Author: aaronhanley

The Hobbit

The Hobbit is a timeless classic set in a mythical world with dwarves and dragons. It branches into a world with fantasy icons, along with a backdrop of a mysterious world. I choose the book because I had read it before and seen the movies and I wanted to read it again. The book follows Bilbo Baggins as he is tasked as a thief, by a group of dwarfs, to steal the Arkenstone. Along the way he meets new characters such as a magical wizard, a gremlin with a love for a golden ring, and an evil dragon Smaug. In the end, armies clash and some major characters die. The dwarves reclaim their home and Bilbo becomes a better person. I learned from the book that anyone can be a hero. I now see our world as an adventure waiting to happen. This book has a great plot line and great characters throughout the course of the novel. It adds in a great setting and awesome action. My only critique is that the book is kinda drawn out at points and can be a slow read. I would give the novel 8/10 stars and would recommend the book to anyone who loves fantasy.

The Martian

The Martian is one of the best novels I have read in awhile. It has some action, science, and a hole lotta humor. I choose the book based off a friends recommendation and wanted to watch the movie. The book has a great plot line and even better characters. Mark Watney, the main character of the book, fills every moment of the book with humor despite being in a terrible situation. After reading the book, I think no one should be left behind on another planet. I now think of our world as one of many in our galaxy. The plot of the book consists of Mark being stuck on Mars with limited food and water. He has to MacGyver everything at his disposal to even have a chance at surviving. Mark eventually gets picked up by Hermes, the ship where his crew mates are, and lives to tell the tale. The book does everything right by giving the reader a character you can sympathize with throughout his hardships, amazing humor, and a plot line you can roll with. I would give this book 9/10 stars and would recommend anyone to read this book if they like a comedic read.

The Scorch Trials

The Scorch Trials is the second book in the maze runner series and it holds its place, as a filler novel. I choose the book because I read The Maze Runner and I wanted to continue reading the series. To give a brief description of the book, everyone is infected with a virus and they must make it to a safe house where along the way Teresa betrays the main character Thomas, that’s where the book concludes. It just stops, with not that much context other than Thomas will fight WICKED in the next book. This left me kinda sad with how James Dashner ended the book, let alone the entire plot of the second book. This book kinda teaches the aspect of teamwork and achieving your goals with other people. I view people now as coaches who can help me in life. I view the world now as a place that anything could happen. I think the book did a very good job with creating a wasteland setting and good believable characters. On the other hand, The book had a bad plot line and overall felt like a filler book than anything. I would give this book 4/10 stars for these reasons and would not recommend it to anyone.

The Alchemist

Most people would think that the book The Alchemist consists of fantasy and make believe stories of dragons and other mythical beings just by looking at the title. However this book is quite the polar opposite. It’s a story about a Shepherd finding his personal treasure in the world. The book is a very good coming of age book and has very solid characters such as the mysterious king and the caravan leader. I choose this book thinking it was an easy read with a hobbit sort of vibe, but it ended up being a completely different theme then what I thought that it was going to be. This book changed the way I see people in that everyone is only trying to find their place in the world. Now I see the world as a place for everyone to find their calling and their place to fit in. The Alchemist has realistic feeling characters and a vast world it is set it. My only critique is that the books plot line is kinda cheesy and very drawn out. For these reasons, I’m going to have to give this book 6/10 stars just because I tend to not like reading cheesy books and I would not recommend to anyone.