Ready?

Ready for a high stakes contest with a multi-billion dollar payoff? Nostalgic tour of the 80’s? View of a future spent more on-line than IRL (in the real-world)? Geek coming-of-age/love story? David vs. Goliath battle? Puzzles?

You’ll love Ready Player One.

In the book, the reclusive video game designer James Halliday rocks the world when he dies: he offers his company and multibillion dollar fortune to the first person who can solve the puzzles and obtain the three keys hidden inside the OASIS. While life on earth in 2045 is pretty harsh, the refuge is the OASIS—Halliday’s vast virtual reality. Wade Watts grew up in the OASIS, his avatar going to school, buying goods and services, playing games, and meeting other people, well, avatars. And a huge subculture is born as millions search for Halliday’s prize. But years pass, and no one solves the first puzzle.

Wade plans to win the contest; he focuses on Halliday’s lifelong obsession with the 1980’s, and he doesn’t cut any corners researching. Films. TV episodes. Lyrics. Comic books. Video games. He stores information in his grail diary as possible clues for his quest—and then, as his avatar Parzival, he discovers the first key.

Parzival rockets to the top of Halliday’s contest scoreboard in OASIS, and the competition to win becomes fierce, even while the clues to the next puzzles become more difficult. Wade has to decide if he can go it alone--or join with other geeks--all while racing against the evil conglomerate bent on winning and subverting the OASIS to its own ends.

You don’t have to be a gamer to enjoy this book (but pass the book along to someone who is!). And you’ll definitely want to revisit your favorite 80’s TV shows and movies. I’d start with Wargames and Back to the Future, followed by the Star Wars trilogy (original, not prequel). How ‘bout you?

The House of Silk

For some reason, I can't seem to get enough Sherlock Holmes. From the original Conan Doyle stories narrated on audiobook by Simon Prebble, to the latest movie version (although that might have something to do with Robert Downey Jr.), the BBC modern adaptation Sherlock, and Laurie King's mystery series featuring Holmes and Mary Russell, I seem to be on a Holmes bender.

Fortunately for Holmes' fans, the Arthur Conan Doyle estate has authorized a new Sherlock Holmes novel. Anthony Horowitz, writer of the popular British television series Foyle’s War, has resurrected Sherlock Holmes and his partner, Dr. John Watson, for what could be their biggest case yet: The House of Silk. What starts out as an investigation of a burglary ends up turning into a much bigger case. Holmes and Watson discover a horrible crime that implicates members of the most esteemed families of England and the government. Horowitz delivers an intriguing mystery with realistic details of the gritty London underworld. The author also remains true to Holmes’ voice and personality, which should please die-hard fans. The audiobook is narrated by Derek Jacobi, who does a wonderful job with the various English accents.

Thanks to Noreen's suggestion, I'm moving on to A Study in Sherlock: Stories Inspired by the Holmes' Canon.

Staff Picks of 2011

The staff at Deerfield Public Library has done a lot of reading this year! In order to share our love of books with you, we've compiled a list of our favorite books that we've read this year.  Keep in mind, they aren't necessarily books that have been published this year.  Just books that we read in 2011 and loved!  

Julie

The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas

Persuasion by Jane Austen

Noreen

The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes

Clara and Mr. Tiffany  by Susan Vreeland

Definitely Not Mr. Darcy  by Karen Doornebos

The Informationist by Taylor Stevens

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett

Ted

In The Garden Of Beasts by Erik Larson

Life by Keith Richards

Batman:  Year One by Frank Miller

Louis Riel: A Comic-Strip Biography by Chester Brown

Paying For It by Chester Brown

Moneyball by Michael Lewis

Drinking At The Movies by Julia Wertz

The Sinner’s Grand Tour:  A Journey Through The Historical Underbelly of Europe by Tony Perrottet

How To Understand Israel in 60 Days Or Less by Sarah Glidden
Unbroken by Sarah Hillenbrand

Terri

The Submission by Amy Waldman

The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The Keeper of Lost Causes by Adler-Olsen

The Quickening by Michelle Hoover

The Snowman by Jo Nesbo

Janet

Warmth of Other Sun by Isabel Wilkerson 

Townie by Andre Dubus III

Bossypants by Tina Fey

Rules of Civility by Amor Towles

Room by Emma Donoghue

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Art of Fielding by Chad Harback

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese

Emily

Freedom by Jonathan Franzen

The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

The Hunger Games series

Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer

Madeline

The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson

Little Bee by Chris Cleave

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History by Scott Andrew Selby and Greg Campbell

Melissa

The Night Strangers by Chris Bohjalian

 The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz

Bossypants by Tina Fey

Kay

Breaking Night by Liz Murray

Clara and Mr. Tiffany by Susan Vreeland

Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran

The Snowman by Jo Nesbo

The Hypnotist by Lars Keplar

Conquistadora by Esmerelda Santiago

Bossypants by Tina Fey 

Jessica

1Q84 by Haruki Murakami

Chronic City by Jonathan Lethem

The Universe in Miniature in Miniature by Patrick Somerville

Chronology of Water by Lidia Yuknavitch

Rose of No Man’s Land by Michelle Tea

Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie

Submarine by Joe Dunthorne

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

Self-Help by Lorrie Moore

Everyone Loves You When You’re Dead by Neil Strauss

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

Daddy’s by Lindsay Hunter

Veronica by Mary Gaitskill

Swamplandia! By Karen Russell

Welcome to the Monkey House by Kurt Vonnegut

There are plenty more books that we loved but just didn't quite make our "favorite" lists this year so be sure to ask us for suggestions!

Speaking of AudioBooks

"3 Nights In August" by Buzz Bissinger

I love working at the Deerfield Public Library.  But I live in Chicago and the commutes can sometimes be pretty rough.  For years my wife has told me that she enjoys listening to audio books during her commutes.  She said that it helps make the time fly when you get into listening to a book.  I finally took her advice and checked out an audio book a few months ago.  She was right!  Listening to a good audio book while driving home really does seem to make the time fly by. 

I’m a huge baseball fan and I’m already in deep baseball withdraw.  I recently checked out an audio book from the library that I really enjoyed.  “3 Nights In August” is written by Buzz Bissinger who is best known as the author of “Friday Night Lights”.  “3 Nights In August” is a book about Tony La Russa, the manager of the St. Louis Cardinals.  The framework of the book is a three game series that the Cardinals are playing against their hated rivals, the Chicago Cubs, in 2003. 

Even though the book is about Tony La Russa and the St. Louis Cardinals, there was plenty in there for a Chicago baseball fan to enjoy as well.  First of all, the book is about a three game series against the Cubs.  Each game is discussed in detail and many of the Cubs players are talked about in detail as well.  I found the discussion about Mark Prior to be almost sadly prophetic.  Tony La Russa talks about what a fantastic pitcher he is and how he can tell the young man is completely brimming with confidence about his abilities and future.  But Tony La Russa then reflects on how fleeting a career as a baseball pitcher can be.  One bad injury and a once promising career can be cut painfully short.  If you’re a Cubs fan you know how true those words turned out to be.

While the book focuses on the three game series against the Cubs it also tells the story of Tony La Russa’s life and his start in baseball.  So once again we get a good dose of Chicago baseball history as Tony La Russa’s start with the Chicago White Sox is discussed.  I’m a huge White Sox fan so I really enjoyed hearing the stories about Bill Veeck, Carlton Fisk, and Harold Baines.  I also really enjoyed finding out that Tom Seaver was the only pitcher that Tony La Russa ever managed who wouldn’t lie to him when he would go out to the mound and ask him how he was feeling.

What ultimately made the book fascinating to me though was how it really got into what a manager really does in baseball.  The day to day, and hour by hour breakdown of a typical day for Tony La Russa is a lot of what this book is about.  As much as possible Buzz Bissinger tries to get inside the head of Tony La Russa to figure out how he makes the decisions he makes during a baseball game.  I was amazed to learn, for instance, that deciding to have your pitcher try to hit an opposing batter can depend on if that batter gave money to his wife’s charity the year before!  This book was also published shortly after the hugely influential “Moneyball” was released.  Tony La Russa talks a lot about his own personal strategies for running a baseball offense and how it differs from the “Moneyball” philosophy.  If you’ve read “Moneyball” you will probably find that discussion to be very interesting.

So if you’re a baseball fan, and you’re looking for a great way to kill some time during your commute, I highly recommend “3 Nights In August”.

And For My Next Book...

As the year ends, a deluge of lists hit our desks and screens claiming the best books of 2011.  As much as I try to keep up with all the new books that make their debut throughout the year, it’s impossible to read them all.  And that starts me thinking about all the great books I might have missed in years past.  And then I start to worry that I will never read everything I want to or that I missed the greatest book ever written.

After I calm down and tell myself that books are meant to be enjoyed and it’s not a contest, I realize I need to select my next book.  What a decision!  Something that’s new or something that's old?  I decide to go with old, a 2007 publication date to be more specific.  I don’t even remember where I read the review of The Rossetti Letter by Christi Phillips, but it sounded intriguing. The story of a race to chronicle the tale of a seventeenth century courtesan who tries to warn the Venetian Council of a Spanish plot to overthrow the Venetian Republic sounded right up my alley.

Clare Donovan is trying to complete her thesis of the mysterious courtesan, Alessandra Rossetti, when she discovers that there is another scholar who may just beat her to it.  Clare’s career may never take off if this occurs. We follow Clare to present day Venice on her quest to locate the documents she needs to present her case.  Parallel to Clare’s story, we also read Alessandra’s story, which is filled with treachery, violence, politics and romance.

For those who love historical fiction, as I do, this book is a great find. A new author that has me wanting to read not only more by her, but also more about the little known Spanish Conspiracy against Venice.  The Rossetti Letter was just what I needed to remind me not to forget those books that don’t show up on any lists and to just relax and enjoy the book.

Funny You Should Mention Chelsea Handler...

Every time my husband and I have to make a road trip to visit our families for the holidays, I insist on listening to an audiobook. I tend to get car sick, so I prefer listening to a book rather than reading in the car. And there is no way I'm going to give up several prime hours of reading time to stare out the window at corn fields. The problem is that my husband and I have very different reading tastes, so it's always difficult to find an audiobook we both enjoy. I have had pretty good success with humor. Last Christmas we enjoyed listening to I'm Dreaming of a Black Christmas by Lewis Black. This year I snagged Chelsea Handler's latest Lies Chelsea Handler Told Me. Halfway through our drive I was gasping for breath and literally weeping (from laughing, not crying, in case that was unclear). Two days later I was still tittering when I recalled one of the more humorous stories.
It turns out that Chelsea Handler is a huge liar. She delights in pulling pranks on those around her and will go to great lengths to create elaborate ruses to trap her victims. This book is a compilation of stories told by Chelsea's friends, coworkers, and family members, who recount the instances when they fell prey to her shenanigans. I'm always envious of people who are clever enough to create a good prank and pull it off successfully. Chelsea Handler is a master at pulling pranks. At times they almost seem cruel, but the people in her life seem to understand that this is part of Chelsea and accept it with begrudgingly good humor. Fans of Chelsea's show will recognize some of the comedians that often appear such as Heather McDonald, Josh Wolf, and Brad Wollack. Outrageously funny, fans of Chelsea Handler will love this one.

Mental Note- Avoid Writing Books About Exes

Along with a large percentage of the 20-30 something female population, I've been known to read snarky humor books written by other women. These books often focus on the status of the author's love life, previous relationships, and awful trips to the mall/salon/Mexico/high school reunion/dance club/family dinner. I cringe when I see an awful first date approaching and I sympathize when an ex-boyfriend says something inappropriate post breakup. That being said, I was immediately drawn to My Boyfriend Wrote A Book About Me by Hilary Winston. The book is nonfiction, and as you may have guessed, starts out with a story about how the author's ex-boyfriend wrote a book seemingly based on their 5 year relationship. Let's just say, it was not a flattering portrayal.
The dedication of My Boyfriend Wrote A Book About Me says "This book is dedicated to anyone who has ever had their heart broken. And dreamed of getting the tiniest slice of revenge. And didn't do it because they were worried they'd look crazy. I'm taking this bullet for you. You're welcome." That's basically the summary of the stories in this book. Winston writes chapter after chapter of hilarious, cringe-worthy stories about ex-boyfriends and you can't help but get sucked into reading every last page. In addition to the dirty details about her former flames, Winston writes with enough self deprecation that you don't feel like she's being unfair to any of her targets. I'd give you more details but they aren't quite appropriate for a library blog. While this book may not be short listed for any awards this year, I'd absolutely recommend it to Chelsea Handler fans and those looking for a read that is maybe a touch bitter but definitely quick and funny.