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.

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!!!!

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.)

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.

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

Started “Our Man in Tehran”, a non-fiction book about the Canadian ambassador during the Tehran hostage incident in the 1970s.

I read A Series of Unfortunate Events Book One. Overall, it is not as dismal as implied by the marketing or the tv show. The books are on the 3-5th grade level, but introduce bigger words through the narration defining them. In this book, the orphans are sent to live with their closest relative (geographic closest relative, that is). It turns out their relative lives in a decrepit house and is scheming to find a way to steal their fortune from them. I enjoyed the irony in it and I was happily surprised that my reasons for not trying to read the books as a child were unfounded.

I've been rereading my favorite webcomic (actually it's the only one I've ever read, but even if I read others this one would probably still be my favorite) and I'm realizing that my art skills aren't anywhere near where they should be because seriously...this comic is amazing. 😆 Not just the art, but the characters...the storyline...the premise...the fact that it's barely a third of the way to the end yet...

Finished “Our Man in Tehran” last week. Now on “The Martian”, but I have to say that there’s more swearing in this book than I thought there’d be.

Ooookay. The Martian. Interesting read and I enjoyed it, but it is not TLC-recommended reading. The swearing is at R-rated levels for volume (plus a couple verbal allusions of adult content). I didn’t count, but there might have been more f-bombs than in American Sniper, and that had about forty.
I plan on reading (or skimming) through it again, but this time, I’ll be armed with white-out tape and a pen.

Started the Fellowship of the Ring again.

Forgot to come in and mention that in the last couple months, I read Beren and Luthien, The Fall of Arthur (Tolkien), Unashamed (Francine Rivers novella about Rahab (yes, mentions of Rahab’s way of life, though dealt with tastefully), and am currently halfway through FotR. I’d quite forgotten how heroic Frodo can be and exactly how fortunate he is to have the friends that he does. And yes, I’m fangirling over Aragorn all over again because Aragorn equals epicness.

Just finished “I, Saul” by Jerry B Jenkins and James S MacDonald. Good read, mixing a modern suspense story with Biblical fiction.

And I’ve recently read “The Prince Warriors” series by Priscilla Shirer and Gina Detwiler. Ephesians 6 meets Wizard of Oz, more or less. If you’re into analyzing writing quality, you might want to avoid these (except as examples of what not to do), ‘cause books one and three are lacking in artistry (two and four were better). The messages are fine, but the art could have used some help and the balance between message and story could have been better struck.

Just finished “I, Saul” by Jerry B Jenkins and James S MacDonald. Good read, mixing a modern suspense story with Biblical fiction.

And I’ve recently read “The Prince Warriors” series by Priscilla Shirer and Gina Detwiler. Ephesians 6 meets Wizard of Oz, more or less. If you’re into analyzing writing quality, you might want to avoid these (except as examples of what not to do), ‘cause books one and three are lacking in artistry (two and four were better). The messages are fine, but the art could have used some help and the balance between message and story could have been better struck.

Ariel? can you message me about them? cause I need to know what the whole "ent" thing she was doing there was. .oO(It's the word 'Ent' also trademarked by Tolkien??)

Last night, I finished “The Wormling” series by Jerry B Jenkins and Chris Fabry. Book one kinda feels like the pilot episode of a tv show, but after that, the series only gets more exciting. It’s an allegorical fantasy, though I do have to point out that not everything is a direct relation to how things are in reality and that there’s some amount of mixed imagery, but it’s still a good 10-14 read. The violence, particularly in book five, may not be great for sensitive young readers, so a warning there.