Every now and again…

…something comes along that doesn't first nicely onto our reading list but is worth mentioning nonetheless. Here are three of those things:

First, a non-fiction book entitled The Billion Dollar Spy, by David E. Hofmann. It's a fascinating story of Cold War-era CIA operations in Moscow, as good as any novel (and we all know the best spy novels are novels involving Russian spies, which is why we are sooo glad to see the Cold War ramped up again). If you enjoyed Jason Matthews's Red Sparrow stories you will definitely like this book, although it does get a little tedious at times (which is why it doesn't go on the reading list). Get it from a library, you'll be fine.

Second, just so you don't go away thinking all spies are Russians, there's the New York Times series Twelve Million Phones, One Dataset, Zero Privacy, about what's happening to the location tracking information your very useful (to you and all concerned) smartphone submits to a number of interested watchers. We could talk all day about whether this is good, bad, or indifferent, but it must certainly is.

Finally, an excellent podcast series, available for iOS or Android, by Micheal Lewis, called Against the Rules, about what's happening to fairness in American life.

Any or all three of them would be a fine way to start the new year.