The Maze Runner

by James Dashner


"If you ain’t scared, you ain’t human.
When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his name. He’s surrounded by strangers—boys whose memories are also gone.
Nice to meet ya, shank. Welcome to the Glade.
Outside the towering stone walls that surround the Glade is a limitless, ever-changing maze. It’s the only way out—and no one’s ever made it through alive.
Everything is going to change.
Then a girl arrives. The first girl ever. And the message she delivers is terrifying.
Remember. Survive. Run."

I also read this book last summer, in part because I wanted to know the story before watching the movie (official trailer following). In fact I have not seen the movie yet but I read the hole trilogy of books xD I just think the last book needed a final like Harry Potter, but I enjoyed it very much.

Catching Fire

Sparks are igniting.Flames are spreading. And the Capitol wants revenge.

Against all odds, Katniss has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and her longtime friend, Gale. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned his back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol - a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.

Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she's not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can't prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying.

In Catching Fire, the second novel in the Hunger Games trilogy, Suzanne Collins continues the story of Katniss Everdeen, testing her more than ever before...and surprising readers at every turn.

The film is already out and here is the trailer:

Last weekend I watched this film for the second time. It still made me feel a lot of emotions.

Dracula

Dracula

by Bram Stoker

"Irish author Bram Stoker introduced the character of Count Dracula and provided the basis of modern vampire fiction in his 1897 novel entitled "Dracula." Written as a series of letters, newspaper clippings, diary entries, and ships' logs, the story begins with lawyer Jonathan Harker journeying to meet Dracula at his remote castle to complete a real estate transaction. Harker soon discovers that he is being held prisoner, and that Dracula has a rather disquieting nocturnal life. Touching on themes such as Victorian culture, immigration, and colonialism, among others, this timeless classic is sure to keep readers on the edge of their seats! Now available as part of the Canterbury Classics singles series, "Dracula" is a must-have addition to the libraries of all classic literature lovers."

 
 I always heard that this book was a mark for vampire fiction and a great book. When i saw this cover on the other day in the bookstore i just couldn't resiste!!! It's really nice!
This is going to be one of my next read. :)

 

Frankenstein

Frankenstein

  by Mary Shelley

"Mary Shelley began writing Frankenstein when she was only eighteen. At once a Gothic thriller, a passionate romance, and a cautionary tale about the dangers of science, Frankenstein tells the story of committed science student Victor Frankenstein. Obsessed with discovering the cause of generation and life and bestowing animation upon lifeless matter, Frankenstein assembles a human being from stolen body parts but; upon bringing it to life, he recoils in horror at the creature's hideousness. Tormented by isolation and loneliness, the once-innocent creature turns to evil and unleashes a campaign of murderous revenge against his creator, Frankenstein.

Frankenstein, an instant bestseller and an important ancestor of both the horror and science fiction genres, not only tells a terrifying story, but also raises profound, disturbing questions about the very nature of life and the place of humankind within the cosmos: What does it mean to be human? What responsibilities do we have to each other? How far can we go in tampering with Nature? In our age, filled with news of organ donation genetic engineering, and bio-terrorism, these questions are more relevant than ever."

 I remember seeing the Frankenstein monster on cartoons when i was young, so I got curious to know the real story when i saw the book. The history is not similar to what I thought, well, its far away from what i remembered from cartoons, it's more dramatic and tragic but still interesting.
 

Because You Are Mine

Because You Are Mine

 

by Beth Kery

 

"From Beth Kery, the national bestselling author of Explosive, comes a red-hot romance like no other--where the rules of attraction are broken with that first electrifying touch. Meet Francesca and Ian. The fantasies of what's to come begin...

 Because You Are Mine, an exciting tale of erotic obsession divided in 8 parts with 2 chapters.

 
Because You Tempt Me is the first part and it starts with that first look, when you know you have to have him... Francesca Arno has been commissioned to create a grand centerpiece painting for the lobby of Ian Noble's new skyscraper. It's at a cocktail party in her honor that she first meets him--and the attraction is immediate for Francesca. It's also bewildering. She's not used to such a wholesale sexual response to a stranger. Enigmatic, darkly intense, with a commanding presence, Ian completely unnerves her. And she likes it.
For Ian, she's the kind of woman he can't resist--one that comes all too rarely: a true innocent. But he can sense in her a desire to open up, to experiment, to give herself to the fantasies of a man in control. The first kiss, the first caress, the first challenge for a woman who craves what she's never had--a man who gets what he wants."

I liked this book, but I have to say that it looks like "fifty shades", with a domineering billionaire and a struggling student taking centre stage. I found the story a little predictable and familiar, as so many books in this genre have the same kind of storyline, but I only let go of the chapters after i read them all. 

 

The King's Buccaneer

The King's Buccaneer (Krondor's Sons #2) 

by Raymond E. Feist

 "Long recovered from the ravages of the Riftwar, the land and people of the kingdom of the Isles thrive. Nicholas, the youngest son of Prince Arutha, is intelligent and gifted but vastly inexperienced. In hopes of hardening him, his father sends him and his irreverent squire, Harry, to live at Rustic Castle Crydee to learn of life beyond the halls of privilege. But within weeks of Nicholas and Harry's arrival, Crydee is viciously attacked by unknown assailants, resulting in murder, massive destruction, and the abduction of two young noblewomen. The raiders have come from a pirate haven and are no ordinary foe ... but an enemy connected to dark magical forces that threaten the lands Nicholas will someday rule -- if he survives."

First I must say that I loved the first book of this saga. I'll buy this book tomorrow and I confess that I have great expectations about it. I really like this author, so I think I won't be desapointed.

Fool's Fate

Fool's Fate (Tawny Man #3)

 by Robin Hobb

 "A heralded writer of epic fantasy, Robin Hobb has given readers worlds within worlds in her heroic Farseer and Liveship Traders trilogies. Now she takes the final step in the breathtaking trilogy of the Tawny Man, as the tale of FitzChivalry Farseer comes to an epic end. Rife with boundless adventure and unforgettable characters, Fool’s Fate is destined to become a classic of the genre.

Assassin, spy, and Skillmaster, FitzChivalry Farseer, now known only as man-at-arms Tom Badgerlock, has become firmly ensconced in the queen’s court at Buckkeep. Only a few are aware of his fabled, tangled past—and the sacrifices he made to survive it. And fewer know of his possession of the Skill magic. With Prince
Dutiful, his assassin-mentor Chade, and the simpleminded yet strongly Skilled Thick, FitzChivalry strives to aid the prince on a quest that could ultimately secure peace between the Six Duchies and the Outislands—and win Dutiful the hand of the Narcheska Elliania.

For the Narcheska has set the prince on an unfathomable task: to behead a dragon trapped in ice—the legendary Icefyre, on the island of Aslevjal. Yet not all the clans of the Outislands support the prince’s effort to behead their
legendary defender. Are there darker forces at work behind the Narcheska’s imperious demand? As the prince and his coterie set sail, FitzChivalry works behind the scenes, playing nursemaid to the ailing Thick, while striving to strengthen their Skill—ultimately bringing his unacknowledged daughter into the web of the Skill magic, where the truth must finally unfold.

The quest emerges amid riddles that must be unraveled, a clash of cultures, and the ultimate betrayal. For knowing that the Fool has foretold he will die on the island of ice, FitzChivalry has plotted with Chade to leave his dearest friend behind. But fate cannot so easily be defied."

 Robin Hobb is a great writter for people who like George RR Martin's books. This is the secund trilogy that I read from this author and I just love it! Here in Portugal some "big" books are divided in 2 translated books so I just start reading the second part of this book. This is one of those books that I can't let go before I read it all! Even if I need to stay almost every night awake! I trully recomend this saga :) 

Prince of the Blood

Prince of the Blood (Krondor's Sons #1)

by Raymond E. Feist

 "If there were two more impetuous and carefree men in the Kingdom of the Isles, they had yet to be found. Twins Borric and Erland wore that mantle proudly, much to the chagrin of their father, Prince Arutha of Krondor. But their blissful youth has come to an end. Their uncle, the King, has produced no male children. Bypassing himself, Arutha names Borric, the eldest twin by seconds, the Royal Heir. As his brother, Erland will have his own great responsibilities to shoulder. To drive home their future roles, Arutha sends them as ambassadors to Kesh, the most feared nation in the world. Borric and Erland will be presented to the Queen of Kesh—the single most powerful ruler in the known world—at her Seventy-fifth Jubilee Anniversary.

But they have not even left Krondor when an assassination attempt on Borric is thwarted. Aware that he is being provoked into war, Arutha does not rise to the bait. His sons’ journey will not be deterred, for nothing less than peace is riding on it. Yet there is to be no peace for the young princes. When their traveling party is ambushed, Borric disappears and is presumed dead—sending Erland into spirals of rage and grief as he is forced to navigate alone the court intrigues at Kesh. But unbeknownst to anyone, Borric lives and has escaped his captors. In a strange land, with a price on his head, Borric must use all his wits and stamina to find his way back to his brother.

On separate paths, the two men—one a fugitive and one a future king—make their journey toward maturity, honor, and duty. For every step they take could sway the fragile peace of the land, as those who crave war rally against them—and become ever more daring."

 This is my newest book! I really like this author and the history of the last books so I think I'll enjoy this one too.

This book is a revised and updated version from the original so it's probably (hopefully) even better :)

1984

1984

by George Orwell, Erich Fromm

"Written in 1948, 1984 was George Orwell's chilling prophecy about the future. And while 1984 has come and gone, Orwell's narrative is timelier than ever. 1984 presents a startling and haunting vision of the world, so powerful that it is completely convincing from start to finish. No one can deny the power of this novel, its hold on the imaginations of multiple generations of readers, or the resiliency of its admonitions a legacy that seems only to grow with the passage of time.

Hidden away in the Record Department of the sprawling Ministry of Truth, Winston Smith skilfully rewrites the past to suit the needs of the Party. Yet he inwardly rebels against the totalitarian world he lives in, which demands absolute obedience and controls him through the all-seeing telescreens and the watchful eye of Big Brother, symbolic head of the Party. In his longing for truth and liberty, Smith begins a secret love affair with a fellow-worker Julia, but soon discovers the true price of freedom is betrayal."

 This is a friend's recommendation and by the rating from Goodreads (4.04 in 5) it seems to be a great book. It's now on my "to read" list :)

 

Fifty Shades of Grey

Fifty Shades of Grey (Fifty Shades #1)

by E.L. James

"When literature student Anastasia Steele goes to interview young entrepreneur Christian Grey, she encounters a man who is beautiful, brilliant, and intimidating. The unworldly, innocent Ana is startled to realize she wants this man and, despite his enigmatic reserve, finds she is desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana’s quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her, too—but on his own terms.
Shocked yet thrilled by Grey’s singular erotic tastes, Ana hesitates. For all the trappings of success—his multinational businesses, his vast wealth, his loving family—Grey is a man tormented by demons and consumed by the need to control. When the couple embarks on a daring, passionately physical affair, Ana discovers Christian Grey’s secrets and explores her own dark desires.
Erotic, amusing, and deeply moving, the Fifty Shades Trilogy is a tale that will obsess you, possess you, and stay with you forever.
This book is intended for mature audiences."

Recently, this book has attracted much attention on my country. I even saw one of my teachers on the news buying one and talking about it!
However the reviews I read were not conclusive. Some people love it and others hate it:

-"Wow. Wow, wow, wow. I still feel somewhat under the spell of this book. I'm so ... beguiled by it ;-) (book allusion). It was honestly an amazing read - and one which I meant to just skim a few sample pages of, but ended up buying and then staying up the entire night to finish."

-"This book was unbelievably horrible. I mean, really. I hated this book.This was a poorly written, utterly ridiculous, never ending mess as a fan fiction. The writing is insipid and juvenile. The characters are static, one dimensional, and unbelievably vacuous"

Probably I won't give this a try... 

 

Book of art

Today I bring to you something different: Books of Art by Isaac Salazar, a simple idea well executed.

 If you like it, there are a lot more images that you could see :)

Science, Sense & Nonsense

Science, Sense and Nonsense 

by Joe Schwarcz

"When did "chemical" become a dirty word?

Forty or so years ago, chemistry -- which had been recognized as a miracle-making boon to humanity - somehow became associated with warfare, sinister food additives, "toxins" and pollution.

It's a situation that Dr. Joe Schwarcz aims to put into perspective.

Yes, there's a downside to chemistry, he says, but this is dwarfed by its enormous benefits.

Dr. Joe's new collection of commentaries will inspire an appreciation for the science of everyday life, and equip you to spot the muddled thinking, misunderstandings and deceptions in media stories and advertising claims. Does organic food really always equal better food? Are vaccines dangerous? Will the latest health fad make you ill? Do expensive wrinkle creams do the job? What are the best ways to avoid cancer? The answers to such questions often lie in an
understanding of the chemistry involved. Ask Dr. Joe.

Science, Sense and Nonsense celebrates chemistry's great achievements, lambastes its charlatans, and explores its essential connections to our wellbeing. And does so in authoritative, highly readable, good humoured style."

 As I am a chemist, I thought this book could be another interesting read for me after I read this short review: "This book contains a series of short essays on various chemistry-related topics. Many of these essays are geared towards clearing up common misconceptions and educating the public about a range of topics from nutrition to medicine to environmental chemicals.The essays are well written, readable, and entertaining. They're generally fairly short, making them easy to digest in a single sitting. Overall the topics are interesting and diverse. The one issue I had with this book is the lack of references though."

A Short History of Nearly Everything

A Short History of Nearly Everything 

by Bill Bryson

"In Bryson's biggest book, he confronts his greatest challenge: to understand -- and, if possible, answer -- the oldest, biggest questions we have posed about the universe and ourselves. Taking as territory everything from the Big Bang to the rise of civilization, Bryson seeks to understand how we got from there being nothing at all to there being us. To that end, he has attached himself to a host of the world’s most advanced (and often obsessed) archaeologists, anthropologists, and mathematicians, travelling to their offices, laboratories, and field camps. He has read (or tried to read) their books, pestered them with questions, apprenticed himself to their powerful minds. A Short History of Nearly Everything is the record of this quest, and it is a sometimes profound, sometimes funny, and always supremely clear and entertaining adventure in the realms of human knowledge, as only Bill Bryson can render it. Science has never been more involving or entertaining.

From primordial nothingness to this very moment, A Short History of Nearly Everything reports what happened and how humans figured it out. To accomplish this daunting literary task, Bill Bryson uses hundreds of sources, from popular science books to interviews with luminaries in various fields. His aim is to help people like him, who rejected stale school textbooks and dry explanations, to appreciate how we have used science to understand the smallest particles and the unimaginably vast expanses of space. With his distinctive prose style and wit, Bryson succeeds admirably.

Though A Short History clocks in at a daunting 500-plus pages and covers the same material as every science book before it, it reads something like a particularly detailed novel (albeit without a plot). Each longish chapter is devoted to a topic like the age of our planet or how cells work, and these chapters are grouped into larger sections such as "The Size of the Earth" and "Life Itself." Bryson chats with experts like Richard Fortey (author of Life and Trilobite) and these interviews are charming. But it's when Bryson dives into some of science's best and most embarrassing fights--Cope vs. Marsh, Conway Morris vs. Gould--that he finds literary gold."


At the beginning of this year I was looking for books more related with science and humanity history. I found this book and I thought "wow! I found what I want!". Unfortunately I did not have the chance to buy this book yet. But I think I'll not be disapointed when I read it.

 

Glory in Death

Glory in Death (In Death #2) 

 

by J.D. Robb

"It is 2058, New York City. In a world where technology can reveal the darkest of secrets, there's only one place to hide a crime of passion-in the heart.

Even in the mid-twenty-first century, during a time when genetic testing usually weeds out any violent hereditary traits before they can take over, murder still happens. The first victim is found lying on a sidewalk in the rain. The second is murdered in her own apartment building. Police Lieutenant Eve Dallas has no problem finding connections between the two crimes. Both victims were beautiful and highly successful women. Their glamorous lives and loves were the talk of the city. And their intimate relations with men of great power and wealth provide Eve with a long list of suspects-including her own lover, Roarke."

This is another easy read that involves crime, romance and a little scientific fiction as it happens in the future with lots of new technologies. 

The book as a really good rate on Goodreads (above 4 in 5) and lots of people say that it is really amazing. I agree, of course! 

J.D. Robb is a pseudoniem of Nora Roberts and I Think the more than 35 books of this series speak for themselves...

  

Why The Toast Always Lands Butter Side Down

Why The Toast Always Lands Butter Side Down

by Richard Robinson

"Haven't you noticed that after waiting forever for a bus, three will arrive bunched together? That your nose always starts to itch the minute your hands are full? That the line you're on at the supermarket always moves the slowest? There's a law governing all these phenomena: Murphy's Law, which is most generally stated as "Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong," but which is most frighteningly revealed in hundreds of day-to-day situations. For example:

Nothing works while people watch You blink; they score If you want to be late, give yourself plenty of time
Familiar? Actually, there are rational explanations for all of the above. The answers turn out to be one part science and three parts psychology�or brain science, really. In Why the Toast Always Lands Butter Side Down, Richard Robinson explains with a light touch, but with serious intent, the science and science of mind behind dozens of these these inexplicable, frustrating recurring nightmares."

 I finish reading this book recently. It was quite interesting. A great reading for my wasted time in public transports every day.

This book talks about Murphy's Laws and most of the things are answers to question that we never ask, but still, somethings that happen to us every day. It's different from what I usually read, but interesting anyway.

Snow White

"Snow White" is a fairy tale known from many countries in Europe, the best known version being the German one collected by the Brothers Grimm in 1812 (German: Schneewittchen und die sieben Zwerge, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs").

Although the basics of the story still the same, there are lots of variations from other European traditions. 

  

Walt Disney version (based on Brothers Grimm) is a warm, full picture-book retelling of a classic Disney movie and one of the most popular ever produced. 

Recently, this story was adapted into 2 movies and one TV show: 

Mirror Mirror

Snow White and the Huntsma

Once upon a time

Now you just need to choose which one you want to see xD

The Subtle Knife

The Subtle Knife (His Dark Materials #2)

by Philip Pullman

"Here is the highly anticipated second installment of Philip Pullman's epic fantasy trilogy, begun with the critically acclaimed The Golden Compass. Lyra and Will, her newfound friend, tumble separately into the strange tropical otherworld of Cittàgazze, "the city of magpies," where adults are curiously absent and children run wild. Here their lives become inextricably entwined when Lyra's alethiometer gives her a simple command: find Will's father. Their search is plagued with obstacles - some familiar and some horribly new and unfathomable - but it eventually brings them closer to Will's father and to the Subtle Knife, a deadly, magical, ancient tool that cuts windows between worlds. Through it all, Will and Lyra find themselves hurtling toward the center of a fierce battle against a force so awesome that leagues of mortals, witches, beasts, and spirits from every world are uniting in fear and anger against it. This breathtaking sequel will leave readers eager for the third and final volume of His Dark Materials."

The adventures of young Lyra continue, and now she's with Will, a 12-year-old boy from our world. I really loved this book when I first read it and I still love it now. I'm sad because the movie based on the first book wasn't what I expected and they didn't make the seconde after that. At least I have in my mind the world and the characters.

Random

I found this image in 9GAG today and I loved it. It's beautiful what we can do with a some imagination!

The Picture of Dorian Gray

The Picture of Dorian Gray

by Oscar Wilde

"Enthralled by his own exquisite portrait, Dorian Gray exchanges his soul for eternal youth and beauty. Influenced by his friend Lord Henry Wotton, he is drawn into a corrupt double life; indulging his desires in secret while remaining a gentleman in the eyes of polite society. Only his portrait bears the traces of his decadence. "The Picture of Dorian Gray" was a succes de scandale. Early readers were shocked by its hints at unspeakable sins, and the book was later used as evidence against Wilde at the Old Bailey in 1895."

Last year I saw this movie: Dorian Gray and thought it was pretty cool.
Here is the movie trailer:

 

I think the book could be even better than the movie so maybe one day I'll read it.

A Storm of Swords

A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire #3)

by George R. R. Martin

"Of the five contenders for power, one is dead, another in disfavor, and still the wars rage as violently as ever, as alliances are made and broken. Joffrey, of House Lannister, sits on the Iron Throne, the uneasy ruler of the land of the Seven Kingdoms. His most bitter rival, Lord Stannis, stands defeated and disgraced, the victim of the jealous sorceress who holds him in her evil thrall. But young Robb, of House Stark, still rules the North from the fortress of Riverrun. Robb plots against his despised Lannister enemies, even as they hold his sister hostage at King’s Landing, the seat of the Iron Throne. Meanwhile, making her way across a blood-drenched continent is the exiled queen, Daenerys, mistress of the only three dragons still left in the world...

But as opposing forces maneuver for the final titanic showdown, an army of barbaric wildlings arrives from the outermost line of civilization. In their vanguard is a horde of mythical Others--a supernatural army of the living dead whose animated corpses are unstoppable. As the future of the land hangs in the balance, no one will rest until the Seven Kingdoms have exploded in a veritable storm of swords..."

I loved A Storm of Swords! and I can say that this is my favourite of all (at least until now).

There are some many twists and turns in this book, some expected but others totally unexpected. I loved all the intrigue, betrayal, fighting that was going on. All that struggle for power, plotting to take each others land, castle, title, wife or kingdom...

The characters are so well written that I really feel like I know them. I even sympathized with some of the more evil ones like Jaime and Tyrion cause when you see the story from their side you can see they're not all bad. All these different points of view from all these characters make it so much more interesting to read.

At one point in the book though, about halfway, I was completely in shock with how the story went. I never expected that 2 characters that I really loved would be killed. It's not something many authors do. 

Other interesting thing it was that I started to like some characters that I didn't like from the beginning and hated other.

Just for the record, this book have the rating of 4,49 in 5 in Goodreads so ...  "you know what I mean"

I don't have to say that I really recommend this book!