Oh, yeah, this one is good

I heard about "Ready Player One' by Ernest Cline on the "Books on the Nightstand" podcast.  Then J. read it and said she liked it.  I finally got my notice from the library that my Kindle version was ready.  I knew to expect a lot of 80s references in the book and I thought at one point those references might cause me not to recommend it but it's a really well-written book.

Whether we feel like it some days or not we do live in the future.  I don't have to look at a map anymore - I can get directions from my GPS.  If I want to look something up and I'm out with friends at least one of us will have a device that can access the internet.  I keep up friendships with people all over the globe via email.  We don't have to be in the same room - or country! - to share a laugh.  Some improvements have been good for everyone.  Some technology is still out of reach for the world's population. 

"Ready Player One" includes some very smart observations about what current technologies may mean for the future.  Could going to school online help someone who suffers from bullying?  But how do people who live online interact with the real world?  When we all live online what about privacy?  This is an interesting book.  Even if you don't know some of the references, and don't want to learn more about them, you won't miss out on parts of the story.  I believe this book won an award from ALA as an adult book that young adults could read and I would agree.  I will be suggesting it to people who ask me about books for teens.  It's a quick read, maybe a beach or vacation read.  "Ready Player One" was entertaining and it made me laugh and think which I would say is a great combo.

And let's hear it for "War Games"!

Giving Up on "Swamplandia!"

Read to page 194 today and realized I did not want to continue.  It's not as though I don't like books narrated by kids ("Mathilda Savitch", "My Little Friend") or that I don't enjoy books dealing with the death of a parent ("Tinkers") or even that I don't like books with a fantastical bent ("Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell") but I could not read another page.

Parts of this book are so overworked.  I am not an author but I feel like this author went over some sections a few too many times and they are too complicated.  I also think you have to be careful when you use different narrators for each chapter.  When it dawned on me I did not care who was narrating any longer I decided to pack it in.  This is the Newberry selection for March and I'll miss the meeting since I don't want to fake my way through the session.

The Hottest State

Oh, yes, it is *that* Ethan Hawke.  And, yes, the book is what you would expect.  It really wasn't that bad.  I'm not suggesting you read it, however.  It tells a tale as old as time - young man misunderstood by his parents, not sure of his way in the world, falling in love with someone maybe just to have the feeling of being in love.

I laughed every time he described what the main female character (named Sarah) was wearing.  Her outfits sounded horrible - big sack dresses.  Is that what a man thinks is sexy?  Or was he saying that the male character still found her attractive in spite of her terrible outfits and hair that always seemed to be out of control?  I did not get it.

On another note...was talking last night about books that have caused me to have huge crying jags at the end.  And I mean damp shirt, cat walking away in confusion, crying jags.  Here the top ones in no particular order - feel free to comment if you have any to add from your own experience.

1.  Elegance of the Hedgehog
2.  Stones from the River
3.  Hunting & Gathering
4.  Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
5.  Captain Corelli's Mandolin

Shadow of the Wind in the Windy City

The "Shadow of the Wind" was our February selection for the Newberry Book Group.  I liked it at the beginning, it got a little slow in the middle and the end was pretty good.  We learned in the discussion that the author wants to introduce readers to the city of Barcelona.  I think it was always raining in this book so I'm not sure how good this book is for tourism.

It's an airplane book, a long trip book, a sick day book, a beach book.  Maybe a good book for someone who liked "Harry Potter" and is looking for something new to read.  Lots of characters, plot twists and coincidences.  I did not hate it but I'm not sure I would read anything else by the author.  I was worried it would not be good for discussion but I was wrong - we had plenty to talk about especially the idea of a Quest.  What stories involve a quest?  "Lord of the Rings", "Wizard of Oz", "Star Wars".....etc.  Do you lose interest in a book if it's a quest and you don't care about the quest?  Good question.  Long weekend coming up - looking forward to some reading!

Wooly Narrators

"Three Bags Full" was a Christmas gift.  P. figured I like mysteries and this one looked completely different.  And it sure was!  First, I did not know that the story is translated from German.  Add on top of that the flock of sheep as the narrators.  A few times I had to put the book down to try and figure out what I had just read.  Did I not understand it because the sheep were not explaining it correctly?  Or because it was a farming term I did not know?

You may think the technique of using animals as narrators would be too cute.  Yes it is clever, but it's a dark story where the sheep are trying to figure out who murdered their shepherd.  Some parts toward the end got a little trippy for me.  I'm sure there are some religious themes that escaped me.  Toward the end I was reminded of "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe".  I also think it's no accident that the sheep that does most of the sleuthing is Miss Maple - Miss Marple anyone?

I enjoyed reading this one.  It would be good for a mystery fan who wants something out of the ordinary.  It was a good book to read during a long flight back from Arizona.  I'm not that tall and feel bad for taller people - even I was squished and could only hold my book right in front of me on a very full flight.

The bonus of reading this one in print - my version has a flip book.  Each right hand side page has a sheep and when you flip the pages it is a flip book.  Something I don't think would be included in an e-book.

Get Ready Novella Group

"The Bridge of San Luis Rey" was the January selection for the Newberry book group.  We did not get to nearly enough of what I wanted to discuss about this book so watch out Novella Group, I'm thinking this is going to be one of our books for 2012.

I wish this book was still assigned in school.  I don't think it is.  At least I did not read it in school.  It's from the 1920s so by the time I was in high school there were probably some more choices to assign. 

What a book.  The reason I would like others to read it is because I think it's a great book for cocktail party discussions.  I think that how you react to this book says a lot about you as a person.  The book provides a jumping off point for some pretty heavy discussions and thoughts.  But it's not so a thick tome - it's actually a very quick read and parts are funny.  I thought this, and others at Newberry did too, that it reads like a South American novel.  It has some characters that have lived long enough to experience some fantastical events.  (At one point you may think: "He's the most interesting man in the room"). 

The host for our discussion brought a first edition of "The Bridge of San Luis Rey" and it was wonderful to look at the original printing.  The edition we read had an afterward that talked about the book's publication and how the publisher tried to bulk up the page count with huge text, big margins and illustrations.  It's true!  But, now, as the Novella Group has found out shorter books still command a real book price. 

Not Your Daughter's Werewolf

You know what you don't need if you have an iPad?

You don't need a flashlight to read a book under the covers!

This is not a teen werewolf book.  Unless the teen has nicked the book from the family's library and is hiding it behind a textbook or reading it in private under the covers.

"The Last Werewolf" got a lot of hype/notice/interest.  Books on the Nightstand liked it.  I think it was on a Top 5 from a Powell's employee.  It's a fast paced read.  It's not high literature but it is a fun, engaging story that keeps you entertained. 

Now I understand the difference between werewolves and vampires.  Werewolves still have sex.  According to this book, a LOT of sex.  They can't talk when they are changed, they have to kill humans to fill their Hunger and they, too, live forever.  Or until someone shoots them with a silver bullet. 

And, yes, the full moon I saw on the way to the gym yesterday morning did give me some pause.  Plus, I did not see the cliffhanger ending coming at all so Bravo! to you Glen Duncan. 

Want to read this?  Great snowy weekend book or save it for a summer read.  I checked this one out from CPL using the Kindle format.  So easy.  Yes, I may have to wait a while for a Kindle book to be available but I've built up a waiting list and wish list on my CPL Overdrive account so I can be patient.  I've added a new tag to Library Thing and my blog - Kindle CPL - in case you are interested in checking the book out from the library.

Watched Episode 1 of Season 2 of "Downton Abbey" last night.  I may go into a decline if Bates does not return.  Such a great show and I now have my mom hooked.

What did I do last weekend?  Well, I have been saying I want to read more non-fiction and I was at a history trade show and the vendors were selling their books for cheap and I did not have to pack them in a suitcase.  How could I resist???