YA in Review: The Scorch Trials (James Dashner)

This post will essentially be Spoiler Free, however as it is part of a series, some comments may spoil portions of the plot of previous books by default. This book is the second book out of The Maze Runner series. My post about the first book can be seen here.

biblio.com

What it's about:

After the Gladers escape from the Maze, they find themselves in the company of WICKED scientists. The Gladers learn that they are not only in another phase of an experiment, but that they have caught a horrible disease called The Flare, which causes those infected to lose their minds. Yet, WICKED offers them a cure - they just have to make it through the Scorch - the deadly desert that stretches for miles, by the end of two weeks. Except there's one big catch: the Gladers aren't the only ones vying for the cure.

Mini-Reviews: The DUFF, Mortal Engines, The Impossible

More movies in my long list of things that need to be reviewed! I love watching movies, but I don't like to review all of them. Why not? Well, there can be a few reasons for this: 1) sometimes there just wasn't enough going on in it for me to feel inspired to write a full review/have enough material to write about, 2) because I often just want to watch a movie for enjoyment, and without analyzing it. So, here's how we both win: I watch it for fun, and then I write a mini-review. However, if you see that I have watched a movie and you desperately want a full review...tell me! I am more than happy to consider writing a full review if I know readers are interested.

Now that we've gotten that out of the way, here are some of the things I've been watching!

sheknows.com

The DUFF
Do you like Easy A? Well, this movie has that kind of feel to it. It's a relaxed, but fun teen movie that still deals with some important issues and relationships. It's a little bit quirky, but still very relatable. If you are looking for a fun movie for the weekend, or for an evening to curl up and relax with, then I think this is perfect. It will leave you feeling happy, and without having to think too intensely to keep up.

YA in Review: Red Queen (Victoria Aveyard)

This post will essentially be Spoiler Free, however comments by other users may possibly contain information that spoils portions of the plot, so read at them your own risk. This book is the ninth one that I've completed for my 2018 TBR Challenge. Only three left!

harpercollins.com

What it's about:

The world is divided into two - those with red blood, the commoners, and the elite members of society who have silver blood and possess unique special abilities. Mare Barrow, a red-blooded girl is about to be sent to war, as is the law for those without skilled jobs when they reach eighteen. But Mare's skill is thievery - trying to feed her family, she steals to provide their basic necessities since her brothers are already at war. Yet one day she tries to steal from a stranger, who offers her a job in the palace instead. The stranger is the crown prince, and immersed in his world, Mare soon discovers that although she bleeds red, that she has more in common with the silvers than she ever could have predicted.

YA in Review: The Maze Runner (James Dashner)

This post will essentially be Spoiler Free, however comments by other users may possibly contain information that spoils portions of the plot, so read at them your own risk. This book is the eighth one that I've completed for my 2018 TBR Challenge. I'm getting there!

chapters.indigo.ca

What it's about:

Thomas wakes up suddenly in a box, being transported underground, and has absolutely no memory of how he got there or his life before that very moment. The only thing he remembers is his name. When he finally sees the surface, an area know as the Glade, he meets a group of boys who all have a similar story. He learns that each has their own role to contribute, from farmers to cooks, and the elite group of maze runners who explore the labyrinth surrounding the Glade - trying to discover the secrets to help them get free. But Thomas is different - he gets the feeling that he's been here before, and unlike the others, knows he needs to explore the maze, no matter the dangers. And when only days later the first and only girl arrives, they know that nothing they have come to rely on will ever be the same again.

The Handmaid's Tale (Margaret Atwood)

This post will essentially be Spoiler Free, however comments by other users may possibly contain information that spoils portions of the plot, so read at them your own risk. This book is the seventh one that I've completed for my 2018 TBR Challenge. I only have five left - can I do it?

cbc.ca

What it's about:

In the not so distant future, fertility rates are at an all-time low, making modesty and the ability to bear children of paramount importance. The government has been overthrown, and the Bible is law - including its determination of sin. Inspired by the story of Jacob and Rachel, women able to bear children are delegated as Handmaids and assigned to a household for the sole purpose of providing the family with a baby. One of these women, known only as Offred from her assignment to the household of Commander Fred, tells her bleak story with raw honesty.

June 2018 Update

I have been watching so many things that I barely know where to start (even though it won't look like it)! I started and finished a few series this month, so formatting this update is going to be a bit interesting - bear with me! (Grr, I'm a bear).

Started Watching:

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The Shannara Chronicles season 2 - started and finished

I missed the first couple of episodes of season 2 when it aired, so I decided to wait until I could get it on DVD. I got it right when I was in the middle of several shows, but I still breezed through it in a few days. It definitely had a different feel to season 1, but I still enjoyed it (even though not as much as the first season). Unfortunately no one picked this show up for season 3, so it looks like it's done.

bustle.com

One More Time - started and finished
I was having some K-drama withdrawal (as you'll see why later), so I needed something as a quick distraction and picked this one. At only eight half-hour episodes, this is a quick one to whip through when you just need to get your drama fix. I finished this in two days, and liked it. It's a much simpler one than some of the others I've been watching lately, but that made it a nice change. As a heads-up, this is a Netflix original.

April 2018 Update

Exams are done and I am now free to blog to my heart's content...for a little while at least. It was a bit of a slow month because of school and general craziness at work, but May should pick up a bit. Here's what I've been watching over the month of April!

Started Watching:

tvequals.com

The 100 season 5
Finally! The wait for this show has been absolutely painful. I actually avoided finishing season 4 for a long time because I knew the wait was going to hurt. But finally, here we are! Only the premiere episode has aired so far, but I have officially started it. Can't say how the season is going to turn out yet of course, but it for sure is going to be full of dramatic twists and turns.

tvline.com

The Handmaid's Tale season 2
Just like The 100, I've only seen episodes one and two of this season, but I'm looking forward to where it goes from here. Although I haven't read the book yet (however it is part of my TBR Challenge this year), I know it is a large departure from the source material, however it is at least interesting for now.

The Lobster

rogersmovienation.com

What It's About:

After his wife leaves him, David enters The Hotel in order to find a new mate. It is here that he must do three things - choose an animal, choose a compatible mate, and hunt down single people to bring them to The Hotel. If within forty-five days David does not find, and fall in love with, a suitable partner, he will converted into his chosen animal and sent into the wilderness to try and find love again. As the days tick by, David must decide the lesser of the evils - becoming a lobster, or pretending to fall in love. Or is there another option?

Top Ten Favourite Book Quotes

This week's Top Ten Tuesday from That Artsy Reader Girl is Top Ten Favourite Book Quotes. I love quotes. I love to memorize them and I have a small book where I write down some of my favourites. Needless to say, I found this really difficult to narrow it down to just a few when I feel like I am swimming in favourite quotes. So, after struggling for an excessive amount of time over which ones to pick, here is a itsy bitsy sampling of my favourite book quotes:

1) Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier 

“I could fight with the living but I could not fight the dead. If there was some woman in London that Maxim loved, someone he wrote to, visited, dined with, slept with, I could fight her. We would stand on common ground. I should not be afraid. Anger and jealousy were things that could be conquered. One day the woman would grow old or tired or different, and Maxim would not love her anymore. But Rebecca would never grow old. Rebecca would always be the same. And she and I could not fight. She was too strong for me.”

2) The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams Bianco
"'Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand.'”

3) The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams
“I didn't go to the moon, I went much further—for time is the longest distance between two places.”

4) Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
"'I'm claiming the right to be unhappy.'"

5) Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
"'There must be something in books, things we can't imagine, to make a woman stay in a burning house; there must be something there. You don't stay for nothing.'"

6) Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
"'When I asked my da how ye knew which was the right woman, he told me when the time came, I'd have no doubt. And I didn't. When I woke in the dark under that tree on the road to Leoch, with you sitting on my chest, cursing me for bleeding to death, I said to myself, 'Jamie Fraser, for all ye canna see what she looks like, and for all she weighs as much as a good draft horse, this is the woman.''"

Never Let Me Go (Kazuo Ishiguro)

In light of the recent news that Kazuo Ishiguro was awarded the 2017 Nobel Prize for Literature, I wanted to share with you a few of my thoughts.

First off, I want to congratulate Mr. Ishiguro on the honour. This post in no way intends to be an opinion on whether or not that accolade was deserved, and is simply my experience with his work so far.

Like a lot of people, my first experience with Ishiguro's work was when the movie of Never Let Me Go came out. Being a huge fan of dystopian literature for many years, especially those with a dark or twisted element, this seemed right up my alley. I think I might have missed a few minutes at the beginning of the movie, but otherwise I watched it the whole way through.  I'm a huge fan of Carey Mulligan and Sally Hawkins, and enjoy many things that Keira Knightley has done, so the whole thing seemed really promising.

Conceptually, I enjoyed it. Yet I felt a lack of an emotional connection to the characters, except for the mild "person on the outside" feeling that Kathy and I seemed to share. But I was not satisfied with this - perhaps something was missing from the adaptation (moments cut out, beautiful prose untranslatable to film, etc.) that just didn't give me the full experience. So I endeavored to read it.

Here's what I found:

Dystopian and Post-Apocalyptic Fiction For All Ages

I've loved dystopian fiction ever since I was about twelve years old, but unfortunately for me there wasn't that much out there for my age bracket. So I read what I could for my age, but quickly tried reading things above my level. In order to make things a little easier for people like me, or just for those looking for some other options, here is my list of decent to great examples of dystopian fiction. I'm only including ones that I personally have read and at least remotely enjoyed. Hope this helps!

Youth and Preteens

The Lorax (1971) Dr. Seuss
The Girl Who Owned a City (1975) O.T. Nelson
The Giver (1993) Lois Lowry

• The Giver
• Gathering Blue
• Messenger
• Son

The Wump World (1970) Bill Peet
The Last Book in the Universe (2000) Rodman Philbrick
The Transall Saga (1998) Gary Paulsen