Ready Player One: A Casual's Review

Whoa, bet you weren't expecting ME to be doing a book review. That's right, Austin is doing a book review. A review for a book that Loz ever so gently FORCED ME TO READ. I'm sure anyone who reads our blog knows how that was gonna work out.

ANYWAYS, this review is for the book "Ready Player One". Ernest Cline's first book ever, apparently. And let me say, it's a damn good one at that. It has it's cheesy moments, and a bit easy to predict at times, but really, there were plenty of times it through me through a loop. Maybe that's just because I don't read books as often as the normal book reader, buuuut, I can still appreciate a good book quite a lot. Now, down to the nitty gritty. This book follows the life of one Wade Watts, but you'll come to know him as Prazival. This book has plenty, and do I mean PLENTY of references. As an avid gamer, and all around computer... uh, nerd, I caught quite a lot of these homages. One of these actually REALLY caught me off guard, being a reference to a TV show (Anime, but let's not get into that), that really helped me deal with a lot of stress in my childhood, "Cowboy Bebop". I was beyond pleasantly surprised. One downside to this writing style became apparent to me RIGHT away, and it was painfully obvious at that. Since this is so full of references, some of them are very out of place.

This book was written in 2011, and I am reading this in 2015. It may not seem like such a big deal, but having to read the characters SERIOUSLY calling each other "noobs" as an insult was actually causing me to cringe so much that it almost made me sick. Talk about second hand embarrassment in the absolute worst way. Though, but no means does this ruin the book, it just kinda takes away a bit of the excitement behind it for me, knowing that with these jokes, the book is dating itself, even though its set in the future. Perhaps this can be explained in the same way that the rest of the book is explained in that since there was a resurfacing of interest in the 80's and 90's because of the book's most important character, James Halliday, but these terms really didn't even make sense in THAT time period either. That's just me being nit picky though, I imagine. Now, throughout this book, Prazival will come to know many people, and make friends with them. One of which he has been friends with for ages, named Aceh (Pronounced "H"), whom is a very close friend indeed. Prazvial is just a lowly level 3, and he can't raise his level easily, considering it cost money to even teleport around the worlds, and he certainly doesn't have the money. In his world, he is a poor very low class citizen. 

The world is in absolute chaos, murder and robbery become the norm. The world's resources are depleting too fast, and now there isn't much left, and all that is truly left for the world in the way of escapism is the OASIS. The OASIS is a universal gaming VR system created by Halliday, and the world basically worshiped him because of this. It provided the one thing people needed most, a way to forget about the troubles of the horrible world they live in. I don't want to get too much into the story, I like to keep my reviews as spoiler free as possible, but I will say the story itself, while nothing especially NEW, was very well written, and I quite enjoyed it. The journey it took me on was well worth the read, and I truly wish there was some sort of sequel to this, even though it wrapped up rather nicely, but there were plenty of questions I wanted answered. For a writer's first book, this is very good, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys games, older movies, TV shows, even a bit of sci-fi or fantasy. 

I rate this book 4.3 tasty sandwiches out of 5.

Thanks for reading!

Oh, and I accidentally spilled water onto my book like a fucking idiot, right before I finished it. So, I rated my stupidity 10/10, as well.

The Boyfriend Tag.

Sorry for the messed up fonts and stuff in this, I hope adding the names helped and it's still relatively easy to read. I tried fixing it but it doesn't want to work with me and I don't really have the time to try and fix it (I'm meant to be writing an essay right now, it's due in tomorrow morning) - enjoy.

You're out to eat, what kind of dressing does she get on her salad? 

Austin - Simple, she doesn't. She hates dressing!

Loz - And salad. Unless it's fruit salad.  

What's one food she doesn't like?

 Austin - Any kind of red meat.

Loz - *nods in agreement* 

 You go out to eat and she orders a drink, what drink is it? 

Austin - It's Coca Cola. Or TEA.

Loz - I would fail as a British person if I didn't drink excessive amounts of tea.  

 What size shoe does she wear?

Austin - Aw hell... I don't know shoe sizing. She has small cute feet... eights maybe?

Loz - Thank you. They're a six and a half, seven, in UK sizing. xP now you know.  

If she was collecting anything, what would it be? 

Austin - Books! Lots and lots of books. And make-up.
Loz - Also, maps and cups, I love maps and cups.

What is her favorite type of sandwich? 

Austin - Chicken and Bacon with seasoned mayo!
Loz - Yep! I also really love any sandwich with chicken in it.  

What would this person eat everyday if she could?

Austin - Chocolate.
Loz - I agree. Cinema popcorn is a close second.  

What is her favorite cereal? 

Austin - Special-K with chocolate I think?
Loz - I think you're thinking of Special - K and also mini chocolate chip Wheetabix. I talk about both of them a lot. 

What's her favourite music?

Austin - Acoustic covers for sure!
Loz - Yes!  

What's her favourite sports team?

Austin - The national book club team.
Loz - Yes, I don't much like sports! Sorry, sports fans.  

What's her eye color? 

Austin - The prettiest shade of dark blue that you've EVER seen.
Loz - Awe, thank you :3 I don't know what my eye colour is honestly, so that one is up to you.  

Who's her best friend? 

Austin - Some loser called Austin. She's always talking about him.
Loz - much to your displeasure.  

What is something you do that she wishes you wouldn't? 

Austin - Tanks and planes. That is all.
Loz - If you do tanks and planes quite often, I think we might have to see a doctor soon. And a therapist.  

Whats her heritage/where she's from?

Austin - She's an adorable Welsh girl who can't speak a bit of it! She was nearly born in Germany, and spent plenty of time living there.
Loz - Thank you!  

You bake her a cake for her birthday, what kind of cake? 

Austin - R E D   V E L V E T
 Loz - Yes, I love red velvet, or angel cake (which is just three coloured layers of sponge cake and cream frosting inbetween each layer).

Did/does she play any sports?

Austin - She MAY have played Volleyball in the past? I cannot remember.
Loz - I played no sports in the past. I had to do sports as part of school, which was things like netball, basketball, volleyball, running, hockey, walking, things I hated and hoped to never do again (except walking...obviously).  

What could she spend hours doing?

 Austin - Reading, writing, listening to music, and youtube videos.
Loz - Can't forget bugging Austin!

What is one unique talent she has?  

Austin -  She is a fantastic writer, and DAMN can she read fast. She also knows how to make me feel like the luckiest guy alive, so... that too. ;P
Loz - Shucks, thank you! I don't believe I have a talent though :3 

Thank you for reading, I hope it didn't make you throw up and I don't have any blogger friends to tag so if you want to do it then go ahead and do it!

The Girlfriend Tag

You're out to eat, what kind of dressing does he get on his salad?

 Loz - Ranch, I feel like he eats that on everything, so why not on salad too. 

Austin-  C O R R E C T

What's one food he doesn't like?

 Loz - Uh...I honestly don't know. He probably wouldn't eat human remains under normal circumstances. 

 Austin- Well, you're not WRONG. My least favorite is steak, honestly.

You go out to eat and he orders a drink, what is it?

 Loz - Apple flavored slushie's. 

Austin- Damn. Right.

What size shoe does he wear?

 Loz - A size...eight, I think? Maybe nine, I've never seen his feet properly. 

Austin- Size nines, wide. My feet are FAT.

If he was collecting anything, what would it be?

Loz - Lighters! I hope cats in the future. 

Austin- I already do collect lighters, so right! I plan to collect vinyls in the future. And yes, most likely cats.

What is his favorite type of sandwich?

Loz - I'm not sure that he likes sandwiches but if he does, then probably some type of meat or...he puts crisps (chips, for you Americans) into sandwiches sometimes, would that count?

Austin- Honestly? Not a huge sandwich fan, but if I do, grilled cheese. With chips. 

What would this person eat everyday if he could?

 Loz - Me, obviously. 

Austin- Yes. ;)

What is his favorite cereal?

 Loz - I don't think he likes cereal. If he does, he hasn't eaten a single bite of it in our entire relationship. 

Austin- Fruity Pebbles, but I can't remember the last time I even had any, so, you aren't really wrong!

What's his favorite music?

Loz - Music from games and stuff that sounds like dubstep, it's awful.

 Austin- Classical, Classic Rock, SOUNDSCAPE AND ELEVATOR MUZAK, what Loz said about game music, but only certain kinds. I hate dubstep as a side note, but she thinks some of what I listen to sounds like it. I can see where she's coming from, but it's NOOOOOT.

What's his favorite sports team?

 Loz - He doesn't like sports. Yay!

Austin- I think E-Sports are hilarious and I love watching them.

What's his eye colour?

 Loz - Most of the time, it's a pretty beautiful hazel color but it changes to a green/blue sometimes. 

Austin-  Yeah, what she said, excluding calling them beautiful.

Who's his best friend?

Loz - Aside from me, it's probably ... huh, I don't know, it used to be Blake, so maybe Valerie or ...I don't know his friends, haha. 

Austin- You're right, it's you, but other than you, it is indeed the VALERIE. Russian LOSER.

What is something you do that he wishes you didn't?

Loz - Get really angry at random times. 

Austin- That, or talk with a certain SOMEONE. 

What's his heritage/where is he from?

 Loz - Ohio. I don't think he's ever moved out of Ohio, either. 

Austin- I'm from Ohio all my life, but I'm partially American Indian (My great-grandmother was Indian, fully, Cherokee I believe), like half Irish (My great-grandfather was from Ireland), and the rest of me is German.

You bake a cake for his birthday, what kind of cake?

Loz - A cool colourful one. Maybe ice cream cake. 

Austin- ICE CREAM CAKE ACCEPTED. And colorful is perfect. 

Did/does he play any sports?

Loz - Not that I'm aware of. 

Austin- Played some football and golf when I was in middle school, that was it. I like tennis though. 

What could he spend hours doing?

Loz - Playing games, talking about games, tanks and planes, annoying me, sleeping, listening to music. 

Austin- Welp... you got me there. 

What is one unique talent he has?

Loz - He's REALLY good at packing, he's a great writer, he can make people laugh when he's in a bad mood, he's good with computers...I know I was only meant to write one, but he has many. 

Austin- Oh shucks, I'm only good at packing because of moving so much, my writing skills are awkward at best! I do like making people laugh, and I do like working with computers, thank you!

Book Review: All I Know Now by Carrie Hope Fletcher

Carrie's YT channel

This book, man...this book. Sure, this book was meant to be read by teenagers still in high school/secondary school but that never stopped me from loving it. Carrie, labelled as the "honorary big sister" of YouTube and wise beyond her years, wrote a book on her life experiences and advice she can give learnt from these experiences. If it wasn't for Emma Blackery's review on this book, I would never have picked it up, I didn't watch her YT channel and had no intention to. To me, she was just another YouTuber writing a book for money, no big deal.

That was, until I saw it for cheap at my local supermarket and the book was so pretty that I just could not give up the chance to buy it - even if I hated it, the hardcover without the dustjacket would look fantastic among my collection of books. 

Like Emma says, she speaks throughout this book like she knows you, like she's your friend, like she really understands and isn't just sprouting cliche bullshit you've heard a hundred times before (although, it did happen occasionally, like with "tell a parent or guardian when you're being bullied", whereas my advice would have been to reasonably stand up for yourself...but, that is just difference in opinion and not an actual flaw). There was many parts of this book I could relate to, even though I am almost nineteen years old, and the whole talking-like-she's-your-buddy thing annoyed me at first but then I warmed up to it. 

 

She handled dark topics really, really well and made me feel so much better about what I have been through - knowing I was not alone and if someone like Carrie was bullied, there's clearly nothing much wrong with me and the problem lies heavily in their shoulders. 

 

Not to mention the layout, like a play script (she plays a lead role in Les Mis in the West End), and all those cute little drawings!

 

This is a must have for anyone starting high school, in high school or even leaving to do higher education - it has some valuable information in it that I feel like it needs to be shared with the world. You can honestly see throughout the whole thing how this was not a publicity thing or a money thing, she loves to read and write (like me!) and wanted to do it, from her heart. It really shows. 

 

Have a good day! - Loz.

Monday Missions #4

I am doing pretty well with my reading so far, and now all I want to do is read so I have full confidence that three of these will be finished by the end of the week! I am so majorly exited for all of them, you guys have no idea. 

Currently reading - "Sweet Temptation" by Lucy Diamond. 

Maddie's (Dance Moms fans, anyone?) getting it from all sides. 

Her bitchy boss at the radio station humilates her live on air, her glamour-puss mum keeps dropping hints that she should lose weight (like signing her up for the gym) and her kids are embarassed to be seen with her after the disastrous mums' race at their sports day. Something's got to change...

Maddie relucantly joins the local weight-watching group where she finds two unlikely allies:

Jess, who is desperete to fit into a size ten wedding dress for her Big Day, and Lauren, who, despite running a dating agency, has signed off romance for ever. Or so she thinks...

I only read 42 pages of this last night and I am hooked! Even writing this makes me want to stop what I'm doing and jump right back into it - Lucy's (or Sue) writing style is so wonderful and relaxing, much more light hearted then what I have been reading recently! 

"Lies" by Michael Grant (book #3)

Tensions are growing in the FAYZ. The mutants are under attack. Sam's gone AWOL. 

At night, a solitary figure roams the streets - the ghost of a boy with a whip hand, haunting the dreams of those he has tormented. Then the town is deliberately set on fire, and through the flames Sam sees the figure he dreads the most - Drake. But that's impossible, Drake is dead. 

I, too, am terrified of Drake and therefore reading this book is exiting, yet daunting, to me (hence why I have a week long break after reading one book before I move on to the next). Any scene that involves the sadistic mind of Drake is bound to be the main cause of my sudden nausea. Netherless, we will plow through...any little hint of paranormal themes is bound to have me hooked! 

"Before I fall" by Juliet West. 

1916. Across the channel, the Great War rages; in London's East End, with her husband away fighting, Hannah Loxwood struggles to hold everything together. She has sacrificed so much for a husband who left her behind, a husband who may never come home. Then, when she meets Daniel - thoughtful, intellegent, quietly captivating - Hannah finds herself faced with the most dangerous of temptations...

As the war grips tighter and bombs fall down upon the streets, the stakes for the couple grow even higher. Soon, Hannah and Daniel will realize just how precarious their happiness is, as their destiny rushes towards them. 

Despite having great interst in WW2 (especially the Holocaust), I have never read a book about WW1 - especially seeing as it's before the time women could legally vote, I know there's going to be not very subtle sexism in here, but at least I'm aware of it before I read it. I am curious to see how feminism makes an appearance in this, if it does at all, but this is my extra book that will be read next week if not this week! 

"The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins. 

To everyone else in this carriage I must look normal; I'm doing exactly what they do; comitting to work, making appointments, ticking things off lists. 

Just goes to show. 

This has a much longer description avaliable inside the hardcover dustjacket, but I would rather go in blindly than know more about it. I have heard so much hype surrounding this book, both positive and negative, so I thought I would just go ahead and read it anyway seeing as it was really cheap at my local supermarket. 

Thank you so much for reading, what are you reading this week?