Ready Player One

I LOVED THIS BOOK. I have too many thoughts so I'm gonna use bullet points:

-I adored all the 80s references. They made me nostalgic even though I was born in the 90s. They made me: A. Want to read/watch/play all the things B. Realize that if they make a movie out of this properly they'd have to pay like 9 billion dollars to get the rights to things.

-Wil Wheaton did an excellent job reading and it was pretty hilarious to hear him read about himself in Wade's voice

-Awesome use of the “real self” trope you see in MMORPG stories. Interesting commentary on sexism and racism. Loved the reveals for everyone's real self and loved that Wade was mature about said reveals.

-I, of course, wish The Oasis was real. Loved how it was not just an RPG thing but a world kinda like Second Life that even non-geeks participated in. Found the idea of the accessories that allowed you to smell and feel you surroundings super cool and creative.

-The HUGE access to every pop culture thing ever Wade had made me extremely jealous

-I was surprised to hear stuff about masturbation and simulated sex in a book for younger readers but approved of the author not talking down to his readers

-Good to see it wasn't “YOU DIE IN THE GAME YOU DIE FOR REAL” but rather real life murder (which was aptly disturbing).

-Though it was hard to hear (lol I'm an escapist) the “real world is the only place you can find happiness” bit was an important message and the last sentence of the book was the perfect ending

-I liked the Japanese character but found them to be a little stereotypical, always talking about what is “honorable.” Maybe the fact that they're nerds justifies it but I've got mixed feelings.

-LGBT AND black character automatically makes this book awesome. Also enjoyed the port wine stain thing.

I'm off to look into all the allusions mentioned in this book!