2016 Book Recommendations

I would like to thank Iamabloggertoo for making a comment in my about my page asking for some book recommendations. I have about 20 books that I would love to recommend in four different categories.

Series – Because one is just not enough. 

1. 80 AD Series by Aiki Flinthart – I absolutely love this series. When I got it, I got it for free on Barnes and Nobel as an ebook for free. The Whole Series. That was way back in 2013, I and it is still free today! Amazon also has the series (5), but you have to pay 99 cents for the last few books in the series. This series is about two present day teenagers who gets transported back in time (80 AD) through a video game to save the universe through different quests. The series is super fun and the characters are amazing!
2. The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica by James A. Owen – What is better than a quest to save two worlds? How about a quest with some of your favorite classic authors such as J.R.R. Tolkien and Jules Vern?
3. The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann – This book is a little bit complicated to summarize. However, the book does have an amazing magic system that I complete love. This books looks at a society where creativity is rejected and being creative will place you as an unwanted (automatic death). However, we follow some young Unwanteds as they discover that they will not die but are given a chance to live and to learn magic through their art. 
4. Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan – I personally love the Blood of Olympus over the Percy Jackson series, however it would benefit you to read the Percy Jackson Series before the Blood of Olympus. Both series takes you on amazing journey of the demigods who help save the world using Greek and Roman mythology.

Young Adult Stand Alones – Sometimes you just need to visit a world once as an adult.

1. I am Princess X by Cherie Priest – This book is part story part graphic novel. However, I heard it through audible so I cannot tell you anything about the graphic picture, but I can tell you that this story is amazing. It is about two best friends finding each other after a horrific event occurred.
2. Finding Audrey by Sphie Kinsella – This is about a 14 year old’s over coming her anxiety.
3. Aramda and Ready Player One by Ernest Cline – It is interesting since both books received interesting ratings. I myself prefer Armada over Ready Player One, but both are good books to read. If you are a fan of the 80 these two books are for you to geek out on. Armada looks at a young hero saving the world through video games while Ready Player One is about a young man who goes through different challenges to receive an inheritance.
4. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell – This was an amazing book, and part of it was the Harry Potter reference through Simon Snow. The book is about Cath a freshman in college learning about life and growing up.
5. Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky – Another book that deals with anxiety and depression as well as the growth in friendship and growing up through the mind of a freshman boy.
6. The Help by Kathryn Stockett -Looking at the life of one young woman through the 1950’s and dealing with racism as she writes a book inspired by her favorite person.
7. I Killed the Mockingbird by Paul Acampora – If you are a fan of To Kill A Mockingbird, than you will love this book. If not, I have heard that this book is so-so. This book looks at three teenagers as they try to bring back the hype on an old classic that they will have to read for school.

Middle Grade Stand Alones –  Don’t discredit this genre. Sometimes you just need to visit a world once as a kid.

1. Fish in A Tree by Lynda Mullay Hunt – This is a cute book about an 11 year old girl with Dyslexia trying to get by in school.
2. Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper – This books looks at a 10 year old with Cerebral Palsy and trying to get by in school.
3. Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine – This books take a look at a 10 year old girl with autism having to deal with loss and finding closure after the tragic death of her brother. I will have to put a trigger warning on this book since the brother died from a school shooting.
4. Ungifted by Gordon Korman – This hilarious book looks at Max a 13 year old boy who seems to be gifted in getting into trouble. When he accidentally destroyed the school’s gym with a stick and a bronze statue he realize that he is in a lot of trouble with the district, but they somehow lost him when they shipped him to a school filled with gifted geniuses.
5. The Angel Tree by Daphine Bendis-Grab – This books looks at friendship and community when four kids work together to solve the mystery of who is behind their town’s greatest tradition.
6. Every Soul A Star by Wendy Mass – I actually recommended this book to my sister’s elementary school librarian, and she sadly had to turn the book down because it was not in hardback. UGH! Though I am recommending this book now. This book focuses on three middle schoolers as they grow and learn from one another while waiting for a solar eclipse. This book is amazing and I know that I am not doing it any justice, so please just pick up this book and read it!

Graphic Novels – A fast quick read with pictures, what is better than that?

1. In Real Life by Cory Doctorow – This book is amazing as it looks behind the art of video games and the economic industry of gaming, through both the high school girl who plays the game and the young boy in China working in the industry. Both lives are changed with the two meet.
2. Amulet Series by Kazu Kibuishi- Looks at a family who gets transported into an alternative reality and how they not only try to survive the new land but also save both their new reality as well as their old one.
3. The Woods by James Tynion IV – This is an interesting series about a whole entire high school being transported onto another planet into a distant galaxy.
4. Seconds by Bryan Lee O’Malley – This graphic novel looks into the life of an aspiring chef who wants to own her own restaurant. When she is given the chance to change her life through some magic wishing mushrooms, she learns of the consequences that life offers.

I do hope that this list is helpful in being able to pick out some great reads for the new year. See you next time. Happy reading!

Writing 101 – Updating over a cup of coffee/tea

Day ten looks at how to update a bit differently with a conversation like a format over a cup of coffee or something to drink. Since I am allergic to coffee I will order Hot Chocolate or water. You can order whatever you want. So let’s begin this update.

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If we were having a drink right now, I would be asking how you have been? What is new in your life? And if you have read any good books?

If we were having a drink right now, I would be telling you about the five books that I have completed this month. I would even include the book that I am reading right now, Armada. Telling you about the similarities and differences between Armada and Ready Player One.

If we were having a drink right now, we would most likely be getting another, since we had finished our drink long ago and realize that we need another.

If we were having a drink right now, I would be telling you about the tons of books that I have bought because of the recent library book sale. Some of these books are really proud finds, like the Lord of the Rings bind up for $2.00. In fact, I got 18 books for $40.00. However, I am still on the quest for the fifth Harry Potter book in hardback with a dust jacket.

If we were having a drink right now, we would be talking about our adventures outside of the pages. Telling each other details of faraway worlds, and problems that are now funny.

If we were having a drink right now, we will realize the time and the need to go home. Plan for another time that we can just hang out and have another drink. And wish each other good luck and many adventures.

Happy Reading!

Ready Player One In Real Life Reviews

I will apologize for being a bit slow. I know I am several book reviews behind and I am trying to catch up right now. Today I will focus on Ready Player One and In Real Life.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline is about life in virtual reality for Wade Watts. For Wade, everything hinges on the possibility of leaving his horrible life by finding the Easter Egg of the creator of the virtual world. When Wade finds the first key, the fight to be the first one to find the egg begins.

I gave this book five out of five stars on Goodreads. I really enjoyed the geeky 80’s moments, such as movies, music,  and games. However, I will admit that I might have enjoyed it better if I knew more of the 80’s references or did a bit more research about this time period. Maybe having the Almanac in the back of the book would be great. The other thing that I enjoyed was the emotions that the book made me go through. There were a lot of moments in which I sat there and held my breath or worried about the decisions that Wade was making, or problems that he was going through. In addition, there were moments that made me laugh or smile. In addition, I also enjoyed the contrast between the virtual reality and the real world. The two setting were fun, and I enjoyed the feeling of an apocalyptic future for Earth. Finally, I also enjoyed our characters. I also enjoyed being able to see a parallel between Halliday and Wade, their reluctance to be part of the real world and how they handled their first crush. I also enjoyed the other characters and enjoyed getting to know them through their virtual characters.

However, there are a few things that I did not enjoy. One was the ending. I don’t want to spoil the book, however, I just want more of an ending. I wanted to see the effects after the events happened. I would also like to know if Og made an easter egg. The other problem that I had been the idea of racism. I know that the book takes place 50 years in the future, but would racism still be present if everyone exist in a virtual reality? Also, since everyone exist inside the virtual reality, would everyone’s character be a version of the same skin color, if one skin color is still preferred? I get why that scene existed in the book, I just couldn’t help but ask a few questions related to a scene in the book (another spoiler if I gave details to explain).

In the end, I loved the book and would recommend it to everyone. I believe that everyone would have fun. If you are not into 80’s American pop culture, it would help you to brush up on it. Though the virtual reality and the real world is fun to be a part of, and the adventure is awesome.

In Real Life by Cory Doctorow and Jen Wang is about a girl name Anda who is introduced into a massive Multiplayer Computer Game and falls in love with it. When she befriends a gold miner, things start to become complicated when she tries to help him.

I gave this book five out of five stars on Goodreads. I absolutely love how the real world affects the virtual world and vice verse, especially in terms of economics. This books does look at economics and how gaming is not only affected but also affects the world economics. Throughout the game, our main character looks at ways to help her friend improves his life and asks her dad how protests and strikes work. In addition, I also enjoyed how gaming affects Anda in her views on working with others and bringing others in. In short, I enjoyed the themes and the storyline in itself. I also felt that our character was realistic as well as her family. The idea that her parents questions about the usage of online games and where the money was coming from is huge. I know that my mom would have done the same thing when I was in high school.

However, I do feel as though the artwork was not something special. I did enjoy the color choices for the books and the different contrasts between the real world and the virtual world.  I placed a few pictures of some of the panels below. That was the only fault that I could find with the book. However, I did find it convenient that her father’s job was in the middle of a strike as Anda was trying to help her friend.

In the end, I do recommend this book to everyone. I believe that you will enjoy the storyline and the different worlds as well.

 

I do hope that your week is working out the best for you. I hope to talk to you soon. Happy reading!

Nintendo Book Tag

I wanted to take a little break from reviews with a fun little book tag. Saw this book tag, from Katytastic, and I thought it would be tons of fun. I provided a link to the tag above. Enjoy reading.

QUESTIONS
1) NES (Nintendo Entertainment System): A classic you want to read

After my adventure with Jules Vern in Around the World in 80 Days, I am a bit Classic out. However, I do need to complete Treasure Island before the end of this week, so I do believe that can be counted. To be honest, I do have some classics that I want to read. The two classics that I have at the top of my list are not books but plays. I would like to read A Midsummer’s Night Dream and Macbeth by William Shakespeare.
2) SNES (Super Nintendo): A sequel you liked more than the 1st (can be a 2nd book in a series)

I generally label good sequels as the second book being better than the first. At least I have the expectation that the continuing books be better than the first. The first book is going to be a bit slow. You are learning about the world, the characters and about the main problem. The rest of the series you will not be focusing on such details.

Just to put some series in this section, I would say Eragon, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and The Heroes Of Olympus. These are a few of the series in which I know that the following books are better than the first.
3) Nintendo 64: A book that revolutionized the way you look at the world
4) Gamecube: A popular book that did not go over so well with you

I must admit that I did enjoy this book, however the reason why it is in this category is because I am still trying to see why it got the hype that it did. The book that won this category is Blankets by Craig Thompson.
5) Wii: A new favorite book

I do not believe in playing favorite with my books. I either like the book or I don’t. However, I must say that this year my new favorite book has been I Killed the Mockingbird by Paul Acampora.
6) Nintendo Power: Favorite graphic novel series or a series you want to start

So far, this has been the year of the graphic novels. I have been reading so many of them. I am glad that I tried something new this year. This was an easy pic. I have really loved the Amulet series by Kazu Kibuishi. I just love the artwork.
7) Super Mario: A character that you’d love to squish like a Goomba

I read this question and it took me three seconds to pick a character. It might be because the book is still fresh in my mind, but at the same time it was the easiest pick, even if the character gets to die. The character that I wanted to squish like a Goomba is Dr. Caldwell in The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey.  I don’t care how smart this woman is, she made some pretty stupid choices that almost resulted in some deaths. Again, I am left to question this person’s “brilliance.”
8) Zelda: A newer fantasy that you consider to be a modern classic

We all know that I was going to put this here. I am actually proud of myself for not having it in so many different categories. I do count Harry Potter as a modern classic. I not only feel like the story will be relevant throughout time, but its popularity and morals will last throughout time.

The other book that I do count as a modern classic is Eragon. Even though it is not as popular as Harry Potter, it still shares a lot of the traits that Harry Potter has, and it too will last throughout time.
9) Samus-Aran: Favorite sci-fi novel or one you want to read

A Sci-fi novel that I want to read is Ready Player One. I have heard so much about this book, that I just want to get a hold of it and read it.
10) Pokemon: Book editions that you want to collect

This is why I stick to the library. If I collect editions of the same book over just collecting stories, I would be in trouble financially. There are a couple of books that I do want to personally own in physical form. I do want to own Fangirl, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Heroes of Olympus, Harry Potter (I don’t know what happened to the family copies), and The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica.  That is just a list of a few.
11) Donkey Kong: A book with original characters

I am picking Unenchanted by Chanda Hahn. I do love these characters and feel that they are different and unique. I am enjoying our young heroine and how she doesn’t fit into the mold of the typical super hero, male or female. On top of that, using the Grimm Fairy tales to tell the story and to save her family is a great and original twist.
12) Nintendo Fandom: Favorite Nintendo game(s) or game you really want

My favorite Nintendo game is Mario Cart. I have always loved Mario Cart and enjoyed playing Princess Peach since I was  seven. My favorite level was always the one with the snow and penguins because it was the one that I could beat my brother at the best. In addition, I did enjoy rainbow road for the colors and the view.