Pretend They Are Dead is heartbreaking memoir by Steven Scott Eichenblatt. Steven's father had issues - enough that his parents divorced. She remarried a man who was verbally and physically abusive. Although, technically, Steven had two fathers, he felt abandoned by both. By the time he graduated high school, he called no one dad.

The trauma from his youth made it impossible to have lasting relationships, though he tried, failing at two marriages. But something he didn't want to fail at was being a father. So, he loved his children with everything he had and worked hard to figure out the truth of his past.

I like Steven's style of writing. I felt like I was in his head - which spins from one topic to the next. I could see why he exasperated his parents at a young age! He is also honest - about his own actions as well as the actions of others. Despite the circumstances, in the end, he doesn't really cast blame. Instead, he figures out how to forgive, let the past go, and find joy in today.

If you like a good memoir, you'll like this book!

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The Gift from Aelius is a fantasy novella by Michael Colon. Despite not being a hardcore fantasy reader, I like the premise of this book. What happens when AI is smart enough to take over? What do humans do? And more importantly, what does AI, known in this story as Codex, do? And wouldn't it be ironic if Codex determined power at any cost was the answer, given they were created by humans who believe that power at any cost is the answer?

And all would be going as planned, except one Codex is more than meets the eye. As he begins having 'glitches', he comes to understand that the world would be a better place if Codex and humans could live side by side in harmony. For A191, this becomes his personal mission. But will he be decommissioned before he can reach his goal?

At times, I struggled with the writing, feeling like I was being told rather than left to experience. However, the author did a good enough job that I had to finish reading to find out what happened in the end.

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Code Name Rascal is a wonderful historical fiction by Dorothea N Buckingham. This story takes place in Hawaii immediately following the attack on Pearl Harbor. We quickly meet four women, all very different from one another, who join a classified radar operation known as WARD, with the code name Rascal.

One of the things I loved best about this story is that I was completely unaware of WARD or even the issues in Hawaii after the initial bombing. I'm not sure where I was during school, but there is a lot more to what happened than I realized! Code Name Rascal helped fill in so many of the blanks.

I also really loved Dorothea's characters. CJ is a strong, newly-married journalist. Ruth is a quiet Navy officer wife. Jane is a pilot going through divorce. And Eve is a Honolulu socialite. Imagine all these women thrust into tiny quarters, working grueling hours, keeping war secrets, and still trying to figure out their own lives. It's like a historical soap opera, full of determination, grief, danger, and disappearing dreams - and it's one you won't want to miss!

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