Mockingjay

Well, I just finished the third in The Hunger Games trilogy, Mockingjay. I can't say I enjoyed it nearly as much as the first two, but I'm grateful to know that Katniss and company seem to have a country in which to live and grow old and raise a family. As usual when I finish a series that I've immersed myself in, I find it difficult to transition to a different book. I had put down the last Thursday Next book, which wasn't too hard to do unfortunately, and have picked it back up but not with any relish. Just plugging away to finish before spring break.

My biggest question now is what to read next? I have 91 books on my to-read shelf on Goodreads. Hmmm.... I'm intrigued by the Game of Thrones by George Martin and The Night Circus also sounds good. But so do many others.

On a side note, I loaned out my Kobo e-reader, so I've been reading the last two books on my dad's Kindle. I do like the page turners on either side of the unit and the speed at which it turns. But what I didn't notice before and love, is that it shows a "time-line" at the bottom of the screen that marks your progress through the book. It is shaded darker for the part you have already read with a percentage finished, and a little arrow showing where you started on that particular reading. My Kobo only shows a numerical percent finished when you initially open and close the book. There might be some way to check the menu while you are reading, but it isn't nearly as convenient as the Kindle. So, until I decide to truly upgrade to a new e-reader I will certainly make do with the Kobo. As far as recommendations go, I would have to recommend the Kindle. Just know that if you decide to buy the low-end model that you will be forced to look at ads instead of the cover of the book you are reading.... marketing, marketing, marketing.

Hunger Games the movie

I saw The Hunger Games movie this weekend. As far as movies based on a book go, it held up pretty well. I don't think I would rank it as high as Harry Potter, but it was better than Twilight's first one. The casting was done with obvious consideration as to the characters and not for box office draws. I thought Woody Harrelson was my favorite as Haymitch. And Donald Sutherland did a very good job as President Snow. Josh Hutcherson as Peeta threw me off a little bit, because I recognized his face and kept trying to figure out what movie I had already seen him in. Also, his hair freaked me out a little,  just seems too "fake" as a blonde and consequently not as genuinely in love with Katniss as I got from the book. The only criticism I have with Katniss was that I thought she needed to look a little thinner. She was always hungry - starving in the book, but she looked pretty well fed to me! I went with a friend of mine who hadn't read the book, and I asked her about halfway through if she was following the story ok and she said she thought she was... the reason I asked was because once they were headed to the Capitol and the games began, you didn't have the luxury of knowing what the characters were thinking of their "strategy". I really think that the movie was made with the assumption that most viewers would be people who had already read the book. Along that same line, they showed a little more of Haymitch working for sponsors, and they left Madge and the Mayor of District 12 out altogether, which required a minor change in the story with reference to her Mockingjay token.

Overall, I'm glad I saw it. I love going to the movies and my Netflix queue is much longer than I'll probably ever get to watching. Glad I got this one under my belt before I had to wait for it on DVD. Which is where I'm at with One for the Money.

I am a fan now

Ok, I finished the first book and had every intention of staying away from the rest of the Hunger Games trilogy for a bit. But I couldn't! I kept finding my thoughts drifting back to Panem and what was going to happen to Katniss, Peeta, Haymitch, Gale and the others. I stopped reading the last Thursday Next book and impulsively started on book two, Catching Fire. It's filled with many surprises and a cliffhanger ending. I'm so glad I waited until all three books were out to start reading these. I'm sure at some point today I will be starting the third book as well. This evening I'm heading out to watch the Hunger Games movie. From what I've seen on the trailers, I don't think I'll be disappointed.

The Hunger Games

I just finished The Hunger Games and I must say that it lived up to the hype. It was very good. I thought Katniss Everdeen's character was so likable. And believable. As I have said before, I love strong female characters and she did not disappoint me once. Katniss is physically strong, emotionally strong yet vulnerable, and she's smart. Not cunning or witty smart, but a kind of smart where things dawn on her after she has had some time to let it simmer in her subconscious. I like that. The book was incredibly difficult to put down. I almost feel like I neglected my own daughter a couple of times because I was so absorbed in reading this story. The ending was somewhat expected, I figured she would win, but not so much so that it was corny or trite.

The only part of the story that I thought distasteful (for lack of a better word) was the premise of the games themselves. Children fighting to the death? Backed by the government? The whole country forced to watch? I understood the author's purpose in using the games as a way to remind the masses of past errors, but I felt that was almost a little over the top. I realize the story wouldn't have worked without it, and I guess it IS fiction after all. As I was reading it, I kept wondering how the author came up with the idea and it's not far-fetched to come up with a "reality show" theme given all that we see on television today. It is like a true Survivor. And of course there have been novels over the years that focus on the government as Big Brother and being all powerful. Maybe it is just my maternal instincts that cringe at the thought of losing a daughter in such a way that made it distasteful to me.

Overall I would give it an 8.5 out of 10. I will read the second one in the trilogy. And I will probably see the movie at some point. But first I need to finish off that last Thursday Next novel.

Feeding the Hunger

A couple of different items to comment on tonight.

First, I finished the fourth, and my personal favorite, of the Thursday Next books Something Rotten. I absolutely LOVED-LOVED-LOVED the ending. What a unique twist involving a character that was introduced earlier on in the series. It was much better than the third one, and I am now confidant that I will be able to finish all five, if not before my vacation, then while in Florida. I know I say this with every post that involves this series, but really, you must at least consider reading this author. He also wrote another book (the first one I read) called The Big Over Easy which is also a detective novel, but it doesn't feature Thursday. Instead it has a rollicking cast of nursery rhyme characters where Humpty Dumpty is murdered and another detective (whose name escapes me at the moment) is investigating the murder. This book sat on my shelf for several months, recommended by my dad, but for some reason it just didn't appeal to me for quite awhile. In fact, I think I finally picked it up and started reading it because he kept pestering me about it. Needless to say, I'm so very glad I did as it has led me here. So buy a copy, set it on the shelf and when you eventually get around to picking it up, I hope you agree.

Secondly, speaking of my dad, I recently purchased a Kindle for a birthday/Father's Day gift for him. I bought the $79 version, since he wasn't all that keen on having an e-reader. He is going to be taking an extended vacation overseas in the fall, and I told him that if nothing else, it would be nice for that so he didn't have to pack a lot of books. So I have been playing with it to see the main differences between the Kobo and the Kindle. There are some features of both that I like and dislike. The Kindle is a little lighter and much easier to turn the page. There is also less pause when you do turn the page. Which is really a selling feature if you are a fast reader. However, I do not care for the way the Kindle organizes your library. The Kobo has all the books you have "opened" on the main page when you power it up. Maybe the Kindle CAN do this, but I haven't figured out how to do that yet. Also, it seems easier to find a book you want to get to on the Kobo as it has the alphabet listed at the top as a menu and you can arrow over the beginning letter. On the Kindle, you have to scroll through each page, or use the keypad to type in the name in a search. The Kindle also has page turners on both the right and left side of the device. Nice feature when someone is snuggled up right next to you. The Kobo has only one button located on the bottom right, and it is downright uncomfortable to use your left hand to turn the page. But, I really enjoy the fact that the Kobo has pre-loaded 100 classics on the e-reader. They are free to download from the Gutenberg Project, but it was a very nice convenience to have. And it has definitely inspired me to read more of that type of book. OH- one thing I absolutely HATE about the Kindle is all the advertisements. Yuck - yuck - yuck!!! Talk about distracting and cheap. Get rid of that!

Lastly, I have finally succumbed to the hype and started reading The Hunger Games. I don't know why it has taken me so long. Everyone, and I do mean every single person I have talked to, has said they are VERY good. I fought the good fight, and now I surrender. I opened it on the Kindle and then on the Kobo and used that book as my comparison novel. I will finish it on the Kobo as the Kindle is all packed away and ready for vacation.

Favorite children's books

Here is a list of my favorite children's books:

The Very Quiet Cricket - about a very lonely cricket looking for a friend he can talk to.

The Story of Ferdinand - a classic story about a bull who is happy being himself under the shade of a cork tree.

Llama Llama Red Pajama - a fun read aloud about a little llama who is scared when his mama leaves his bedroom.

I Love You Stinky Face - a book you and your child will love to read complete with monsters of every type. 

Harold and the Purple Crayon - Harold has a creative streak with his purple crayon.

Roar of a Snore - Where is that snore coming from? It's a surprise for sure but one the whole family will love!

Can I Play Too? - a lovely story about problem solving and remaining loyal to your friends.

Harold's Fairy Tale - another adventure with Harold and his purple crayon, plus great vocabulary words.

Reading goal for 2012

I have finally decided how many books I would like to set as my goal for this year. Based on the number I have already read, I think 40 would be a reasonable choice. The only bad thing about reading goals is that (like golf) once you have reached a magical number (like 85) it really sucks when you don't meet that goal consistently. So I'm trying not to set my goal too high, since it really doesn't have much meaning anyway. Just something fun to do! Now if I can score 85 even once this summer on the golf course I'll consider myself very successful!

Little Bee

After I gave up on The Strain, I needed a book that wouldn't creep me out. I found it in Little Bee. What a story! It definitely didn't creep me out. In fact I felt like doing something to help change the world after I read it. The premise is an African refugee girl that comes to England escaping death in Nigeria. The story comes when her life re-intersects with an English journalist and mother of a two-year old boy. I don't want to say anymore and spoil it. This book definitely stirred emotions, and it made me realize that our life outside of a third world country might as well be on another planet because they are so different. It makes me wonder what would I be like if I had grown up under such circumstances. Would I have had the inner strength to survive? Or would my spirit have been broken by all the evil man can do to each other?

This is certainly a good choice for a book club read. There is plenty of material ripe for discussion ranging from the relationships between the characters to the world problems from which we are so far removed. I would rate it an 8 out 10. It was a fast read and a perfect choice after those creepy vampire creatures!