[Waiting...] In Real Life by Lawrence Tabak

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine,

that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This Week's Pick: 

Title: In Real Life

Author: Lawrence Tabak
[Twitter | Website]
Release Date: November 11, 2014
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
Genre: Young Adult – Contemporary 

Summary via Goodreads:

Fifteen-year-old math prodigy Seth Gordon knows exactly what he wants to do with his life—play video games. Every spare minute is devoted to honing his skills at Starfare, the world's most popular computer game. His goal: South Korea, where the top pros are rich and famous. But the best players train all day, while Seth has school and a job and divorced parents who agree on only one thing: "Get off that damn computer." Plus there's a new distraction named Hannah, an aspiring photographer who actually seems to understand his obsession.

While Seth mopes about his tournament results and mixed signals from Hannah, Team Anaconda, one of the leading Korean pro squads, sees something special. Before he knows it, it's goodbye Kansas, goodbye Hannah, and hello to the strange new world of Korea. But the reality is more complicated than the fantasy, as he faces cultural shock, disgruntled teammates, and giant pots of sour-smelling kimchi.

What happens next surprises Seth. Slowly, he comes to make new friends, and discovers what might be a breakthrough, mathematical solution to the challenges of Starcraft. Delving deeper into the formulas takes him in an unexpected direction, one that might just give him a new focus—and reunite him with Hannah.

Why I'm Waiting...

I feel like it's been FOREVER since I've read about a male protagonist. I love my girls and all their fierceness but I'm ready to flip the coin. I love to travel so I'm really excited about the "culture shock" Seth is set to experience in Korea. Gaming, professional gaming is not something I'm super knowledgeable about however I know all about people distractions so the balance is real.

I picked up this read at BEA while I was searching for diverse reads. The publisher, Tuttle, prints both nonfiction and fiction around Asian themes which I thought was pretty cool. 

Have you ever been out of your element? Visited a country where you don't speak the language or know the customs?