Review of The Maze Runner!

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


One word can sum up the expectations I had for this book:

Yessssss.

I loved everything about The Maze Runner - intriguing characters, exciting story, creative, provocative... and I get to live in the story for a few more books!

Through Thomas's eyes, the small civilization in the middle of a maze is confusing, fascinating, and strangely familiar even though he has no memory of his former life. Some of the characters are mysterious, some are funny, but all of them have an important purpose in solving the dangerous maze they are trapped in. Thomas's part is the catalyst to discovering the mysteries of the maze; things become more interesting as his role - and the role of the only girl in the maze - unfolds.

I take it as a good sign that the 1st book in this series was able to sort of resolve one conflict and introduce a whole new dimension of mystery that builds on what the characters just went through. I'm excited to see what the characters go through next - whether they get their memories back, whether Thomas and the girl find out what their past was together, whether the young will once again outsmart the controlling adults in their world...

Yes! yes! yes! Many thanks to my dentist for telling my husband he had no cavities (hopefully you will tell me the same thing when it's my turn again) and for recommending The Maze Runner! :)



View all my reviews

Dazzled by Monsters of Men

Wow! This series is a-maz-ing. I wish I could say something to convince everyone to read it. I'm basically obsessed. 

You know those books that reach out and pull your nose in from page 1 and you think about it even when you're not reading it and you can't wait until you get a moment to read it again and you wouldn't know if everything was burning to ash around you while you're reading and then when you finally finish, instead of being relieved to have your life back you just feel depressed that it's over?

The ending was everything you hope for in endings and more.

Patrick Ness is a genius. 

He makes me think about the power of language, of perspective, war, madness, love, growing up, having hope, changing the world, how the past affects the present, how there's so much wonder in life... and how a story as captivating as this one can feel so original yet so much like an echo of reality.

The book broke my heart and patched it up over and over again. Patrick Ness takes good care of his readers. 

Trust me.

Read it.

You must read The Knife of Never Letting Go

Wow. Just...wow.

This new world where men's thoughts are not their own comes alive instantly. And so does the troubled and innocent boy who takes a heart-breaking journey that I just know will change the world he lives in forever. 

This is so much more than a coming-of-age story. For a story to be this consuming, it's gotta have too-real characters (both the villainous and heroic variety) and a heart-pounding story. Which it does.
Wish I could say more but I'd rather just get on with the 2nd book already.

Review of UNBROKEN

What an amazing story of adventure, struggle, love, liberation, and becoming your best self! Like I anticipated, it was sort of a combination of Life of Pi, Born to Run, and Man's Search for Meaning, taking many of the same elements of being a runner, a castaway, and a prisoner of a war camp. But it also had something else I hadn't expected: a triumphant revival of human spirit with grateful moments along the way that made the hardships worth it.
It's hard to not be too judgmental of characters' actions during and after the war, but I appreciated the way Hillenbrand was subtly objective at certain points. She allows people to imagine and question what any given character is thinking in a situation, rather than stereotyping them. Most of the time, we relate to Zamporini, but there's plenty of other great choices to be interested in, too.

What Sam's reading in May

Well, this should feel a little familiar. And yet, with its unique combination of elements: unique.

Unbroken, from what I can tell from reviews, is not just a story about World War II, but about a man. Part P.O.W., part Odysseus, part runner, and part Pi (remember Life of Pi?),  Zamperini promises to be a very rich character to read about.

I've recently read a few other books that make this description of Unbroken seem weirdly similar: Life of Pi, Born to Run, and (okay, not that recently) The Gurnsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. 

(Incidentally, did you know that "The Gurnsey Literary and Potato Peel Society" movie is being made with Kate Winslet starring? If that's not a clincher, I don't know how else to sell it!)

Anyway, back to topic. Unbroken seems to have a lot of  deeply original episodes for being a story about the much-written-about World War II.

I'm usually not gung-ho for biographical or historical type books.  The appeal of reading for me is more about The Escape. You know. From life, from stress, from troubles, from boredom.

But, yes, occasionally I do find biographical books that are intriguing enough to trigger this same sort of Escape effect. So I'm going to read it. So there.

Ready for The Thirteenth Tale talk!

I'm back! Sorry about the prolonged hiatus, peeps.

I don't have any original excuses. Same old business: work, working with the Young Women, trying to write a book, helping sisters plan for weddings this summer, training for the Salt Lake half marathon. Yadda yadda.

About The Thirteenth Tale. It was part mystery, part romance, part tragedy, part drama, and part horror.

I actually prefer this cover much more than the one I posted at the top of the blog. This image captures the feel of the story a bit better.

Do you ever find yourself identifying with certain characters or narrators in a story? Of course you do; the stories are rigged that way. But do you ever feel more inclined to identify with certain characters? Maybe you've come across a fictitious individual that is startling similar to you.

The narrator, Margaret, is obviously the one to identify with in this novel. Told from her perspective, you feel all the mystery and questions and gaps in the story that Margaret also feels. It's kind of creepy, actually.

I did pick up on one clue that Margaret misses until practically the end of the book. And it wasn't the Jane Eyre clue that you'd expect (Jane EyreI is still on my "to read" shelf, actually).

The story's about twins, but there are a lot of mysteries surrounding them. Do they really have bipolar-like personalities? Is their house really haunted?

Spoiler:

Have you seen "Hunger Games" yet?

So it's a given fact that I'm ALWAYS ALWAYS going to like the book better than the movie. I don't know if I've met a movie yet that I liked better than the book it was based on.

Simple fact.

So, with that in mind, I DID like the new "Hunger Games" movie.

I was a little discouraged when one reviewer in Friday's newspaper said that the movie wasn't great as a stand-alone original, but seemed more like a prequel of things to come. Well, obviously the movie was based on the first book in the Hunger Games series, so that's to be expected, BUT... the first book was the best in my opinion, so I was hoping the movie would do it justice.

After seeing the movie, I doubt whether that particular movie critic had read Hunger Games at all, because the movie obviously followed the plot line of the book. And it was fine. Still a great story by itself.

Loved Katniss. I thought Jennifer Lawrence did a great job, and is a far superior actor (I hesitate to even mention the name, but so many comparisons are already being made) to Kristen Stewart as Bella in the "Twilight" movies.

The Hunger Games books definitely have the same sort of star-crossed love triangle that also exists in the Twilight books, but for some reason I was not as annoyed by it in Hunger Games. Probably because it was a little less dramatic and contrived. Yep. That's probably why.

In other words, Katniss's relationship with both Gale and Peeta seem grounded in believable events and experiences that they undergo. They're not just another angelic face that induces instant true love.

Ahem. That said, Liam Hemsworth playing Gale is a total hunk. I didn't even realize he is the brother of Chris Hemsworth ("Thor") until my husband saw the last name match! How did I miss that?

If you liked the book, then I am happy to say you will probably also like the movie.

"Hunger Games" seems to be making enough money that they will probably get to do their sequels, so we can finally replace the "Twilight" craze with something a little better! (Did they really need to split "Breaking Dawn" into 2 parts? No, thank you.)

If anyone would like more  of a literary review of Hunger Games  or if you want to nominate it for our monthly read, just let me know! I'm happy to re-read books, especially ones that read fast anyway. :)                       

Review of Poison Study by Maria Snyder

The library did not have an audiobook of Poison Study, so I had to go back to reading hardcopy. I was a little worried about having time to read, but it turns out it wasn't a problem.

I blazed through this book.

It was easy reading, but that's not to say it wasn't also intelligent.

An intriguing idea - the comparison of love to slow poison. Or is being in love only like slow poison until you confess it, share it, and find out it is returned; then is love the antidote?

Yelena, the main character, is likeable for a number of reasons. She's a bit gritty with some dark history and bleak sentiments - making her similar to what a real person might be like who undergoes what she does. I liked that about her.

She is believable as a jaded character but not in a whiny or cheesy or one-dimensional way. In fact, Yelena is actually quite... decisive. And...

Dynamic. That's the word.

I'm still deciding about the love story.

On the one hand, I loved that it started out subtle. You don't realize that you've already met the love interest until, well... you start looking for him. And then you start reading into small reactions a little bit more.

But then once the love story started to gain steam, I felt like a few things happened a little too fast.

*SPOILER ALERT BELOW*

Announcing the book club read for March...and April?

I have decided to go with Poison Study, based on numerous recommendations. Starting with book #1, I will likely try to complete the series via audiobook while becoming increasingly familiar with every bump and swerve on I-15 between Salt Lake City and Provo.

So is Poison Study okay? ...okay?....kay?...ay....

Ah, the echoes of cosmic web obscurity.

If I were to ever become a manager in a business setting (which I never would because I hate telling people what to do) I would probably be one of those people that needs the input of at least 3 different people before making a decision.

This whole choosing-my-own-book-for-the-book-club business is anxiety-inducing.

In light of that confession, it's never too early to decide on April's book!  What do you think about:

• The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
• Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
• Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John LeCarre
• The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

Let me know!

As always, feel free to suggest other books you're interested in or if you happen to be a member of another book club and you want to consolidate your monthly assignments into 1! (Like I said, I'm a bit of a push-over.)

The Mortal Instruments conclusion

I actually felt like the series could have ended with Book 3. Granted, Cassandra Clare left some loose(ish) ends at the close of City of Glass, but I still felt pretty satisfied with the way things had turned out.

Then again - as I mentioned in a previous post - I was a little depressed when I reached the last page and realized that the adventure was over.

So, naturally, I went ahead and picked up Book 4, City of Fallen Angels. If you also felt like you couldn't get enough of this story, then go ahead and read Book 4. I read it just as quickly as the previous installments.

But be warned, if you do read it: City of Fallen Angels (Book 4) leaves you hanging on a significantly skinnier thread than Book 3. And there is no Book 5. Yet.

We will have to wait.

Until then, let me know what you think about the Mortal Instruments series, however far you have read into it. I have raved and praised previous to this post, but I will just say again....

I love this series. It's got fantasy, adventure, romance, action, magic, and epic proportions. It's my kind of entertainment. So if you're looking for an escape from the winter doldrums, then pick up this series. It's great fun.

The Mortal Instruments rollercoaster

Okay, I admit. I finished the Mortal Instruments series.

I'm serious! I turned into a reading zombie this past week and stayed up late reading and I could not wait to know what happened.

After City of Bones (book 1), I had to read the City of Ashes (book 2), and then I just had to finish City of Glass (book 3) because I could not concentrate on folding laundry, making dinner, or getting anything done as long those books were unfinished.

I'm comparing this series to the best, star roller-coaster attraction of the paranormal genre. It was... amazing.

Here's my goodreads review of the last book. I promise I don't give anything away.

The ending twist of City Of Bones - no spoilers

I stayed up late reading in bed this weekend and I finished City Of Bones. I couldn't help it!

Question for you, when you get to the end: What did you think about the twist?

It was definitely startling. I didn't see it coming; I am not ashamed to admit. It definitely "thickened" the plot up nicely and gave you a reason to pick up Book 2.

However, the twist was a little disturbing. Much of the book was spent in building up a certain "tension"...until the end, when it's sort of yanked out from under you.

As a writer, I have to appreciate that Clare has constructed a very clever plot with a cliffhanger that you cannot disregard. As a reader, I'm not so sure that I have accepted the ending twist yet, and I'm mostly reading on in the hopes that the twist will unravel again. If you've read it, you know what I mean.

So you might say that Clare is now in danger of losing my interest... unless she can somehow validate the tension of the first book. Really soon. I've already started book 2, and... I'm waiting.

have you gotten City Of Bones yet?

Have you started reading City Of Bones?

Well, I have and I am loving it. I always love a magical and action packed plot. Who doesn't? But after reading a good share of cheesier and cheaper books in the same genre, I also have a very healthy appreciation for an original storyworld and fascinating characters.

It is seriously hurting my productivity. I am nearing the end of  Book 1 and I have no doubt I will have to read on.

Which leads me to my next point of business. If anyone else is becoming equally engrossed in City of Bones: The Mortal Instruments Book 1 then you have probably realized that it's not entirely reasonable to expect to finish the whole series in one month. They're meaty books. I don't think even I could finish four of them by the end of the month.

So, we may be making February an optional month for choosing to read either Life of Pi, or just to finish The Mortal Instruments series. Just as an FYI.

And just for the record, I think City Of Bones would be wildly successful as a movie. If you thought Twilight was successful... well... I'm just saying that City Of Bones would be one that I would not have to be embarrassed to go see. :)

Let me know what you think of the book if you've started it! I hope you like it as much as I am.

Final thoughts on Uglies

Just in case anyone else out there has recently finished the Uglies series and wants a few more thoughts about it, here ya go!

I thought a lot about the interaction between the main characters in the books. Specifically, between Tally and her best friend, Shay. It seemed a little... ironic... to me that their friendship lasted only a short period of time before the conflict of their world pulled them apart.

To recap, they became best friends during just a few short months before their scheduled "pretty surgeries," in the first book, Uglies. Near the end of Uglies, they had a falling out that lasted all through the second book, Pretties, and even resonated into the third book, Specials.

Of course you could argue that when Tally and Shay both became Specials in the third book that they were technically aligned on the same "team" once again. They acted civil towards each other, right? Yet to me it seemed like the tension between them never fully dissipated.

proposing January bookclub reads

Ok, so I can't help it. I finished the Uglies series and now I'm ready to start talking new books.

I have some suggestions, but feel free to suggest your own ideas if there's a book you're just getting jitters to read.

For now, don't worry - I won't go read ahead. For now (the rest of December) I'm reading a lovely book called Creating Plot which is helping me in my own fiction writing endeavors, but I wouldn't expect any bookclubbers to want to read that with me.

So anyway, here are my suggestions for January:

City of Bones (Mortal Instruments #1) - a young adult fiction series
Eat, Pray, Love - a NY Times Bestseller
The Life of Pi - another NY Times Bestseller
Shiver - another YA fiction, book 1 of series

I have to warn you - I love young adult fiction because it reads fast and is generally entertaining... and I especially like fun and fantasy during January and February when I'm feeling a little confined... BUT I also read them very fast and if we choose one of those books for January I will be probably end up reading the entire series during the month.

I'm not saying anyone else has to commit to the whole series, I'm just saying, I most likely will.

These are just a few of the books that have been on my list for a while and I would love to finally check them off.

Let me know what you want to read for January, or if you want to read one of these books after January. We can schedule books for a few months out - no problem.