repostage: Second Life in the Year 2044

August 24, 2011 | Everywhere
A Brave New World
"Ready Player One," by Ernest Cline

This is the true story… of what happens… when you stop judging a book by its cover… and just read the damn thing already.

Ernest Cline’s debut novel, Ready Player One, is set in the year 2044, when much of the human population escapes its ugly existence by logging into a virtual reality and attempting to solve a computer puzzle with a multibillion-dollar prize — including awkward 18-year-old Wade Watts.

Because he lives most of his life online, Wade’s never met his best friends or the girl he loves, and his worst enemy is a giant corporation that’s tried to kill him. Locked in a room alone, the tenacious teen works to outwit them all (and possibly win the girl).

We were skeptical. A book about a video game set in a dismal future didn’t sound like the sort of thing we’re into. But once we gave him a chance, Cline pulled us in with chapter 0000 and didn’t let us go until game over.

Now that’s a lesson about the real world.

Available online at amazon.com, $13.

Photo: Courtesy of The Crown Publishing Group


	Let’s hear it for the boys: Turn the page for ten more books written by men.



	Boho Chic Trends come and go (hello, crop tops and capris), but flowy clothing is here to stay. Stock up on earth-friendly EcoSkin tops and other festival-ready items from our sample sale site.

TOOLS SPONSORED BY:

Vote for the Next Big Small Business
Cast your vote in the second annual Start Small, Go Big contest from DailyCandy and Ink^SM from Chase. From 3,055 entries, it’s come down to twelve finalists. Help decide which ones win the chance to make a national name for their companies-on-the-rise, gain access to DailyCandy’s trove of emerging-biz expertise, and score unparalleled financial guidance from Ink from Chase (check out Jot^SM, its new real-time expense-tracking app). Learn more and vote — wisely — at dailycandy.com/startsmallgobig.

Want to get a leg up on lookin’ great? Visit The Sweet Shop and enter the Skintimate® Summer Styles Sweeps for the chance to win samples and a look inspired by Skintimate® Moisturizing Cream Shave. While you’re there, don’t forget to download a coupon. Enter now.