August 2024 Reads!

I finally read the Maze Runner trilogy this month, as well as an excellent book on technology use! As always, spoilers may be ahead.

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Dashner's writing is action-packed where it needs to be and thoughtful where it needs to be. As Thomas and the other Gladers figure out how to escape the Maze, he does an excellent job of pacing the book so that there are scenes of great danger and suspense interspersed with discoveries about where the boys (and girl) came from. Reading this book, I could feel the terror of the characters facing the Grievers. I made the mistake of finishing it late at night and all their emotions kind of leached through the pages to me—his writing is that good at portraying the absolute fear these kids must feel when trying to escape a seemingly impossible situation. The tone of the book is rather bleak, contributing to the depressed atmosphere the characters endure, though it is interspersed with a sort of grim humor, as a colony of all boys would have.

The world building is great—I haven't read such a unique storyline in a while. Dashner makes the slang seem natural. He also reveals information at a steady enough pace to keep the reader interested while not spilling it all at once.

As for the characters, I found Thomas inspiring, but at times bland or without fault. He did not come off as annoying despite his extreme intelligence, I will note. Even Teresa, who could have gotten irritating very quickly, seemed to incorporate herself well into the story. The other characters felt very real, especially in the leaders' interactions with the other Gladers. It seemed exactly how a group of teenage boys would act if governing themselves and trying to survive. 

All in all, great suspense and creativity in this novel! Definitely enjoyed it despite it being YA or whatever it is! I do NOT recommend reading if you are especially bothered by violence/many deaths/creepy dystopian stuff, because the information about the Flare freaked me out.

Four stars!

The Scorch Trials by James Dashner

This sequel was a roller-coaster of action, emotional turmoil, and more amazing world-building. Thomas and the Gladers endure even worse trials while traveling through the post-apocalyptic landscape of the Scorch, which is essentially Death Valley on steroids. They soon realize they can trust nobody.

As with the first book, I was amazed at Dashner's world-building and imagination. The development of the Flare and the Cranks added an eeriness to the book that made me anxiously anticipate zombie-like creatures jumping out at them at any moment. He keeps the stakes high throughout the entire book, and because he was so ruthless in the last book with poor Chuck and Alby, I knew that no character was safe. 

As for the characters, Thomas continues to grow as a leader, though I think he still toes the line between goody-goody and an admirable hero. Minho ended up being more relatable to me through his flaws, though I probably liked Newt best as a character overall. I take some issue with how Dashner writes women, however. Perhaps I'm coming at this with a female brain, but I found myself mildly annoyed at how flirty both Brenda and Teresa are. As slightly irritating as Teresa was in the first book because of her mysterious romantic connection to Thomas, in the second she's 10% more irritating. Thomas doesn't even have that many memories of her, and he still seems to be head over heels for her. And then Brenda just seems to be all over him way too quickly. I was not particularly impressed with either of them—I felt like they were both rather shallowly written.

But, Teresa's betrayal added a great current of uncertainty throughout the novel, and the twist with Aris was definitely unexpected! And, once again, Dashner ends the book with a terrifying cliffhanger.

4 stars!

The Death Cure by James Dashner

The final novel in the trilogy definitely had more gut-wrenching twists than the other two. As if I thought these series couldn't get any grimmer, Dashner has no qualms about killing characters left and right to keep me in suspense about who is going to die next. Thomas, after escaping from WICKED with Minho and Newt, races to discover how he can protect his friends and defeat WICKED.

While I would have liked to see a less bittersweet ending, I appreciated how Dashner was realistic about their chances of finding a cure. Pragmatically speaking, the best chance for humanity was to just let the Immunes survive on their own and rebuild. But it was still sad to see that Thomas almost immediately gave up hope of finding a cure for Newt. It seemed a bit uncharacteristic of him to abandon a friend to the Flare so quickly.

All in all, this series culminated in the traumatic ending it had been leading up to, which seemed only suitable for the darkness of the world they lived in.

Four stars!

The Tech-Wise Family: Everyday Steps for Putting Technology in Its Proper Place by Andy Crouch

Crouch begins this guide to technology use with the general principles and spirit behind limiting technology both individually and as a family. He then moves towards specific means by which to use technology in a healthy way, such as not keeping phones by beds or having an hour a day tech-free. He finally ends the book with ideas for bringing the family together without technology, explaining his reasoning for more creative ways to spend time as a family, such as singing.

I really enjoyed his facts-based writing style; he had numerous statistics that hammered home the seriousness of technology use among kids and teens. I also appreciated the practical tips he offered, such as doing a tech-free hour once a day, a tech-free day once a week, and a tech-free week once a year. The advice for managing technology with children was also good to look forward to should I ever have a family. He also had an excellent philosophy of replacing technology with creative activities, directing a family towards creation rather than consumption. His Christian perspective provided beautiful reasoning for limiting technology and focusing on creation!

5 stars!

"The Great Hymn to the Aten"

The Hymn to Aten is a beautiful poem that captures Pharaoh Amenhotep IV's devotion to the sun-god. Much of it focuses on the god's creator powers, with imagery of birth and Aten as the source of life. It also examines the love the god feels for his people, especially Amenhotep and his wife, Nefertiti. Overall, it captures quite well the awe one might feel at a creator god. As a Christian, I found it interesting that it could almost foreshadow or point to God—who strikes awesome fear and devotion into us! 

Four stars!

Trust by Hernán Diaz

Trust tells the muddling tale of Andrew Bevel and his wife Mildred, who ride out the stock crash of 1929 with great profit. This book is written from four perspectives—a fictionalized story (within a fiction, of course) of the couple, Bevel's own discombobulated account, his secretary's understanding of the couple, and Mildred's revelation of the true master behind the stock crash. 

The book gradually reveals information about the couple, changing the reader's expectations at every new section. I went from pitying Bevel to hating him to scorning him as I discovered the real mastermind of the Bevel family profits. Diaz does an excellent job of sending the story on a twist when new information is revealed. 

Unfortunately, the writing style was a bit bland for my tastes. This is definitely literary fiction, but none of the characters were especially sympathetic. They were well-written, but I wasn't really in love with any of them (though I'll admit Diaz wrote them to be quite human, with their flaws and grayness). At times the writing simply did not hold my attention because of its style.

3 stars.

Hamlet by William Shakespeare

Hamlet examines the struggles of the title character, who plots revenge against the man who killed his father. Shakespeare's play shows the conflict between action and apathy as Hamlet endeavors to discover the murderer and work up the will to kill him.

Shakespeare excellently portrays the different motives of the characters, from Hamlet's struggle to act to Laertes's impulsivity. I thought it interesting that Hamlet, Laertes, and Fortinbras were contrasted in the story. All three of them lose a father, but only Fortinbras comes out on top, showing the mixture of Hamlet's patience and Laertes's action to eventually succeed in taking Denmark. Most of the characters were quite well-rounded, even the side characters, with their personality coming across in only a few lines. The exception to this might have been the women, though Gertrude seemed more complex than Ophelia. 

Excellent read if you enjoy devious murders and court intrigues! 

5 stars!

"Leaf by Niggle" by J. R. R. Tolkien

"Leaf by Niggle" examines the power of the arts as a glimpse into paradise after death. Niggle, an artist, in unable to complete a painting of a tree, as he is often distracted from his art by community responsibilities and running favors for his neighbor. However, he discovers that the single leaf he did complete allowed him a veiled look into the beauty and splendor of the next world.

This short story is an excellent introduction to Tolkien's worldview, with themes of sub-creation and mythopoeia throughout the tale. As I am not Catholic, the concept of the purgatory Niggle endures before paradise was slightly confusing, but the story was beautiful nonetheless. I also very much enjoyed the idea that, while our works rot away on earth, heaven provides a gift that endures forever.

5 stars!