The Syndrome by John Case (2001)

 This is described on the jacket as a biomedical thriller. That's one way to put it. The beginning is gross and bizarre, the end is a let down, but the middle is engaging.  It's a decent read, if there's nothing else around.

The Tenth Justice by Brad Meltzer (1997)

 This is a debut legal thriller by Brad Meltzer. It is about a Supreme Court justice's clerk who finds himself in a fix.  The setting is interesting, plot is kind of interesting, but the main character is annoying. The sarcasm routine gets old. 

Soil and Sacrament: A Spiritual Memoir of Food and Faith by Fred Bahnson (2013)

This is a book written by a former divinity student, teacher and writer about his experiences with religious farms.  He is based in North Carolina and managed a community farm attached to a Methodist Church.  This is all about spirituality that gets its hands dirty, in a good way.

The Dogs of Winter by Kem Nunn (1997)

 This is the second surf noir novel I've read by Kem Nunn.  This one is set in way way Northern California.  It involves conflict between a group of surfers and members of a local tribe.  It's an interesting story.  You get a good sense of place, and the characters are interesting.  And it's well written.  This one is better than the other one.

Tapping the Source (1984) by Kem Nunn

 This is supposedly the novel that the movie, Point Break (surfing bankrobbers), was based on. The genre is surf noir.  I see the similarities but there are quite a differences.  Really they don't have much in common besides the genre and the feel.

This one is set in a grimy version of Huntington Beach and involves a murder by two washed up Vietnam vet surfers who get involved a satanic cult.  

He's a good writer and really does get the mood right, but it's a little hollow.  The one thing I took away from it was the strange similarity between the inland empire and this urban beach.

America: the Farewell Tour by Chris Hedges (2018)

 So far as I can tell, Chris Hedges is a well informed, well read journalist/ presebyterian minister. So he is about facts and the gospel. I like the blend.  The book is an interesting take on where America stood in 2018.

Imperfect Union: How Jessie Fremont and John Fremont Mapped the West, Invented Celebrity, and Helped Cause the Civil War (2020) by Steve Inskeep

 A book about nineteenth century power couple, Jessie Fremont and John Fremont, by NPR reporter Steve Inskeep.  The writer is crisp and clear, unlike some academic history texts.  John Fremont comes off as unlikeable and kind of overblown but his wife is a heavy hitter.