The Maze Runner by James Dashner

"The Maze Runner" is a YA book about a boy named Thomas who wakes up in a The Glade with his memory erased. The Glade is a large open area surrounded by huge stone walls and there are other boys inside who came the same way Thomas did, only earlier. Outside of the walls is a maze, but no one can find a way out. The walls only open during the day light and no one wants to be caught in the mazes after dark.

I liked:
-It has a very interesting plot, which made me want to keep reading. I love puzzles and mazes and I just had to see how (or if) they found a way out.
-The plot moved along quickly without a bunch of fluff thrown in.

However, a few things were really irritating.

I did not like:

-I really hated the slang that the author made up for the Glade boys. It distracted from the story and was really stupid sounding (i.e. "Shuckface").
-The "grievers" were really odd and hard to imagine. I like being able to imagine things when I read a book and these were just so odd that it was really hard.
-The fact that I basically finished it because I HAD to know how they solved the maze. It wasn't because I cared about the characters. The characters were pretty boring and unmemorable.

I'd give it a 2/5. Interesting concept, not so great execution.

Cover by Jack Ketchum

This book was really slow, especially for a Jack Ketchum book. The characters were boring to the point that I didn't really care if they died or not. Half the time I'd forget them until he mentioned their name and I'd have to backtrack to remember who they were. That's not good when there is only a handful of characters in the book

It's premise is an ex- Vietnam vet went nuts from PTSD and is living in the woods since he had some problems easing back into society after the war. His wife and son left him and all he has is his dog.

Then we get the most boring group of campers ever. They are all professional adults, when I was expecting a bunch of teens or college kids after reading the back of the book. Some guy is there with his mistress and his wife and a photographer and...I just don't really care. I just couldn't bring myself to give a damn about any of these characters. I don't even know why they were camping.

The vet was an interesting guy, but unfortunately most of the book seemed to be focused on the campers. I'd have liked to see more of his flashbacks to the war and more inside of his head.

All in all, probably my least favorite Ketchum book. It had potential, but didn't deliver to my expectations.

2/5 stars

Brothel: Mustang Ranch and it's Women by Alexa Albert

I'm going back over the books I have already read this year since I just started the blog.

I've been fascinated by Nevada's legal brothel system since watching the HBO series "Cathouse". This book gives an in depth view into the brothels and the girls who work there. The author actually lived at the Mustang Ranch while she conducted her studies.

I liked that it wasn't exploitative or judgmental. It simply gave facts and honest commentary on the day to day workings of a legal brothel. The book covers everything from the history and politics of the brothels to candid conversations with brothel employees and staff.

4/5 stars. I really liked this book and would recommend it to anyone who is interested in the subject matter.

Push by Sapphire

This is a fairly short book (less than 200 pages), but a little hard to read since it seems to be written how Precious would talk or write (a mixture of ebonics and illiteracy). Once you get into it a little bit, it's easier to read.

I watched the movie, Precious, a few months ago and was happy to see that it was kept fairly close to the book. However, the book was much more graphic than the movie, which I was surprised to see. I figured Precious's life couldn't be much worse than the...more This is a fairly short book (less than 200 pages), but a little hard to read since it seems to be written how Precious would talk or write (a mixture of ebonics and the fact that she is mostly illiterate). Once you get into it a little bit, it's easier to read.

I watched the movie, Precious, a few months ago and was happy to see that it was kept fairly close to the book. However, the book was much more graphic than the movie, which I was surprised to see. I figured Precious's life couldn't be much worse than the movie. The book elaborates on things that were merely alluded to in the film.

It was hard to read due to the graphic subject matter, but a good book nonetheless.