Book 39: The Word Exchange by Alena Graedon

Print is dead. Will our ability to think die with it? In the near-future, Anana Johnson works for her father at the last American dictionary still in print; all others have long ago sold out to the Word Exchange, a for-profit app for the latest smartphone-style device (the Meme) that supplies definitions for words the user doesn't know. People have grown more and more dependent on the Meme, which anticipates its users needs and desires (a memory of grandma's cookies, for example, will result in the ingredients for the cookies being automatically added to a virtual shopping cart), and some people even have the device implanted directly in their brain.

The last print edition of the dictionary is nearly raedy for publication, but then Anana's father disappears, and a strange word flu (contagious aphasia accompanied by fever) begins to spread.

I'm a little torn on how I feel about the concept of this book. On one hand, I agree with the importance of the printed word. The tactile enjoyment of a good book is highly overlooked, and there's definitely something to be said for looking at something that's not a screen, can't malfunction, and has no load time. But on the other hand, I read this book on an e-reader and am writing this review on a laptop, so there are some definite perks to technology.

Story-wise, this book moves a little too slow to keep the tension running high. Anana's a pretty cool character, a smart everywoman. Bart was interesting enough, although he kinda got on my nerves, and his voice at times seemed a little forced. I wish we'd gotten to see a little more interaction between Bart and Anana; their romance seemed inevitable but lacked a natural progression. It would've been nice to see them working out the mystery together.

The word flu was an interesting plot device, and I have to admit that unforeseen detrimental effects of our over-reliance on technology is pretty scary, as is how vulnerable we may be making ourselves if these devices are tampered with. However, the sheer number of aphasic conversations made the dialogue fairly hard to follow at times. B-

Review based on an uncorrected ARC received from NetGalley.

Book 38: Snobs by Julian Fellowes

I picked up this book because I'm suffering from Downton Abbey withdrawals, so I thought I'd try a novel written by its writer and creator Julian Fellowes. This book is something of a nineties retelling of Vanity Fair, although Becky Sharp is a great deal more clever a social climber than the prevaricating Edith. It's rather fun imagining the Broughton Hall family as a modern-day version of the Downton clan, if their efforts to modernize prove successful. I can totally picture Maggie Smith as Lady Uckfield. The class distinctions and ins-and-outs of the aristocracy are as fascinating and indecipherable to me as ever, and all of the characters are of course snobbish, but that's right in the title. Fans of Downton (particularly the "upstairs" set; no glimpse of servants here) will enjoy the social commentary and subtle humor, but if you're more into plot-driven books you may find this a bore. B+

Book 37: Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel

I brought this along on my trip to Mexico because I thought the location would amplify my enjoyment of both the book and the vacation (even if I wasn't really in the same region of Mexico as the book was set).

I loved the recipes, the language, the symbolism, and I'm a huge fan of magical realism. The love story would be questionable if this story were more realistic (John > Pedro), but for this dreamy, fairy-tale of a story it works.

Book 36: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

In the year 2044, everyone lives their lives in a virtual universe. The OASIS was introduced in 2014 and grew in popularity as the price of fuel skyrocketed and overpopulation drove up the cost of living and caused global food shortages. The future is pretty bleak.

So when the creator of the OASIS dies, leaving as his will a series of 80s-based riddles (he was obsessed with 80s pop culture, and geek culture in general), everyone is desperate to solve the riddles, find the Easter Egg hidden somewhere in the OASIS, and inherit his fortune. Our hero, Wade Watts, devotes all of his time to the search because his real life is, again, pretty bleak.

Despite that, this book was a lot of fun, like a techie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I loved all the pop culture references, and the author did a great job of raising the stakes at each victory, so tension remained high. I adored the three main characters (especially Art3mis! Gotta love a love interest with goals that don't always involve a relationship with the protagonist) and learning the history of the OASIS's creators. And although I do appreciate the ultimate message about valuing real life over virtual life, the fully immersive online environment, filled with every type of world you can imagine, sounded like so much fun! A

Book 35: The Man Who Sees Ghosts by Friedrich Schiller

Sorry for the long absence! Just got back from a glorious vacation in Tulum, Mexico, so I'm still playing catch-up.

I love reading about Romantic era's obsession with the occult, so the first half of this book, with its mysterious ghost, seance, and ultra-logical unmasking of fraud was great fun. The second half slowed for me a bit, and I'm afraid my history was too rusty for me to grasp the significance of the religious conversion plot until the very end. Still, it's always fun to read a nearly forgotten classic. B