James the computer guy will now take a shot at blog post…

I seem to have an odd taste in reading, and don’t get very much reading done. I was told that perhaps my tastes could give some insight into some of our more eclectic readers. I'm only writing on books I have actually finished, because if it was good enough for me to spend my very limited time on, then it must have been good... maybe.
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The first I would like to tell about is one that I have finished a while ago, but haven’t found anything quite like in a long time.

Mogworld by Yhatzee Croshaw
 
This is the book that got me back to reading. It is written by a comedy video game reviewer and I would say he has done quite well.
A young mage named Jim is disappointed by his lack of progress in Mage School, but when his college is destroyed by its neighbor, Jim comes back with a new lease on life. Or so he thought now Jim and his zombie compatriots are complaining to their necromancer about pension plans and dental insurance. Morale for zombies is something that was never considered until a certain undead lord had considered they might be sentient.
Follow Jim in his adventure to figure out what is wrong with this new world, and hopefully, he can die in peace.
Content warning: some profanity, used with class (mostly). Mention of rotting corpses but no descriptions of viscera. No sexual content 

​Having not read since Mogworld, I was beginning to give up hope until I found this little gem. It is independently published, so it has a few errors, but I thought it was worth the read still. A bit odd, and a foray into a new genre calling itself LITrpg (for literary role play game).
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These are books where leveling up as a person and fighting monsters to do so is very much a thing. This book is self-published by the author and it shows. I forgive it because it is so full of humor, I haven’t laughed this hard since reading fool (Christopher Moore). 

​Dungeon born by Dakota Krout
 
Our protagonist is CAL, as in calcium. He is a crystal, but he is sentient and can manipulate the world around him. That makes him a dungeon core. When Cal almost dies, he decides to take matters into his own metaphorical hands and become the strongest dungeon there ever was. This means Cal kills adventurers for fun. Oh and he eats them, definitely eats them.
Content warning: very little if any profanity, no sexual content, geek humor

​Exploring further into this newfound LITrpg genre, I found this neat little story about a goblin and revenge. If you like video games you may just like this next one. It is a trilogy but comes together really well in the end. 

​Life Reset (New Era Online Book 1) by Shemer Kuznits
 
Our protagonist starts out like any other high level character in a video game, bored and apathetic. That is until his entire guild turns on him and transforms him into a level 1 goblin. This is a story of revenge and leveling up. May not be for everyone but I enjoyed it so much I read through all three of them before picking up anything else.
Content Warning: low profanity throughout, anything sexual is ‘fade to black’, ritual sacrifice and dismemberment amongst various battles. 

This is not available at the library currently, but can be read on Kindle Unlimited. 

​The next one started out very interesting with a d list super person that finally found a use for his dumb power, but then something happened. The same tale seemed to be told over and over through the trilogy. I would definitely suggest the first as just the premise alone is worth a look. However, the author seems to retell the rise of power and the sudden attack of Felix more times than there are books in this series. I felt compelled to finish after I had realized this in the second book. If you do make it to the end of the trilogy there is a bit of a lackluster conclusion.
Perhaps I'll just suggest reading the first one then.

Super sales on super heroes by William D. Argand
 
(The blurb does it best so I’ll just leave that here)
In a world full of super powers, Felix has a pretty crappy one.
​He has the ability to modify any item he owns. To upgrade anything.
Sounds great on paper. Almost like a video game.
Except that the amount of power it takes to actually change, modify, or upgrade anything worthwhile is beyond his abilities.
With that in mind, Felix settled into a normal life. A normal job.
His entire world changes when the city he lives in is taken over by a Super Villain. Becoming a country of one city. A city state.
Surprisingly, not a whole lot changed. Politicians were still corrupt. Banks still held onto your money. And criminals still committed crime.
Though the black market has become more readily available.
And in that not so black market, Felix discovers he has a way to make his power useful after all, and grasps a hold of his chance with both hands.
Content warning: This novel contains graphic violence, undefined relationships/partial harem (fade to black), unconventional opinions/beliefs, and a hero who is as tactful as a dog at a cat show. Read at your own risk.

​The last one for me is a book that I wasn’t sure of after seeing the movie. I was assured and was not disappointed the audiobook of ready player one. If you have seen the movie (or even if you haven't) this is quite a ride. Many artistic liberties were taken with the movie, but the real meat of the whole story seemed to be taken out. I highly suggest going back and listening or reading this book. Especially if you like dungeons and dragons, board games, video games, the 1980s or anything my parents aren’t particularly fond of. 

Ready player one by Ernest Cline
 
Living in a fractured home in a dystopian future isn’t that tough, especially if you have a super awesome virtual reality to lose yourself in every day. Wade was one of the last holdouts of Gunters, one of the Easter egg hunters. Many promises were made to the person that could find all the eggs upon the creator’s death, but it has been five years and no person has even had an idea of how to find any of the eggs. Follow wade as he uses useless 1980s trivia knowledge and l33t nerd skills to find the eggs and leave his sorry life behind. Love and conflict will both be found. By the way, way more licensed properties were used in the book than the movie, making it by far the better media for obscure references.
Content warning: violence and language throughout. Twitterpated relationships only, nerd refrences for the most advanced geeks possible.

   Bonus points, if you want to see any of the games mentioned in ready player one, come ask me on game day, I can pull most of them up for you to play :D
-James

Missy

​For this blog I am focusing on books with more of a science fiction element.

First up is Remake by Ilima Todd  

​Remake is a quick and interesting read about futuristic society where children are raised in batches, ten boys and ten girls, until they reach 17. Then they are sent to the remake facility where they pick everything from their hair color and name, to their gender and occupation before they join society. The story follows nine (the ninth female to be born into the batch) while she struggles with indecision heading into her remake. 

Scythe by Neal Shusterman 

​Scythe is set in a world with no hunger, disease, or war. People don’t die anymore. The revival centers take care of that. The problem is, as everyone agrees, the population still needs to be kept under control. The solution are Scythes. Scythes are the only ones that can take human life. The story follows two scythe apprentices as they are taught how to take lives and fill quotas. 

The One by John Marrs

​The One is about what happens after a genetic connection is discovered and able to match a person with their soul mate. The story follows five different people as they received the news of their match and are about to meet their one true love. Unfortunately a guaranteed true love does not guarantee and happily ever after.

,The Year’s Best Science Fiction 29th annual Collection

​Ok I know picking a year’s best is a bit on the nose for a science fiction pick but some of my all-time favorite reads have come from the short stories collections. There is nothing quite like it when ten pages worth of words stick with you for years after you read it. Whether reading a select few, or the whole book, the Science Fiction Collection is always a worthwhile check out. 

Cinder by Marissa Meyer 

​Cinder is the first book in a series of science fiction fairytale retellings. Cinder follows the cyborg, mechanic, that the book was named after, as she runs a repair booth for her stepmother. She has built a name for herself with her repair skills and those skills are what bring Price Kai to her booth. After meeting Prince Kai, Cinder finds herself wrapped up in secrets and problems she didn’t know she had, as well as a whole host of new ones.

Thanks! Crystal