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Review: Little Women
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott My rating: 3 of 5 stars Reading this book was very interesting. I don’t know what edition I happened to pick here, but the edition I read was a Barnes and Noble giveaway from years ago when I first got my Nook. As such, it had a nice, long…
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Review: Ruby Wizardry: An Introduction to Programming for Kids
Ruby Wizardry: An Introduction to Programming for Kids by Eric Weinstein My rating: 5 of 5 stars This year one of my goals was to learn a new programming language. Ruby is supposed to be pretty easy for beginners so I figured it’d probably end up being a snap for someone like me who’s been…
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Review: Hippopotamister
Hippopotamister by John Patrick Green My rating: 5 of 5 stars I interviewed John Patrick Green at Baltimore Comic-Con 3 years ago. You can watch it here! Although I liked the concept behind Hippopotamister, my oldest (the right age for it at the time) didn’t care for it. But now, one of my twins is…
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Review: Don’t Stand Too Close to a Naked Man
Don’t Stand Too Close to a Naked Man by Tim Allen My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is my second time reading this book. I first read this book in middle school because I really liked Home Improvement. Kind of reminds me of the joke Eddie Murphy tells in Delirious when he sees a…
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Last Few Days in Programming: Lots of Python
Been quite busy with Python, keeping me away from other pursuits, like video games. (Although the kids have been requesting Spelunky 2 whenever it’s time to hang out with them) Extra Life Donation Tracker (eldonationtracker) For my Extra Life Donation Tracker I pushed out a new release, v5.2.2. A user of my program (man, I…
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Last few weeks in Programming: Python, Ruby
You may notice it’s been a while since I last wrote about programming. Well, a lot of the programming I was doing with the kids was due to having more time on my hands thanks to COVID. With Scarlett back in school full-time, there’s a lot less time for that as we focus on making…
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Review: InvestiGators
InvestiGators by John Patrick Green My rating: 4 of 5 stars Read this to my four-year-olds and I found it to be a blast. Most of the word-play went over their heads. In fact, after finishing it with my four-year-olds, I recommended it to my 8-year-old. We’ll see what she thinks. This is definitely one…
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Review: Getting Started with Soldering: A Hands-On Guide to Making Electrical and Mechanical Connections
Getting Started with Soldering: A Hands-On Guide to Making Electrical and Mechanical Connections by Marc de Vinck My rating: 4 of 5 stars I haven’t soldered in at least a good 15 years, if not more. I couldn’t remember the technique and I didn’t want to mess up my components for a new project I’m…
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Review: The Crimson Campaign
The Crimson Campaign by Brian McClellan My rating: 4 of 5 stars This trilogy is definitely turning out to be one of those 1 book broken up into 3 trilogies than a series of stories following the main characters. The last book was a slightly cleaner break, but still ended with a lot still unresolved.…
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Review: Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 139
Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 139 by Neil Clarke My rating: 4 of 5 stars A nice, solid collection this month. Here are my per-story thoughts: Carouseling: An extremely sad and touching story about a couple and an experiment at a CERN-like lab. Wonder if the story was written/conceived back when everyone was afraid the collider would…
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Review: Bound
Bound by Donna Jo Napoli My rating: 5 of 5 stars This was a much more beautiful Cinderella story than the Disney one and a much less gruesome one than the original German one, even if there was still some foot destruction. First of all, this is my second fairy re-telling by Ms. Donna Jo…
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Review: Wild Cards III: Jokers Wild
Wild Cards III: Jokers Wild by George R.R. Martin My rating: 4 of 5 stars I don’t know if they did this consciously or if it was simply the consequence of a series that started in the 1940s and ended in the (at the time) present day of 1980s, but I think it’s fascinating that…
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Review: The Cuban Table: A Celebration of Food, Flavors, and History
The Cuban Table: A Celebration of Food, Flavors, and History by Ana Sofia Peláez My rating: 4 of 5 stars Mostly cookbook and part history of the Cuban diaspora and those still in Cuba. I really enjoyed the stories that surrounded each recipe and chapter. It really put many of the dishes into a personal…
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Review: Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 135
Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 135 by Neil Clarke My rating: 3 of 5 stars Some COVID-circumstances led to me finishing the second-half of this two months after starting. So I don’t quite remember the themes that piece together this issue, but here are my per-story thoughts: The Rains on Mars: A delicate story of loss and…
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Review: The Princess in Black and the Hungry Bunny Horde
The Princess in Black and the Hungry Bunny Horde by Shannon Hale My rating: 4 of 5 stars If you read the first two books with your kids and then were about to give up, do not do so! When I read the second book, about Princess Magnolia’s birthday, to my four-year-old twins I was…