by Nicole Loughan
Geek culture has become chic and with it, geeky reading. The evidence is clear; open reading of sword and sorcery fantasy like “Game of Thrones” and comic book based shows going main stream like “The Walking Dead.” Geek culture is hot right now, need more proof one of the most popular shows on T.V. “The Big Bang Theory” is completely geek centric. Read on to see what the cool people (Geeks) are reading. This reading list was compiled with the assistance of my husband, Joshua. His geek credentials are hard to question. He is a Tardis loving, Magic Card collecting, Star Wars debating, card carrying member of the Kevin Smith fan club. He is lucky he has a wife who kind of likes those things too.
“The Geek’s Guide to Dating” by Eric Smith
I had the pleasure of meeting Eric Smith at Bookexpo America and he happily talked about being a geek. In fact the Philadelphia based author is also the founder of the website Geekadelphia.com. He compiled his list of some of the best of nerd culture to put together a semi-satricial guide of how to date as a geek, it’s not a true instructional how to, but more of a play by play using geek references. There are specific insider jokes that you either know or you don’t, such as a Doctor Horrible searching for your Penny. If you know what this means this is the geeky book for you and you will laugh your glasses off. My husband laughed out loud through the entire book, which is aimed towards a mostly male geek audience.
“The Wise Man’s Fear” by Patrick Rothfuss
Any sort of proper geek already knows about the Kingkiller Chronicles, a first-person Sword and Sorcery series. The series started with the very popular and much talked about book “The Name of the Wind.” The book centers on a young man who is destined to become one of the greatest magician the world has ever seen. The book is told in the first person to make whomever is reading the story the books champion. On Goodreads it was voted number three on the best Epic Fantasies of all time Behind Game of Thrones and J.R.R. Tolkien’s works, right behind is the Chronicles of Narnia.
“Just a Geek” by Will Wheaton
Will Wheaton is in many ways the spokesperson for the geeky movement. As a child he played Wesley Crusher on “Star Trek the Next Generation” and his adult life he has been a regular guest star on “The Big Bang Theory.” The tagline for the book says a lot about it: “Unflinchingly honest tales of the search for life, love and fulfillment beyond the Starship Enterprise.” His sense of humor is evident throughout in this book and his anecdotes about people approaching him and asking him if he was that guy that was once famous are hysterical. Will Wheaton is also the narrator of another book that my husband swears is as good as “The Hunger Games,” called “Ready Player One” and while I am skeptical that any book could knock Collins’ Mockingjay from its pedestal if he says “Ready Player One” is worth a read or a listen for Wheaton’s narration it likely is.
Nicole Loughan is a professional writer and author. She loves mystery, humor and a little romance. Her books are packed with what she loves and are available through her website www.littlespotforstories.com.
