Ready Player One

From GoodReads:

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?

My Review: Being a geek I loved this book! I know I cant be the only one who read about immersion rigs wished that we had them RIGHT NOW to play World of Warcraft with. That would be the unltimate trip.

This book was so full of geekdom that I squealed with joy at each reference. It took me down memory lane to the 80’s and 90’s. It made me wistful for the time I DID play Dungeons and Dragons the old fashioned way.

This book is written to resemble a game. You have a quest, bad guys even some power ups. Reading what was happening was like watching a real live game. I have never read this sort of book before and it thrilled me.

The charterers were believable. It wasn’t to hard to make the leap into what the world in the book was like. Cline did excellent world building. From the world running out of fossil fuel to the widespread poverty and the new kind of ghetto’s it felt 100 percent real.

There are twist and turns in this book that will keep you on your toes. There was one point when I thought all was lost but the end redeemed itself.

It is also about good in evil in a uncertain world.In the quest we find that some people will do anything to win, including murder.

I would recommend this book to all the geeks in the world. Especially if you grew up in the 80’s and 90’s

Born On a Blue Day

From Goodreads:

One of the world's fifty living autistic savants is the first and only to tell his compelling and inspiring life story - and explain how his incredible mind works.
This unique first-person account offers a window into the mind of a high-functioning, 27-year-old British autistic savant with Asperger's syndrome. Tammet's ability to think abstractly, deviate from routine, and empathize, interact and communicate with others is impaired, yet he's capable of incredible feats of memorization and mental calculation. Besides being able to effortlessly multiply and divide huge sums in his head with the speed and accuracy of a computer, Tammet, the subject of the 2005 documentary Brainman, learned Icelandic in a single week and recited the number pi up to the 22,514th digit, breaking the European record. He also experiences synesthesia, an unusual neurological syndrome that enables him to experience numbers and words as "shapes, colors, textures and motions." Tammet traces his life from a frustrating, withdrawn childhood and adolescence to his adult achievements, which include teaching in Lithuania, achieving financial independence with an educational Web site and sustaining a long-term romantic relationship. As one of only about 50 people living today with synesthesia and autism, Tammet's condition is intriguing to researchers; his ability to express himself clearly and with a surprisingly engaging tone (given his symptoms) makes for an account that will intrigue others as well

My Review: This is a book that was recommended to me by a friend. I had heard of Daniel Tammet but did not realize he had a book out so needless to say I was curious to read this book.

Daniel is a high functioning autistic savant. He is one of only 50 living savants in the world and the only one that can explain his thought processes. This makes him remarkable in more ways than one.

This book is his autobiography and in it he details his life growing up knowing that he was different but not knowing how. He tells us how difficult school was and how he had a hard time connecting with other children.

The book was dry but nevertheless I found it a fascinating account of how he explained how his brain works. He has Synthesia which allows him to visualize numbers and letters as images. These images helps him memorize to such a degree that he broke England's record for reciting the most digits in the number PI.

He can also learn languages in just a week. He explains how for a TV program they asked him to learn Icelandic in just four days. After conversing in Icelandic for four days he was able to give an interview all in Icelandic. The way he learned it was amazing.  I wish I could do that. I struggled to learn French.

This a rare account into the mind of an autistic savant. No other savant can communicate such details to us.

This is a book I think everyone should read if just for the educational opportunities it affords.

ElectroBoy

From Goodreads:

Electroboy is an emotionally frenzied memoir that reveals with kaleidoscopic intensity the terrifying world of manic depression. For years Andy Behrman hid his raging mania behind a larger-than-life personality. He sought a high wherever he could find one and changed jobs the way some people change outfits: filmmaker, PR agent, art dealer, stripper-whatever made him feel like a cartoon character, invincible and bright. Misdiagnosed by psychiatrists and psychotherapists for years, his condition exacted a terrible price: out-of-control euphoric highs and tornadolike rages of depression that put his life in jeopardy.
Ignoring his crescendoing illness, Behrman struggled to keep up appearances, clinging to the golden-boy image he had cultivated in his youth. But when he turned to art forgery, he found himself the subject of a scandal lapped up by the New York media, then incarcerated, then under house arrest. And for the first time the golden boy didn’t have a ready escape hatch from his unraveling life. Ingesting handfuls of antidepressants and tranquilizers and feeling his mind lose traction, he opted for the last resort: electroshock therapy.
At once hilarious and harrowing, Electroboy paints a mesmerizing portrait of a man held hostage by his in-satiable desire to consume. Along the way, it shows us the New York that never sleeps: a world of strip clubs, after-hours dives, and twenty-four-hour coffee shops, whose cheap seductions offer comfort to the city’s lonely souls. This unforgettable memoir is a unique contribution to the literature of mental illness and introduces a writer whose energy may well keep you up all night.

My Review: I have a confession to make. I myself have bipolar and discover the gem of a book when I was first diagnosed. I went to the library and asked to check out books related to bipolar and this is one of those they gave me. This is also one of my favorite memoirs related to bipolar disorder. This is also on my yearly re- read list

This book brings a lot of comfort to me I read it to know that I am not alone. That some one else went through worse than I did and survived and is now functional.

I feel it is important to have books such as these to know what bipolar really is like. The doctors fail to explain in depth what it is and there is so much misinformation out there related to bipolar. It is important to have as accurate information as possible.

One reason I like this book is that he conveys what happened to him in a humors light. There are so many doom and gloom tales of mental illness that it is refreshing to have one that is downright funny. I laughed all thorough this book.

He tells about his journey with medicines and their side effects. The meds did not work well for him so he and his doctor decided to try electro shock therapy. That’s is how he got his name. He explains how he his memory was affected and how he lived through the side effects. This is an honest portrayal of what electro shock therapy is like. There is no glamorizing here. In fact there is no glamorizing in any of this book. This is a raw gritty account of what bipolar is.It expresses the manic highs and the lows and the rage that comes with it.

Overall I feel this is a must read book. even if you don’t have bipolar you can get enjoyment out of this book and learn about it at the same time.

Procrastination Equation

From Goodreads:

The world's leading expert on procrastination uses his groundbreaking research to offer understanding on a matter that bedevils us all. Writing with humour, humanity and solid scientific information reminiscent of Stumbling on Happiness and Freakonomics, Piers Steel explains why we knowingly and willingly put off a course of action despite recognizing we'll be worse off for it.
For those who surf the Web instead of finishing overdue assignments, who always say diets start tomorrow, who stay up late watching TV to put off going to sleep, The Procrastination Equation explains why we do what we do — or in this case don't — and why in Western societies we're in the midst of an escalating procrastination epidemic.
Dr. Piers Steel takes on the myths and misunderstandings behind procrastination and motivation — showing us how procrastination affects our lives, health, careers and happiness and what we can do about it. With accessible prose and the benefits of new scientific research, he provides insight into why we procrastinate even though the result is that we are less happy, healthy, even wealthy. Who procrastinates and why? How many ways, big and small, do we procrastinate? How can we stop doing it? The reasons are part cultural, part psychological, part biological. And, with a million new ways to distract ourselves in the digitized world — all of which feed on our built-in impulsiveness — more of us are potentially damaging ourselves by putting things off. But Steel not only analyzes the factors that weigh us down but the things that motivate us — including understanding the value of procrastination.

My Review: I admit I was skeptical when first reading this book. You see, I have this huge problem with procrastination. I have read other books on this topic and the all spouted some theory or such that did not really resonate with me. Not so with this book. I was pleasantly surprised when I started reading this book and recognized myself in the examples. This book is supposedly based on real scientific theory. I did not check the sources but everything made sense.

The author explains the three profiles of procrastinators.He explains in detail why we procrastinate. then he gives us a way to beat that procrastination. For example he says that people work harder the closer they get to a deadline. I know I Procrastinate on this blog so I made a schedule to give myself a “deadline “ for book reviews. I am just now putting this into practice so we shall see how well it works. He also said that people work better with schedules. So I also implemented that into my plan.

The book was easy to read and very accessible. There were not many jargon words. If there were he explains in detail what he means.

I would recommended this book to anyone interested in seeking happiness (improving procrastination is on that list) and anyone who wants a sound book on improving efficiency.

Sunday Salon

                                     

I was reading a book on Procrastion because well I procrastinate a lot. This book had some really good ideas. One was to schedule a set time to do everything. I thought I practice that by scheduling to write all my posts on Saturday. I find it hard to get in the writing and reviewing mood everyday but once I start writing my reviews I could do it for hours so hopefully this will help me be more consistent with when I review books. I also thought of keeping book notes on ever note to help me remember what I read during the week. We shall see how well this pans out.

Speaking of writing, I read The Artist Way last summer and one of the things that it said to do was to write morning pages of 750 words every morning. I have started doing that again. I am hoping it will help jump start my creativity. Since I cant exactly read my own hand writing I decided to use Penzu.com to write them in. So far I am loving it. I can also type faster than I write so this helps keep up the flow of words writing that the morning pages are supposed to be.

Also I never scheduled before when to read books but I was having so many e books from the library that expires that it was getting frustrating so I decided to make a schedule in Google Calendars of when e books expires. So far this has helped me add some needed structure to my reading.

I have also discovered my new music obsession, The Vitamin Quartet. They are a classical music group that covers todays most popular songs in the classical music content. So you have Lady GaGa but in a classical way. It is wonderful music to write to. I listen to them for hours on Spotify.

I also came across this website IDreamBooks. It is like a Rotten Tomatoes for books. I like it. It helps me see which book I really want to read next. It gives you the top critics review for each book. They cover all genres.

Since I am back in my own apartment and I have my medicine and all. I am going to start trying to read a book a day. We will see how it goes this week. I read Tolstoy and the Purple Chair and thought it was a good idea. I just want to see if I can do it.

That’s all for today. I am going to be spending the rest of today reading Zombies: A Field Guide and drinking Iced coffee. Have a good Sunday everyone!

Sunday Salon

                         

It has been as hot as I ever experienced here in America this week. I haven't felt temps this hot since I was an aide worker in Africa. I stayed inside where it was nice and cool thanks to the AC.

You would think that I would have gotten a lot of reading done. Well you would be wrong. I received my meds on Tuesday so I had my med for ADHD/Bipolar but maybe Strattera is the kind of medicine that has to build up in the brain before it works well.

I am also using the Podomoro technique to help build up my concentration. I use a mix of Getting things done and this to keep on top of things. I haven't really been diligent about implementing it so I am starting today so I will be ready when school starts up again.

Also I cant seem to find a comfy reading spot in my parents house. In my apt I have a Lazy Boy Chair that I sit and read in but not here.Also the most comfy spot I have found the couch in the living room is not so ideal after my step father gets home from work and turns the TV on. I cant read with the TV on so that an issue also. I am going back to my apt in Ohio on Friday so we shall see if that impacts my reading.

Since here in the hills of KY the library is terrible I have been using the e book Library in Ohio where I live. I found out you can only put ten items at a time on hold. The physical Library you can check or put 75 items on hold so I am not sure why there is a discrepancy there.

At the moment I am reading Eletroboy which is a memoir of mania that occurs in bipolar disorder which I have. I read these types of books to know that I am not alone. It helps. I am hoping to finish my re read today then I will start on Discovery of Witches. Lets hope that this week is a better reading week then last week.

The Sunday Salon

                                     

 

I had a great idea for a Sunday Salon post but promptly forgot it. This led me to investigate note taking services and I came across Evernote. I downloaded it to my phone and computer so that when I have another great idea I can just jot it down and Evernote will save it for me.

I had an embarrassing low reading count for June. I ran out of my Stratrattera (ADHD med) and couldn’t focus to save my life. I got a friend to go check my mailbox in Ohio (I am on vacation at my parents in KY) and guess what? Even though I told them to forward my mail until July the PO proved incapable of doing that. Luckily my friend was nice enough to mail my meds to me and I should get them tomorrow. So July should be a happy reading month for me.

The only book I have read this week is Jo Nesbo The Leopard. It was as awesome as the Snowman. I cant wait to read ALL of Jo Nebo’s work.