Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Ready Player One (2011) by Ernest Cline is a fascinating commentary on humans and Western civilization and a brilliant, exciting love letter to geeks, video games, and pop culture.

Set only a few decades in the future (scary in itself), after civilization has mostly fallen apart and 'society' exists only in virtual spaces, the story kept me interested, engaged, and slightly tense the whole way through. Cline does an amazing job of creating interesting characters and putting them in situations that really keep you guessing.

I loved the idea of living 'in' a video game, and the virtual reality setting certainly gave Cline extensive leeway in what he could do in certain scenes, untethered as his world was from actual reality.

Though I'm sure most people who don't consider themselves geeks or nerds might initially dismiss this book as not for them, I would urge anybody to give it a shot -- it's that good. It does a great job of showing both the advantages and disadvantages of increasing reliance on continually improved technology, and while knowing all the pop- and geek-culture references probably brings more amusement and enjoyment to the reader, not knowing every one does not take away at all from the main themes of the story. In the end, the book is about what it means to be human, which applies to us all.

“Whenever I saw the sun, I reminded myself that I was looking at a star. One of over a hundred billion in our galaxy. A galaxy that was just one of billions of other galaxies in the observable universe. This helped me keep things in perspective.”

--- 

“Dilettantes,’ Art3mis said. ‘It’s their own fault for not knowing all the Schoolhouse Rock! lyrics by heart.” 

Keep reading! Beth

Page-to-Screen: TV edition!

I interrupt my (somewhat) regularly scheduled reviews to discuss a topic that has started to dominate the way I choose what books to read: adaptations of books into ongoing tv shows. Though adapting books into movies has been a long-standing practice in Hollywood, I think the runaway success of Game of Thrones and Orange is the New Black (and older shows such as True Blood and Sex and the City) have shown the advantages of spending much more time in these worlds and creating more opportunities for creative freedom while also being able to follow the original stories to a greater degree of detail.

Given my love of both reading and tv, I have seen a close intersection of my reading and viewing habits already, and there are many more upcoming shows based on books I am super excited about.

Currently on TV (and loving them all!):
Game of Thrones (George R. R. Martin) – read all (main) books, before watching show
Sherlock (Arthur Conan Doyle) – read all (main) books, before watching show
Outlander (Diana Gabaldon) – have read books 1-5 so far, after watching season 1
The Magicians (Lev Grossman) – read all books, before watching show
Shannara Chronicles (Terry Brooks)– have not read any of the series, but really want to

In most of these cases (Game of Thrones, Outlander, Magicians), I had been intending to read each series for awhile, but the announcement of the shows was the push I needed to finally do so, and I'm very glad I did in each case. So I'm thinking that many of the following upcoming shows will also be a lot of what I read in the next year or so, and I'm excited to dive into it all!

Here are the upcoming shows based on books I'm most excited about:

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (Douglas Adams) BBCA – written by Max Landis (of American Ultra fame), this is a series by Douglas Adams that I hadn't even heard of before (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy certainly overshadows it), though hearing about it in relation to the show makes it seem to be entirely up my alley. Given that the premier is this week (Oct 22), I think I'll be watching first and reading after.

American Gods (Neil Gaiman) Starz - I finally read (and enjoyed) the book earlier this year, and have so far heard excellent things about the upcoming adaptation. It's highly appropriate that this is the book of Gaiman's adapted in the US, as the entire storyline takes place here (hence the title).

Anne of Green Gables (Lucy Maud Montgomery) Netflix – Of course I loved the original show, so I'm cautiously excited about this new version. I'm not sure we necessarily need another adaptation of the fantastic book series, but I'm remaining open-minded.

Foundation (Isaac Asimov) HBO
AND
Red Mars (Kim Stanley Robinson) Spike TV – are both classic science fiction series, neither of which I have read, but both of which I would like to at some point. As I've only recently gotten into sci-fi books, I'm wondering if these might be better to watch first so I don't get too bogged down in the books.

Dark Tower series (Stephen King) – This is an unusual case in which a movie is planned for 2017 release (starring Idris Elba - how fantastic is that?!), which will be a sequel to the book series (unlike all the others on this list, which are adaptations of existing material), then a tv show will start in 2018 (also starring Elba) that will be a continuing sequel to the movie. I've only read the first book of the series so far, and I'm looking forward to reading the rest before the movie comes out next year.

Series of Unfortunate Events (Lemony Snicket) Netflix – I've never read either the children's book series or seen the movie starring Jim Carrey, but I've heard wonderful things about this adaptation, so I'm looking forward to checking it out!

His Dark Materials (Phillip Pullman) BBC – I absolutely loved this YA series, which I read years ago. It is smart, interesting, emotional, and witty, and I am thrilled that the adaptation is coming right from the BBC. I didn't mind the movie starring Nicole Kidman, though it of course came nowhere near the level of the book, so I think this might end up being a prime example of how a tv show (especially from the BBC) can be a better format for adapting a book, especially a book series, than a movie.

Cormoran Strike Detective Series (Robert Galbraith, aka J.K. Rowling) BBC – This is another upcoming BBC adaptation that I am extremely excited for! Rowling's adult mystery/thriller series is filled with interesting, well-rounded, understandably flawed characters, so for me the casting/acting will make or break the adaptation to tv. Unfortunately, the release dates of both this show and His Dark Materials is as yet unknown, so I'll have to wait to see how it turns out.

And this list doesn't even include the comic book-to-tv adaptations that are coming up (perhaps they warrant their own post). Lots here to keep me busy!

Keep reading (and watching)! Beth

Flight by Kazu Kibuishi (Ed)

Flight V. 1 (2004) edited by Kazu Kibuishi is a collection of 23 comics (and one very funny essay) by different artists with VERY different visual and storytelling styles, all with the general theme of flying.

This was a wonderful book that really showed the extent to which comic art can vary, from the detailed and ornate to simplistic and suggestive. Some of the individual stories really spoke to me, and I enjoyed those very much. But even for the ones I didn't like, I could appreciate the skill and talent that went in to developing the story and creating the multiple layers of art.

My favorite parts of this collection were:
"Maiden Voyage" by Kazu Kibuishi – an adorable story about failure and never giving up,
"Paper and String" by Jen Wang – about feeling like an outsider and finding something to inspire you,
"The Maiden and the River Spirit" by Derek Kirk Kim – a funny twist on a classic Aesop fable, and
"The Bowl" by Clio Chiang – which tells the story of a Native man who makes 3 wishes, and doesn't quite get what he expects.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone curious about comics / graphic novels but doesn't know where to start – this is a wonderful way to explore many different interpretations of the genre and decide what you like!

Keep reading! Beth

The Last Bookaneer by Matthew Pearl

The Last Bookaneer (2015) by Matthew Pearl is a very interesting book with a great concept that didn't quite live up to the thrilling precedent set by Pearl's previous books I've read -- but was an enjoyable read just the same.

I like books and pirates are pretty cool, so the idea of book pirates has a lot going for it, which is why I originally picked up this book (that, and I really loved The Technologists and The Dante Club). While there was certainly plenty of action in this book, I think it wasn't quite at the level of his previous books mostly because of the narrative structure -- as most of the story is told via a character reminiscing, there is less at stake. You of course know right away that the narrator lives through the story since he is telling it! And there was a little bit less overall character development than I would have liked.

But the setting was lovely (I liked the contrast between Europe and the tropics) and the combination of books, legal quagmires, adventure, sea travel, and famous authors made it a fun read. And I certainly appreciated the extent to which books themselves were honored by many of the characters in the story.

At the end, I was glad to have read the book -- it was a good story, it just maybe wasn't what I was expecting based on his other books. This was much more in the category of adventure fiction, rather than literary thriller. Overall, pretty good.

“Strangers talking over piles of books do not remain strangers for long.” (p. 22) 

“Authors do not create literature; they are consumed by it. As a bookseller, I am often asked if I didn’t dream of being an author, but I should rather think it is the author who learns to dream of becoming a bookseller. I do not seek the mantle of genius. I am an appreciator, an observer, a preposition, and content in that, and that is me in a nutshell.” (p. 90)

Keep reading! Beth

Dad is Fat by Jim Gaffigan

Dad is Fat (2013) by Jim Gaffigan (of the Hot Pockets joke fame) is absolutely hilarious, as expected! Even for someone without kids, many of his observations still resonated with me and made me laugh out loud - a lot!

He writes in a very tongue-in-cheek manner, often directly addressing the reader, always in a very funny way. I loved this style, which really made reading the book feel very intimate, like I was having a conversation rather than passively reading (which was of course what I was actually doing, but still...). He really made me feel 'in' on his jokes, and I loved it.

I don't want to spoil too many of the punch lines, but here were two of my favorite jokes from the book:

“Every morning after I get up, I always gaze longingly at my bed and lament, ‘You were wonderful last night. I didn’t want it to end. I can’t wait to see you again…’” (192) 

“I guess you could say I’m allergic to camping. Jeannie loves camping because she says camping was a tradition in her family. I always point out that prior to the invention of the house, camping was a tradition in everyone’s family. I don’t get camping. ‘Hey, want to burn a couple of vacation days sleeping on the ground outside? Chances are you’ll wake up freezing and covered in a rash?” No, thanks. If camping was so great, why are the bugs always trying to get in your house?” (258-9)

I completely agree Jim!

Keep reading! Beth

Paper Towns by John Green

Paper Towns (2008) is John Green's third solo book, and I think his best of the ones I've read so far. It was sweet, funny, exciting, compelling, interesting... it had it all. Mystery, 'romance,' suspense, fear, longing, heartache and heartbreak, dead bodies, final exams, and a road trip. What more could you want?

I really, really loved all these characters -- they were fun, funny, well-rounded, complete characters. It was a pleasure to live in their world for a little while. The road trip part was the best -- I was crying laughing at one point, and I really wished it had lasted longer.

The thing I loved the most about this book was that it was about a boy and a girl, and love, relationships, etc. but it wasn't REALLY about that -- it was about growing up and figuring out who you are and what you want, and accepting other people for who they truly are, and just figuring out people. So lovely!

The movie version was a pretty good adaptation -- of course not as complex and well-rounded as the book, and they left out some of my favorite parts of the book, but a nice movie in its own right. Good movie, great book!

"[E]ach of us starts out as a watertight vessel. And these things happen -- these people leave us, or don't love us, or don't get us, or we don't get them, and we lose and fail and hurt one another. And the vessel starts to crack open in places. And I mean, yeah, once the vessel starts to crack open, the end becomes inevitable... But there is all this time between when the cracks start to open up and when we finally fall apart. And it's only in that time that we can see one another, because we see out of ourselves through the cracks and into others through theirs... [O]nce the vessel cracks, the light can get in. The light can get out."--Quentin (p.302)

See my review of John Green's first two books here.

Keep reading! Beth

Amazing Fantastic Incredible: A Marvelous Memoir by Stan Lee

Amazing Fantastic Incredible: A Marvelous Memoir (2015) by Stan Lee is hilarious, adorable, and illuminating -- a must-read for anyone into comics and/or super-heroes. Set in the form of a graphic novel, this memoir spans Lee's entire life, and therefore most of the 'life' of Marvel comics, from way before they were called Marvel comics.  

I thought it was interesting how he referred to people who ended up leaving the 'fold' as it were after being a big part of the comics productions. I liked that Lee acknowledged that some issues might have been his fault -- without really making himself look bad. A very tough balance! And he brought up some painful memories he didn't necessarily have to (like his wife's inability to have more children) in such an open and honest way that I was really impressed.

Overall, Stan Lee was humorously self-deprecating, clearly loves his wife and his work, and just seems like a wonderful person to be around. I hope he stays around for a good long time yet!

“Oh! Here’s one example of how we tried to have things at least vaguely grounded in science in the Marvel Universe. I wanted Thor to be able to fly. But I hated the idea of him just hurling through the air with no support. I figured, hey, he has a war hammer called Mjolnir, so how about he will have that hammer with him. And when he wants to fly he’ll whirl it around his head really fast, and then he’ll throw it, and since he’s attached to it by the thong around his wrist – when the hammer goes flying, it’ll take him with it! To this day I don’t know why NASA hasn’t invited me to join their science team.”

Keep reading! Beth