You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost)

I'm going to have to go back and rewatch Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. Despite the fact that I can't say that I remember Felicia Day, this memoir was an entertaining enough read.

"I mean, why isn't HGTV the same channel in every city? Why do they have to make it so hard to decompress while watching people remodel things? I need to see couples fight over landscaping costs before I go to sleep at night. This is important for me!"

I had the honor of meeting Felicia Day at a work conference years ago. I've lived her work, and her wonderfully attitude she shows online. This book was amazing! And very eye opening! Keep up all the great work @felicaday!

Felicia Day's personality really shines through in this quirky autobiography. I probably expected a little more on her acting career, but this was a really easy and fun read. Her joy, geeky gaming background, and delight at the possibilities of the Internet is evident, and only darkened towards the end (GamerGate and other things sadly coming to the fore). Thoroughly enjoyable.

I'm not what you might call a fan of Felicia Day. Not a bad sense - I just didn't really know much about her except that she does sci-fi and internet stuff. And she's cute and seems neurotic and relatable. I didn't even bother going to the book signing event when she was in Toronto. I'm not sure why I bought her book, frankly, but I'm glad I did.

If you liked Ready Player One because of the references, well, this book has nerdy references galore, and you don't need to trudge through a crappy, unbelievable story with boring one-dimensional characters to get them! Instead, the references are wrapped by a fun, funny (some would say inspiring, but I guess I'm not easily inspired) story that, to me at least, was also very personally relevant in many ways.

I'm also glad she included the chapter on GamerGate. I was surprised while reading the book that she didn't mention any sexism in the geekverse throughout the book (the creeps are mainly business people, actually), and thought she was going to gloss over it in the name of not getting on anyone's nerves, but she saved the best for last and put in a strong voice against GamerGate and the culture it engenders and supports. Good on her!

So, to sum up, good, fun read. Worth your time even if you're not a fan.

Felica Day's writing has a particular quirky, personal style that draws you in. You want to be her friend.

My only quibble is the book does seem light on detail. There are quirky moments from her youth and some history of her, quirky moments from her pre-internet fame days, quirky moments from shooting The Guild, and some revealing moments regarding addiction and depression. However there is a sense she is holding things back, possibly from a desire to not expose parts of her life she feels are more private (for example her boyfriend is mentioned a couple of times, but never identified nor are we told anything about him or interactions with him.)

Regardless, I very much enjoyed the book, identified with her chapters on WoW addiction and depression, and after finishing it got the audiobook to hear it read in her own voice. Recommended.