I feel like I'm not being totally fair to the book, because I started judging it based on its reputation and hype versus its own merits. On its own, it's a spirited attempt to present a complex interpersonal relationship amidst the backdrop of an industry that is more and more relevant to the average reader with the passing of the years. Ultimately, I was really hoping for more integration of these digital worlds that Zevin envisioned, Mapleworld and Pioneers. The characters themselves....were tough for me to stick with. Sam ranges from really nasty to awkwardly solipsistic in his attempts to reach out to his best friends. Sadie is ready to stop all forward progress in character development at the first sign of Zevin setting her up for trauma. Basically, I thought this book would evolve us past the need for books like Neuromancer, but we're still waiting for that day.
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Phil the Pill's books
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2024 Reading Goal
58% complete! Phil the Pill has read 7 of 12 books.
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Phil the Pill rated Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands: 5 stars
![Kate Beaton: Ducks (2022)](https://pub-1146fd6c5b9443ce8a2adde617e7847d.r2.dev/images/covers/f50f0775-628c-4f5d-a61b-3bec734cde6f.jpeg)
Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton
Before there was Kate Beaton, New York Times bestselling cartoonist of Hark A Vagrant fame, there was Katie Beaton of …
Phil the Pill finished reading In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
![Truman Capote: In Cold Blood (1994, Vintage)](https://pub-1146fd6c5b9443ce8a2adde617e7847d.r2.dev/images/covers/53005f78-dade-4939-85ff-7249fb26f313.jpeg)
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
In Cold Blood is a non-fiction novel by American author Truman Capote, first published in 1966. It details the 1959 …
Phil the Pill finished reading Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
I feel like I'm not being totally fair to the book, because I started judging it based on its reputation and hype versus its own merits. On its own, it's a spirited attempt to present a complex interpersonal relationship amidst the backdrop of an industry that is more and more relevant to the average reader with the passing of the years. Ultimately, I was really hoping for more integration of these digital worlds that Zevin envisioned, Mapleworld and Pioneers. The characters themselves....were tough for me to stick with. Sam ranges from really nasty to awkwardly solipsistic in his attempts to reach out to his best friends. Sadie is ready to stop all forward progress in character development at the first sign of Zevin setting her up for trauma. Basically, I thought this book would evolve us past the need for books like Neuromancer, but we're still waiting for that day.
Phil the Pill finished reading Artificial Condition by Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries, #2)
![Martha Wells: Artificial Condition (EBook, 2018, Tordotcom)](https://pub-1146fd6c5b9443ce8a2adde617e7847d.r2.dev/images/covers/e9f4149b-5068-44ed-8761-701615b2ab0a.jpeg)
Artificial Condition by Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries, #2)
It has a dark past—one in which a number of humans were killed. A past that caused it to christen …
Phil the Pill finished reading Hills of Estrella Roja by Ashley Robin Franklin
Phil the Pill finished reading The Nineties by Chuck Klosterman
Phil the Pill set a goal to read 12 books in 2024
Phil the Pill finished reading Ghosts by Dolly Alderton
Ghosts floated onto my radar earlier in the pandemic. I got it from the library and read 50 pages, telling myself "I want to buy this book." It took me something like 13 months to buy it and several more months to read it, but once I got into the thick of it again, I actually blazed through the story.
Ghosts just......works for me as a modern romance. Nina's observational wit presents a world I recognize and avidly want to hear her take on. The identifiable social satire of grown adults who start to sequester themselves according to relationship status hit me in the gut and nestled there. There was one plotline that I felt got somewhat bodice rippery, but I think I understand why she chose to take that relationship there in the end.
This one's special to me. Highly recommended.
Phil the Pill rated Ghosts: 5 stars
Phil the Pill finished reading Super Mario: How Nintendo Conquered America by Jeff Ryan
About as good as New Super Mario Bros. 2
3 stars
It's only fitting if I'm going to devote this much time to gaming that I should re-familiarize myself with the difficult business narrative of how gaming in North America really came to be. My favorite book on this subject is David Scheff's GAME OVER, from which this book heavily borrows its first-half structure. (Ryan cites Scheff's work at least one time, indicating that yes, he read it, and decided to follow the timeline almost exactly).