Quote: Avoiding Chores

“...TV was entertainment of the last resort. There was nothing on during the day in the summer other than game shows and soap operas. Besides, a TV-watching child was considered available for chores: take out the trash, clean your room, pick up that mess, fold those towels, mow the lawn... the list was endless. We all became adept at chore-avoidance. Staying out of sight was a reliable strategy. Drawing or painting was another: to my mother, making art trumped making beds. A third choir-avoidance technique was to read. A kid with his or her nose in a book is a kid who is not fighting, yelling, throwing, breaking things, bleeding, whining, or otherwise creating a Mom-size headache. Reading a book was almost like being invisible - a good thing for all concerned.”

― Pete Hautman from Libraries of Minnesota

Review: The Sweet Trade

The Sweet Trade

by Elizabeth Garrett

An enjoyable, romanticized read about pirating in the West Indies. The characters are historical figures - Anne Bonney, Mary Read, and Calico Jack Rackham. Plus, the Caribbean locale has got to be counted as a main character as well! But, I'm on the fence about the story. I liked it but did not love it... probably because I identified with Captain Jack too closely - burnt-out and panicky. The book has a little bit of everything and that may be its downfall. It's has lots of action, but probably not enough minute historical detail about daily life to make HF-buffs satisfied. There's romance and sex, but again, not saucy enough to make Romantic / Erotica fans swoon. I loved that there were two female protagonists - both different from one another but not at odds. Their relationship had ups and downs throughout. Much like the book itself. (Originally posted as SquareSpot on PaperBackSwap.com.)

Review: The Victorian Internet

The Victorian Internet
by Tom Standage
The electric telegraph in the 19th century: an often overlooked innovation. But for my history-geek tastes, this book did not cover the subject with enough depth. It gives a brief history of early innovators of the electric telegraph and lists lots of amusing antidotes about how the public came to use the telegraph. (The parts I found most interesting were how telegraph operators created their own lingo and developed 'online' relationships within their profession.) Without admirable characters throughout or a unique storyline to drive the narrative (like the author's other book The Turk), this book is simply an easy-to-read overview about the telegraph. While amusing and informative, The Victorian Internet does not make history come alive. (Originally posted as SquareSpot on PaperBackSwap.com.)

Review: Into the Wild Nerd Yonder

Into the Wild Nerd Yonder

by Julie Halpern

Fluffy but sweet. The charactes were fun to follow as the lead, Jessie, sheds herself of her old, shallow friends, and explores other high school cliques. It wasn't the most thought provoking plot, but worrying about social labels and what other people think is a relatable theme. It ended too soon. (Originally posted as SquareSpot on PaperBackSwap.com.)