We spend a lot of time reading books. Some of them, maybe a disproportionate number, we like. Others, not so much.
Disproportionate because, at least for me, it’s difficult to get through 500 pages of something I dislike.
This is one of those occasions where you are encouraged to be constructive in your criticism. Hopefully, with some wit.
Leave a review for a book you didn’t like and tell us what to read instead.
What’s funny is I 100% agree with both of you and I still enjoyed that book. I read it as a vacation book a few years back. I refer to it as a popcorn book; quick, easy to read, mostly forgettable once done. But when it cringes, it cringed so hard.
And Snow Crash was definitely better
For popcorn books I point more to like The Expanse series or something. Quick easy reads, nothing groundbreaking, but still relatively competently done.
I think part of my hatred for Ready Player One is just how many people raved about it as this new amazing book that was the pinnacle of modern sci-fi when a much better example already existed instead of just the vacation book you read it as.
Actually hold up. Why haven’t we gotten a Snow Crash film yet? Dang it Hollywood
I have to disagree with The Expanse as a popcorn book. I’ve read all the books 2-3 times, all the novellas, all the graphic novels, played the Tell Tale game, waiting on the next game, I own the tv series, and have Detective Miller as my desktop background. It’s a universe that, if you really want to, you can get obsessed with it. That’s one of my all time favorite science fiction series, but I do agree they are fairly easy reads.
Yeah, RP1 was definitely not groundbreaking scifi at all, it was way too hyped up. It was alright and even when I recommend it to someone I think would like it, I always include caveats of the cringe and other weird stuff. Like, I know Watts is a younger guy but some parts are just 🤢 And don’t even get me started on RP2, just ugh! Bad bad bad!!
Snow Crash was far better and I’m glad I didn’t read it as a vacation book. I absorbed more of it reading it at home rather than while traveling. I remember way more of Snow Crash than I remember Ready Player One. We absolutely deserve a Snow Crash show!
I consider John Grisham books as vacation/popcorn books. Easy to digest, don’t stick around, don’t need deeper consideration, etc. Read it and leave it at the beach 🤓
Personally that’s exactly what I look for in popcorn (well, honey mustard pretzel) books. Something I can read easily and not have to think about, but if I chose to, there’s more hidden there. I know “popcorn book” is often used to kind of write something off but for me it’s not like that.
I actually read them all along with a friend and we discussed a lot of what was in them, our thoughts about the implications of the stuff (being vague to avoid spoilers for others), how accurate the science actually was (he was a Kerbal nerd and I did jet propulsion sim work ages ago), and what other life might actually look like and different moral frameworks (I’m a utilitarian, and I think he is more deontological so was an interesting discussion).
I just could also see a world where I binged them by a lake in a week and never thought about them again while move on to House of Leaves (which is the exact opposite of a popcorn book and required actual homework).