I am Princess X by Cherie Priest

I Am PRINCESS X
by Cherie Priest
227 pages








Once upon a time, two best friends created a princess together. Libby drew the pictures, May wrote the tales, and their heroine, Princess X, slayed all the dragons and scaled all the mountains their imaginations could conjure. 
A few years later, Libby was in the car with her mom, driving across the Ballard Bridge on a rainy night. When the car went over the side, Libby passed away, and Princess X died with her.
Now, May is sixteen and lonely, wandering the streets of Seattle, when she sees a sticker slapped in a corner window...... Princess X? 
When May looks around, she sees the Princess everywhere: stickers. patches and graffiti. There's an entire underground culture, focused around a webcomic at "IAmPrincessX.com". The more May explores the webcomic, the more she sees disturbing similarities between Libby's story and Princess X online. And that means that only one person could have started this phenomenon---her best friend, Libby, who lives.

Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King

Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King, 437 pages

In King's latest book, he entertains the reader while breaking away yet again from his traditional horror roots.  Mr. Mercedes tells the cat and mouse story of a retired police detective and the mass murderer who got away.  Upon retirement, Det. Hodges left only three cases open, two of which his partner was closing in on.  But one kept Hodges up at night, the Mercedes Killer.  Then one day, Mr. Mercedes makes contact with Det. Hodges, and the games begin.

Despite not being like King's classic works, I really enjoyed this one.  At no point while reading did I think that any information given to me was unneeded.  Also, minor spoilers-ish, you (the reader) know who the killer is all along.  In fact, a good portion of the narrative is told from his perspective...and it was pretty cool.  To demonstrate how good the story was, I'm a pretty slow reader and I basically read the entirety of the book in one weekend.

Who Is Bill Gates? by Patricia Brennan Demuth

Who Is Bill Gates? by Patricia Brennan Demuth, 105 pages

I did not know much about Bill Gates before I read this book.  Of course, I knew he created windows and was behind Microsoft. But, I had no idea he dropped out of Harvard.  He did, however, eventually receive an honorary degree from Harvard in 2007. Nowadays, Bill and his wife Melinda spend their time running their foundation to fight poverty and polio worldwide.

Return of the Library Dragon by Carmen Agra Deedy

Return of the Library Dragon by Carmen Agra Deedy - 32 pages

The Library Dragon reappears on her last day before retiring when she sees all the books have been taken out of the library to make room for computers.

I did not think this book was as good as the first book - The Library Dragon.  The story line was forced.  I don't really know any librarians that hate computers as much as shown in the book.  Same with kids hating computers.  Definitely not the best library-themed book.  Stick with the original.

Chobits, vol 1, by Clamp, 185 pages

Chobits, vol 1, by Clamp, 185 pages

The easiest way to convince me to read a book is to tell me that it's been banned or that people take issue with it.  So of course I put this on my to-read list after Amy talked about it at Staff Day during her manga/anime presentation. :)  Chi is a personal computer- who looks like a girl- and came into Hideki's life by means of a garbage pile.  She is more than meets the eye, though, and Hideki is trying hard not to fall in love with her while finding out what her secrets are.  Also while trying to get into school, work, and continually embarrassing himself in front of his landlady and teacher.   I thought this was a cute beginning and could go in a good direction; but it's definitely for older teens or adults (some nudity, lots of suggestive-ness).

Off to be the Wizard, by Scott Meyer

Off To be the Wizard, by Scott Meyer, 276 pages

This is only at 3 libraries (according to Worldcat), which is a shame, because I absolutely loved it.  It is a mix of the humor and voice of Terry Pratchett, combined with the technology of Ready Player One (another excellent read).  Martin is just your average, twenty-something year old man who spends more time on computers than with people.  And when Martin stumbles across a file that proves that all of reality is just a computer file, he soon finds himself playing the part of a wizard in medieval England.  This book is funny (the author is the creator of "Basic Instructions," a webcomic that is also hilarious), the characters are relatable, and it was just a surprisingly fulfilling read.  I just hope there's a sequel!

Wizzywig: Portrait of a Serial Hacker, by Ed Piskor

Wizzywig: Portrait of a Serial Hacker, by Ed Piskor, 288 pages

I'll admit it- based on the title, I thought that this was a sort of biography.  Don't be fooled, however- the subject of this book, Kevin "Boingthump" Phenicle, is fictional, but based on several real-life hackers.  Kevin is a hacker, who grew up in the 1970s and 80s and started with manipulating the phone companies.  With the inception of the PC, Kevin became a computer whiz who taught himself how to do just about everything-- even unethical and illegal things.  This book isn't a defense of hacking, but it does explore the mindset of a hacker and raise some interesting questions about the Internet and online rights, in general.

Little Brother, by Cory Doctorow

Little Brother, by Cory Doctorow, 382 pages

Marcus Yallow is a seventeen-year old techno-wizard.  He also believes in the Bill of Rights and personal privacy, which lands him in a detention cell when San Francisco is attacked by terrorists and Marcus is in the wrong place at the wrong time.  This book is geared towards young adults, but adults will enjoy it, too.  Doctorow paints a future that is all too realistic.  I officially have a crush on his brain.

Trust Me by Jayne Ann Krentz

Trust Me by Jayne Ann Krentz - 368 pages

Sam Stark has just been left at the altar again -- for the third time.  It's obvious that his relationships will never work out.  So when he's interested in caterer Desdemona Wainwright he decides to "go with the flow" rather than make any plans for the future.  But analytical, logical Sam is out of place with Desdemona's outgoing, theatrical, loyal family.  It's going to be a miracle if this relationship makes it past a few dates.  Especially when Sam starts to believe that Desdemona's brother might be a computer hacker and thief.
I listened to the audio version of this book.  I enjoy Krentz's books and enjoyed this one also. However, it felt very dated to me.  It was published in the mid 1990s when computers and the Internet were first becoming truly popular.  It was very strange to hear them wax on about personal digital assistants when we are so used to smart phones today.  It probably wouldn't have been so noticeable if Sam's character hadn't been a computer techie in the book.