Edgar Sawtelle, Hunger Games, Duma Key

Okay, really loving some of the ideas you guys pumped out yesterday regarding a contest/ Book 2 promotion/ THE MAZE RUNNER advance copies. Look for next Monday to have official rules posted. Still thinking...

Meanwhile, thoughts on some books I've read recently:

So, my Grandpa's name was Edgar Thomas Player. And, like most Grandpas, he was wicked awesome (that's for my Boston fans). This is why I used the name Edgar for Tick's dad in THE 13TH REALITY.

Well, recently I committed to expand my reading choices to books I might not be inclined to run over old ladies to buy. Pretty sure I'd never read an Oprah book in my life, so I borrowed THE STORY OF EDGAR SAWTELLE from my mother-in-law. Big thick book, attractive cover, selling like hot cakes. Not knowing a thing about it, I dug in.

Now, you won't believe this, but the main character's name is Edgar. I kinda knew that going in.

But then I finished it (I'll give my opinion in a sec) and moved on to my next book, also not knowing anything about it. (Remember, I do this with both movies and books as much as humanly possible.) It was DUMA KEY, by my favorite author, Stephen King. I'd been holding out on that one as a reward, and finally couldn't wait any longer.

Guess what the main character's name is? Edgar.

What are the odds of this? Two books in a row with the main dude named Edgar. Plus, it makes my choice of the name not so original anymore. Anyway, just for the record, MY book came out before both of these, so there. At least, I think it did.

Okay, so maybe that's not so weird. In fact, pretty sure it's not. Moving right along....

Did you know EDGAR SAWTELLE is a modern telling of Hamlet? I'm so glad I found this out because it made the book much more fascinating. The author does it in very clever ways, but it's also obvious. And if you like dogs, this is a must read for you. It's long, and very literary, and pretty much depressing (hello, based on Hamlet), but really good. A masterpiece in character development.

I read the last 200 pages in one day, and them's a lotta words on each page! I can promise you this: when it's over, you will feel like Edgar is a real person and you will love him like a brother or son. Excellent job, Mr. David Wroblewski. Excellent lessons for any writer - I learned a lot.

Haven't finished DUMA KEY yet, but so far so good.

I also read HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins recently. Definitely one of those books you could possibly read in one sitting if you had a few hours to kill. I think the reason I liked it so much is because it's exactly the kind of book I try to write for people, and its audience will be the same audience for MAZE. So I hope my timing is good, because that book is hot, hot, hot right now.

To be honest, I was scared to read it. I'd heard so much about it from so many people, I thought I'd start it and get depressed because it was a billion times better than MAZE. But you know what, it didn't do that! Instead, it gave me 100% confidence that anyone who likes that book will also like MAZE. Wow, miracles never cease.

Anyway, as you can see, I don't tell you much when I do reviews. Just the way I like them.

Don't forget to come see me if you live in Utah at the LTUE conference at BYU. CLICK HERE.

And here's a writing update on Book 3 of 13TH REALITY: 49,148 words.