Books

Ready Player One

Metaverse treasure hunt steeped in nerd culture. 

If you strip away all the 80s pop culture, all the sci-fi trappings, and all the various other forms of lovable kitsch, you’re left with a textbook standard hero’s journey. It’s an impressive first novel, and it’s no wonder to me that Spielberg picked up the movie rights.

Orphan living with his aunt called to action by auntie’s death at the hands of the evil hegemony?

Check. 

Daring sojourn into the belly of the whale?

Check. 

Collective assault on the enemy stronghold?

Check. 

It’s exactly the kind of thing Spielberg earned his reputation for universal appeal with. The movie turned out badly, unfortunately, but the book was even better than I remembered it. I love all that geek stuff, I love sci-fi, and I love adventure stories. 

And it’s well crafted by first novel standards and sci-fi standards. Very little cringe, lots of enthralling scenes, and solid prose. 

Highly recommended for sci-fi fans. Recommended to all.

How Green Was My Valley

A boy grows up in a Welsh coal mining village as it industrializes.

This novel exudes life on every page. The joys and pains of the author’s experience come through with such intensity that you can’t stop reading it, even if it’s past bedtime and you’re running low on the emotional wherewithal to process it. 

But it’s like the kind of physical workout you get when you’re playing a sport you love. You don’t even realize how intense it was until you wake up sore the following morning.

In some ways, this book feels like a spiritual ancestor to 100 Years of Solitude. There’s a hint of magical realism to it, personalities echo and vary across generations, and the central family seems to play an impossibly large role in building and shaping their little community. 

I also detected echoes of Sons and Lovers, plus a heavy dose of prewar Bildungsroman like Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. 

Highly recommended. A gem.

The movie by John Ford is sensational as well. S tier cinematography. It beat Citizen Kane for best picture and best cinematography!

Also inspired this banger 

https://youtu.be/RrhSJzM8NLE?si=U19D5Vq6oAm1-rVd

The movie by John Ford is sensational as well. S tier cinematography. It beat Citizen Kane for best picture and best cinematography!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_Green_Was_My_Valley_(film)

A real good story 👍 I will definitely try, also you  can try Kite Runner by Khalid Hassan,