February 2009: after reading two stories about evil, massive crimes peopled with sick, twisted minds set in Europe (“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” and “A Small Death in Lisbon”) followed by the depressing “A Thousand Splendid Suns” about misery in Afghanistan – I so need something lighter, more hopeful and transportive that can give me a wider perspective of the human experience. “Pico Eagle,” I turn to thee ;)