I finished Exile by Denise Mina

Wow. I love her more with each book. In Exile, it was especially her depictions of poor Jimmy and his four kids that I found to be so bleakly realistic that they were painful at times. Yes, that's right—I have no problems with violence or gross things, but Jimmy caused me pain.

I particularly liked this passage:

Without seeming to have moved, the babies had somehow gotten closer to the fire. It was obvious that they had been told not to go near it; they were watching Jimmy's legs out of the corner of their little eyes, their backs stiff with naughty apprehension. Maureen pointed to them and Jimmy swung around. "Get away," he said, slow and threatening, raising his hand over his head.

The babies scuttled backwards, grinning and keeping their eyes on the gorgeous flames as they held on to the armchair. Maureen told Jimmy to finish dressing them, and would he mind if she went up to see Alan? Jimmy cringed. "It's no' very tidy."

Next up, Knots and Crosses by Ian Rankin (mass market paperback) and Sedaris by Kevin Kopelson (cloth).