Finished: Orbital (Harvey) An absolutely profound, eye-opening book with beautifully descriptive prose about one 24 hour period in the lives of four astronauts and two cosmonauts as they circle the earth in their space station sixteen times in that 24 hour period. For sixteen sunrises and sixteen sunsets, they circle the earth at different coordinates each time, in awe of each view of the earth they are priviledged to see at any given moment! A very personal story is told about these human beings who are together on what will be one of the last space station missions before a crew lifts off to actually start a base on the moon. We hear a bit about each of there lives and important relationships at home, and what propelled each of them, mostly at young ages, to become astronauts or cosmonauts. They describe how it is to slowly consider this environment with no gravity and so little interaction with other living beings to be their norm. No one will ever know exactly how they feel except each other. I absolutely loved the description of earth from their view....how it's not necessarily this defined "globe", but instead, moving pieces that seem to shift based on the atmosphere and the tides down below. It's fascinating how they describe this earth with no borders anywhere and how they often don't see any sign of life until the sun has set and cities light up with electric lights. It's a book that you really have to read and digest for yourself, and one you will never know you almost missed out on if you don't read it. :-)

 Finished: Other People's Houses (Mackintosh) The third book in the trilogy about Welsh detective, Ffion Morgan, who solves mysteries in a small Welsh town, whose case almost always overlaps with British detective Leo Brady. Both excellent at what they do, and very opinionated, they began the first investigation in book one butting heads quite often, and by the end, sharing conflicting feelings for each other. Other People's Houses, like the previous two books, involves a twisty, numerous-suspect murder which they eventually do solve. By this third murder mystery, new female detective, George, has become a supporting character we also grow to care for, and one that Ffion discovers she can let her gruff guard down around and finally have an actual confidante. In this book, Ffion investigates the murder of an estate agent found drowned in the lake while on a retreat in Wales. Over the border, Leo is dealing with multiple burglaries in an upscale neighborhood that eventually escalates to murder. Ffion and Leo are a couple by this time, and most mornings have their coffee then head their separate ways for their jobs. This time, their cases overlap, along with a years ago murder of a couple in that same rich neighborhood. A popular podcast is "investigating" the unsolved murder on its own, but has developed a huge following with its excellent witnesses and theories. A following which includes Ffion! Another great book, and I hope this is not the end of the Ffion/Leo pairing for solving murders!