This is a good introduction to the history of Indigenous peoples in the Americas as told by them. The interactions between Indigenous and non-Indigenous groups is the main focus. The big events, like Andrew Jackson’s defiance of the Supreme Court and the Trail of Tears, I knew from high school American history. Others I have read about in a collection of biographies of women during the western expansion, Gold Rush, etc. It’s a short book, not meant to be comprehensive. And it has its own biases. The only real mention of African-Americans and Indigenous peoples is a positive paragraph under “Reclaiming Our Music” listing famous musicians with both heritages. There’s nothing about owning black slaves that was part of George Washington’s requirements for Indigenous peoples to prove they were civilized enough to be treated like white settlers. It’s still a well-written history of things glossed over or completely disappearing from history books and classes, and therefore worth reading.

Sweet little friends to lovers trope

I started the series a couple of years ago listening to the audiobook of To Helvetica and Back. It seemed slow taking too much time to establish the town and characters. The reader just didn’t seem right, which is very important to me with audiobooks. I thought I’d give the series another try when I saw this on the list. It’s definitely better and certainly moves faster. A novice snowboarder finds a boot (including foot, ankle, and sock) on a Utah ski slope. The rest of the skier is found, shot, in a crevasse. The deceased grew up in the area, an awkward nerd in high school, but founded a successful tech company. Shelton’s writing style is okay. But it’s one of those cozies that you can’t solve along with amateur sleuth. Too many random misdirects. The solution is based on clues the protagonist only remembered (and are shared with readers) at the very end. It was ok, but with so many cozy series available you can find better.

Gough provides plenty of illustrations, which is great in a craft book. I had no problem following along as I practiced the different knots and techniques. Ditto for the project ideas. She uses a clear difficulty rating system in the project ideas section. My two complaints: 1. The project ideas section does not start simple and build to more difficult projects. The first project idea is a 2/4 difficulty. The next project is 3/4. And then the third project is 1/4. 2. She uses projects for practice in the knot sections. These projects are not rated for difficulty, only the projects in the actual Project Ideas section. I thought some of the knot practice projects were pretty complex.

The book was written a few months before Alex Trebek died. It seems odd to me that they knew he had Stage 4 pancreatic cancer, but didn't chose to wait until after he died before publishing the book. It would have been more complete if the author/publishing house had waited. Despite that, it was a well-written book about Alex, warts and all.

Really interesting book. Had no idea Larry Hagman was always horrible on the set of Jeannie. And, boy-oh-boy was Barbara the object of lust of a lot of men in Hollywood. She needs more counseling to help her deal with her son's drug overdose death. It's not her fault. It was his choice to do drugs.

Such an important look at the impact of patriarchy on men

Jonas is lost, emotionally and spiritually, and he knows it. He decides the only option is to die in this parable. He doesn’t want his daughter to find his body, so he travels to an unnamed recent war zone. He’s used to fixing odds and ends around the house. That habit, and just the habit of living, are very difficult to give up.

Really loved hearing about JR.

This is the first book that I have read by this author. The title and description lured me in even though dark academia is not really my thing. What kept me intrigued was the blending of a well-developed fantasy world with horror. I enjoyed the book even though there was a lot to decipher. The characters are flawed and the struggle Lennon has with morality is fascinating. You grow to have a love hate relationship with her. The whole idea of a secret hidden school that has at its main focus learning the art of persuasion introduces the reader to a whole new cast of characters to keep up with. It can be overwhelming at times. The ending alludes to a possible sequel as it’s unclear what happened to Dante. I look forward to reading more by this author.