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a Trooper assigned to the village he was adopted from; his boss the former Chief broken in rank; the tundra, the wisdom, the pain,    EXCELLENT  Iʼll be reading more about Nathan Active (and lucky for me there are 7 so far!)

thriller set in red rock country

How girls and women are working to survive in the midst of the cruelty of war.   Not for young children, but so important for teens and adults.  This is a realistic look at contemporary Afghanistan and its recent past.

So glad I got through the emphasis on combat -glad I relied on a friendly recommendation.  Turns out this is just the sort of social analysis I love.  how is Norway organized? What really makes it work?  How challenging are the changes of the twenty-first century challenging? An elderly American Jew is thrust into the consequences of war from the Balkans and a smart Norwegian police inspector almost figures out everything in time - these the characters.

I liked this even better than the first one - but you should read them in order (Norwegian by NIght to meet the detective, then this one).   The social analysis is great:  the Norwegian police inspector comes to America and tries to make sense out of what is going on, the back county sheriff (with a masterʼs degree from Loyola) tries to make peace (we are not lawmen, we are Peacemakers), the powerful bullies,  the wise church guy stays open to help and demonstrates that we need to listen more than we need to talk, the descriptions of motels and chain restaurants:  all these were wonderful to read.  and yes, there is a mystery and investigation, tendrils of family history reverberating in the present.

A flute player gains admittance to the School of Musicraft as a seventh grader despite her grandmaʼs opposition and difficulty at the audition.  In her world, playing spells operates machinery (even aircraft), heals people, creates fires and storms.  Amelia is timid and perhaps overly concerned with other peopleʼs expectatons, but her big heart and persistence lead to triumph in the end and she comes to see the value of friendship.

Good to read.  the people in power still mostly look white and present as male, often Ivy League educated.  Ms Cross writes thoughtfully about voting and the role of media.      She talks about watercooler conversations that quoted American Pie, Revenge of the Nerds, Something about Mary while she would have quoted Do the Right Thing, Coming to America, Friday.   "How had their experiences shaped their view of what was newsworthy and what was not?"   mentions sorority hooting and Al Green, because the presenters are ignorant.
She lays out voter suppression and the disappointments of policies and laws.  "what Black American patriotism looks like.  Itʼs a complicated sentiment interwoven with pride, sadness, battle scars, determination, heartache, community, fury, love, and righteous anger." 
She knows her stuff:  "I have found that both Democratic and Republican candidates make appeals specific to Black folks only when theʼyʼre very unlikiely to be viewed by white …

Glad to read the second in the series and learn more about the characters.  Cash seems to me to be a ʼhard-boiledʼ detective.   I cheer for her to keep exploring and succeeding.

Coping with school as fifth graders; diversity in family life and lived experience; a most satisfying and appropriate come-uppance for the villain.    As a book with cultural contact a big part of the plot, I especially enjoyed the glossaries (one for words Ravi uses and one for words Joe uses).

Nice fantasy about a 12 year old who goes off to school.  In her land, the weather is controlled by Beast and Guardian pairs.  Mina is a quiet middle child who learns how to make friends, work with her Beast, and to lead.    As is often in the best of childrenʼs books, there are some big questions here.  Mina confronts the "carefully cultivated selfishness" of her society.  And she is able to pass on what she has learned, "just because you havenʼt been heard before, doesnʼt mean you donʼt have something to say".

I liked this space opera (full of amazing adventures) with a new robotic character who I think is the hero.  MurderBot  is smart, quirky, a little neurotic and Iʼm looking forward to more episodes)

Great book. Forcible change as ʼcivilizationʼ fails   (read the same week as I read "Braiding Sweetgrass", so the ancient story of Windigo is illuminated in different ways).  This is a story of a young family managing to cope with the winter when electricity, food deliveries, communication links fail.  Characters are accurately drawn, with strengths and weaknesses leading to consequences.  I am not living in that geographical area, so am relying on my Outsider perception of accuracy in council, welfare, forcible removal, and language reclamation.

Read it and put it on shelf to read again.  Philosophy and deep literary analysis.  

a favorite series.   The author brings the world to duPréʼs town and Bartʼs ranch.   nearly a thriller and reading in early 2021 terrifying.  Fortunately for me, the heroes are diligent and succeed.  The twin granddaughters are stepping into life!