The Maze Runner Series

About a month ago I posted a book review on The Maze Runner by James Dashner and now I have finally finished the whole series! All in all the books were great but the first one was by far my favorite of the three. For those who don't know what they are about, this series follows around a young man named Thomas who is placed in a maze with other people around his age. Their goal is to solve it, but they also have other difficult situations they have to overcome; they have no specific memories of the world before the maze, they can't comprehend how they ended up in it, and many more. But little do they know, the maze will turn out to be the least of their problems. 

As the characters learn more and more about the reality of their situation throughout the series, we as the readers learn right alongside them. There is a much greater evil behind it all than I ever imagined, filled with unthinkable horrors that threaten the whole of the human race. But that is all I am going to say or I will end up spoiling the story!

I would urge anyone to read these books who loves a good action-adventure story. However, in my opinion it did get a little bit dry in the middle of the third book so beware of that. But in the end it was all worth finishing!

1. The Maze Runner 2. The Scorch Trials 3. The Death Cure

(Pardon me if this was a bit redundant to my other post on The Maze Runner)

Conwy, Wales

A couple of months ago I traveled around the United Kingdom. One of the places I visited was Conwy, Wales; a little beach town on the northern side of the country. It's small but it is packed with history! Most of it is quaint, except for Conwy Castle. It has presided over the town since the 13th century, when it was instructed to be built by Edward I of England. From the castle the old and decrepit (but gorgeous) protection walls expand to surround most of the town. Some pieces of these walls are now missing due to the wear and tear of time but you are still able to walk along the top of the sturdy remaining ones.

If you plan on visiting Conwy in the future I highly recommend you go visit the castle! The views of the surrounding town, water, and bridges are definitely worth the climbs up the steep stairways. 

One of the (more modest) turrets.

The view from one of the castle turrets looking down on the town and water.

We walked/hiked up to the top of Conwy Mountain in order to get this view! The sign originally read "Sheer Drop" at the bottom but someone changed it to "Sheep Drop," so funny. 

Another place in Conwy that is worth visiting (that I unfortunately did not get a good picture of) is "The Smallest House in Great Britain." It's adorable!

PS: I apologize for this post being so darn late.

Summer's Last Hurrah

How on earth is it already September? This year is now officially two-thirds done and it doesn't feel real. As much as I like summer, I love how it's starting to feel like autumn; how the weather is starting to turn and how the leaves are starting to change. So today, as a gesture to bid goodbye to summer, I went out and bought some gorgeous summer-y flowers. 

If anyone is wondering, they're hydrangeas and miniature carnations!

After the flowers were arranged I lit some of my favorite autumn candles. Because what better way to welcome the coming season then that? 

"Nutmeg & Spice" and "Heirloom Pumpkin," both by Bath & Body Works.

The Magic of Stories

I absolutely love books (big surprise right?). New books, old books, big books, small books, and everything in between. I love how stories can contain the power to transfer anyone to different world. They can take you to a different reality that was literally formed in someones mind. It is just absolutely amazing. 

I don't think I have mentioned before that I work in a book store. It's just a small one that sells (mostly) used books. I have witnessed people find a particular book and become instantly happier. I have watched people break out in dance and song when they find exactly what they were looking for. One person sticks out the most in my mind. A couple of months ago a man and a woman whom I had never seen before came into the store. The wife came up to the counter and immediately asked me for a specific book, she then went on to say that she had been looking for this book for quite a long time and hadn't been able to find it anywhere. I led her over to the shelf where it would be and soon I had the book in my hands. The husband just stood there in shock (I'm not exaggerating) and the woman was so happy that she hugged me! They were both giddy the rest of the time they were in the store and left with huge smiles on their faces. These few minutes made my day about ten times better. You never know what you can find in used book stores, I highly recommend checking some out and seeing what they have in stock. 

Stories have always been very powerful. Books can be tickets to happiness and knowledge, I hope that they never lose their capability to fascinate the human race.

I have a bad habit of reading more than one book at a time. These are the three that I have reading lately. So, I am almost done with The Death Cure by James Dashner, which is the last installment in The Maze Runner series! However, I am also reading Atonement by Ian McEwan, I started it a few nights ago and so far it is amazing. And for me, Sherlock Holmes stories are always a must, I try to sit down and read one or more of the short stories from time to time. 

Book Review: The Maze Runner

About a week ago, one of my friends started raving to me about a book series she had just finished. It was The Maze Runner by James Dashner. She pretty much told me that I had to read all three of the books ASAP. Then, believe it or not, a few days later one of my other friends told me to read it as well. So I figured it was time to check and see what all the hype was about!

I was not disappointed. 

The story starts with a boy that wakes up to find himself in a giant concrete structure with only the memory of his name, Thomas. He doesn’t know who his family is, where he is from, who his friends are, nothing. The structure turns out to be (you guessed it) a maze. Thomas and the rest of the boys who were put inside it have to figure out how to solve and escape from it, all the while avoiding getting lost and not getting attacked by the terrible beings that lurk in the maze.

Even though this is a “young adult” book it does cover some very grown up topics and issues. This dystopian story brings up questions about humanity, culture, survival, and even love. Trust me, it is a book that anyone who wants to can read, it is not just a book for teenagers.

The next book in the series, The Scorch Trials!