Parenthetical.net

The Books
I started reading books written for young adults when I was about 8 and I’ve never stopped. Fortunately I’ve managed to parlay this into a career which, while not exactly “lucrative,” is a hell of a lot of fun. I’m a middle & high school librarian at a private school outside of Boston, and I love (almost) every minute.

I try to review everything I read here, at least briefly. Sometimes I fail. If you send me something to review, though, I definitely will, because I can’t resist being asked for my opinion. (Seriously, I don’t even hang up on robo-surveys.)

(This is me as the cover of one of my favorites.)

The Food
I also love to eat and cook. I don’t do “recipes” so much as “throwing some stuff together and hoping it tastes good.” Usually it does, except when it doesn’t.

In 2007, I taught myself to can produce, thus launching my own version of the 100-mile diet. I can, freeze, and dry what I buy from the farmer’s market all summer and fall, and then don’t buy produce again until the markets reopen in June. I’ve just started posting about this, but if you want to know more, please email me!

The Site
I’ve owned this domain since 1999, which is kind of ridiculous. At first it was a “web journal” of the passive-aggressive angst of my early twenties. Then it became my pro journal, reviews and library stuff only. Now I don’t know what the hell it is, but I hope you enjoy!

You can reach me at sam at parenthetical dot net.