This was exactly what I was hoping for: explaining the different thought processes that go into solving engineering problems and then giving examples of activities to work through those problems.

This book illustrates how a relationship that starts off well can grow toxic. I did appreciate that that Oliver was never completely horrible, although he did a lot of awful things (racism, fetishizing, emotional manipulation, a form of outing). I wish a little more attention had been paid to the ethics of asking someone to hide their relationship in the first place, but I think maybe the author wanted to put the emphasis on how relationships can go wrong so quickly.

I did not want to read this one, because I'm not much for military stories. However, it needed an additional reader for the book award committee I'm on, so off I went. I ended up enjoying it more than I thought. I liked that Reedy showed how Joe's perspective changed over time, from what he thought war would be, to its reality. I knew I wouldn't have too much of a problem with Basheer (I know where my bias lies), and I liked that he grew in confidence over the story too.

I don't entirely know how I feel about this book. It kept me turning pages, and yet I still felt a bit of a distance from the characters. I'm wondering if some of that was self-preservation (as I am an anxious person too) or if I just wasn't in the right mood for it.

Here's another book I said I wasn't going to read, and I ended up reading and enjoying. The school shooting itself is treated respectfully, and I think it deals well with the aftermath of being a survivor. Mostly I am still just really upset that so many of our kids have to go through something like this and we haven't come up with a way to stop it.

Overall, I enjoyed this look at doomsday prepping culture, but I couldn't get over the parents in this book. So horrid.