GoNintendo 'End of Day' thoughts - 100 Classic Books review by Mom Brain

Yes, believe it or not, Mom Brain actually wrapped up her review of 100 Classic Books! She’s much more qualified to review a piece of software like this than I, which is why she took on the task. It may have taken awhile, but she did piece her review together while on Summer break. I feel kind of bad taking away a teacher’s vacation time to have her write a review! She promises that she wanted to do it, so now you guys can have at it! You enjoy that while I sneak off to bed. See you in a few, short hours.

Alright… here it is… my (long awaited?) review of 100 Classic Books.

I am a total book nerd. Therefore, I am biased. However, I think 100 Classic books has its place somewhere in the unexplored territory between my bookshelves and RMC’s game shelves. 100 books should keep you busy for awhile so the game has a good deal of “re-playability” (don’t forget the book guide if you have trouble picking one). If you do manage to devour all 100 books, there’s always downloadable content… however limited it may be. On the down side… the DS screen has its limitations (ones that my beloved kindle does not). I was a little bummed that I would not be able to use the game outside! Also, the limited number of titles is sure to turn some people off. Overall, though, the combination of thoughtful features and good ol’ classic books make this game a winner in my book!

So, 100 Classic Books has some neat features including the ability to change or eliminate background music/noises, two font sizes (small/large) and the ability to give you book recommendations.

Background Music
100 Classic Books offers 13 different background songs and noises as well as the option to turn the sound off altogether. I enjoy most of them, however I think beach is my favorite. I have listed the background music options as well as a brief description of what I think they sound like.
Stream (babbling brook)
Forest (rustling leaves and birds)
Park (birds chirping with maybe a stream nearby)
Summer Day (bugs and frogs/birds)
Summer Night (sounds like there is a beach in the distance)
Easy Listening (sounds sort of like a harpsichord)
Classic (their version of classical music)
Beach (waves and seagulls)
Autumn Night (Crickets, wind chimes)
Moving Train (sounds like you’re riding inside a train)
Cafe (clanking dishes, people talking)
Living Room (fireplace)
Airport (people walking, chatting, dinging)

Book Guide
If you’re overwhelmed at the thought of picking just one out of all 100 books, you can use the book guide. There are two ways the game helps you pick a book.
1. You can take the quiz. The game will ask you a series of questions and give you a book recommendation based on your answers. Below, I’ve listed the questions as well as possible answers. I’ve typed my choices in caps.
Do you want to read a book written by a male or female?: doesn’t matter/male/FEMALE
What is the audience you want your book to appeal to?: doesn’t matter/young readers/young adults/ADULTS
How long do you want the book to be?: doesn’t matter/MEDIUM/long/very long
OK, here is my recommendation:
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
Not bad! I like that book! Good job 100 Classic Books!

OR
2. It will help you pick a book by:
Listing its offerings by genre: drama, adventure, mystery, fantasy, romance, tragedy, comedy/satire, children’s lit., science fiction, detective novel and philosophy. I guess this would be most like walking into a bookstore or library.

Listing its offerings by ratings (according to the game). They list their books and rank them from number 1(Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland) to number 100(Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde).

Listing its offerings by descriptions: touching, romantic, runny, exciting, sad, scary, happy, shocking, profound, bizarre.

Now, any book nerd will tell you that where you read can be just as important as what you read. As a general rule, my favorite places to read are outside, in bed and in a bubble bath. So, I decided to test 100 Classic Books in all of these places.

OUTSIDE
Since I didn’t think RMC would be to keen on my bringing his DsiXL to the beach, the back deck (or lanai as we call it) would have to suffice! I got cozy in my lounge chair with an ice cold cranberry limeade, sunglasses and the DsiXL. It was a beautiful, sunny day and the sky was dotted with picture perfect, fluffy clouds. Sadly, however my stint on the lanai was short lived. Because of my sunglasses the entire left screen was blacked out… I’d have to take my sunglasses off if I wanted to stay reading on the lanai. Herein lay another problem; reading in the sun without sunglasses makes me cranky. When I get cranky… things get ugly. So, I decided to move my party inside.

IN BED
What could be better than reading in bed all snuggled in with a nice cup of sleepytime tea and a DsiXL? Not much! It was totally fantastic! I didn’t need any lights on since the screen is backlit (a distinct advantage over my 1st generation kindle). This made me think of people who want to read in bed while their bunkmate(s?) sleep. The added bonus of the “ocean” BGM made for a peaceful (and consequently short-lived) reading experience at bedtime.

IN THE BATHTUB
Hey, the boys can play DS on the toilet… so why not the bathtub? Just be careful you don’t drop your DS!

Summer Reading Lists
With summer upon us, I thought it would be interesting to note that some of the books in the game are, in fact, included in some high school summer reading lists. In fact, my own local high school lists Jane Eyre on its summer reading list. Hey, if you gotta read the books you might as well get a trip to the game store out of it!

THE BOTTOM LINE:
Do not buy 100 Classic Books if your intention is to read outside.

If you want to wind down after a long day, try snuggling in bed while reading 100 Classic Books (I recommend setting the BGM to living room).

I would recommend this game. It has some nice features and includes quite a few of my tried and true favorites. However… it isn’t going to replace my kindle anytime soon.