Garden of Beasts by Jeffery Deaver (2004)

This is a good piece of historical fiction. It is a spy v spy tale set in Berlin in 1936.  It gives you a real flavor of the times and has interesting carriers.  It raises interesting issues, such as what happens to real police when a dictatorship uses political police to attack enemies.

Although it shows you the brutality of the Nazi regime, it is not a preachy book.  

Read this one.

Star of the North (2018) by D.B. John

This is a novel about three lives that intersect in the US and North Korea. It's a great read. It's fiction but really seems to paint a true picture of life in North Korea.

For Love of the Game by Michael Shaara (1991)

Story of an aging pitcher who pitches a no hitter just before he's traded/ thrown away. It's written well, good subject.  Go for it.  There is also a starring Kevin Costner which is based on this book, and is also worth seeing.

No Wall Too High by Xu Hongci (2008)

A great memoir of a guy who spent years in prison in China from the 1950's to 1970's for political crimes and managed to escape.  It really gives you a sense of what living on the wrong side a dictatorship can be like and the prison break is inspiring.  Read it.

The Line Becomes a River (2018) by Francisco Cantu

This is a memoir written by a border agent.  It's well written and written on a good and timely topic.  Nasty stuff happen to good people trying to get over it.  Most if not all of his experiences are before Trump. The border build up predated him by some years.  It's interesting to see where things are going before they get there.

Goodwill shirts purchase

I got this short sleeved shirt for $2.00

And these two dress shirts for $6.49 apiece.

The Kindness of Strangers (2014) by Mike McIntyre

This is a book by a journalist who traveled from San Francisco, CA to Cape Fear, NC by hitching rides and not using any money.  He relied, as the title of the book says, on the kindness of strangers.  He mostly avoided big cities and traveled through the countryside and small towns.  Along the way he learned a few things:

• those who have the least are the most generous;
• There are many women who have been abused;
• The country is soft in the middle and hard on the edges.
• and most people think others in their own state are kind but people from over states are mean.

He's not religious but I would call it a secular pilgrimage.