engages the reader by jumping between past and present day with two separate plots.
• Kearlsey manages to romanticize Asperger's Syndrome.

The Jesus Cow by Michael Perry

• This is essentially a novel about a small town.
• Anyone who has lived in a small town will identify with the economic trends at the heart of this novel.
• The numerous interconnections of characters is realistic of living in a small town

Overall, this is a comfortable novel about small town life.

The Fold by Peter Clines

The Martian by Andy Weir is one of my favorite books of the decade, and I read a few books.  When Weir recommend The Fold on Facebook, I immediately grabbed a early reader copy.

• Clines crafts an intriguing story that combines elements of hard science, computer science, curiosity, and oddball characters.
• While this is a science fiction novel, all the elements are so believable.  It is realistic sci-fi that can easily draw in a broad range of readers.
• With my great love for The Martian, I found myself both wanting to and not wanting to draw parallels between the two novels.  

Not a book review, no bullet points

As a former farm child and now a public librarian, an article in Wired caught my eye ("We Can’t Let John Deere Destroy the Very Idea of Ownership").  I have a couple of thoughts on this:

1. This isn't new.  There are other vendors and products that operate similarly.  The library field is dealing with this in regard to e-content, specifically popular ebooks.   Libraries often buy a license to e-content.  Some vendors, not all, allow content to be ported to different portals, but the restrictions of the license are still in place.  This content can not be sold.  New tractors are incredibly complex, much more so than an ebook with DRM.  Like it or not, John Deere may have a point.
2. The farmer's relationship to their equipment is changing.  The same is true for libraries' relationships with content.  These expensive machines perform complex work, and expertise required to maintain these machines.  As acute business people, farmers may be wise to outsource repair to experts, especially as repairs become more complex.  This is also evident in libraries the focus shifts from ownership to access.
3. Check stereotypes at the door.  Just as librarians are faced with limiting stereotypes, so are farmers (for evidence see Wired's article).  This article is evidence of this. The stereotype manifests in the belief that farmers are quaint salt of the earth people who SHOULD fix their own things.  This fails to recognize the utter complexity of modern farm equipment.  

Overall, I agree with the premise of Wired's article that ownership is important.  This news is evidence of a troubling trend that shifts power towards large corporations and away from the individuals.  As a librarian focusing on e-resources, I experience the ramifications and the movement away from ownership.  Relatedly, there is a significant loss when the "owner" can no longer has access to fix their systems, be that a tractor, a car, or a phone.  However, while the main point of the article is notable, the Wired gets it wrong with their out of touch and sentimental article.  Wired is alarmed that this is happening to farmers now, but this phenomenon isn't new.

Scarcity by Sendhil Mullainathan and Eldar Shafir

• This is a new take on problems commonly addressed in self help books.
• The authors use scarcity as a panacea. Scarcity explains all things. This overlooks the inherent complexity in human behavior.  
• For example, the authors argue that poor farmers don't buy crop insurance because they are in a scarcity imposed "tunnel." This overlooks the well-documented human tendencies to focus on the short-term over the long-term regardless of scarcity.
• Bandwidth, the author's concept for mental space or energy, is also used in a singular way.  Human behavior is much more nuanced than the authors contend.

Overall, Scarcity is incredibly interesting.  The concepts of bandwidth and slack are valuable contributions to self help bookshelf.

Gone Crazy in Alabama by Rita Williams-Garcia

• This is the third novel in the series.  The author provides plenty of backstory allowing new readers to jump into this series.
• There is an equal focus on characters and plot development.  The story has a steady pace and keeps the reader engaged.

In summary, as a middle school reader I would have loved this!