Virtual reality, high stakes competition, and a cast full of nerds make Ready Player One an incredible novel that anyone can enjoy! Who knew that kids obsessed with video games could make such an impressive plot? I had heard about this book so many times and kept passing it up because “it just didn’t sound like my kind of book,” but I’m happy I finally read it because it was amazing!
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I picked this book for the First to Read program, which provided me with a free copy to review, because Gayle Forman is one of my students’ favorite authors to read. She shares compelling stories that people can relate to, and I Have Lost My Way is no exception. From the beginning I knew I would enjoy this book because I am a sucker for seeing the story from multiple perspectives; to make it even better this novel also contains flashbacks into the pasts of our three narrators.
As the Tournament of Books wraps up the matches keep getting harder to judge. My problem this week is that I really enjoyed both of these books. The person responsible for determining who moves on today is Ashley C. Ford a podcast host and writer working on her first memoir. I wish her the best of luck in making this decision.
Today’s round moves us forward once more in the Tournament of Books. The two books facing off are Fever Dream and Dear Cyborgs. Both of these were books I enjoyed but did not predict would make it this far into the competition. That being said, Shelly Oria, an author, does not have an easy job today. Both books are inventive in many ways and certainly have literary merit.
Hey everyone! I’m taking the opportunity to be lazy today since I just got home from a week long trip to Chicago with my high school seniors. I still want to provide coverage of the Tournament of Books, but I also want to spend time with my family. I have some information on the books below, but it’s not as in depth as I usually like to go. I hope you’ll stick with me!
Today’s round of the Tournament of Books was judged by Lauren Cohen. As always, I do not envy this position in the slightest, but I think this round is slightly easier to judge than some of the others that have been impossible. I cannot wait to see who wins out in this one.
As the Tournament of Books continues forward two books I had actually not picked to proceed are pitted against each other. This round was judged by Rumaan Alam, novelist and writer. I think this round is a tricky one to judge because neither one of the books stuck out to me as an incredible contender, though they both have merits of their own. Keep reading to find out more of my thoughts.
Today’s round features Fever Dream and The Idiot, which were both books I had picked to move on to the next round. This was a tough round for me. The official judge was Jaya Saxena who is a writer and editor. Keep reading below for my thoughts on the matchup between these two wonderful books.
Alternate Side by Anna QuindlenAlternate Side is the second Anna Quindlen novel I have read, and I was certainly not disappointed at my reading experience with it. Quindlen has this unique ability to describe an average family life and make it interesting and full of meaning. Without anything ridiculously out of the ordinary happening Quindlen unpacks a marriage and several friendships and lays them bare for her readers. I absolutely love this about her work. This novel follows Nora and Charlie, a couple who has been married for twenty-five years in New York City. When drama arises on the block where they live (a very tight-knit community) Nora and Charlie find themselves on opposite sides of the issue. The points where they resolve this tension is where Quindlen shows off her talent best—she portrays life simply and accurately while taking her own unique view and applying it to the situation. I so enjoyed reading about the lives of these characters and seeing how they were molded and shaped over the period of the novel. If you enjoy reading about people and the choices that shape their lives, this is a novel you must read! That Was a ShiverI read That Was a Shiver very slowly. This short story collection was one I was genuinely looking forward to reading, yet it fell short of my expectations. I found it distracted, sporadic, crude, and snipped short. It was a challenge for me to follow the plot of most of the stories, and as a result I found it hard to engage with the stories and characters. I honestly don’t have much to say about this collection other than that it simply was not for me, and I wish the author the best in future works as well as in the publication and promotion of this book. I received advanced reader copies of all of these books in exchange for an honest review.
This round of the Tournament of Books features Goodbye, Vitamin and Idaho. I loved this round because one of the books was phenomenal! The last of round one was judged by Jeffrey Cranor who is a podcaster for Within the Wires and Welcome to Night Vale.
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