We braved the heat this past weekend and attended the Los Angeles County Fair. I think we all took in too much sun the day we were there, but we still managed to have fun. When asked what her favorite part of the fair was, Mouse immediately said seeing the zebras. I think riding the carousel is up at the top of her list too. Both Anjin and I had Monday off for the Labor Day Holiday, and we, along with Mouse, spent a good chunk of the day at the park where we fed the ducks, played on the jungle gym and cooled off in the water play area. It was a good way to round off the long weekend.
I managed to get a little reading in this weekend, although not much listening. I am reading a crime fiction novel called Lineup by Liad Shoham for an upcoming book tour. The setting (Israel) is what first drew me to the novel. So far I am enjoying it. I hope to finish listening to Ready Player One this week. I am not sure it is a book I would enjoy actually reading in print, but listening to Wil Wheaton narrate the story has me hooked. If I could, I would sit straight through and listen to the remaining four hours. Alas, that is not an option.
What are you reading right now? Is it something you would recommend?
Every Tuesday Diane from Bibliophile By the Sea hosts
First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros, where
participants share the first paragraph (or a few) of a
book they are reading or thinking about reading soon.
The audiobook, Ready Player One, had me sitting on pins and needles all weekend, wanting to listen but not being able to. I even woke up a little early this morning so I could get back to it . . .
Everyone my age remembers remembers where they were and what they were doing when they first heard about the contest. I was sitting in my hideout watching cartoons when the news bulletin broke in on my video feed, announcing that James Halliday had died during the night.
I'd heard of Halliday, of course. Everyone had. He was the videogame designer responsible for creating the OASIS, a massively multiplayer on-line game that had gradually evolved into the globally networked virtual reality most of humanity now used on a daily basis. The unprecedented success of the OASIS had made Halliday one of the wealthiest people in the world.
At first, I couldn't understand why the media was making such a big deal of the billionaire's death. After all, the people of Planet Earth had other concerns. The ongoing energy crisis. Catastrophic climate change. Widespread famine, poverty, and disease. Half a dozen wars. You know: "dogs and cats living together . . . mass hysteria!" Normally, the news-feeds didn't interrupt everyone's interactive sitcoms and soap operas unless something really major happened. Like the outbreak of some new killer virus, or another major city vanishing in a mushroom cloud. Big stuff like that. As famous as he was, Halliday's death should have warranted only a brief segment on the evening news, so the unwashed masses could shake their heads in envy when the newscasters announced the obscenely large amount of money that would be doled out to the rich man's heirs.
But that was the rub. James Halliday had no heirs.
Would you continue reading?
© 2013, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.
Not sure I'd read this one, but I would try a few more pages. Mouse and zebras is a cute combination Wendy:)
ReplyDeleteThe Los Angeles County Fair sounds like fun! My girls love carousels, too. As for reading, I had started The Book of Immortality but gave up on yesterday (it just wasn't for me), and now I'm reading The Dinosaur Odyssey. With my kids, dinosaurs are a major topic of discussion. I have to keep up with it!
ReplyDeleteIt looks like Mouse was having a wonderful time. She's adorable!
ReplyDeleteReady Player One sounds interesting. Very cute photo!
ReplyDeleteShe looks like she is loving it. My brother went to a book signing for Ready Player One, had it signed by the author and Wil Wheaton and sent it to me! I have not read it yet, as I want to listen!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great picture of Mouse on the carousel!
ReplyDeleteReady Player One is one of those books that I probably wouldn't give a passing thought to reading if it weren't for the fact that all (all!) the bloggers seem to love it. So, it's on the wish list. Glad to hear you're enjoying it so far, too!
I'm reading Here Comes Mrs. Kugelman. It's....well, it's weird, but I've yet to decide if it might still be recommendable.
I think everyone who's listened to Ready Player One loved it. I was so "meh" about the book but I wonder if reading it instead of listening to it made the difference.
ReplyDeleteNot very sure myself!
ReplyDeleteOh the carousel. Despite my loving the fair with all its smells and bright lights I never liked any of the rides apart from the 'horses'.
ReplyDeleteI loved this book on audio (reviewed here), but I'm not sure I would have enjoyed it half as much had I read the print version.
ReplyDeleteSounds a great day, Wendy! I used to like carousels, though not so much the horses on the outside as that can get a bit ominous! I would keep reading though I plan to read it anyway so that's made me biased.
ReplyDeleteSuch a darling picture of mouse! She looks so much like you there. We have a carousel in our mall and while we don't visit often, when we do Elle always wants to ride.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you're loving Ready Player One! I read the book after listening to it (for a book club meeting) and agree that the audio adds a whole new layer or dimension to the book. Enjoy the rest!