I Love My Computer Because My Friends Live in It

This book made me laugh out loud many times. The writing is witty,and the stories are ones that I could have and often have) experienced myself. I grew up in this same time period, experienced the rise of the PC and then the internet and web, had jobs in startups, and made friends all over the world thanks to the fickle magic of technology.

I have no idea who Jess Kimball Leslie is. I got this book on the strength of the title and the cover typography. But after reading it I can safely say, I don't really want to know who is Jess Kimball Leslie. Maybe it's the classic tale of expectations vs. reality, but I thought I'm going to get a bunch of interesting essays about the intersection of technology and personal life. Instead, I got a bunch of not very interesting personal essays about. . . something, I guess? Her voice is mediocre and indistinguishable from any random blogger on any random blog.

Most of the time the focus is way off, there's just too much tangential rambling going on. I lost my interest completely in the middle of the Gawker piece, but I'm stupid so I read on. Good news? It did not get any worse than that. I know, because I kept reading. Don't ask.

(source: netgalley)

It's fun and nostalgic to look back on the internet and how things have (and haven't) changed since the 90's and 2000's. Leslie's writing is entertaining to read, especially the first half of the book where she goes in depth on her childhood and young adult life. The second half for me goes off the rails a bit where she's quite annoying and bullies others way too much (sorry, but I just frankly don't care about your dog or your dog mom Facebook group) and goes to show that maybe I'd prefer not to be judged if I ran into her at a park. It's a light read that doesn't go way too in depth on things but I would prefer her writing to be less obnoxious and more focused on the internet itself as a whole.