Ready Player One

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a fun story. It is an interesting twist on a future dystopian world in which conditions are so bad for so many people that they choose to live most of their waking hours with in a world of virtual reality cyber games. It started to say video games, but they are so much more,due to the advanced VR technology available. In this tale pitting the individuals against the huge corporate evil, our heros are forced to literally battle to save their virtual world in the dimension of VR cyber games. The story in interesting, and i especially loved the ending, in which . . . you'll have to find out. The book was more than generously ordained with 1980's culture references, not just limited to video games of that era, but also references to music, books, and films. I enjoyed all the cultural name-dropping except that it was excessive in parts. The references to the games of the era were almost totally lost to me, because, although i am of the same generation, i was never into computer and video games. But it was fun getting glimpses into the games i missed during my sheltered adolescence. Anyone who was interested in video games back in the 80s will probably find this book a delightful trip down memory lane, in addition to the adventure that it is. It is not one of my favorites, but it was a good time.

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a wild ride!

Tortilla Flat by John Steinbeck
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wow, what a crazy bunch of characters! I can definitely see hints of the Palace Flophouse crew from Cannery Row and Sweet Thursday in this band of friends. Tortilla Flat is a wild ride through the lives of an extended group of friends, revolving around their "leader" Danny. There is never a dull moment for these characters in their zany lives in and around the Tortilla Flat area of Monterey CA in the early 1900s. Being Steinbeck's first widely received novel, there are definitely hints of his later characters in this bunch! A fun read! I'm looking forward to seeing the 1942 film based upon this book.

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Steinbeck - rich and delightful

Travels with Charley: In Search of America by John Steinbeck
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I just returned from a vacation in California in which we visited both Cannery Row in Monterey and the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas. I picked up a copy of Cannery Row from a merchant on the Row, and got this copy of Travels with Charley at the Steinbeck Center, reading it upon returning. This travelog of Mr. Steinbeck's trek across the US is rich and delightful to read, and i savored every word and phrase. I love his writing, and this is one of the my favorites. We were also able to experience the big timeless trees in Sequoia National Park and i found Steinbeck's section on the big redwoods especially moving and profound, wonderfully describing the awe these majestic trees inspire when among them. This entire account is a beautiful experience, and well worth reading. The many people he met along this journey, and the places he chose to visit, are described as only John Steinbeck could. This edition includes for the first time an Appendix that he wrote for the book that was not published previously. This is a wonderful and enjoyable book.

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