The Killdeer and Other Plays - James Reaney

Literature from another time set another time and place, now disappeared:  a bit gothic, a bit surrealist at times; reminds me of that play, "Our Town".  The two shorter pieces are very experimental.
I like how he reaches into the rural Canadian experience for some of his symbols, such as the killdeer.  And sets the plays in small-town Ontario with all its potential stereotypes, almost Pulcinello like.  Both classical and very local.

Outrage - Arnaldur Indridason

Second novel I have read by this Icelandic author.  Probably the last one.  His books lack psychological depth, and rely too much on the gruesome nature of the crime being investigated.  Characters are a bit thin, boring for my taste.

The Other Side of Silence - Phillip Kerr

Another "noir" novel in the Bernie Gunther series.  Enjoyable enough read but lacking in some kind of depth.  In the family of the 'Polar noir" of Latimer and Chandler but thinner somehow.  Well-researched though, and I always learn something new about Berlin and the Nazi era.

Worth reading once in a while.

Cross Channel - Julian Barnes

A collection of short stories, mostly taking place in France.  A wide spectrum of characters and times, both contemporary and historical.  Favourite story:  Gnossienne, about an author attending a literary conference of sorts in a small French town.  It is in fact a non-conference, an event organized by an anarchistic arts collective in the vein of Alfred Jarry.

Nat Tate: An America Artist 1928-1960 - William Boyd

Boyd's "factual" account of an invented artist's biography, complete with a reproduction of his one surviving work, as well as photos of the artist and others of the time and milieu.  An amusing creative endeavour, especially in the integration of real characters, diary notes, etc.  Not the most stunning read, but amusing in its intent and execution.

The Best of Writers and Company - Eleanor Wachtel

A selection of transcribed interviews from the CBC show.  A great source for new authors!

Gold Boy, Emerald Girl - Yiyun Li

A Chinese writer born in mainland China, now living in the States and writing in English.

This is a collection of delicate, sensitive short stories all set in China.  The kind of stories where something happens, but beneath the surface and hard to state precisely - ambiguity.  Stories of the complexity of relationships - love, marriage, friendship.  These are not happy stories, but stories of surviving, of getting by, the undercurrents beneath the surface of relationships.  The Chinese cultural setting makes them interesting.

Found through Eleanor Wachtel's recent book of transcribed interviews with authors.  Li has apparently had a lot of recognition in the States.

Special Assignments - Boris Akunin

A Georgian mystery/detective writer who writes in Russian.  A whole series of books with Erast Fandorin as the brilliant detective.  The two stories I read were set in 19th century Russia, Moscow in particular.  Very much a Russian Sherlock Holmes - same intelligence, same brilliant sketching of the characters, same twisted plots.
A very good read.

Dead Souls - Ian Rankin

As usual, an excellent gripping read.  The focus in this book is sexual abuse of minors in the upper levels of society and how the rich and powerful coverup for themselves and each other.
There is another book with Rebus that has the same focus - can't remember the title.