Hey there. Welcome to Feature Shelf, a series that provides book recommendations based on theme or title suggestions. I am the (book) supplier and this is Feature Shelf #20, the Tech Edition.
We can’t go anywhere without technology anymore. So this week’s shelf has five books that have something to do with technology, from spending most of your life in a video game world to hooking up a computer interface to your brain.
The first two books on our shelf this week are Feed by M. T. Anderson and Brain Jack by Brian Falkner. Both of these novels deal with advancements in technology such that people access the internet using their minds, and what happens with that internet is hijacked for devious purposes. They make readers think about how much our technology really knows about us, and the dangers of some technological advancements.
The third book on the shelf is Little Brother by Cory Doctorow. Winston is a hacker. After the San Francisco Bay bridge is blown up, and he’s picked up by the cops, he decides that the best payback would be to hack into the computers and take down the Department of Homeland Security. Not sure that’s wise.
The next book on the shelf deals with the consequences of cyber bullying, and is Send by Patty Blount. Dan wants to get through his senior year of high school unnoticed. He wants to leave his past behind him, but it is because of his past, because he used to be a bully, that he can’t stand to watch another student picked on. Stepping in puts him in a spotlight he didn’t really want, especially since he’s still punishing himself for his past.
The last book on the shelf this week was my favorite of 2012: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. Ready Player One is set in 2044, where life as we knew it has changed so much that even school takes place in a virtual reality, and most people have their most meaningful experiences in a VR world called The Oasis. Wade Watts is a gunter — one of the few people left still looking for the easter eggs left in the Oasis by its late CEO. When Wade finds the key that opens the first gate — the first step to becoming the new owner of the Oasis — he becomes a target for people both online and IRL. This video games meets 80s trivia, meets the RPG of a lifetime. An awesome read for any techy gamer.
So those are some books you might like if you’re into technology: Feed, Little Brother, Send, and Ready Player One.
And that’s it for this episode. For the Feature Shelf archives and show notes, both video and podcast, or to request your own Feature Shelf check out thebooksupplier.com/featureshelf. You can also send me requests on Facebook or Twitter at thebooksupplier (all one word) or an email at thebooksupplier at gmail dot com.
I’m going to leave you there now, dear readers. Thanks for listening to Feature Shelf #20: The Tech Edition. As always, I am the supplier wishing you happy reading. Don’t forget to be awesome.
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Thus endeth this week’s Feature Shelf. I hope you found something that piques your interest. If not, and if you’d like to request your very own Feature Shelf, you can do so by leaving a comment here on YouTube, on Facebook, Twitter or Google+, or if you’re not into social networking, on the contact page at thebooksupplier.com. Thanks for watching Feature Shelf #20: The Tech Edition. I am the (book) supplier wishing you happy reading. Don’t forget to be awesome.
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