Accidental Traveler Series, Book 3 Accidental Mage/ Jamie Davis / 344 pages

Dragged back to the game of Fantasma, for Hal Dix, this time it's personal. Hal returns home from Fantasma to find his greatest nightmare has come true. A personal tragedy in the real world drags him back into the game world of Fantasma one last time when he finds that the emperor has left him a message after kidnapping his wife and daughter as leverage against him and his role as the prophesied hero that will defeat the emperor.  After entering Fantasma once again, Hal seeks help from his comrades Kia, the mage Tildi, and warriors he has helped. Hal must master the art of magic this time, gaining abilities and training under four unique archmages and learning their individual elements to complete his quest and fight against the emperor. Does Hal have the discipline to stick with the training and reach the end of his chosen path? He doesn’t have a choice, Hal will do whatever he has to to rescue his wife and daughter. Narrated by Roberto Scarlato 10h 18min.

Accidental Traveler Series, Book 2 Accidental Warrior / Jamie Davis / 320 pages

Hal Dix had success at home after his initial outing into the world of Fantasma after helping a city overthrow the tyrant rulers set in place by the evil emperor. He leveled up in both his job and at home, getting into the management training program.  Everything was going fine in his life. Then, the mage Tildi, the Elder that had first sent him to Fantasma showed up again with news from the other world. His friend Kia was in trouble and only he could help. Hal didn't want to be a hero, but he wasn't the sort of fellow to leave a comrade behind. Whisked away to the game world of Fantasma once again, Hal enters the role of the reluctant hero he thought he'd left behind.  Narrated by Roberto Scarlato 9h 56min.

Accidental Traveler Series, Book 1 Accidental Thief / Jamie Davis / 310 pages

Hal Dix was stuck in an unlucky life. His wife is a successful executive while his IT help desk job leads nowhere. His supervisor is a rude bully and he has applied for management training 12 times already,  maybe this time will be lucky number 13. Even his daughter's daycare teacher thinks he's a loser. Hal can't catch a break. But when he checks out the flea market by his work for any new or interesting games he comes across a strange woman who sells Hal a bootleg release of a highly anticipated game. It is just what he wished for and he can't wait to play it during his long weekend home alone. Has his luck finally turned around? Hal should be careful what he wishes for, when instead of playing a relaxing game at his computer desk in the comfort of his own home, he gets sent to the the game world of Fantasma, is this real or just a dream?  Narrated by Roberto Scarlato 9h 9min.  

The Unfortunate Decisions of Dahlia Moss/ Max Wirestone/ 370 pgs/ audiobook

Once again I had a long weekend drive so I snagged another audiobook from Hoopla. I had heard this book was fresh and funny and I must say that I agree. It's a delightful modern mystery with a funny, quirky cast headed by the titular Dahlia Moss. She's an unemployed twenty-something down on her luck when her roommate introduces her to a mysterious man named Jonah. He offers her $2000 to find a stolen digital bejeweled sword. Yes, digital. The sword exists in an online game and was stolen from Jonah's account. It's obvious from the beginning that there is something off about this setup but then Jonah is murdered and things take off from there. Even though I'm not an online game player, the book explains that world well without being tedious. The narrator for this book (Lauren Fortgang) was awesome. I was amused throughout and laughed out loud a number of times. The solution to the murder mystery itself was nothing revolutionary but for this one, it's all about the journey. Bonus #1: this book, to my surprise, is set in St. Louis. The setting is a little superficial but it was nice to hear about familiar landmarks. Bonus #2: there are two more books in the series. I can't wait to read or listen to them!

YOU: A NOVEL / Austin Grossman / 383 Pages / Read June 15-16, 2013

Russell Marsh has had many jobs but finds his life is going nowhere so he applies for and is hired by a video game company created and run by some of his old high school buddies. Black Arts Games, producer of the award-winning 'Realms of Gold', was founded by Simon, a now deceased but genius designer, and Darren, the ultimate entrepreneur.

The story is a mix of reality and mystery which provides a look into how a video game is really developed and marketed. Follow Russell as he tries to figure out and debug the newest Black Arts project; a problem which will take him back to his high school days AND have him holding personal conversations with the fantasy heroes of Realms of Gold I through VII.

Fans of video games, inside information on the video game industry and it's history, those who enjoy hard-luck heroes who struggle to finally get things right, may enjoy Grossman's novel, YOU.

READY PLAYER ONE (Unabridged Audio) / Ernest Cline / 374 Pages

The unabridged, audio edition of Ernest Cline's debut novel, Ready Player One, is read by Wil Wheaton, blogger, voice actor, and well-known as 'Wesley Crusher' in TV's Star Trek: the Next Generation. Wheaton delivers the first-person, trivia-packed narrative with humor and enthusiasm giving the listener a vivid picture of the world in 2044.

For the last five years, teenager Wade Watts has been hunting for three keys which will bring fame, fortune, and control of the OASIS, the virtual world everyone links to in order to escape the dreariness of the reality.

Puzzles and pop culture references to video games, movies, and TV shows from the 1980's bring a futuristic world to life and make a compelling story fun and entertaining.

APPEAL TERMS: Funny, action-packed, detailed

A '6 DEGREES OF READING' connection: Neuromancer by William Gibson introduces a dystopian future world and Case, a disconnected virtual hacker.

[6 Degrees of Reading is similar to the game '6 degrees of Kevin Bacon' but with books. Select an aspect of the current title which is shared in another title and describe the connection using a single sentence.  Source : http://www.readersadvisoronline.com/ranews/mar2007/cords.html]