James Halliday, creator of the OASIS, which is the largest MMORPG in the world, passes away. Before his death, he prepares OASIS users for the biggest contest in the world - the hunt for James Halliday's Easter Egg. For those non-gamers out there, an Easter Egg is something game makers intentionally put into their games which is usually some inside joke or a message for players to find (they don't make them very easy to find). James announces that whichever OASIS user finds his Easter Egg first, wins his entire fortune. Halliday is a multi-billionaire so you can bet everyone lost their shit. Ready Player One follows a players journey to find Halliday's Egg. 
 One thing this book is famous for is the amount of 80's pop culture references. Let me tell you, there are quite a lot. Before reading this I felt a little intimidated because I don't know the 80's very well. As it turns out, the 80's theme was my most favorite part of the novel. I understood a lot more than I though. The ones that I didn't I just googled. It set a comfortable mood for the book. Whether you remember and love the 80's or don't know jack about it, this is a great book to read. You'll either feel a blast of nostalgia or you'll be learning about a pretty interesting decade. Movies, televison, music, video games, it covers all of that. You might even find a new favorite! 
 This book was pretty funny, though I may have found it more funny than I should have. Sarcastic characters with filthy mouths just made this a great experience with all of the super serious teenagers I've been finding in books nowadays. They just felt more real to me. All of the characters were likable, interesting, and not to mention mysterious (this game takes place in an MMO, remember). The mystery to finding the Egg and the main character's journey to get there made this book pretty hard to put down. 
 The reviews this book gets is a very mixed bag. Let's all keep in mind here that books are not just for enlightenment or deep message spreading, but also for pure entertainment. This is what this book is. Fun. (Not that I'm saying it's impossible not to have fun with this book. Some don't.) 
 My Favorites shelf isn't an accurate Favorites shelf. They're just books I'd recommend. I don't have enough books "favorite books of all time" to even make a Top Five list. I'm glad to say that Ready Player One is my second favorite book of all time. Right next to Battle Royale by Koushun Takami (good luck knocking this one out of the number one spot, future reads. Because you won't). So there you have it, my Top Two favorite books of all time. 
 This really is a fun book though. Give it a try, even if you don't play video games or know anything about the 80's. You might just find something new that you'll like.