Ready Player One: A Novel

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Originally published: 16th Aug 2011
Authors: Ernest Cline
Page count: 374pages (Paperback)
Publisher: Crown Publishers
Subjects: Sci-Fi
Language: English
ISBN-10: 030788743X
ISBN-13: 9780307887436
Product Dimensions: Kindle eBook / Audiobook

100 Word Book Review:

Wade Watts, along with other global players, dedicated his life studying hidden puzzles. These puzzles are in the virtual world, and it is based on the creator’s obsession with the pop culture of decades past and that promise massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock them. Individuals and teams, everyone is using all ways to win the final prize. In this narrative story, as the race drags on Wade needs to win in order to stay alive. At the end of the day, Wade needs to face the real world that he tried to turn away from.

Who should read:

Anyone who has a passion in gaming will enjoy this book thoroughly. From the hardware specifications, to the software requirements, this book is peppered with many IT lingos, concepts and terms. Common terms include, ‘experience points’, ‘level up’, ‘high score’. If you are a gamer, you will find these terms very familiar.

Who should NOT read:

If you are looking for romance, or something close to real life, please stay away from this book. It is not entirely according to the typical boy meets girl and fall in love while they go on dates. It is a complete story of how Wade overcome the game and life challenges. Surely it is not a romance story as that is not the focus.

Takeaway points:

Overall as a gamer myself, I find this book very appealing and comfortable to read. I finished it in one seating, immersed in the literary world that the book has described vividly. At times it brings me back to my younger days when I was gaming delirious, a little similar to the character (Wade) in the book.

About the Author

Ernest Cline is an internationally best-selling novelist, screenwriter, father, and full-time geek. He is the author of the novels Ready Player One and Armada and co-screenwriter of the film adaptation of Ready Player One, directed by Steven Spielberg. His books have been published in over fifty countries and have spent more than 100 weeks on The New York Times Best Sellers list. He lives in Austin, Texas, with his family, a time-traveling DeLorean, and a large collection of classic video games.

Bird Box: A Novel Kindle Edition

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Bird Box: A Novel

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Originally published: May 13, 2014
Authors: Josh Malerman
Page count: 305 pages (Kindle)
Publisher: Ecco; Reprint edition
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0007529872
ISBN-13: 978-0-00-752987-2
Product Dimensions: Kindle

100 Word Book Review:

Imagine one day ‘something’ terrible appears out of nowhere and wiped out almost everybody. No one knows how this ‘something’ spreads or how it kills, much less how to prevent it. One glance and the victim falls into suicidal behaviour instantly, desperately seeking to end life. There is no vaccination, no cure, nor understanding of its transmission. Over time, some survivors learnt to live and avoid the plague. Malorie and her 2 young children need to relocate and reach the community which has promised them safety and food. Can she cross the white water river safely while being blinded-folded?

Who should read:

Readers who are seeking adventure and science-fiction fantasy. This kindle editon provides exactly just that. Though the novel tries to be as realistic as possible, it is rather unrealistic to be doing obstacle course while being blind-folded. Or perhaps with years of training, it is possible to do so?

Who should NOT read:

For those who are expecting some explainations or visual image of that ‘something’ will be sorely disappointed.

Takeaway points:

Both exciting and daunting to know that something formless and shapeless can cause so much damage to humanity. If this was to be based on true events, it is highly likely human population will be reduced by 80%. I kid you not!

The Alchemist – Paulo Coelho

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The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho
The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho
The Alchemist – Paulo Coelho (Full View)
The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho
The Alchemist – Paulo Coelho (Page view)

The Alchemist

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Originally published: April 15, 2014
Original Title: The Alchemist
Author: Paulo Coelho (Author)
Page count: 208 pages
Publisher: HarperOne; Anniversary edition
Genre: Fiction
Language: English
ISBN-13: 978-0062315007
Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches

100 Word Book Review:

A story is about an Andalusian shepherd boy, Santiago who travels from Spain to the Egyptian desert in search of a treasure buried in the Pyramids. Along the way he meets a Gypsy woman, a man who calls himself king, and an alchemist, all points Santiago in the direction of his quest. Nobody knows what the treasure is, or if Santiago will be able to surmount the obstacles, resulting in the discovery of the treasure. Lush, evocative, and deeply humane story that is an eternal testament to the transformative power of our dreams, the importance of listening to our hearts.

Who Should Read it:

Readers who are lost in their lives, wandering aimlessly for a goal and a purpose in life. Each day is a fighting chance to strive and achieve for progression and advancement in all areas of life. The reason to fight may be directly for the end result, a cause for celebration and such. Yet a majority fails to see that when we follow our hearts, we may receive things that are much more dazzling and unexpected than what we set out for. That is what this book is trying to share with everyone, and to remind that our dreams are so much greater when we realise it.

Who Should Not Read it:

For those who are in the mood to read something serious and practical, this book is certainly not the right title. Even so, some fiction story delivers good, close to reality examples to be applicable to daily life. Certainly not this book.

Takeaway point:

Dreams are what motivate us to move and progress in life. The importance of fulfiling dreams may seem neither realistic nor practical. Only by realising it, dreams may yield so much more than we initially imagined.

The Warlock (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel Book 5) ~Kindle Edition

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In the fifth installment of this bestselling series, the twins of prophesy have been divided, and the end is finally beginning.

With Scatty, Joan of Arc, Saint Germain, Palamedes, and Shakespeare all in Danu Talis, Sophie is on her own with the ever-weakening Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel. She must depend on Niten to help her find an immortal to teach her Earth Magic. The surprise is that she will find her teacher in the most ordinary of places.

A good fantasy story with a modern setting. Great for casual fiction reading.~

Buy all 5 books

The Alchemyst (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel #1)

The Magician (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel #2)

The Sorceress (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel #3)

The Necromancer (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel #4)

The Warlock (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel #5)

The Alchemyst (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel Book 1) Kindle Edition

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This is book 1 of the series of The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel.

Nicholas Flamel was born in Paris on 28 September 1330. Nearly seven hundred years later, he is acknowledged as the greatest Alchemyst of his day. It is said that he discovered the secret of eternal life. The records show that he died in 1418. But his tomb is empty and Nicholas Flamel lives. The secret of eternal life is hidden within the book he protects – the Book of Abraham the Mage. It’s the most powerful book that has ever existed. In the wrong hands, it will destroy the world. And that’s exactly what Dr. John Dee plans to do when he steals it. Humankind won’t know what’s happening until it’s too late. And if the prophecy is right, Sophie and Josh Newman are the only ones with the power to save the world as we know it. Sometimes legends are true. And Sophie and Josh Newman are about to find themselves in the middle of the greatest legend of all time.

A good fantasy story with a modern setting. Great for casual fiction reading.

Buy all 5 books

The Alchemyst (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel #1)

The Magician (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel #2)

The Sorceress (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel #3)

The Necromancer (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel #4)

The Warlock (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel #5)

The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel

Paths of Glory – Jeffrey Archer

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Paths of Glory - Jeffrey Archer
Paths of Glory - Jeffrey Archer
Paths of Glory by Jeffrey Archer

Some people have dreams that are so magnificent that if they were to achieve them, their place in history would be guaranteed. Francis Drake, Robert Scott, Charles Lindbergh, Amy Johnson, Edmund Hilary, Neil Armstrong, and Lewis and Clark are among such individuals.

But what if one man had such a dream, and once he’d fulfilled it, there was no proof that he had achieved his ambition?

Jeffrey Archer’s latest book, Paths of Glory, is the story of such a man—George Mallory. Mallory once told an American reporter that he wanted to climb Mt. Everest, “because it’s there.” On his third attempt in 1924, at age thirty-seven, he was last seen six hundred feet from the top. His body was found in 1999, and it still remains a mystery whether he ever reached the summit.

But only after you’ve turned the last page of this extraordinary novel, inspired by a true story, will you be able to decide if George Mallory’s name should be added to the list of legends, in which case another name would have to be removed. Paths of Glory is truly a triumph.

 

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Three Fates – Nora Roberts

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three fates

 

When the Lusitania sank, one survivor became a changed man, giving up his life as a petty thief – but keeping the small silver statue he lifted, a family heirloom to future generations. Now, nearly a century later, that priceless heirloom, one of a long-separated set of three, has been stolen. And Malachi, Gideon, and Rebecca Sullivan are determined to recover their great-great-grandfather’s treasure, reunite the Three Fates, and make their fortune.

The quest will take them from their home in Ireland to Helsinki, Prague, and New York, where they will meet a brilliant scholar who will aid them in their hunt – and an ambitious woman who will stop at nothing to acquire the Fates.*

 

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Midnight Tides: A Tale of the Malazan Book of the Fallen – Steven Erikson

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Midnight Tides: A Tale of the Malazan Book of the Fallen - Steven Erikson
Midnight Tides: A Tale of the Malazan Book of the Fallen - Steven Erikson
Midnight Tides: A Tale of the Malazan Book of the Fallen – Steven Erikson

( Please note that the BooksAvenue has the different edition of this book. A picture is as below.)
After decades of internecine warfare, the tribes of the Tiste Edur have at last united under the Warlock King of the Hiroth, There is peace–but it has been exacted at a terrible price: a pact made with a hidden power whose motives are at best suspect, at worst deadly.

To the south, the expansionist kingdom of Lether, eager to fulfill its long-prophesized renaissance as an Empire reborn, has enslaved all its less-civilized neighbors with rapacious hunger. All, that is, save one–the Tiste Edur. And it must be only a matter of time before they too fall–either beneath the suffocating weight of gold, or by slaughter at the edge of a sword. Or so destiny has decreed.

Yet as the two sides gather for a pivotal treaty neither truly wants, ancient forces are awakening.  For the impending struggle between these two peoples is but a pale reflection of a far more profound, primal battle–a confrontation with the still-raw wound of an old betrayal and the craving for revenge at its seething heart.

The Silent Man – Alex Berenson

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The Slient Man
The Slient Man
The Slient Man

The New York Times bestselling author of The Ghost War and The Faithful Spy

CIA agent John Wells has spent years in the company of evil men. He’s paid the price and is beginning to doubt if he can ever live a normal life. And when a powerful adversary from his past finds him, Wells must once again enter the fray.

For his country. For his soul. For revenge…

The Winds of Folly – Seth Hunter

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The Tide of War
The Tide of War

The second brilliant novel in Seth Hunter’s naval adventure series, featuring Captain Nathan Peake. Newly-promoted Captain Nathan Peake is despatched to the Caribbean to take command of the British navy’s latest frigate, the 32-gun Unicorn. But the Unicorn already has a tragic history of mutiny – and murder. Meanwhile the Revolutionary authorities in Paris have sent the best frigate in the French fleet, the 44-gun Virginie, on a secret mission to spread mayhem from the shores of Cuba to the swamps of the Mississippi Delta. While the Unicorn embarks on her epic duel with the Virginie, Nathan confronts the seductive charms of Sabine Delatour, witch queen of the Army of Lucumi, the intrigues of the American agent Gilbert Imlay…

BooksAvenue price: S$10

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With delivery charge of S$3.00 per title,

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  • Free delivery for purchase over S$50
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