Author Archive

Barbarian Days

By From https://odonnellweb.com/pelican/ • Dec 23rd, 2019 • Category: Blog Entries.Local

Barbarian Days

About 30 pages into this book, I had a brief thought that I didn’t care that the book won a Pulitzer, there was no way I was reading 400+ pages about surfing.

I finished the book. Surfing is the star of probably 90% of the pages in the book …



South of Broad

By From https://odonnellweb.com/pelican/ • Dec 17th, 2019 • Category: Blog Entries.Local

South of Broad book cover

Set in 1969 and 1989, South of Broad is essentially a love letter to Charleston. It’s a sweeping story of a set of unlikely friends that meet in high school in 1969 and are still friends in 1989, although given the asshole factor in some of these characters you certainly …



The Revenge of Analog

By From https://odonnellweb.com/pelican/ • Dec 6th, 2019 • Category: Blog Entries.Local

The Revenge of Analog book cover

In The Revenge of Analog author David Sax surveys a variety of businesses that were supposed to be dead by now.

  • Vinyl records? Sales are growing. They aren’t going to become a major force in music distribution, but it’s a significant niche with real businesses creating real jobs …



Chesapeake Requiem

By From https://odonnellweb.com/pelican/ • Nov 26th, 2019 • Category: Blog Entries.Local

Chesapeake Requiem book cover

Chesapeake Requiem is a portrait of the insular community that has lived on Tangier Island in the Chesapeake Bay for 200+ years. If you live in the eastern third of the US and have ever enjoyed a soft-shell crab you can thank the Watermen of Tangier for that crab.

Written …



The Nickel Boys

By From https://odonnellweb.com/pelican/ • Nov 16th, 2019 • Category: Blog Entries.Local

The Nickel Boys book cover

Colson Whitehead’s previous book, 2016’s Underground Railroad, won a Pulitzer. The Nickel Boys might be a better book. The story follows Elwood, an African-American teenager in early 60s Tallahassee FL that dreams of going to college and living a life Dr. Martin Luther King would be proud of. That plan …



Dobie Mountain Hike

By From https://odonnellweb.com/pelican/ • Nov 2nd, 2019 • Category: Blog Entries.Local

With a forecast of 59 F and blue skies on Saturday there was no way I was sitting around the house all day. It was a crisp 35 F when I started on the trail at 10:15 AM.

Selfie on Appalachian Trail

Overlook to the east about a mile into the hike. There …



Some thoughts on 1619

By From https://odonnellweb.com/pelican/ • Nov 2nd, 2019 • Category: Blog Entries.Local

I finished up the 1619 podcast yesterday, which is a companion to the 1619 feature from the NYT. I can’t recommend this podcast series enough. It’s only 5 podcasts, about 30 minutes each. A couple of things I learned, or in some cases maybe had reinforced.

  1. At it’s peak, slaves …



AirFaceLyft All Suck – A Rant

By From https://odonnellweb.com/pelican/ • Oct 31st, 2019 • Category: Blog Entries.Local

It’s been a while since I posted a 2006 blog style rant. It’s probably full of 2006 blog style typos too. Enjoy.

Facebook: Do I even need to go here?

Google: Dropped the “Do No Evil” schtick years ago.

Apple: Uses Chinese prison labor to make $1000 status symbols

AirBnB …



Unclog your ink jet printer

By From https://odonnellweb.com/pelican/ • Oct 30th, 2019 • Category: Blog Entries.Local

Is your ink jet printer not printing well, and running the ink jet clean cycle just consumes ink without fixing the printer? I have the solution, and it’s not buy a new printer.

  1. Hit Amazon and buy EMPTY refillable ink cartridges for your printer.

  2. When the cartridges arrive, put 8 …



Hollow Kingdom

By From https://odonnellweb.com/pelican/ • Oct 19th, 2019 • Category: Blog Entries.Local

Hollow Kingdom book cover

I’m pretty much over the zombie genre, but this book caught my attention because it’s a really unique take on a zombie story. The book is written from the point-of-view of the animals that are left to rule the earth as mankind dies out from a zombie virus …