THE MAZE RUNNER By James Dashner

The Maze Runner

By James Dashner

Categories: Young adult, adventure, mystery, dystopian

What would you do if you woke up with no memory of anything except your name? Thomas finds himself the newest arrival to a community of about 60 boys, who all remember nothing about their lives before they came to this strange place with many odd rules named “the glade”. Most boys can recall being there for two years at the longest, typically with a new, memory-free boy deposited every 30 days. They must rely on themselves for everything from growing food to keeping livestock. Escaping the Glade is impossible when nightmarish creatures patrol the area surrounding them every night, and the Glade happens to be at the center of an incredibly large, seemingly endless maze. Boys are sent out during sunlight to attempt to find a way out, but to no success. Thomas is just getting familiar with everything that is going on when a comatose girl is deposited in their midst with a mysterious note.

Fans of The Hunger Games series or the Divergent series will love the suspense and intrigue of The Maze Runner series. Author James Dashner has finished them so it’s OK to read all in one go (which you must if you want to find out what the heck is going on!).  This is one of those books that you’ll want to read before the movie come out in September. I was almost annoyed by how many things are left a mystery until the very end of the book (or even series) but never so much that I dared stop reading them. Dashner also wrote a prequel if you finish The Maze Runner, The Scorch Trials and The Death Cure and still want to dive further into the history of what brought about the beginning of it all, titled The Kill Order.

THE GOLDFINCH By Donna Tartt

The Goldfinch

By Donna Tartt

Fans of author Donna Tartt must wait patiently for their prize. The Little Friend was published in October of 2002, being second to Tartt’s first novel The Secret Society (published in 1992 by  Alfred A. Knopf). Good things do come to those who wait, The Goldfinch is well worth the investment at nearly 800 pages. Fans know that the sweeping scale of Tartt’s storytelling can not be rushed.

“Stay away from the ones you love too much. Those are the ones who will kill you.” -The Goldfinch

Exquisitely written, delightfully suspenseful, the reader will be pulled into the story right at the start. Theodore Decker begins his tale anxiety ridden and pacing around the hotel room in a country where he does not know the language and fearful that something, someone is out to get him. This enticing introduction then morphs into the tale of how dear Theo got to be at this place, in this situation. We are transported back to a 13 year old Theo with a beautifully art-obsessed mother, which starts the tale of his circumstances that ultimately lead to a life of decadent highs and unexpected lows. Colorful, vivid characters come into Theo’s life and not always for the better. It was a story spurred by loss but saturated with purpose and determination.

Never before have I read about the dubitable dealings of the art world, the way a secret can take on a life of it’s own, in such eloquent narrative. Theo’s tale, while lengthy, is beautiful and impossible to rush. Tartt’s lines deserve to be enjoyed and digested.

“But sometimes, unexpectedly, grief pounded over me in waves that left me gasping; and when the waves washed back, I found myself looking out over a brackish wreck which was illumined in a light so lucid, so heartsick and empty, that I could hardly remember that the world had ever been anything but dead.” -The Goldfinch

In Tartt’s craftsmanship, even grief is a heart-breakingly beautiful experience. Well worth the effort, if you’re looking for the next novel to consume your evenings try The Goldfinch today!

(Tartt's first novel)

                                                      (Tartt's second novel)

COLUMBINE By Dave Cullen

Columbine

By Dave Cullen

Categories: Non-fiction, true life crime, historical

On April 20th, 1999, an American tragedy happened in a suburb of of Colorado, whose name would be remembered forever after in infamy.The slayings of thirteen high school students by two of their own classmates struck the community and the nation to its core, how could this have happened?

Dave Cullen spent ten years researching the events that unfolded in Columbine High School, what went on prior to the shootings and how the media drove the stereotypes and errors of the case into mainstream thinking. For example, when you think of Columbine, you probably associate a few things with it like “The Trench Coat Mafia”, Gothic teens, and how two teens were fed up with being bullied finally turned their pent up anger into a plan to get revenge. None of these things are factually linked to the tragedy. Even the one teen (victim Cassie Bernall) who allegedly was asked “Do you believe in God?” and replied “Yes”, only to be shot dead, did not happen that way at all. Cullen unfurls the myths and misconceptions that were thought of as commonplace to the investigation.

Based on first hand accounts of the tragedy, police and FBI reports. Cullen weaves the story of one of the most brutal, calculated killings of children. Had the murderers actual plans (also researched in depth and explained) been carried out, the death toll would have been in the hundreds. The differences in the two killers, one was in control and one might have been somewhat normal (if not depressed or suicidal) had they not met the other.  

The book also goes into detail about the lives of the victims and survivors. Their struggles after the tragedy, the way they refused to let this horrific act define them as a school, as a community. The way they took control of their lives by eventually forcing the media out, because all they wanted to do was move forward while sensationalized journalism only wanted to relive the horror.

If you are in the mood for a sobering look at one of the most unforgettable tragedies and have a strong stomach to handle the realities of such acts of brutality (with some incredibly empowering survivors and acts of kindness) then read Columbine. It was as intense as it was eye-opening.