20 books in 2015- #'s 4 - 7

Well, 2015 is halfway over and I am less than halfway to my goal of reading 20 books this year.   The math teacher in me reasons that I should have been to 10 by now, and at this rate, my goal will not be reached.  A new baby on the way in September also adds a variable that may effect the outcome- BUT- I could still argue that there is plenty of time left to read 13 books if I can average 2.6 books or so for the remaining months.  I'm optimistic.

I'm doing some catching up by posting about books 4 - 7 in one post.  I have been lazy with my writing....again. I'll try to be brief:)

Book #4 was Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.  I have been a fan of Disney's Alice in Wonderland for a long time but have never read the novel by Lewis Carroll.  The book is delightfully stranger than the film and includes stories and characters that you won't find in the Disney movie.   I admire how Alice can go through this land accepting it as it is.  I think it's always good for us to remind ourselves to never lose our childhood curiosity, or try to hard to be "normal".


Book #5 was STAR WARS: Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn.   I have always been a big fan of STAR WARS, but the thought of reading anything from the expanded universe was climbing too high on the geek scale for my taste.  There was a lull a couple months ago where I didn't have any books from my list at home or from the library.  In a moment of weakness, with an assist from Jordan, I took this one up.
This is the first book in a three volume series that takes place after the events of Return of the Jedi.   It took me a couple days to get into the book and get used to the language.  It's much more enjoyable to watch Star Destroyers and Tie Fighters battle X-wings on film than it is to read in a book. (Seriously, listen to this nerd talk!)
  All the characters I love are back and new characters are introduced. Here is the gist of it: There is a new Grand Admiral that is slowly rebuilding the Imperial Empire.  Darth Vader and the Emperor are dead, but the new admiral has help from an evil Jedi that wants to get his hands on Luke and Leia.  Leia and Han are married and expecting twins.  Luke is a more confident Jedi Knight. Lando is still a gambler and Chewbacca is still a wookie. The rebels try to stop the imperials from creating a new war, but are delayed by a group of rogue smugglers that can't decide if they want to help the Rebels or take favor with the new admiral.

Favorite Quote: "A Jedi can't get so caught up in matters of galactic importance that it interferes with his concern for individual people."

Book #6 - The Maze Runner by James Dashner.  After reading The Hunger Games and Divergent series I felt that this book lacked some originality, but it was still entertaining.  Right away you meet Thomas as he enters an area called "The Glade" that is surrounded by four walls and full of  young boys of various ages.  Thomas is about 16. He has no memory of his life before that, but he has a gut feeling that he is supposed to be beyond the walls.  Thomas quickly learns the social structure of his new home and tries out several jobs to find his place in the community, but it is the job of a runner that he desires most.  It is the runners responsibility to navigate the mazes that surround the four walls of the glade and find a way to escape.  They must return before the walls to the glade close at night or they most likely will not survive-for various reasons. It's a dangerous and tedious job because the walls of the maze change everyday, it's like starting new.  Then the first girl arrives in the glade and everything goes crazy.  Her memory is gone as well, except for the fact that she knows Thomas.

Book #7- Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn.  What a perfect book to cure my Gone Girl hangover.  Gillian Flynn is quickly becoming my favorite mystery/thriller writer. I hope she writes more books soon.  Sharp Objects is about a young reporter, Camille, that travels back to her small hometown in Missouri to investigate the murders of two young girls. Camille hasn't been home in years and isn't on the best of terms with her strict mother, or her teenage half-sister.  The more Camille tries to investigate the murders, the more haunted she becomes with her own past and vices.  She begins to identify with the victims and a horrible reality about her family soon comes to light.  It's hard to describe the book with out giving too much away.  If you liked Gone Girl I recommend this one.  The graphic language makes it a little hard to read at times, but you can't resist trying to figure out what the heck is going on.

Favorite Quote: " It is impossible to compete with the dead. I wished I could stop trying." -Camille