My Reading List

Given my love of the space program and true crime, it was only a matter of time before I bought a copy of Out There, the detailed account of the bizarre astronaut love triangle case. Lisa Nowak was a very determined, accomplished woman for whom failure was not an option. Neither was romantic rejection when the fellow astronaut with whom she was having an affair left her for another woman. The failed romance culminated in a showdown at the parking lot of the Orlando International Airport, for which Nowak infamously prepared by bringing along diapers so she wouldn't need to make a pit stop while driving from Texas. What made the book a fascinating read for me, beyond the story of breeders behaving badly, was the author's exhaustively researched description of NASA training and the shuttle missions. I never knew how much work was involved in hauling the trash out of the International Space Station. A highly recommended read!

Out There was a tough act to follow, but Twisted Triangle delivered! It is the true story of an FBI instructor's disastrous marriage to a sociopathic, corrupt undercover agent. The story gained attention a decade ago because during the divorce proceedings it came to light that the wife had had an affair with crime writer Patricia Cornwell. But the lesbian angle, though steamy, is overshadowed by the fascinatingly evil machinations of the scorned husband. I am glad I bought this one for my kindle app, so i could continue to read the spellbinding story with one hand if forced to stand on the metro.

My current read is The Turnaround by the George Pelecanos. I love seeing films and reading books that take place in DC, so even though I don't like crime shows and am sick of people proselytizing to me about The Wire, I had to give his books a try. The Turnaround not only takes place in the South Dupont area where i work, but the characters live in Wheaton, the Montgomery County suburb that was a haven during my first decade in the DC area, and home to the largest music retailer on the East Coast. Pelecanos provides intricate geographic details, such as the timing of the 70 and the 79 buses, while presenting an emotionally moving tale of guys from different sides of the tracks being brought together by a tragic night from their past. I will be reading much more of him in the future.