Ready to Go Book Display: Books for Gamers

Welcome to our new series, "Ready to Go!" Book Display. Once a month, we'll highlight the latest or greatest for every age group (Adults, Teens, Children, and All Ages) that you can promote within your library or order for your collection. 

Are you celebrating International Games Day at your library? Held every year on the third Saturday of November, it is coming soon on November 15th. Whether you are participating this year or planning for next year, you can always create a display to show your patron gamers that you love them. Here's some ideas to get you started:

Recommendations for Adults:

 

101 Two-Letter Words by Stephin Merritt (Sept 2014)

A versed celebration of the 101 two-letter words allowed in the game Scrabble, dedicating an original four-line, wryly whimsical rhyming poem to each.
(Great for Teens, too!)

Word Freak: Heartbreak, Triumph, Genius, and Obsession in the World of Competitive Scrabble Players by Stefan Fatsis (July 2001)

Follows the author, who was originally just a curious reporter and now a Scrabble fiend, as he becomes an expert Scrabble player and delves into the realm of Scrabble culture. He encounters a vitamin-popping standup comic and the three-time champion who plays by Zen principles, and realizes that Scrabble is more than just a game on many different levels.

A Clue for the Puzzle Lady by Parnell Hall (Nov. 1999-Current)

Bakerhaven Police Chief Dale Harper is perplexed by a piece of evidence in his first murder investigation - an apparent crossword puzzle clue found on the body of a teenage girl - so he recruits the town's famed "Puzzle Lady," the eccentric author of a weekly syndicated crossword puzzle column. The newest book in the series - Puzzled Indemnity -  comes out January 2015.

Of Dice and Men: The Story of Dungeons & Dragons and the People Who Play It by David M. Ewalt (Sept. 2014)
A definitive look at Dungeons & Dragons traces its origins on the battlefields of ancient Europe through the hysteria that linked it to satanic rituals and teen suicides and to its apotheosis as father of the modern video game industry.

Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle that Defined a Generation by Blake J. Harris (May 2014)

Chronicles how Sega - a small, scrappy gaming company led by an unlikely visionary and a team of rebels - took on the juggernaut Nintendo and revolutionized the video game industry.

This is Not a Game by Walter Jon Williams (March 2009)

In a near-future world that is dominated by an alternate-reality game without boundaries, players find their real lives increasingly and violently overshadowed by the game and its escalating demands.

 

Minecraft: The Unlikely Tale of Markus "Notch" Persson and the Game that Changed Everything by Daniel Goldberg and Linus Larsson (Oct. 2013)

The creator of the popular "virtual Lego" game, Minecraft, traces his unlikely rise from a disaffected youth who rose from a family marked by drug abuse and conflict to a multi-millionaire and international icon.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (Aug. 2011)

Immersing himself in a mid-21st century technological virtual utopia to escape an ugly real world of famine, poverty and disease, Wade Watts joins an increasingly violent effort to solve a series of puzzles by the virtual world's super-wealthy creator, who has promised that the winner will be his heir.
(This book is also loved by many teens!)

Recommendations for Teens:

Grandmaster by David Klass (Feb. 2014)

A father-son chess tournament reveals the dark side of the game.

In Real Life by Lawrence Tabak (Nov. 2014)

Fifteen-year-old math prodigy Seth Gordon hopes to compete professionally playing the world's most popular computer game, but when he gets the chance to move to Korea and train full-time, he may not be ready for the culture shock and leaving his possible girlfriend.

Level Up by Gene Luen Yang and Thien Pham (June 2011)

Dennis, the son of Chinese immigrants, yearns to play video games like his friends and upon his strict father's death, becomes obsessed with them.

Guinness World Records 2015: Gamer's Edition (Nov. 2014)

An updated edition of an ultimate guide to video games contains industry news on upcoming and noteworthy games as well as the most recent and best records and entertaining trivia for today's most popular games.

In Real Life by Cory Doctorow and Jen Wang (Oct. 2014)

Immersing herself in an online fantasy game, Anda confronts a difficult choice when she befriends a disadvantaged Chinese child who illegally collects rare items in the game and sells them to other players.

Guy in Real Life by Steve Brezenoff (May 2014)

The lives of two Minnesota teenagers are intertwined through the world of role-playing games.

The Eye of Minds by James Dashner (Oct. 2013)

The first installment in a series set in a world of hyper-advanced technology, cyberterrorism and extreme gaming finds talented young hacker Michael enlisted by the government to stop a violent fellow hacker who is trapping hostages in nightmarish, brain-damaging virtual reality environments.

Recommendations for Children:

Game World by C.J. Farley (Feb. 2014)

Dylan Rudee is suddenly pulled into the world of his favorite video game, where he encounters actual monsters, giant storytelling spiders, malevolent hummingbirds, and the ultimate challenge of learning how to be a hero. (Good for teens, too.)

Game Over, Pete Watson by Joe Schreiber (March 2014)

When video game obsessed Pete Watson discovers his dad is not only a super-spy but has been kidnapped and is now trapped inside a video game, he has to use his super gaming skills and enter the game to rescue him.

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein (June 2013)

Twelve-year-old Kyle gets to stay overnight in the new town library, designed by his hero (the famous gamemaker Lugi Lemoncello), with other students but finds that come morning he must work with friends to solve puzzles in order to escape.

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead (July 2009)
As her mother prepares to be a contestant on the 1970's television game show, "The $20,000 Pyramid," a twelve-year-old New York City girl tries to make sense of mysterious notes received from an anonymous source that seems to defy the laws of time and space.

Attack! Boss! Cheat Code!: A Gamer's Alphabet by Chris Barton (Oct. 2014)

An iconic yet informative guide to video game terminology in picture book format.

Recommendation for All Ages:

Unbored Games: Serious Fun for Everyone by Joshua Glenn and Elizabeth Foy Larsen (Oct. 2014)

From old-fashioned classics to new high-tech varieties, this comprehensive guide to playing games and creating fun includes intricate clapping games, bike rodeo and Google Earth challenges in this follow up to Unbored: The Essential Field Guide to Serious Fun.