What readest thou?

[Lucy Took]

Ah, and here we are in Austen agreement, Ariel! Northranger Abbey is my favorite of the "minor" Austen books, and I adore Henry Tilney. And I do agree that the BBC adaptation did add in more gothic elements than was needed, though I get why they did it since it's a parody of gothic literature...it just made it a little less lighthearted and innocent than the book and I didn't particularly care for that.

I wasn't a huge fan of the Maze Runner. Too many plot holes and Thomas is a boring main character. However, Newt makes the series have at least some enjoyment.

[Ariel.of.Narnia]

@Tooky: I haven’t seen any adaptations myself, so I can’t really comment on that front. (I should see if I can get one from the library....) I might be able to deal with extra gothic-ness so long as they don’t butcher Henry Tilney the way Edmund Bertram was in the 1999 Mansfield Park.

@Tooky and Pev: I’m not far into Maze Runner just yet, but so far...
Something about the writing isn’t quite impressing me. The story’s fine, just... the telling seems like it could be improved some.
I’m liking the niggling questions that have come up. Why does Thomas think the maze and Teresa are familiar? What are Gally and Ben on about when they say they’ve “seen” Thomas? How did that Griever die? I mean, I have some spoilers from having read PluggedIn’s movie reviews, but if I know the answers to these, I’ve forgotten them.
Thomas does way too much of the whole wanting-to-scream-in-frustration thing. I get that he’s frustrated and also understand that I have the benefit of sitting comfortably whilst getting the answers while he doesn’t, but in my experience, boys tend to prefer growling, stewing, and small violence over screaming. (Not true of all boys, I’m sure. Just... Thomas does too much of it for me. )
Speaking of Thomas, he hasn’t done much to endear himself to me, other than begin to feel something for some of the Gladers and jumping into the maze to help Minho and Alby (that’s as far as I got before my lunch break was over).
So far, I like Alby and Newt. I feel that liking Alby is perhaps not what the author was going for (at this point, anyway), considering that Thomas isn’t a big fan himself, but he and Newt have been checking off items on the patented Ariel_of_Narnia Checklist of Characteristics That Most Often Appear in Her Favourite Characters. Not saying they’re Peter Pevensie, Aragorn, or Captain America here; just that they have been earning a few points in that general direction.
And, I’ll be honest, I was hoping for more time getting to know the Glade before Teresa’s appearance (not that she’s awake yet).

[anunknownpevensie]

@Ariel:
From your review here.......

I am not at all sure what to think.

how do you LIKE it so far?

[Ariel.of.Narnia]

Heh. Well, now that I've finished The Maze Runner (and the first three chapters of The Scorch Trials), I have more thoughts.
Thus far, The Maze Runner has succeeded in interesting me, mainly through the use of the aforementioned niggling questions and the puzzling that's involved. I'll give the author credit for keeping me engaged despite the fact that I haven't fallen in love with his characters. And that's pretty good, considering how much stock I put into characters.
That said, Newt has pulled ahead of Alby for the prized spot of favourite character (and Alby only fell back once he went through the Changing and... well, changed... which isn't his fault, but anyway). My preference for leaders strikes again! lol (Even told a friend that my top two were leaders and she just said, "Of course.")
My overall lack of interest in Thomas has continued and I know why: he's so very reactionary. For a lot of the book, he was so passive. Sure, he had his active moments, times when he took initiative, but it seemed like most of what he did was an effect of what happened to him or thanks to that sense of familiarity that he and Teresa alone possessed. I was actually shocked (though grateful) that, despite Minho's vote, Thomas did not become a Keeper. I will say that I liked that he's an everyman so far as his interactions and relationships go: he wasn't all "let's-jump-in-guns-blazing-and-be-heroes", but rather "I'm-so-scared-I'm-ready-to-puke-but-I-have-to-do-something-as-soon-as-I-can-screw-up-the-courage-to-do-it."

But since I realize I'm giving a mixed review again, here's the short synopsis of my thoughts: It's alright so far, it's got me engaged, I expect to blaze through the whole series; but I don't expect it to be even a minor fandom (even if I nitpicked things I saw in the movie trailer and things indicated by the movie trivia section on imdb ).

[anunknownpevensie]

Fair points. I didn't appreciate Thomas a lot in comparison. I did appreciate Teressa more than most, but mainly later on. She scared me though.

Who doesn't love Newt!!!!!

[Ariel.of.Narnia]

Got a bit farther into Scorch Trials yesterday. Newt is still my top guy, but Minho is rising up and I’m finding Thomas to be a more active character, which is a relief to me.

Edit: Finished Scorch Trials. Bother these book-end cliffhangers! lol.
Enjoyed it better than Maze Runner because Thomas got better. Wish there was more Newt, who seems to now be overshadowed by Minho. I mean, it was supposed to happen that way, technically, but I could have used more Newt. This love triangle business isn’t agreeing with me though. Though I tolerate that better than the idea that Group B is tougher and/or smarter than Group A.

Edit again: Accidentally read two-thirds of Death Cure last night, so I managed to finish it before I got home from work. This far, my favourite of the series: Thomas, Newt, and Minho grew on me further with just the first chunk of the book. I appreciate the slow work-up of Thomas’ leadership abilities. I wouldn’t consider him a “top dog” leader, but this slow growth feels natural and it was nice that he wasn’t rushed into the role. And the writing quality has improved since Maze Runner, so that’s a plus.
I’m gonna try to not touch Kill Order till tomorrow so I can get some writing in tonight.... Credit to the author: I don’t find it super easy to put down these books.

[Ariel.of.Narnia]

Finished Kill Order today. I think it may be the most violent of the four I’ve read, unless that’s just my imagination. Definitely lots of fighting, at any rate. I liked that it answered some of the questions I had about the stuff that led up to the Trials. Getting to see the immediate aftermath of the sun flares and the beginnings of the virus were probably the aspects I liked most. Also liked how the main character [spoiler has been bleeped out]. Amd I did not see that reveal at the end coming, though I maybe should have at least suspected it.

Moving on the Fever Code tomorrow. Then maybe my reading levels will go back to normal, lol. (Though a trilogy by the same author has me curious, based on the titles and taglines... well, mostly the taglines. They sound more likely to give me the moral/philosophical questioning I expect from sci-fi. Maze Runner has some happening, but not enough.)
Edit: Ahhhh!!! I didn’t realize this one involves the Maze kids. That means I get more Newt, Alby, and Minho. Newt!!!!

[Ariel.of.Narnia]

Finished Fever Code, but I’m going to read the first three books again, now that I have all the answers.
As sci-fi, I’m disappointed that there wasn’t more of the moral/philosophical question-asking that should accompany the genre. That said, I think the series basically builds up to that question as more is slowly revealed.
As stories, they’re alright. I was engaged, so that’s always good. The mystery element definitely plays a part in that.
And because I must say it again, Newt is the best. At this point, I’ve half-forgotten how much I also like Alby and Minho ‘cause Newt has claimed every bit of my attention he can get his hands on.

I should note that the Maze Runner books are pretty violent, increasing as the books progress. Just so anyone who hasn’t read them at least has that head’s-up now.
(Also, if there’s anyone curious about trying out the series, but are like me and wondering if you should start with The Maze Runner or the prequels, you must start with The Maze Runner. Comments I’d read online regarding “major spoilers in the prequels” were not exaggerated.)

[Ariel.of.Narnia]

In the event anyone was wondering about The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, I’ve just finished it. It’s the fictional story of a boy who grew up in pre-Taliban Afghanistan, escaped to America, and lives with deep-seated guilt over deeds done in Afghanistan. It’s a good read - inside look at the turmoil of the times and life over there, deals with good themes - but contains content best left to mature readers. Most of the adult content is only spoken of or implied, but one instance is witnessed by the main character to cement the trauma. Plus, there is violence and swearing, much of it being the taking of God’s name in vain and a couple instances of the heavier swears.

[Lily of Archenland]

Re-reading Fellowship, and about halfway through a short bio of Sir Francis Drake.