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5 Minutes for Books — How to Be a Geek Goddess

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This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I count myself among the many women out there who have gained significantly more techie knowledge over the last couple of years than I ever thought I would have. Through blogging I’ve learned about HTML coding, uploads, feeds and things I never thought I’d know about (or even care to know). My husband gave me a Logitech Squeezebox Boom Network Music Player for Christmas, which involved several steps of installation that allowed this innovative music player to access internet radio and my music library as stored on my harddrive. Instead of pleading ignorance and letting “the man” do it, I figured it out myself. I’ve also set up wireless printers and video game systems, not to mention tried (tried, I say) to diagnose and repair problems on my computer. Being a housewife isn’t what it used to be.

Even five years ago, a woman could consider herself a domestic goddess if she kept the laundry done and managed to get a hot meal on the table a few days a week while also keeping up with social schedules and homework. But now we all need a rudimentary technical knowledge to keep our homes in good working order, and if we have more than basic skills, we can really add value to our family.

No Starch Press offers “the finest in geek entertainment” with books about Lego Robot kits, networking and more. How to Be a Geek Goddess: Practical Advice for Using Computers with Smarts and Style by Christina Tynan-Wood provides the best in technical information written by a woman, for women. She doesn’t dumb it down, but she doesn’t try to show off her expertise with confusing terms and acronyms. This book gave me practical information about

  • Buying a computer
  • Making the most of your home WIFI network
  • Tips to keep your computer running quickly (and notice I didn’t use that confusing power word optimization, nor did she)
  • Customizing your own start page and using free scheduling tools

For those less familiar with some of the basics, this book also covers

  • Getting online
  • Social networking: blogs, facebook etc
  • Internet shopping (with sites and tips that were helpful to me, a veteran shopper as well

This informative and highly readable book would make a great gift for your mom or grandmother who has just gotten online or perhaps wants to go beyond just using the computer for email. Because of the more advanced information, it also makes a great reference for any home library.

You can check out the chapter on shopping yourself right now. For the latest information, check out author Christina Tynan-Wood’s blog Geek Girlfriends.

We have two copies of How to Be a Geek Goddess to give away. Leave a comment if you’d like to win, and check this column next week to see if you won.

Due to legal restrictions, this promotion is not available in Arizona or Quebec. Please see our site’s Terms and Conditions of Use for a complete list of our Contest and Giveaway Rules.

The winner of last week’s book, The Centurion’s Wife, is #97 Anita. You should have received an email from me. If not, please send your address to 5minutesforbooks (at) gmail DOT com.

Reader Interactions


202 Comments

  2. I need lots and lots of improvement in this area. I’m getting better but I have tons of work to do to even look like catching up.

  3. I would love to be able to fix things without calling a tech. It took me two days to install a printer, but it’s still not in our home network. Any help would be appreciated.

  13. This is a great giveaway. Since I happen to be a bit of a geek, this book would be perfect for me. I want to learn how to make the most of it. lol Great book. Thanks for the chance.

  20. Although I consider myself pretty computer savvy, I suspect there is lots I can learn from this book. Thanks for the chance to win!

  35. I’m already a ‘geek’, but could use this book to learn how to become a ‘geek goddess’…lol

  36. I’m the Mom of 2 grown children and have 2 grandchildren and taught myself the computer 6 years ago. I took to it immediately (having always loved setting up my vcr, Tivo, etc), and now my husband says that he can’t believe that he’s married to a total geek! Would love to win this. Thanks!

  39. I am an engineer, but not quite geek status yet – maybe this book would help! 🙂 Thank you for this opportunity!

  41. Everyone thinks I know so much but I’m just faking it! I need to really know what everyone thinks I know 🙂

  42. This would be a great “leveler” in our household — keeping my wonderfully-geek husband from being the only one who can fix the technical things in our lives!! Thanks for the chance!

  44. This book would be so helpful to me! Please enter me, too, for a chance to win! Thank you!

  55. I need so much help in becoming a Geek goddess. I lack so much info on the subject. Thanks for the giveaway!

  60. I want my mom to become a geek goddess next year, when she retires (that is, after she learns how to use the mouse)

  66. Oh please oh please pick me. I am definitely the ‘techie’ of our house, but that just means that I’m in charge of phoning my dad for help whenever something goes wrong, computer-wise. I’d love to be able to stand on my own two (very adult) feet.

  67. I would love to have this, and share it with my mom, so my wonderful hubby doesn’t always have to help us figure out our computer issues!

  68. When I read the title I had to laugh. This would be a great book to have and read. Hubby actually was calling me a geek the other day because I am always “trying” to do different things on the computer. I laughed and said I’m proud to be called a geek, that is my goal in life to be a really good one. lol.. So this book would be perfect !! Thanks

  79. Ok… I need this book so I don’t have to depend on the Stevemeister! Not that that is a bad idea…..it’s one of the reasons I married him!

  87. I’m a subscriber.

    I need this book int he worst way. I want to be a social media person, but have technological issues. Know the lingo, just don’t know how to make it work.

  90. I know how to “use” the computer for my needs but would love to know more about computers and how they work. I need to be a Geek Goddess.

  100. That sounds like a very interesting book. I am not very tech savvy. Maybe I should learn a thing or two. Like you I also need to be more organized in 2009. Thank you for sharing this information!

  102. Definately going on my “must read” list. I used to be much more “up” on the tech side of things…but then i had kids..and stopped working in the tech sector…..maybe this will help me get back in the saddle.

  103. Definitely looks like a good read…and the topic is so timely! I’d love to become even more “geeky” in 2009 and this book just might help me in that journey.

  108. I can use this, really, my main computer just went down with a Trojan virus (after I ignored a bonus “install virus–” window)

  122. I have always been a self-taught technology person, but lately this stuff comes in faster than I can keep up and now I need help!

  136. I have read excerpts from this book, and I think this would be helpful to anyone, man, woman or child, who needs tech help. Thanks.

  137. I really need this because my husband knows next to nothing about computers and I have noone to turn to for help. I’m a complete dummy about technical stuff! Help! Pick me! (please)

  139. Thanks for the great review! I’ve added this book to my “wanna read” list…and since they don’t have it in my local library’s collection, I’m putting my name in here. : )

  146. I’d love to learn what to do when viruses infect computers or when, say, my Spy Sweeper won’t work, suddenly, because it’s incompatible with the new Windows update!

  147. I’d love to have this book I’m 50 and just startsd to learn about computers thanks.

  150. I am learning but can always use the help. This book sounds great! Thank you so much!

  151. There’s so much I need/want to learn! This book would really help.

    Thanks for the contest. Best wishes for a happy and prosperous 2009!

  152. I would love to win this book. My son is a computer engineering major. Whenever I have a question, he pushes me out of the way and quickly takes care of the problem. Not the way to learn to fish!!

  155. OMG I wish to be a Geek Goddess. could never been a Greek Goddess, so what the heck, try the next besst thing.

  159. My kids are geeks. I am NOT! I need to desperately catch up to them!! They know I barely know how to check my email!! Scary!

  160. I would love this. Not sure it would make me a geek godess tho. I just hope I’m not too old to learn. LOL

  164. So I finally learn how to use the CD player & everyone switched to MP3s. At last, I can program the VCR, but everyone switched to DVDs. I can access the internet, but everyone left me for blogs, twisters, twitters, twaddles, whatever. And what the heck does 404 error mean, anyway. Yeah, I need the book.

  165. Ooh yeah, I would love to be a geek goddess. After reading, I could share with my MIL who only knows how to check her email!

  168. My forte has never been computers, but I would certainly like to change that fact!

  169. This would be perfect for my wife, who is just on the verge of discovering her inner geek.

  171. I must have this! I have a geek husband who isn’t that great about sharing information. How fun would it be to tell him “I did it myself”

  187. I would like to keep up with my son he is thirteen and already is showing off to me and his dad.

  193. I know enough to get by, but not nearly enough to create (or fix) anything. I could definitely use this book.

  194. This would be a perfect gift for my mom! She’s so fearful she’ll click on something and her whole computer will explode 🙂

  198. I have to agree that I have also learned a lot of techie information as I have setup my family blog and my facebook site…but there is more yet to learn. I always ask my husband what html code i need to do certain things..because my compose feature always needs some html code added for the formatting to work.

  201. With a computer programmer for a husband it’s all too easy to just let him set things up and problem solve. (Now I know why my mom can’t set the vcr timer!!) But blogging has me moving more and more into the geek world by choice. My hubby even brought a couple of html books home for me to read to help with the tech side of blogging. Funny what we can do when we have an interest in it. Maybe some day I’ll learn how to erase the messages off my answering machine… or not. = )

  202. Pick me! My husband is a HUGE self-proclaimed geek. I better get working if I’m going to become his Geek Goddess!!!