“When you watch ‘The Office’ you are watching a group of people who are having fun and becoming good friends. We formed a deep bond with our castmates and crew during those nine years, and I think we passed that feeling on to our audience.” – 4.5/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: auditions, gossip, hair & makeup trailers, red carpets, improv, special guests, amazing catering, on-set accidents and behind the scenes stories.

An intimate, behind-the-scenes, richly illustrated celebration of beloved The Office co-stars Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey’s friendship, and an insiders’ view of Pam Beesly, Angela Martin, and the unforgettable cast of the hit series’ iconic characters. Featuring many never-before-seen photos.

  Receptionist Pam Beesly and accountant Angela Martin had very little in common when they toiled together at Scranton’s Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. But, in reality, the two bonded in their very first days on set and, over the nine seasons of the series’ run, built a friendship that transcended the show and continues to this day. Sharing everything from what it was like in the early days as the show struggled to gain traction, to walking their first red carpet—plus exclusive stories on the making of milestone episodes and how their lives changed when they became moms—The Office BFFs is full of the same warm and friendly tone Jenna and Angela have brought to their Office Ladies podcast.

This book was way better than I thought! I admit I picked this randomly without giving it much thought, but it turned out to be an amazing and fun reading experience. I was having so much fun that I ended up listening to the audiobook in a single day!

Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsley starred on the tv show “The Office” as Pam and Angela, and they became very close friends in real life (not in the tv show… not even close). They wrote this book together, and here they share their experiences on set and how they developed their close friendship.

I’m a big fan of “The Office” tv show for a number of different reasons. I love the dry humor, the comedic timing, the talented cast, the improv moments, Jim & Pam (or should I say Jam)… and the list goes on! So when I found this book existed, I quickly added it to my (endless and bottomless) TBR list. Now that I read it, I can tell you that I love it!

There are so many things I found out through this book that I would have never thought in a million years! But what I think what surprised me the most was to find out that the writers and producers had a very close relationship with the actors, and all of them participated and contributed with creative ideas, storylines and even personal experiences. This blew me away! It’s not very common to see that in other tv shows. There was a lot of room for the cast to improv and to make suggestions.

I never listened to their podcast “The Office Ladies”, but I might give it a try someday. According to other reviewers, a lot of what they shared in the book was already shared in the podcast.

I also really liked the guest appearances throughout the book! Rainn Wilson and Creed’s appearances were the best, in my humble opinion! I wish Steve apeared in a different way, but I was still happy to hear him with his small participation.

Needless to say this book is every fan’s dream! If you’re a fan of the show, this is a must read. I’m sure you will have a lot of fun reading it.

“We can’t play God.
We can’t do this to kids.
You’re evil, I’m evil.
Everyone will die.
No matter what.
Let nature win.” – 3/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: emails, secret files, old memories, trials and confidential conversations.

The Maze Runner Files is a 50+ page collection of classified records and concealed information from the world of the New York Times bestselling Maze Runner series. Lost emails between WICKED employees, memos meant to be destroyed after reading, and a selection of the Gladers suppressed memories make up this e-original short. These documents offer a unique glimpse of the world of The Maze Runner and are a must for any fan of The Maze Runner.

I don’t know exactly what I was expecting from this small novella, but I was sure it wouldn’t add too much to the story. And I was right. But what I didn’t expect was to find so many parts that were already published in previous books. And by that I mean the exact same paragraphs. 

There’s still some original content here, but I would say it’s about 50/50 of original and recycled material. Regarding the original content: I personally liked reading about Frypan’s memories and Minho’s phase 3 of the trials. For me, those were the best chapters I took from the novella.

I wanted to pick it up because I love this series, but in the end it’s not a very relevant novella for two reasons: it adds nothing to the story and has a lot of content already used before.

It is an okay read, but you can definitely skip this one.

“Tommy will understand…” – 4/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: strong friendships, memories coming back, bullets, bowling alleys, trucks, journals, notes, the flare, pain and a lot of cranks.

Newt has been to hell and back with his friends.

The Glade. The Maze. The Scorch. The inner halls of WICKED. But now he has a burden that can’t be shared with Thomas and the others—the Flare. And Newt can’t bear the thought of his friends watching him descend into madness as he succumbs to the virus.

Leaving only a note, Newt departs the Berg before the Gladers return from their mission into Denver, Colorado. From there, he experiences the gritty nightmare of life on the streets, running from the infected and those hunting them, until he ends up in the Crank Palace, the last dumping ground of those without hope. Although Newt thought he was running away from his friends to save them from himself, along the way he meets a young mother named Keisha and her son, Dante, who end up saving Newt in a way he could never have imagined.

Taking place during the latter events of The Death Cure, Crank Palace tells the story of Newt like never before, from inside his own mind, as he searches for meaning in a life gone horribly wrong. He will try to fulfill a newfound destiny before his path leads to its inevitable conclusion—and one last meeting with his best friend.

I recently reread the ENTIRE “Maze Runner” series – prequels and all -, and for what, you may ask? Well, to read this one with a fresh memory, of course!
Honestly… this was better than I thought it would be! Newt is one of my favorite characters, so there was no way in hell I wouldn’t read this.
This novella shows Newt’s POV while he wasn’t present during most of the plot of the third book of the trilogy “The Death Cure”. This book fills the gaps and shows what was happening with Newt! He meets a woman named Keisha and her son Dante, and he spends most of his last days with them, with the goal of trying to reunite them with their family. I loved the new characters that were introduced and how they protected Newt – and even made him laugh some times. I usually don’t love James Dashner’s female characters, but I loved Keisha!
This novella was very heartbreaking and I (almost) cried multiple times while reading it. It was painful to see Newt suffering so much and going in and out of consciousness. Now that I’m thinking about it, that’s probably why I like this series so much. I just feel so connected to these characters like I know them in real life – so I feel their pain and I root for them.
Even though it was a very sad read, I’m glad Newt got to remember some things about his past and also got to know about Sonya. Not only that, but Newt wasn’t alone most of the time. He found good people that cared about him. Those are a few positive things that readers are able to take from this book.
The ending was surprising to say the least. The last appearance in the end was not expected, and the things said were also very surprising. It made me think if James Dashner is thinking about writing a new sequel! And let me tell you friends: if there was another book in “The Maze Runner” series to continue the “Newt’s journal” situation by Thomas getting to read it, I would probably pick it up.
With that said, I know this book also serves as a prequel for a new series based on “The Maze Runner” series, named “The Maze Cutter”. I honestly have no desire to pick up this new series because I just know I will be disappointed. So no, I won’t be going down that rabbit hole. I’ll just keep going back to “The Maze Runner” from time to time when I miss the characters.
Now, the real questions you may have:
Was this novella necessary? Probably not.
Is it worth reading? Yes! Just prepare the tissues when you pick it up.

“You don’t take away my freedom without asking first.” – 3.5/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: This book contains: telepathy, secret files, tests, monitors, betrayals, secrets, a purge, cranks, experiences and subjects.

Once there was a world’s end.

The forests burned, the lakes and rivers dried up, and the oceans swelled.

Then came a plague, and fever spread across the globe. Families died, violence reigned, and man killed man.

Next came WICKED, who were looking for an answer. And then they found the perfect boy.

The boy’s name was Thomas, and Thomas built a maze.

Now there are secrets.

There are lies.

And there are loyalties history could never have foreseen.

This is the story of that boy, Thomas, and how he built a maze that only he could tear down.

All will be revealed.

Was this book necessary? I’m having a hard time answering this. On one side, I think it was cool that it showed what we discovered late in the trilogy – more specifically how Thomas and Teresa helped create the maze, how they developed their telepathy, etc. – and also how the chancellor ascended to power… but at the same time, some parts felt a little too unbelievable.

There’s one small detail about this book that bothers me. What are the odds that the exact same group of friends formed before and after their memories were wiped? Because in this prequel, we see that Alby, Newt and Minho were already friends with Thomas and Teresa before the trials started… just like in the maze. And not only that, but Chuck already had a deep relationship with Thomas by being his “younger sibling” before the memories were wiped. I just think this was a little far fetched and too perfect/convenient. I can see how some people may gravitate towards specific people but c’mon… about 50 kids were going to be sent to the maze and they formed the exact same group of 5 or 6 people?

I was also hoping that there would be a more specific explanation on why putting kids in a maze would be helpful in finding a cure to the flare. Sure, apparently they were trying to build a blueprint according to their behavior, but what would they do with that information? But yeah, don’t listen to me – I’m probably overthinking and this is just a science fiction series.

One thing that made me happy was to revisit these characters. I just love this group of characters so much. Even though it didn’t make sense that they had the exact friend group, I was truly happy they were part of the spotlight again – especially because their personalities shine through with or without their memories being wiped. Also, Newt has a sister! That was so cool, I was not expecting to see that she was also important to the story!

As usual, I need to say this as well: I really liked the audiobook narrator (I think he’s the same person narrating the other audiobooks), and I truly think he’s perfect to narrate this series!

I honestly don’t think this book was super relevant or added something important to the main story – well, maybe just the chancellor thing. I would still consider rereading the original trilogy, but I wouldn’t waste my time reading the prequels again.

Edit: Jokes on me – I did reread the prequels. And again: not worth it.

“Let’s get this started, people. It won’t be long before we all lose our minds.” – 2.5/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: darts, a virus, sun flares, cranks, the PCF, bergs, flat trans, crazy people, sacrifices, a little girl, two transvices and a kill order.

Before WICKED was formed, before the Glade was built, before Thomas entered the Maze, sun flares hit the earth and mankind fell to disease.

Mark and Trina were there when it happened, and they survived. But surviving the sun flares was easy compared to what came next. Now a disease of rage and lunacy races across the eastern United States, and there’s something suspicious about its origin. Worse yet, it’s mutating, and all evidence suggests that it will bring humanity to its knees.

Mark and Trina are convinced there’s a way to save those left living from descending into madness. And they’re determined to find it—if they can stay alive. Because in this new, devastated world, every life has a price. And to some, you’re worth more dead than alive.

I’m disappointed. 

The only thing I knew before going into this book is that this book would explain how the virus was formed. But I didn’t know it would have (almost) nothing to do with the main characters of the trilogy, and that’s probably why I was so disappointed.

I was bored the entire time. The book was filled with a lot of fluff and the action scenes were exaggerated and unrealistic, and… well, were just plain boring. For example, there is a whole chapter in the end of the book dedicated solely to Mark fighting a man. The entire chapter… I wish I was kidding. 

The romance was also pretty weak. I didn’t really care about Trina or Mark’s love for her. I just didn’t. I also didn’t care for Misty, the Toad, Darrell, and the other irrelevant characters. I didn’t care for almost anyone in this book, how is that even possible?

Throughout the book I had my suspicions that Deedee was Teresa, but I was never sure of that until I found out online that there is a secret chapter only a few editions have. The “Secret File” chapter consists of Teresa telling Thomas that her name was Deedee. So if I didn’t do my homework I would never be sure. Why is it that only a few editions have this special chapter? I didn’t think it was fair that only a few people could have access to such an important chapter – but maybe that’s just me.

On the positive side… I did like Alec a lot! I loved his personality and his presence in the book. I also loved the audiobook narrator, Mark Deakins. As always, he did an amazing job narrating another book from the Maze Runner series. Even though the book was pretty boring, he sure made it fun to listen. I also feel like I’m starting to understand Dashner’s style. I’m definitely starting to identify some things that are part of his personal mark! Even though this is not my favorite book from him, I still like his style of writing.

So what do you take from this book? In conclusion: how the sun flares affected the planet, the story of how the virus was spread, and Teresa’s story before WICKED. I wish the story was better, but it is what it is!

“Kill me. If you’ve ever been my friend, kill me.” – 3.5/5 stars!

It’s the end of the line.

WICKED has taken everything from Thomas: his life, his memories, and now his only friends—the Gladers. But it’s finally over. The trials are complete, after one final test.

Will anyone survive?

What WICKED doesn’t know is that Thomas remembers far more than they think. And it’s enough to prove that he can’t believe a word of what they say.

The truth will be terrifying.

Thomas beat the Maze. He survived the Scorch. He’ll risk anything to save his friends. But the truth might be what ends it all.

The time for lies is over.

What a cool and intense conclusion to an amazing series! Still. I have to admit that this was not my favorite book of this series. Actually, it was my least favorite book of the trilogy, but only by comparison. “The Maze Runner” is my favorite, next is “The Scorch Trials” and then in third place is “The Death Cure”. This was pretty good still, I just think the plot was not as great – and I may be salty because of what happened to one of my favorites.

The conclusion was satisfying, but there were a lot of sad moments that (almost) made me cry – ok, who am I kidding, I definitely cried. It’s a book with a lot of action and a fast pace. Like I said, the plot for this one didn’t grab me like the first two books did, but it was still okay.

Just a little side note: if you are thinking of reading these books based on what you saw from the movies, prepare yourself to be surprised because the books are very different from the movies. You know when movie adaptations are a bit different and they incorporate a few scenes from the book? This is not the case because most of it has nothing to do with the original story. There are very few scenes that actually match the movies, but the most surprising thing for me was how different the storylines were. The first movie is similar but the last two movies are very different from the original books.

My favorite character of the whole series was definitely Minho! From the inappropriate things he said to his personality in general… everything he said/did made the book really fun. I just feel really sad about Newt and I wish he’d survived. The three boys made such an amazing team. I also had a hard time liking Theresa, and I honestly didn’t feel bad for her death. And I’m glad Thomas and Brenda had a chance to be together!

I also have to talk about the narrator. Mark Deakins is by far one of the most amazing narrators I have encountered in audiobooks. He added so much to this trilogy and I’m very glad I picked up the audiobook version!

This book was heartbreaking, and a little shocking and unexpected. I liked it and thought it was an okay conclusion to the series. I’m listening to “The Kill Order” next! Time for the prequels 🙂

“Anybody else wanna pee their pants and cry for mommy?” – 3.5/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: trials, bergs, cranks, shanks, old buildings, underground tunnels, metal teardrops, mysterious signs, new tattoos, the safe haven, sharp spears, rusty bullets, Rat Man, first kisses, the flare, telepathy, lightning strikes, betrayals, hunger, sand storms and a possible cure.

Solving the Maze was supposed to be the end.
 
Thomas was sure that escape from the Maze would mean freedom for him and the Gladers. But WICKED isn’t done yet. Phase Two has just begun. The Scorch.
 
There are no rules. There is no help. You either make it or you die.
 
The Gladers have two weeks to cross through the Scorch—the most burned-out section of the world. And WICKED has made sure to adjust the variables and stack the odds against them.
 
Friendships will be tested. Loyalties will be broken. All bets are off.
 
There are others now. Their survival depends on the Gladers’ destruction—and they’re determined to survive.

Once again, I had a good time reading this book! I recently reread it and I decided to lower my rating to 3.5. Fortunately for me, my feelings didn’t change too much. Some parts were difficult to read because there’s a lot of betrayal going on and you don’t know who to trust. And not only that, but you get a lot of crazy revelations. 

Teresa is a very unlikable character and I don’t understand how Thomas is still crazy about her. It’s very uncommon for me to NOT root for the main romance of the book, but Teresa… just, no. Wake up dude! Anyways, I digress…

I came to an interesting conclusion while reading this book for the second time: the way the desert setting is constant throughout the book makes the story look very slow-paced. Since the setting doesn’t change for a very long time, it feels like the scenes are longer.

Just like the first time I read this, another familiar feeling emerged: I’m so surprised with how different the book is from the movie. The plot and setting is completely different, and I could only spot a few scenes that were used in the movie… I wonder why they changed it so much?

I still prefer the first book, but this was very fun as well! Oh, and the audiobook is phenomenal, I definitely recommend this format!

“Shouldn’t someone give a pep talk or something?” Minho asked, pulling Thomas’s attention away from Alby.
“Go ahead,” Newt replied.
Minho nodded and faced the crowd. “Be careful,” he said dryly. “Don’t die.” – 4.25/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: boxes, keepers, lost memories, maps, codes, secrets, huge spikes, a mysterious cliff, weird telepathy, WICKD, “shanks”, grievers, Fry Pan’s cookings, handcrafted weapons, blue deep eyes, “green beans”, a lot of running and a scary maze.

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 reread this book recently for the second time, and all the positive memories came back in a flash.

I feel like my opinion didn’t change that much, so that’s good! I wish I didn’t see all the movies before reading the book, because it was impossible not to compare both realities. I must say that I really enjoyed the whole concept of the book: the fact that someone decided to put a bunch of kids trapped in a maze for a survival experience is crazy. It’s a very raw and cruel reality to witness, and there is a lot of suffering – so be aware of that! It’s a true mystery of what’s really happening and why they are where they are, and there are a lot of questions that don’t have an answer… yet.

I just couldn’t stop thinking of how some of the characters were so similar to the movie characters, and others, yet, so different. “Movie Thomas” fitted the role perfectly, and so did “movie Minho” and “movie Teresa”. I was also intrigued how some of the characters were very different, like Newt and Fry Pan (physically) and Alby (personality). Not relevant to the review, but I thought I’d make that observation.

I also loved the small detail that their names are not their true names and that they were given nicknames related to influential people. I wish they mentioned this cool fact in the movies! At least I don’t think they did? I could be wrong though!

Another thing that I really liked and found interesting is how the gladers developed their own kind of language and communication. I’m not sure why, but it made the reading experience more real and interesting.

Even though I liked it, I missed the surprise factor to keep me going. I wished I didn’t know the story, because if I didn’t I would be hooked to this series!

I still love this book and story! Revisiting this story was the perfect way of completing my 2022 Reading Goal.

“I began to understand that we were born in order to see and listen to the world. And that’s all this world wants of us. It doesn’t matter that I was never a teacher or a member of the workforce, my life had meaning.” – 4.25/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: cherry blossoms, new recipes, drinking problems, new employees, discrimination, dorayaki, debt, caged birds, depression, school girls, Hansen’s disease and, of course, sweet bean paste.

Sentaro has failed. He has a criminal record, drinks too much, and his dream of becoming a writer is just a distant memory. With only the blossoming of the cherry trees to mark the passing of time, he spends his days in a tiny confectionery shop selling dorayaki, a type of pancake filled with sweet bean paste.

But everything is about to change.

Into his life comes Tokue, an elderly woman with disfigured hands and a troubled past. Tokue makes the best sweet bean paste Sentaro has ever tasted. She begins to teach him her craft, but as their friendship flourishes, social pressures become impossible to escape and Tokue’s dark secret is revealed, with devastating consequences.

Sweet Bean Paste is a moving novel about the burden of the past and the redemptive power of friendship. Translated into English for the first time, Durian Sukegawa’s beautiful prose is capturing hearts all over the world.

I got this book as a gift, knowing absolutely nothing about it. So thank you gifter, I ended up being very surprised with how good the story was! It was the perfect way to start my 2023 reading year, and if I’m lucky… hopefully this sets the tone for the entire year – well, I can dream!

So what is this book about? In a nutshell, I would say it’s about social discrimination, improbable friendships and learning how to be patient and listen. Ah yes, and the making of sweet bean paste, of course!

I’m probably spoiling the book (just a little) in the next sentences, so be aware of that! Tokue is the old lady Sentaro hired to work with him in the dorayaki cafe, but she is constantly being discriminated against for being sick in the past. This happened ever since she was a teenager, when she first got sick. The thing is: she is not sick anymore. She hasn’t been sick for a very long time, but since she has a lot of physical damage on the visible parts of her body, the customers don’t want to be near her. It’s a tough book to read sometimes because it breaks my heart that some people go through this.

What also makes this book so great – besides the message – is the powerful combination of amazing characters and immersive writing. The characters were amazing and I truly loved every single one of them. My favorite was Tokue, of course. She is a very kind-hearted character, full of wisdom. One of my favorite things about the book is how Tokue constantly tells Sentaro to listen to things and to be patient. 

The writing is very immersive and atmospheric. There are plenty of sensorial descriptions throughout the book – such as food, weather, etc. -, and I believe that added an extra layer of greatness to the book. 

I just love how timeless this book feels. It felt like I was reading a classic book, and it would still make sense to read it in 100 years. Also, thanks to this book I was able to learn about Hansen’s disease and how it impacted Japan.

I honestly can’t recommend this book enough. Even though it was a heartbreaking kind of book, I still loved everything about it and I’m sure the story is going to stay with me for a long time. I am curious about the movie adaptation.

Oh yeah, and now I want a (high quality) dorayaki.

3/5 stars!

Sometimes our goals seem like unobtainable fantasies, but the key to success is making motivational thinking part of everyday life. In Get Up & Do It! Beechy and Josephine Colclough explain how to develop a plan to achieve your goals by planning, practising and adopting positive thinking, as well as motivational and other problem-solving skills. With Get Up and Do It! you’ll be able to decide what you want to achieve and why, and then create a ‘can do’ frame of mind. Based on the BBC book of the same name, this audio version is presented by the authors. Beechy and Josephine Colclough are chartered psychotherapists. Beechy is well known for his work with celebrities, including Elton John, Robbie Williams and Caroline Aherne….

It was a nice, condensed book, but I personally didn’t learn anything new. I would say this is more appropriate for people who are starting to get into the self-development world and could use some help with setting new goals and figuring out how to achieve them.

With that said, I still found this book inspiring. Reading this reignited my motivation to achieve my personal goals and do some planning!

It’s a nice book to get some instant motivation and to review some well-known concepts. It has good advice and the audiobook version is short (about 2h), so you’ll listen to it in no time.