The story is a throwback to many pop-culture gaming references including Pac-Man, Dungeons and Dragons, and more. I listened to most of the book which is read by Wil Wheaton. Wil is the perfect person to read this book. He does a very good job and as a listener, I know that Wil is a gamer at heart. He gets the story. I did return the audio book because it was taking me a long time to read it, so I finished up reading the print edition.
Overall, I found the story interesting and engaging. The author does a good job delving into the Oasis but also pulling out and seeing the real world. But, the story does start to drag about three-fourths of the way through. I simply got bored of the ongoing quest to find the next key. I did get most of the references mentioned in the story, but only because I lived through some of the things mentioned. I had to wonder if kids today would understand it. But as kids borrowed the book at the library, they did.
I was curious about the movie adaptation. I haven't seen it, but I have wondered how the movie would portray the Oasis. There is also the problem of all of the gaming references, which would require extra rights to mention or portray. From what I have read, the reviews were mixed and the movie over-all did not do as well as expected. Still, I'm curious and may watch it one day.
Book Rating: 4 stars
The books I select for review are books which I personally select from my local library. I do not receive any reimbursement from authors or publishers or free books. I do provide links to Amazon as a convenience to the readers of this blog.
, on audio to listen while on a road trip. A kid wakes up in an enclosed environment with other trapped boys and no memory of his previous life. Each day a wall opens up and selected kids run through a mysterious maze hoping to find a way out. Each day, the maze changes and includes dangers from monsters. Each day there are new challenges among the inmates. And then a girl enters the maze as well.
. The kids setup a pseudo government with rules and punishments. The maze challenge makes you think of 
because there are people watching the kids and manipulating them in a contest type situation. Still, the first book has excitement, adventure, and a bit of a mystery. Worth the time to read it.
. The second book of the Hunger Games lacked in the story department too, so not really a surprise. The Scorch Trials is a bridge to the third book. The kids have to traverse a desert landscape in hopes of arriving at the last "safe" city where people who are immune to the plague live. It's not entirely clear why they must do this, but that is the power center of the remaining healthy humans. They lose a few companions and some become infected by the plague. I found the second book boring, tedious, and rather predictable.
is exactly that. The kids search for a cure for the plague to save one of their own in the city. There are underground movements of people trying to gain safety, others looking for revenge. In the midst of this, will the one person who can save the entire world do so or will he let the corrupt government implode on itself. The ending was better than I expected, though some readers will be disappointed.
, I had to read 
. I have to admit I was lost for most of the beginning of the movie. Even after watching the whole movie, there was still some things I didn't understand. I didn't know if the screenwriters did a faithful adaptation or if it was just poorly directed. I'm glad I read the book and I can easily say that this book is among my top favorites of all time.
. Yes, there was a movie that came out a few years ago. My original motivation in reading the first story is to compare the novel and the movie. The movie has some connection to the original story, but it really is a different story. Then I had to read the rest of the stories to see if the screenwriters adapted various scenes from the rest of the novels for the movie. They borrowed some elements, but not very much. So if you have seen the movie, you will not be bored by the books.
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is book 4 in Janette Oke's Love Comes Softly series. Marty and Clark return as the center of this story. Clark gives Marty a birthday gift of train tickets to visit Missie and Willie on the ranch. The story chronicles their journey by train and the happenings once at the ranch. In this particular story Clark suffers a near fatal accident that changes his life forever. Does he give into depression because of his handicap or will he emerge stronger? You can probably guess.
is one strange story from Daniel Wallace. In fact, if I had not been listening to this on audio, I would have given up on it. The story is very subtle and the reader has to work pretty hard to understand it.
is billed as an exciting thriller and a look at a possible future. Instead I found it depressing and boring. I nearly gave up on it half way through. I admit, I picked up this book because the movie did look exciting - perhaps with some re-writing.
by Olive Ann Burns
, written by Joe David Brown, is a story about a girl and her father. There is a famous movie based on the novel starring the father-daughter team of Ryan and Tatum O'Neal. The story begins with Addie Pray meeting up with her father, Long Boy. Together they are supposed to travel to a relative's home for her to live after the death of her mother. Instead, the two team up and travel around the south working as con artists.
and Disney. The story as written by Jack Bickham is fun and delightful. A sheriff ends up with the kids of the town drunk - who can't deal with them and leaves town. The hardened sheriff is up for election and the town is frustrated with his inability to arrest outlaws. Trouble comes when the outlaws decide to rob the town bank because they think the sheriff is too busy babysitting. The whole time I read this book, I kept thinking this would make a great movie!
by R. D. Blackmore