Heir Apparent

For Giannine's 14th birthday, her father gets her a gift certificate for Rasmussem Gaming Center Virtual Reality Arcade. She's happy with the gift that she told her dad's secretary that she wanted. She'd be happier if her dad would have called and asked what she wanted but he didn't so she's off to enjoy her virtual half hour. Giannine decides to try out the new game Heir Apparent where there are way too many ways to get killed. Unless she can get the magic ring, find the stolen treasure, answer the dwarf's dumb riddles, impress the head-chopping statue, charm the army of ghosts, fend off the barbarians, and defeat the man-eating dragon, she'll never win. The problem is that the equipment has been damaged and if she doesn't win, she will die -- for real this time. Anybody who has repeatedly lost a video game will be able to relate to the Giannine's frustration with trying to make the right moves. Is the game fun any more when your life is at stake? Can she make the right decisions to become the king of the virtual world?

The Tipping Point

The Tipping Point: How little things can make a big difference by Malcolm Gladwell

Gladwell provides an entertaining looks at what causes things to become an epidemic. He looks at not just clothing trends but also crime, disease, rumors, and smoking. There's also a discussion of what made Sesame Street popular and what the children's show Blue's Clues did differently to make it even more appealing. Read the chapter about Connectors, Mavens, and Salesmen to find out what type of person you are and where you fit into the spread of a trend.

See Wikisummaries for Chapter by Chapter summary:
http://www.wikisummaries.org/The_Tipping_Point

Little Brother

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
Once I picked up this book, I had it finished within a few days. Doctorow pulls together technology, surveillance, terrorism, and the connection between security and freedom in this fast paced, action packed story. This contemporary novel features 17 year old Marcus, a.k.a. "w1n5ton," who figures he knows how the system works and how to work the system. He has no problem working around his high school's surveillance systems and computer filters. When terrorists attack San Francisco, Marcus and his friends find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time and are arrested by the Department of Homeland Security. They are taken to a secret prison where they are interrogated for days. When finally released, Marcus finds that the city has become a police state where every citizen is treated like a potential terrorist.

This is definitely one of my favorite books for 2008.