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« April, 2015 »
Antarctica

Not totally certain how this wound up on my To Read pile but it was so terrific. Interestingly even though the book is 15+ years old a lot of the “tech"aspects of it did not read as old and dated at all. Ultimately, it’s an ecotopic novel about who owns Antarctica and "What is happening to the planet” with the veneer of Antarctica over the whole thing. Robinson has a tendency to go on sort of long about historical stuff (a problem I’m having with another novel of his I’m reading) but it mostly wraps up in a way the reader will like. Great imagery, great mostly-likeable human characters. I learned some things. I wanted to go there.

Rumrunners and Revenuers: Prohibition in Vermont

Loved this short book of facts and information and first person interviews about the brief period of Prohibition and how it affected Vermonters, particularly those who lived along the Canadian border. Wheeler has put together a terrific collection of stories and photos that outline the many different ways people in Vermont responded to the illegalization of liquor. He talks with rumrunners, revenuers (the people responsible for helping enforce the law) and other people involved in various ways in the liquor business in various odd ways. A fun read, and very informative especially in the discussions with people who lived through it and have great stories to tell.

Come On Down!: Behind the Big Doors at "The Price Is Right"

Published in 2007 and remaindered quickly, it seems. This is a fun light look at the game show The Price is Right by Emmy-award winning co-producer Stan Blits. It’s got nice design, it talks a lot about the show. This is not a gossipy tell-all sort of thing. Blits genuinely seems to love the show and the people he works with, so this is more along the lines of a PR venture than anything else. However if you grew up watching TPIR and want to know more about it, I can’t think of a better book for that.

Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls

I had read some of Sedaris’s earlier books and not enjoyed them as much as this one. This is a collection of mostly first person real life essays with a few made up ones tossed in for good measure 9which I found a bit confusing). They mostly talk about Sedaris and his life, some about his difficult childhood, a lot about his various quirks and anxieties and what it’s like being an American living in France (or England) and I enjoyed reading through this collection more than I thought I would.

In Real Life

Said it before but everything that First Second publishes is great. This is a graphic novel for feminist gamer girls specifically but enjoyable for anyone interested in games or global inequality or just being a high school girl. The story takes place half in-game and half out of it with the general message that it’s all "real life", really.