Dog Says How by Kevin Kling

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Synopsis

In this wonderfully original collection of autobiographical stories, popular storyteller and NPR commentator Kevin Kling deftly weaves pitch-perfect scenes of childhood antics and adulthood absurdities with themes of overcoming tragedy, forging lifelong friendships, and living with disabilities in a complex world.

I first heard Kling present some of this material on public radio and had to get the book - it is great and I can't recommend it highly enough. Very charming, funny, heartbreaking and warming all in one. Anything I'd say about it would fail to describe it well enough... just go get it!

Star Wars: Republic Commando True Colors by Karen Traviss

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Synopsis

As the savage Clone Wars rage unchecked, the Republic’s deadliest warriors face the grim truth that the Separatists aren’t their only enemy–or even their worst.
In the Grand Army’s desperate fight to crush the Separatists, the secret special ops missions of its elite clone warriors have never been more critical . . . or more dangerous. A growing menace threatens Republic victory, and the members of Omega Squad make a shocking discovery that shakes their very loyalty.

Yet another entry in Karen Traviss's Mandalorian saga, a series that spun out of a spin-off of a video game. (Actually, now there are people who think, incorrectly, that it was the other way around - Lucasfilm commisioned the Republic Commando game FROM her books.)

This is one more arrow in the sling of arguments that "franchise fiction" from Star Wars can be real literature. Traviss takes a known (the arc of the SW prequel trilogy) and deftly weaves in a complex story about the clone commandos, utter fodder for a trumped up war, and makes us think about the rights of soldiers and the responsibility of their nation to support them.

Of course it ISN'T about any specific real-world war or conflict - but in a time of war, a thoughtful (and exciting, and fun, and funny) book like this gives the reader a way to reflect on matters of honor - and the lack of it.