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Showing posts with label grade A-. Show all posts
Showing posts with label grade A-. Show all posts
Monday, 29 July 2013
Author: Ernest Cline
Date Published: August 16, 2011
Grade: A-
Goodreads Summary: It's the year 2044, and the real world is an ugly place.
Like most of humanity, Wade Watts escapes his grim surroundings by spending his waking hours jacked into the OASIS, a sprawling virtual utopia that lets you be anything you want to be, a place where you can live and play and fall in love on any of ten thousand planets.
And like most of humanity, Wade dreams of being the one to discover the ultimate lottery ticket that lies concealed within this virtual world. For somewhere inside this giant networked playground, OASIS creator James Halliday has hidden a series of fiendish puzzles that will yield massive fortune--and remarkable power--to whoever can unlock them.
For years, millions have struggled fruitlessly to attain this prize, knowing only that Halliday's riddles are based in the pop culture he loved--that of the late twentieth century. And for years, millions have found in this quest another means of escape, retreating into happy, obsessive study of Halliday's icons. Like many of his contemporaries, Wade is as comfortable debating the finer points of John Hughes's oeuvre, playing Pac-Man, or reciting Devo lyrics as he is scrounging power to run his OASIS rig.
And then Wade stumbles upon the first puzzle.
Suddenly the whole world is watching, and thousands of competitors join the hunt--among them certain powerful players who are willing to commit very real murder to beat Wade to this prize. Now the only way for Wade to survive and preserve everything he knows is to win. But to do so, he may have to leave behind his oh-so-perfect virtual existence and face up to life--and love--in the real world he's always been so desperate to escape.
A world at stake.
A quest for the ultimate prize.
Are you ready?
Review: I know, I know, this is definitely out of character for me- reading a sci-fi book? About a dystopian land where a Global Energy Crisis is occurring? About video games?? Let me explain. I was scrolling through my Kobo's "Must Reads" list, and then this book appeared on the screen. After reading the summary/description, I decided to give it a try because of the raving reviews and the super interesting premise.
Ready Player One is a dystopian novel that takes place thirty years from now. The novel shows how technology will become so addictive and advanced, that by the year 2044, humans will go to school, work, spend money, meet friends, go to parties, and basically live their lives in a virtual universe where they get to choose what they look like, sound like, and act like. There is rarely any more human to human contact, and most of the world chooses to communicate through their avatars online.
I am not going to lie, I was definitely confused at the beginning because I'm not exactly a computer/video games master. The first part of the book contained a lot of video game jargon, explanations about computers and how they work, along with dozens of 80's references. But when Wade found that first key, and the real action began unravelling, the story became so addictive- I just couldn't put it down. I don't think I have ever been so excited while reading a book; It was fast paced, smart, and entertaining.
Wade is basically a genius. At times, it was hard keeping up with his train of thought, but I think overall he is a really solid character. Imagine a young teenage boy, living on his own in a trailer park, a typical outcast of society who is completely devoted to "the hunt". Although flawed, Wade is a witty, super smart underdog. He's that character we sometimes see ourselves in, that character who we cheer for, who we want to see succeed. Wade's growth from an introverted "outcast" who depends on nothing but his computer to survive, to a real human being who falls in love, makes unexpected friends, and emerges an international hero, is so much fun to read. I think Ready Player One is a very good reminder that we cannot solely depend on ourselves to succeed in life. It is also an interesting warning about consumerism in the near future.
Ready Player One has been my first sci-fi read in a very long time and I can honestly say that I genuinely enjoyed reading it. Although this book isn't one I would typically pick up, I am very glad I chose to read it. Informative, refreshing, and oh so clever, Ready Player One is a wonderful read, especially for you sci-fi readers out there, or for those wanting a break from the typical YA novel.
Happy reading!
PAULA :)
Saturday, 29 June 2013
Name: Audrey, Wait!
Author: Robin Benway
Date Published: April 10, 2008
Grade: A-
Author: Robin Benway
Date Published: April 10, 2008
Grade: A-
Goodreads Summary: California high school student Audrey Cuttler dumps self-involved Evan, the lead singer of a little band called The Do-Gooders. Evan writes, “Audrey, Wait!” a break-up song that’s so good it rockets up the billboard charts. And Audrey is suddenly famous!
Now rabid fans are invading her school. People is running articles about her arm-warmers. The lead singer of the Lolitas wants her as his muse. (And the Internet is documenting her every move!) Audrey can't hang out with her best friend or get with her new crush without being mobbed by fans and paparazzi.
Take a wild ride with Audrey as she makes headlines, has outrageous amounts of fun, confronts her ex on MTV, and gets the chance to show the world who she really is.
Now rabid fans are invading her school. People is running articles about her arm-warmers. The lead singer of the Lolitas wants her as his muse. (And the Internet is documenting her every move!) Audrey can't hang out with her best friend or get with her new crush without being mobbed by fans and paparazzi.
Take a wild ride with Audrey as she makes headlines, has outrageous amounts of fun, confronts her ex on MTV, and gets the chance to show the world who she really is.
Review: This book was unique to say the least. I was thrilled to find a summary of a book that was so different from anything that I had ever read, and when I kept on reading glowing reviews, I knew I had to pick it up. While I never found Audrey, Wait! to be the kind of book that sucked me in and kept me reading until the last page, overall, I thought it was a great book with a great story.
I think my favourite part about this book was the narration. After breaking up with her musician boyfriend, Audrey taught that she could turn the page and start a new life. Little did she know, a song, titled after the last words her ex-boyfriend ever said to her, would go national and take the world up in a storm. All of a sudden, she's no longer a normal teen that deals with just school and work. Now she has to deal with fans and paparazzi. Audrey's voice was so sassy and funny that it made this read a lot more entertaining. Actually, her voice reminded me of Jessica Darling a bit which I know preaches out to a lot of avid YA readers.
Keeping the book light, the romance was refreshing rather than consuming the storyline. While it was ever present, there wasn't a swoon worthy romance going on, but a nice one that kept the book interesting to read while the book carried on. It wasn't bad, it was different. A good different.
Overall, I liked Audrey, Wait! very much based on its unique storyline and sassy voice. I highly recommend this book to readers of the Jessica Darling series and basically any other person who loves a witty narrator!
Happy reading!
~SARINA
Sunday, 31 March 2013
Author: Gayle Forman
Date Published: January 8, 2013
Grade: A-
Goodreads Summary: A breathtaking journey toward self-discovery and true love, from the author of If I Stay. When sheltered American good girl Allyson "LuLu" Healey first meets laid-back Dutch actor Willem De Ruiter at an underground performance of Twelfth Night in England, there’s an undeniable spark. After just one day together, that spark bursts into a flame, or so it seems to Allyson, until the following morning, when she wakes up after a whirlwind day in Paris to discover that Willem has left. Over the next year, Allyson embarks on a journey to come to terms with the narrow confines of her life, and through Shakespeare, travel, and a quest for her almost-true-love, to break free of those confines. Just One Day is the first in a sweepingly romantic duet of novels.
Review: I remember Sarina and I excitedly talking about this duet of novels one day during PE class, both swooning over the titles "Just One Day" and "Just One Year", freaking out about how cute the books will be and how much we loved If I Stay and Where She Went. So naturally, I was expecting quite a lot as I cracked open its spine, excited to begin my adventure with Allyson and *fangirls silently* this blonde, tall, european actor. Did he have the potential to make our list of most adorable male fictional characters? You see, I had high hopes.
Just One Day easily captivated my heart right away because Allyson was so easy to relate to; She had no idea what she was expecting of the future, she was only trying to please the people she loves instead of trying to make herself happy, and she would way rather be in her room watching movies than outside partying. By the end of the novel, I felt so attached to her and it seemed as if I were her best friend/sidekick, journeying along with her through the streets of Europe. One of the reasons why I enjoyed this book so much, is because I am, to simply put it, a teenager. When I read about her longings to be in love, and how she fell for the mysterious enigmatic blonde actor, and how she notices all the little things he does, I completely understood what she was searching for, or rather, why she was searching so hard to find him.
I hate to say this, but it was surprisingly hard for me to like Willem and as I was reading, I always felt kind of suspicious of him. Like, in reality, what stranger would spontaneously ask a girl to miss her train home and come join him for a day in Paris? I'm all for sudden moments of cuteness but I just couldn't seem to wrap my head around why Willem was so secretive of his family and why there were so many girls who recognized him and were eager to greet him. It was almost as if Forman was setting us up to dislike him? I felt as if I were Allyson's parents shaking my head discreetly thinking "hmmmm this boy seems like trouble...". The only part of the book I enjoyed reading about Willem was the boat ride where his excitement showed some young, vulnerability- which is always adorable Personally, overall, he just seemed to lack charisma and I couldn't quite fall for him. The more I learned about him, the more I disliked his character.
As most reviews have pointed out, the theme of this novel is self-discovery. So even though I didn't really appreciate the romance Willem and Allyson had, I loved the book because it represented so much more than just a one day fling. That day in Paris with Willem wasn't about finding simply a boy to love, it was the start of finding who she really was. The rest of the book really focuses on Allyon's coming of age as she grows from a reserved, shy, unadventurous "goody two shoes" to a whole other person. Someone who doesn't need to hide behind the nickname "Lulu" anymore to be herself. One of my favourite parts of the novel was when Allyson decides to stop making an effort to keep the awful Melanie, her former best friend, in her life, and instead makes room for new people like the hilariously charming Dee, and her other room mates. By the end of the novel, I felt very proud of Allyson for being so independent, hard working, and self-appreciative.
When I finished the book, I had that familiar feeling of abruptness. The ending felt so quick and short and I wanted to call Gayle Forman up and be like "WHAT HAPPENS NEXT PLEASE TELL ME SWEET MOTHER OF GOD I NEED TO KNOW". But to be fair, I can't judge the ending like that because it isn't really the actual ending of the book, is it? It's the beginning of the next book. I hope that in Just One Year, Willem's character, as well as his and Allyson's relationship, is developed more. Overall, this book is one that will take you on a whirlwind of emotions, and I cannot wait to continue their journey.
Thanks for reading!
Paula :)
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