Another Trip, More Books to Review

So, earlier this month, I was forced by my job to go to Florida.  I know...leaving Iowa in the middle of winter to go to Florida...it was tough, but somebody had to do it.  And you know what, I was forced to eat BBQ and Seafood when I was there.  It's a tough life!

While on this trip, I read 2 new books.  The first was recommended by my friend Joe and the other was recommended by my loving wife.

The Endurance:  Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition:  This is the book recommended, and loaned to me, by my friend Joe.  Author Caroline Alexander chronicles the near 27 month expedition of British Explorer Ernest Shackleton.  For those unfamiliar with Shackleton's story, he led a team of explorers to Antarctica, hoping to be the first man to cross the continent on foot.  However, due to heavy ice flows in 1914, Shackleton's ship, "'Endurance" was locked in the ice.  Shackleton and his men lived for many months in the ship, then on the ice.  As time wore on, Shackleton and his men made 2 daring boat trips to safety.  During the entire ordeal, Shackleton never lost a man, and despite the failure of his original quest, Shackleton is remembered as one of the great leaders due to getting himself and all his men through this.

I really enjoyed this book, and I learned a lot about leadership.  A lot of what is written is taken from diaries of the men on the trip.  Additionally, there are many photos taken by the ship's photographer included in the book.  The pictures were probably my favorite part.  While they paint a stark picture, they also show men, who despite their circumstances seemed somewhat content.  This is due, in no small part, to Shackleton's leadership.  He paired the men off by groups that would work well together for sleeping and living arrangements.  He always kept the most difficult men with him.  Most importantly, he was always optimistic and he was willing to adapt his plans to fit the situation.  A good read for any aspiring leader.

The Maze Runner:  Alright, now for a fun book.  The Maze Runner, by James Dashner, can best be described as The Hunger Games meet Ender's  Game (before Ender's Game got weird).  I'm not ruling out that The Maze Runner will get weird in future books, but so far, it's a solid read packed with lots of actions and good characters.

The main character is Thomas, who emerges from "the box" to find himself surrounded by 50 or so boys between the ages of 12 and 17.  Thomas doesn't remember anything about who he is, other than his name.  He learns from the other boys that he is in the Glade.  The Glade is surrounded by a maze that changes every day.  The walls into the maze close every night to keep out the bad things that lurk in the maze.  None of the other boys know how they got to the Glade or why they are there, but they believe they need to escape.  Every day, Maze Runners go out into the maze to try to find the way out.  Thomas doesn't know why, but he has a strong belief that he should be a Maze Runner.  The next day, life in the Glade changes forever when a girl (the first one) shows up in "the box" with word that she will be the last person sent into the Glade.

A very exciting book.  Anybody who has read The Hunger Games or Ender's Game will hopefully see the same parallels I did.  This book kept me reading from takeoff in Orlando to landing back home.  I'm so glad my wife recommended it to me, and I can't wait to read the other 2 books in the trilogy.