Guide the future by the past

I FINALLY read Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, y'all. I absolutely loved the film adaptation of it and while I also enjoyed the book (hold on to your seats, folks) I preferred the movie version. While the book was able to go into more details in terms of world building and the puzzle solving aspect of the plot I enjoyed the storyline of the movie more. [A/N: I don’t want to give the impression that I didn’t enjoy this reading experience because I definitely did but the film just has an extra oomph.] Additionally, the book's version of Halliday seemed cruel and cold whereas Morrow was a lot of fun (and mostly absent from the film's version). The hero of this dystopian novel, Wade Watts, is living in a world that has become entirely taken over by The Oasis which is a virtual reality environment where anyone can be anyone. The majority of the human race has been crammed into tiny communities that are stacked one on top of the other but their consolation is getting to live their dreams online. Even school is conducted in virtual schools! The creator of this world, James Halliday, passed from this mortal coil but left behind a grand prize (ownership of The Oasis) for anyone who manages to solve his puzzles and find the 3 hidden keys buried within The Oasis.

This is a boy's quest to pull himself from his dire circumstances while learning that he's got the 'right stuff'. (Did I mention this book is chock full of 80's references? I definitely downloaded some Rush albums after I finished reading it.) All in all, a really fun book. 9/10

Source: Fonts in Use

A/N: Title courtesy of Rush "Bastille Day".

What's Up Next: A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

What I'm Currently Reading: Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips

**If you're interested in buying this book or any books really, you can click here or here. The first will re-direct you to AbeBooks and the second will re-direct you to The Book Depository. These are great websites for purchasing books (AbeBooks carries inexpensive used and out-of-print books and The Book Depository ships free everywhere in the world). Full disclosure: I will receive a commission on all sales made by following either of these links. I wouldn't recommend a site that I didn't use and you are under no obligation to purchase anything. :-) **

A nostalgia trip

You can't go wrong with some classic Peanuts cartoons, am I right? Peanuts Vol. 9 created by Charles Schulz (and written by Jason Cooper with illustrations by Vicki Scott and Paige Braddock) is a collection of our favorite kids and their antics. (Do you recall the sound of the incomprehensible droning of the adults in the cartoon?) This (being volume 9) is obviously one of a series of collections like this that put together some of the best of the best of the Peanuts gang. From what I can tell they don't have specific themes and it doesn't matter which order you decide to read them. This was such a trip down memory lane for me and it made me vividly recall Sunday mornings and reading the newspaper cartoons in color. If you've never experienced the hopelessness of Charlie Brown, the ingenuity of Snoopy, or the wisecracking Lucy you owe it to yourself to settle down for some lighthearted hilarity. Pick up something sweet and fun to settle down with for the weekend! 10/10

PS When did Marcie fall in love with Charlie Brown?! I knew about Peppermint Patty but Marcie threw me for a complete loop!

PPS Do kids know about the Legionnaires? Do you? Well, I suggest you do a little homework because there's a whole set of jokes about them in this volume and you'll surely be lost if you don't.

Source: Simon & Schuster

Gotta love Peppermint Patty. [Source: Simon & Schuster]

What's Up Next: Star Trek Destiny #1: Gods of Night by David Mack

What I'm Currently Reading: Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond

**If you're interested in buying this book or any books really, you can click here or here. The first will re-direct you to AbeBooks and the second will re-direct you to The Book Depository. These are great websites for purchasing books (AbeBooks carries inexpensive used and out-of-print books and The Book Depository ships free everywhere in the world). Full disclosure: I will receive a commission on all sales made by following either of these links. I wouldn't recommend a site that I didn't use and you are under no obligation to purchase anything. :-) **

Changing gears

Winnie-the-Pooh was exactly what I needed. I basically read it in one sitting and smiled the entire time. There are scenes from one's childhood that seem fixed in place. They are immoveable and grounded in such a way that it's as if they were always there. Many times you try to revisit them in your adulthood and discover that they were little more than cardboard sets and a man pulling strings. Christopher Robin and his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood are a completely different ball of wax. In fact, I learned more about these beloved characters through this book. For instance, did you know that Winnie-the-Pooh had a different name? (I'd tell you what it was but that would be a spoiler. (-: ) Or that Tigger didn't show up until the second book in the series? I recommend that everyone read this book with their children (or nieces, cousins, etc.) because it's beautiful. The storylines are sweet, the illustrations are enchanting, and the way it makes you feel is indescribable.

Of course, as is my way I decided to completely change gears with my next book. I picked this one up at the start of the year after I saw the film adaptation and fell in love with the concept. It's a massive tome though so I'm not exactly looking forward to carting it around on my commute but such is life. It's Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl. I was dubious about this book but within 10 minutes of the film I knew that I would have to read the book to get to all of the meaty stuff that couldn't possibly be covered in a 2 hour film. I don't even know where to start with outlining what the book is supposed to be about. If I had to choose keywords: magic, first love, family discord, and self-discovery. Keep in mind that it's young adult fiction so you just know there's gonna be angst for days. Here we go!