Book Review | Ready Player One

Ready Player One Movie Poster
Ready Player One Movie Poster

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline is the best book I have read in many years.  It may be my new favorite book of all time.  After reading the book I feel like Wade Watts the main character.  I feel like I too have achieved what he did in the book.  Like many 30 somethings, this book really spoke to me.  I grew up in the 80’s.  It was my decade.  The characters in the book study that era to be better able to player Oasis an immersive world that they access via fancy virtual reality (VR) rigs.

Earnest Cline
Ernest Cline

This book reminded me of so many things all at once.  How much I loved growing up watching TV shows like Silver Spoons and Family Ties.  Playing the same video games that the characters mastered in the game: Adventure, Joust, Defender, Zaxxon, etc.

Of course, right now there is a ton of buzz about this book because it has been made into a movie.  A movie with a trailer that is pretty spectacular.  the movie will be released later this month (3/29/18) and the director is none other than Steven Spielberg.  Who better to direct a movie about the 80s than the man who helped make the 80s with his amazing movies.  The amazingly brilliant mind behind E.T. and Raiders of the Ark, both came out in the 80s.

This book also reminded me of Second Life a lot.  That’s the immersive computer simulation where people can make the avatar anyway they want and you can actually make money in the game.  Or Lindens, that can be traded in for real cash.  Or at least that’s how it was years ago when Second Life was a big deal.  I tried Second Life a long time ago, but even after reading this book I have no desire to log back into that virtual world.

Before reading this book I didn’t know anything about Ernest Cline.  Now that I have read one of his books, I can’t wait to read more.  “I love it when a plan comes together!”  5 Stars!!!

On Schedule to 100 Books

Book Stack
4 books from the library on my to read list

Here is the short list for the rest of the month.  I hope to read these all by the end of the month.  I’m starting The Stranger today.  The rest will follow in the order they are in the picture.  Most of these are from my reading list, but The Stranger is a suggestion from a great virtual book club on goodreads called Catching up on the Classics.

Here I am going on and on and totally forgot to get to the point.  I just finished my 9th book of the month (review coming soon).  You know what that means?  I’m on track to read 100 books this year.  I need to read at least 8 books each month (8.2 really).  So I am very excited to be on track and can’t wait to dive into The Stranger.

The group does a few reads every month.  They have a new school read, which is a modern classic.  An old school classic which is what you think it is.  They also have a long read, usually over 500 pages and a short read under 200.  February’s short read is The Stranger, weighing in at only 123 pages in the paperback pictured above.

I hope they can forgive me for starting it early, but I have already read The Little Prince which is January’s pick.  By the way, if you haven’t seen the 2015 movie, you should.  It is really fantastic and lets you re-think the book entirely.  I’m putting the trailer in here below.

I have another review coming soon, but for now, I really need to get back to my reading.  See you in the stacks!