Category: Books

Book Review: Broad Band

Broad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet is a fascinating telling about the history of the women who were truly responsible for making computers and the Internet what they are today.

Whether you’re interested in computers, engineering, the Internet and tech-savvy topics, or just a computer user; whether you’re a feminist (I hope so!) or not; this book is for you. It’s sad that I didn’t know much of this history prior to reading the book, but boy, am I glad I happened upon it on a shelf at the library and snagged it.

(And let me just say, that title! What a great play on words.)

Continue reading “Book Review: Broad Band”

by melissaburgess

Copygirl: I Really Wanted to Like This Book

When I read the back of “Copygirl,” which calls the book a meeting of Mad Men and The Devil Wears Prada, I was excited to read it. I saw the book at a Barnes and Noble and the next day, picked it up at my library.

Not even a quarter through the book, though, I was disappointed. Kay is a female copygirl at an ad agency in NYC, which obviously comes with its ups and downs – but almost instantly, her story gets overwhelmed by the fact that she’s in love with her coworker.

Who she is good friends with and partners with often.
Oh, and she lets him live at her apartment?
But they’re not actually a thing, and he doesn’t know she’s in love with him.

Okay then. That, I guess I could deal with, even the cliches.

Continue reading “Copygirl: I Really Wanted to Like This Book”

by melissaburgess

Hey Ladies….

…. also known as, ‘the book that I despised 20 pages in, but forced myself to keep reading, and forced myself to finish, even though it was god-awful.’

When I stumbled upon the book “Hey Ladies!: The Story of 8 Best Friends, 1 Year, and Way, Way Too Many Emails,” by Michelle Markowitz & Caroline Moss, I thought – hey, this sounds like a pretty good read! Sounds fun, flirty, quick, and easy. Plus, as a 27-year-old woman, reading about fictitious women in their 20s and 30s would be great, right?

Instead, what I found in this book was just downright cringe-worthy. From the early onset, I found myself rolling my eyes and scoffing at so many unrealistic moments! (Spoilers ahead?)

Continue reading “Hey Ladies….”

by melissaburgess

MY TOP TEN BOOKS OF 2017

Well, here we are: the end of another year! Per my Goodreads, I read 51 books over the course of 2017. Some were good, some were great, some were heartbreaking, and a few, I just couldn’t force myself to finish.

I read a lot of non-fiction again in 2017, just like in 2016 — but there were a few fiction pieces in there too! Without any further ado, here are my top ten books I read in 2017 – in no particular order!

Continue reading “MY TOP TEN BOOKS OF 2017”

by melissaburgess

Book Review: Nasty Women

Has the political climate in the United States got you down? Wondering what you can do to help? Want to hear from diverse voices who are knowledgeable about the issues at hand and who are living alongside the rest of us, trying to make it one day at a time?

Read this book.

“Nasty Women: Feminism, Resistance, and Revolution in Trump’s America,” edited by Samhita Mukhopadhyay and Kate Harding, is a phenomenal read. I actually stumbled upon this book online a while back, and was excited for the chance to read it. My library didn’t have a copy on order yet, so I did what all good readers who don’t want to spend money at the bookstore do: I suggested it be added to the library’s collection!

Sure enough, it was. After ordering it back in October, I was able to pick it up about a month later and be the first to read this library copy. I am so glad I read this book. It made me feel, well… better. Less hopeless. Stronger. More fierce. More ready than ever to not give up and not back down.

Continue reading “Book Review: Nasty Women”

by melissaburgess