Book Beginning & Friday 56: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Happy Friday everybody!!

Book Beginnings

Book Beginnings on Friday is now hosted by Katy at A Few More Pages.  

Anyone can participate; just share the opening sentence of your current read, making sure that you include the title and author so others know what you're reading. 

If you like, share with everyone why you do, or do not, like the sentence.

The Friday 56

Rules:

• Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
• Turn to page 56.
• Find the fifth sentence.
• Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of Freda's Voice
• Post a link along with your post back to Freda's Voice

Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

I recently received a copy of Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. This one is getting a lot of publicity because the movie rights have already been sold. It looks like a science fiction dystopia for adults (though so far I see no reason why young adults can't read it.)


Here is the product description:

At once wildly original and stuffed with irresistible nostalgia, READY PLAYER ONE is a spectacularly genre-busting, ambitious, and charming debut—part quest novel, part love story, and part virtual space opera set in a universe where spell-slinging mages battle giant Japanese robots, entire planets are inspired by Blade Runner, and flying DeLoreans achieve light speed.

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?

Beginning:

Everyone my age remembers where they were and what they were doing when they first heard about the contest.

Friday 56:

Halliday bought and restored one of the original DeLoreans used in the Back to the Future films, continued to spend nearly all of his time welded to a computer keyboard, and used his newfound wealth to amass what would eventually become the world's largest private collection of classic video-games, Star Wars action figures, vintage lunch boxes and comic books.

Even though the 80s were not my decade (given that I am some older) and that I have never played a role playing game on or off the computer, I am finding this book strangely compelling with a very interesting main character.

Review: Simply Irresistible by Jill Shalvis

Simply Irresistible
Author: Jill Shalvis
Publication: Forever; 1 Original edition (October 1, 2010)


Description: Maddie Moore's whole life needs a makeover.

In one fell swoop, Maddie loses her boyfriend (her decision) and her job (so not her decision). But rather than drowning her sorrows in bags of potato chips, Maddie leaves L.A. to claim the inheritance left by her free-spirited mother-a ramshackle inn nestled in the little coastal town of Lucky Harbor, Washington.

Starting over won't be easy. Yet Maddie sees the potential for a new home and a new career-if only she can convince her two half-sisters to join her in the adventure. But convincing Tara and Chloe will be difficult because the inn needs a big makeover too.

The contractor Maddie hires is a tall, dark-haired hottie whose eyes-and mouth-are making it hard for her to remember that she's sworn off men. Even harder will be Maddie's struggles to overcome the past, though she's about to discover that there's no better place to call home than Lucky Harbor.



My Thoughts: This story was laugh out loud funny, heartbreakingly touching and wildly sexy all at the same time. Maddie has lost her job in LA (Maybe dumping hot coffee on the lap of her abusive ex-boyfriend who was also the company lawyer wasn't really a good idea.) and comes to Lucky Harbor to see the resort that was left to her and her sisters by the mother she barely knew. She doesn't know her sisters very well either. Her mother was a hippie and a Deadhead and all the girls have different fathers. 


Maddie arrives and finds out that the resort is heavily mortgaged and in major need of renovation and repair. Her oldest sister wants to sell as soon as possible and head back to her life. Her youngest sister is undecided. Maddie wants to stay and make a home. She calls on local carpenter, mayor and financial angel Jax Cullen to work on the renovations. He is also the hottie who caught her eye even before she made it all the way into town. But Maddie has sworn off men. She doesn't trust her judgment anymore. 


Jax was wary too. He left his life as a cut-throat lawyer (and left a fiancee who loved that side of him) and came home to Lucky Harbor to reinvent his life. But something about Maddie makes him decide that he is willing to give love another chance.


The story is about the sisters getting to know each other and getting to trust each other. It is also about Maddie learning to trust herself and stand up for herself. 


I really enjoyed both the humor and the romance in this story and look forward to reading other books by Shalvis.


Favorite Quotes:

And a Ferris wheel.

The sight of it brought an odd yearning. She wanted to buy a ticket and ride it, if only to pretend for four minutes that she wasn't twenty-nine, broke every which way to Sunday, and homeless.

Oh, and scared of heights.

I bought this one at Amazon because I read a number of great reviews. You can get your copy here.

Review: Retribution by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Retribution (Dark-Hunter)
Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon
Publication: St. Martin's Press; First Edition edition (August 2, 2011)


Description: Harm no human…

A hired gunslinger, William Jessup Brady lived his life with one foot in the grave. He believed that every life had a price. Until the day when he finally found a reason to live. In one single act of brutal betrayal, he lost everything, including his life. Brought back by a Greek goddess to be one of her Dark-Hunters, he gave his immortal soul for vengeance and swore he’d spend eternity protecting the humans he’d once considered prey.

Orphaned as a toddler, Abigail Yager was taken in by a family of vampires and raised on one belief—Dark-Hunters are the evil who prey on both their people and mankind, and they must all be destroyed. While protecting her adoptive race, she has spent her life eliminating the Dark-Hunters and training for the day when she meeting the man who killed her family: Jess Brady.

A gun in the hand is worth two in the holster…

Jess has been charged with finding and terminating the creature who’s assassinating Dark-Hunters. The last thing he expects to find is a human face behind the killings, but when that face bears a striking resemblance to the one who murdered him centuries ago, he knows something evil is going on. He also knows he’s not the one who killed her parents. But Abigail refuses to believe the truth and is determined to see him dead once and for all.

Brought together by an angry god and chased by ancient enemies out to kill them both, they must find a way to overcome their mutual hatred or watch as one of the darkest of powers rises and kills both the races they’ve sworn to protect.

My Thoughts: This was another great addition to the Dark-Hunters series. Jess was a feared outlaw who was redeemed by love. However, he was shot in the back by his partner before he could marry her. He dies craving revenge and Artemis picks him up. Now he is hunting daimons in Las Vegas. 


Abigail is a descendant of the woman Jess loved but she has been raised by Appolites to hate and kill Dark Hunters. Besides, she saw Jess kill her parents when she was a small child and definitely wants revenge on him. Her Appolite family injects her with demon blood to make her a stronger fighter and sets her loose.


But it is all really a plot. The plot is complex and based on Native American philosophy and includes Guardians, Coyote, Choo Co La Tah, Snake, and other figures out of myth. Add in a variety of Dark-Hunters and former Dark-Hunters from earlier books in the series and you have a novel filled with characters and complexity.


See, Coyote has a plan....


I loved the character of Jess who is one part outlaw and one part goofball. And, he is all loyal and protective of Abigail (once he convinces her that he didn't kill her parents). The story is about what you are willing to give up for love.


I recommend this to fans of the Dark-Hunter series.


Favorite Quote:

She put her hand over his to stop him from cutting the belt. "Go. There's no need in both of us dying."

He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. "I'm not leaving you. If we go, we go together."

"Don't be stupid, Jess."

He scoffed as he returned to sawing on the belt. "Brains don't exactly run in my family. Suicidal lunacy, on the other hand..."

"Runs thick?"

He grinned at her. "Move back."

I received a finished copy of this book for review from Zeitghost Media and Macmillan. You can get your copy here.

Teaser Tuesday: Simply Irresistible by Jill Shalvis

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I dug deep in my TBR mountain and pulled out Simply Irresistible by Jill Shalvis this morning. I heard great things about it, bought it, and never got around to reading it. It is supposed to be a heartwarming and sexy contemporary romance. I have also found it laugh out loud funny.

Teaser:

He pulled on his running gear and nudged Izzy, his two-year-old mutt. She was part brown lab, part possum, and proved her heritage by cracking open a single eye with a look that said Dude, chill.

"You're coming," he said.
She closed her eye.
"Come on, you're getting a pudge."
She farted.

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? (August 15, 2011)

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

It’s Monday!  What Are You Reading, is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.  It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

This was another slow reading but lots of computer gaming kind of week. My obsession with Gardens of Time and my newly discovered obsession with Facebook slot machine games remains unabated. Around that I did still manage to read 4 books this past week.


I read:

I finished The Marked Son by Shea Berkley and am ready to host the author on August 20. This was an interesting young adult paranormal. My review will be posted on August 20

Black Magic Woman by Justin Gustainis introduces Quincy Morris and Libby Chastain in this gritty urban fantasy series. I really enjoyed the world building in this one. I thought the story was great too. My review will be posted on August 24.

The Dragon's Tooth by N. D. Wilson was a middle grade fantasy that I received through review through the Amazon Vine program. The story was action-packed. The heroes were well-written and well-grounds. The adults in the story were much less admirable and the villain was an over-the-top loony. My review will be posted on August 25.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline was another book that I received for review. This is a science fiction dystopia that will warm any geeks heart. The product description says it best:

At once wildly original and stuffed with irresistible nostalgia, READY PLAYER ONE is a spectacularly genre-busting, ambitious, and charming debut—part quest novel, part love story, and part virtual space opera set in a universe where spell-slinging mages battle giant Japanese robots, entire planets are inspired by Blade Runner, and flying DeLoreans achieve light speed.


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.


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. 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?

I thought this book was excellent. I know the movie rights have been sold. I can't wait to see this one in a theater. My review will be posted on August 20.


Books on my currently reading stack (and in the queue for next week) include:

I am currently reading the second book in the Morris and Chastain series. Evil Ways by Justin Gustainis is wonderful urban fantasy. I love the world building and the characters.

Face of Danger by Roxanne St.Claire is romantic suspense and made Amazon's list for Best of the Year So Far.

Two more young adult review books have made it to the top of the stack. Ultraviolet by R. J. Anderson. "Once upon a time there was a girl who was special. This is not her story. Unless you count the part where I killed her." is the quote that sold the book for me. I just have to find out what happens next.

I also have a middle grade collection of stories - Guys Read: Thriller by Guy Scieszka - from NetGalley waiting too.

Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer is a young adult paranormal featuring werewolves that I have been wanting to read for a while.

Blood Work by Kim Harrison is a graphic novel in the Hollows series. I like the series and want to take a look at this graphic novel.

I don't know how much reading I will get done this week. I need to travel back to work to attend a workshop on Thursday which means that Wednesday and Friday are travel days for me. I wish that I appreciated audiobooks because I'll be spending 10 hours in the car at the end of the week. 

What does the week look like for you?

In My Mailbox (August 14, 2011)

The weekly In My Mailbox post is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. It is fun to see what everyone else gets in their mailboxes, shopping bags, and library visits. Click on the link to The Story Siren's site to see the rules and join in the fun.
 
I guarantee that your TBR pile will grow when you see all the wonderful books everyone gets. You will discover lots of great blogs and lots of books that you won't be able to live without.

Finally, a quiet week! This is the sort of week I have been hoping for since summer began. I only added two books this one - one print and one for my Kindle.

I added The Outback Stars by Sandra McDonald to my stack after seeing it on a site that talked about science fiction romances and compared it to books by Lois McMaster Bujold. Since I am a huge fan of LMB, I had to give this author a try.

I also chose Pompeii: City on Fire by T. L. Higley when I saw that it was free for my Kindle. I am fascinated with Pompeii and have read a number of books about it. As a child and young adult, I wanted to be an archaeologist. I look forward to reading this story set there. 

That was my mailbox. What did you get in yours?

Review: Dick Francis's Gamble by Felix Francis

Dick Francis's Gamble
Author: Felix Francis
Publication: Putnam Adult (July 26, 2011)


Description: Felix Francis continues his father's New York Times- bestselling legacy with another edge-of-your-seat read that's classic Francis.


Nicholas "Foxy" Foxton, a former jockey who suffered a career- ending injury, is out for a day at the Grand National races when his friend and coworker Herb Kovak is murdered, execution style, right in front of him-and 60,000 other potential witnesses. Foxton and Kovak were both independent financial advisers at Lyall & Black, a firm specializing in extreme-risk investments.


As he struggles to come to terms with Kovak's seemingly inexplicable death, Foxton begins to question everything, from how well he knew his friend to how much he understands about his employer. Was Kovak's murder a case of mistaken identity...or something more sinister?


My Thoughts: The Francis formula lives on! A bright and competent man falls into a situation that is dangerous and unfamiliar to him and triumphs. Nicholas Foxton was standing next to a work colleague at the races when the colleague is murdered by an unknown assailant. Both men are Independent Financial Advisors for the same firm - Lyall and Black. Nicholas was a former race jockey who had to find a new career after he broke his neck in a riding accident and lost his jockey license at age 21. He still very much misses the excitement and thrills of his old career and believes that his new one is boring.


But he is soon proved very wrong as he delves into his colleague's life and also into the affairs of his company. Foxton soon becomes the target of the same unknown killers who killed his friend. He has to struggle to find out what he knows that is so dangerous. His colleague was also the front man for an online gambling scheme and Nicholas has to straighten that out too. He was named Kovak's executer and is in charge of settling his estate. At first he thinks the murder attempts might be related to that scheme but it is just a "red herring."


Nicholas also has to deal with personal issues in the story. His live-in girlfriend Claudia has become distant and isn't picking up phone calls. Nicholas has to wonder if she is seeing someone else and if their relationship is breaking up. He is torn because he doesn't want the relationship to end. When he finds out that she has ovarian cancer, he isn't relieved but at least he and Claudia are together. He is trying to protect her from the danger she faces because of the murder attempts and support her in her illness.


What I like about Francis books is that the characters are always interesting and honorable. Nicholas Foxton is in over his head but he doesn't stop fighting for what is right until he triumphs (or, at least, survives.) The mystery was well-done. I didn't correctly identify the villain until Nicholas did. I couldn't put the book down. I was frantically turning pages until the wee hours because I couldn't rest until I knew how things were going to work out for Nicholas.


Mystery lovers won't be disappointed in this suspenseful story.


Favorite Quote:

"How very unusual," she said finally. "But Nicholas was always a funny boy."

Jan Setter had called me strange.

Was I really funny, or strange?

I didn't think so.

To me, I was "normal," but I suppose everyone thinks they are normal. And yet we are all so different. There was actually no such thing as normal.

I bought this one as soon as I heard about it. I am a huge Dick Francis fan. You can get your copy here.