What would the world be like if the Y2K disaster had happened on January 1, 2000, as some expected? Things We Didn't See Coming is a collection of related short stories which offer one view, as a young man makes his way through a dystopian future. As the years go by, the problems people face change and the unnamed protagonist, as he moves about the country, changes his strategies for survival.
I am not a gamer at all but I loved reading about Parcival and his friends navigate an online adventure filled with eighties pop culture references left behind by a reclusive billionaire. The game takes place in the OASIS, an online virtual reality where most of the population now spends their time because the real world has become a very depressing place. The reward is the fortune the billionaire has left behind. Will Parcival reach Halliday’s egg before the Sixers? Read Ready Player One and find out!
Here is a book for those who loved Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert and Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mays. Mary Simeti went to Sicily in 1962 to do volunteer work, fell in love, married a Sicilian and remained in Sicily, running his farm on the island. This beautifully written book covers the year 1983, the rhythm of the farm work, the work and customs of the Sicilian people, and the history and mythology of the island. Check out On Persephone's Island @ the library!
In 1799, a young clerk leaves Holland for Dejima, Japan. He plans to earn his fortune by working for five years for the only European company allowed to trade with the Japanese Empire. For various reasons, including wars back in Europe, his five years turn into eighteen, and Jacob’s character develops and matures as he struggles against corporate corruption, falls in love with a Japanese midwife and deals with people from many different nations and walks of life. Readers of historical fiction, check out The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet @ the library!
