Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

An absolutely incredible book. This classic is both humorous and profound in its satire of the absurdity of the military, war, and human behaviour.
All too often a highly acclaimed book from many years ago has disappointed me. Catch-22 actually impressed. How delightfully refreshing.

Drift: The Unmooring of American Military Power by Rachael Maddow

Good stuff, but more of an overview and intro that deep (Chomsky-like) analysis. That said, I appreciated one of her main points: how the US has created a standing army and that through privatization of military services, as well as avoiding calling up the reserves, the US public doesn't feel the costs of war. Second, it seems like every president thinks they are above the law. Drift present more info (than I have previously known) about Reagan and Grenada and Iran-Contra - geez!
A good start - recommended.

At Home: A briefy history of private life by Bill Bryson

Informative and entertaining history of both rooms and contents of one's house. Purposefully unstructured and tangential, although a bit too biographical at times (as he also covered the lives of people who did various things).
Recommended.