Book 3/30: Ready Player One

I've been sick this week which is awful, but it does allow reading time so here goes my book 3.

 My husband receives Loot Crate (a monthly nerd box) and we received a book a few months ago.  It was Ready Player One by Ernest Cline.

I'm a nerd and the book instantly appealed to me. If it came in Loot Crate, it must be a nerdy book :).  I was NOT disappointed.  So here is the description from Amazon and then I'll tell you my thoughts:

In the year 2044, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Wade Watts really feels alive is when he's jacked into the virtual utopia known as the OASIS. Wade's devoted his life to studying the puzzles hidden within this world's digital confines—puzzles that are based on their creator's obsession with the pop culture of decades past and that promise massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock them.
   But when Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself beset by players willing to kill to take this ultimate prize. The race is on, and if Wade's going to survive, he'll have to win—and confront the real world he's always been so desperate to escape.

 So the "pop culture of decades past" they refer to is the 80's.  Every 80's lover will call to mind those old video games, movie references and catchphrases. Just think about being in a virtual reality heading to Tatooine in your DeLorean.  Yes, I know I just mixed two completely different things - but that is the stuff you find in this book.  PvP zones, hit points, 8-bit, magic casters, dystopian reality, pinch-rolled jeans, and zero-gravity party spheres...and oh so much more :)

Book 2/30: Code Breakers: Alpha

Oh my, this book :).  I have a strange love/fascination with all things dystopian, especially if they involve technology.  I equally love all things Steampunk or other things out of time and place - so if you know of any good Steampunk or anachronistic books, please let me know.

Anyway, on to the description - I suck at these and Amazon does a pretty good job of it, so I'm making my life easier by copy/pasting.

 Code Breakers: Alpha* is a futuristic, high-stakes thrill ride.

In a post-apocalyptic future, humanity survives within a single domed city run by a shadowy benefactor known only as The Family. Each week the death lottery claims more lives and Gerry Cardle, head of the lottery, inexplicably finds himself the next on the list.
Something's wrong with the system. A deadly artificial intelligence has breached security. Gerry has just 7 days to live. Forced off the grid, Gerry has to do the unthinkable: willingly leave the city. What he finds in the abandoned lands will shatter his perception of what it means to be human. Everything he had been told before was a lie.
In a deadly world of conspiracies, Gerry has to sacrifice everything he loves in order to save it, and time is running out.

 What this description doesn't tell you is that this book is like a cross between Mad Max and I, Robot. It kept me guessing as to what was really going on and at the last page I had many questions.  2 of those being: What the hell did I just read?  and How much is the next book?  It was strange, entertaining and addictive.  Alpha is the first in the 4 book series - book 2 is Beta, 3 is Gamma and 4 is Delta. My OCD tells me that is out of order...but I'm sure Mr. Barnes has a reason other than annoying me.

According to his website, Colin F. Barnes is a British author and publisher that credits authors from Stephen King to Isaac Asimov as being "catalyst(s) to tell his own stories" .   He also has a new book series called Sequence which he refers to as a "Crichton-esque fast-paced thriller".  I'm not yet sure if I will be adding this to my reading list, but if I do, I will definitely let you know :)

Other books in the series:
Prequel: http://smarturl.it/cbprequelamazon
Beta: http://smarturl.it/cbbetaamazon
Gamma: http://smarturl.it/cbgammaamazon

* Originally published as Artificial Evil: Book 1 of the Techxorcist.*

Book 1/30: Different (Tainted Elements Book 1)

Sadly, this isn't a very exciting way to start things off.  I had this book loaded onto my tablet when I decided to start all of this back up and I was pretty excited about a new fantasy-ish series.

First off, the cover looks great and represents the story.  That is not always the case with free books on Amazon.

Secondly, the plot sounded interesting.  Who doesn't love a world of people with strange elemental abilities?  Below is the synopsis straight from Amazon (because I'm lazy today):

Eighteen-year-old Moira, an air elemental, never thought that waking up with an unusual blue fire on her arm would turn her life upside down.

Determined to figure out why she has an element she shouldn't have, her parents take her to a secluded island to keep her safe from anyone who might want to experiment on her.

There she meets Noah, a boy who seems to know a lot about her elements. As he introduces her to a group of a new kind of elementals who are more powerful than anyone could have imagined, she doesn't know if she can trust them, especially because the group's leader, Jaiden, has an extremely dangerous ability.

But when her parents get kidnapped by a mysterious man, she has no choice but to turn to Noah and Jaiden for help.

 SO - now for my thoughts:

I didn't hate it.  I knew that I was reading a YA book, so my bar was set somewhere in the middle when it came to expectations.  I've read some amazing YA stuff before, and I've read some really terrible YA before - the result is that I never expect much going in.  That way I'm pleasantly surprised or only a little let down.
The author stays true to the mindset of a young adult and thoughts, or what I think of as mental conversations, tend to get repeated.  It inhibited the flow of the story a little for me, but perhaps it would help someone like my son to hold on to the information better?  Maybe he'll consider reading it and tell you what he thinks.
Overall, I'm cautiously optimistic.  Perhaps this was the author's first book (I couldn't find an absolute timeline of books she's written) and the next book will be written in a clearer way. Maybe this is just her writing style, done with intent, and the next book will be the same.  I know I'm going to purchase the second book and give it a shot - I'm just not running to my tablet to order it now.


If you like stories that fall into the categories the author has put her books in, according to her Website, then I'm sure you will like this book and perhaps you will be motivated to go further in the series, as quickly as possible.

  “Let us read, and let us dance; these two amusements will never do any harm to the world.” ― Voltaire

30 in '15

Hello again :).  I've decided to revive this blog - as well as a couple of other ones. 

My aim is to read 30 books in 2015.  Its not many when I think about how fast I read, or how much I love it.  I do have a family and job that comes first so I wanted a goal that would be a bit more manageable.

I've been reading a lot of free books on Kindle.  Some have been great and some have been absolutely horrible.  As I find and read them, I will post bit of a summary and let you know what I really think.  Your tastes might be different than mine so there is a chance I will read something that you really liked and I just didn't care for....I'm just here to give MY opinion :). 

I'd like to include my kids soon too. I was blessed with 2 kiddos that love to read and they are 14 (boy) and 10 (girl).  

Its a bit late tonight so I don't have anything more than that to post, but give me a day or two and you should see my first post that is actually about a book that I've read.

If you have a book that you have read that you think I should read, please leave me a comment and let me know.  If you can tell me what genre the book is, that would be awesome.  I can say that I'm not interested in horror or books that make fun of Christianity.

Thank you for stopping by :)

Books 4 and 5

Book 4 - The Host by Stephenie Meyer

I once read where Stephenie described this book as science fiction for people who don't necessarily like the genre...she was absolutely right. I, however, love SciFi and I adored this book too. My husband probably wouldn't as he expects his SciFi to be techical and full of tech words that are difficult for some others to understand or imagine. All in all, it was a great SciFi book without all the 'classical' jargon which made it an easy read with a great story line.

Book 5 - Palimpsest by Catherynne M. Valente

Some of the first 'fantasy' books I read were The Odyssey and The Divine Comedy. I was young and had trouble understanding the overly descriptive text, but I powered through and walked away with my mind open and aware of something new and amazing. This books is now part of that group.
In the beginning it was a bit difficult for me as I have not read books like this in quite some time, usually sticking to things that require very little thought on my part; books for sheer enjoyment of the story. This requires thought and solitude from outside distractions...but by the last page you will feel as though you've experienced a world, scary at times, beautiful mostly...a world that you are not sure you'd ever want to visit but glad it was put into words on a page in a book.

The theme is adult by nature, keep that in mind...the only way to the new world is through intercourse...or is it?? :)