Wednesday 25 January 2012

25012012: The Hunger Games Trilogy


Title: The Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mockingjay
Author: Suzanne Collins
Page Count: 454, 472 and 455

Summary: In a dark vision of the near future, twelve boys and twelve girls are forced to appear in a live TV show called the Hunger Games. There is only one rule: kill or be killed. When sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen steps forward to take her sister's place in the games, she sees it as a death sentence. But Katniss has been close to death before. For her, survival is second nature.
Other summaries have not been included to avoid spoilers. 

Reviews: I've been pondering over this review for a while because I kind of feel like "what's the point?", it's everywhere and I have yet to hear anyone say a negative thing about it and the chances are everyone who reads my reviews have already read The Hunger Games.
I was hoping to get this book for Christmas but instead I ended up buying it with a voucher I got for Christmas. I wasn't planning on reading it until my friend, Jacky, went absolutely bonkers over it, yes bonkers. In. Every. Way. Possible.
I picked it up Monday morning on the bus to college knowing I'd enjoy it but not realising how much... come Monday evening I ignored my college deadline, couldn't hold a decent conversation with the boyfriend and refused to game with him, as well as putting off sleep for as long as possible.
On Tuesday I got sent home from college for being ill and even upon arriving home then I tried to ignore how terrible I felt and to not through up so I could finish it. Probably not the best of ideas (
but its okay cause when I was sick the book was safe and the toilet was near). I know I'm getting a little distracted here but I'm just hoping you understand how quickly I got through this book and how desperately I did so, simply because it was that gripping. The story was great and held together by amazing characters that you can't help but love and a setting that was believable.
I made the stupid mistake of only buying the first book so come Tuesday afternoon I had order the other two off Amazon for next day delivery.
Once Catching Fire arrived after I had finished college on Wednesday I started to read it straight away, only taking a break to watch X-men with the boyfriend. Again I had a late night ahead of me and I refused to go to sleep until I had hit page 210 at 3am.
I found the start of this book a little slow but once I got past the initial re-introduction to the characters and setting things heated up, especially once shit started to hit the fan.
I had a full day at college on Thursday and a party to attend to but nevertheless this did not stop me from finishing the book that night! In fact not only did I finish it I also started reading Mockingjay which unfortunately I felt was the weakest of the books in some ways, for example it only picked up at page 100 and I felt a few supposed-to-be-main moments were hardly touched up, mostly towards the end, and the whole ending felt very rushed and ended kind of abruptly
but, now this is a big but at the same time I also feel it was possibly the strongest because dear lord, I didn't half cry. I don't even mean "oh I cried at the end" I mean I cried all. the. way. through. Seriously. I have no idea what was up with me.
I guess it shows either she's a really talented writer or I was over emotional that night and following day.
Now this is really as much as I'm willing to say because if you haven't read the books any in-depth review I give on this book and the following will be spoilers, I mean you know a few things for certain with there being more than one book but for the sake of spoilers, no more is being written.
Recommend: Hell yes.
Rating: 5/5


***SPOILERS SECTION***
I've never really had to add this before but I know those of you who have read it will want to know certain things. For example, Peeta or Gale?
So here I am going to add anything that I deem spoilerific for the above review, and will probably contain some real opinions here.
  • I figured it would just be another Twilight the way everyone was going on about it. Ooops.
  • I watched the trailer after finishing the book and shivers, shivers everywhere! Let's hope it is good.
  • Gale or Peeta? Honestly? Peeta. It's not that I hate Gale it's that he had 6 months with Katniss where he knew how he felt towards her and to make a move or to mention it or to act upon his feelings no matter how small and its not like he didn't know about The Reaping coming up, especially with his name being entered so many times so why not do anything? Oh cause you don't want to ruin your friendship bro have you seen how you live? Do you really think she'd just ditch you because of feelings. Feelings are good especially if your living conditions aren't the best, gives you something to live for. If you can take the risk in hunting, take the bloody risk in getting the girl. Then there is how adorable Peeta is from the moment he's introduces and you can just tell he really does love her, with every ounce of him. It's cute. I also think that it was obvious from the outset that Katniss loved Peeta more, just the way she acted with him even when she was unsure herself or thinking she was pretending. I think she loves Gale too, just more as a brother? But due to her lack of experience in this department and being so used to being closed up she had no idea how to tell her feelings apart.
  • I got a little angry at Mockingjay -  (this is copied at pasted from when I was at about page 100) My friend asked me why I was getting angry to which I replied "Cause they want Katniss for her image and then need Peeta for his words but they just fuck him off and take people who aren’t nearly as important? Also Katniss is pissing me off cause she’s just so erhxcmksadiofhjnk it’s so obvious she loves Peeta and I don’t understand why she can’t see it clearly even though all her emotions, actions and thoughts make it so painstakingly obvious." He replied saying he hates Katniss, to which I said "I don’t hate her, I just wish she was more sure of herself. Like she constantly doubting herself and it’s getting a little annoying. But whatever. I mean she loves Gale too, but it’s nothing like she is with Peeta. I’d say Gale is more of a brother to her."

Saturday 14 January 2012

14012012: On My Wishlist (5)

On My Wishlist is a weekly meme hosted by Book Chick City

Texas Gothic: Amy Goodnight's family is far from normal. She comes from a line of witches, but tries her best to stay far outside the family business. Her summer gig? Ranch-sitting for her aunt with her wacky but beautiful sister. Only the Goodnight Ranch is even less normal than it normally is. Bodies are being discovered, a ghost is on the prowl, and everywhere she turns, the hot neighbor cowboy is in her face.



Don't Kill the Birthday Girl: A beautifully written and darkly funny journey through the world of the allergic. Like twelve million other Americans, Sandra Beasley suffers from food allergies. Her allergies—severe and lifelong—include dairy, egg, soy, beef, shrimp, pine nuts, cucumbers, cantaloupe, honeydew, mango, macadamias, pistachios, cashews, swordfish, and mustard. Add to that mold, dust, grass and tree pollen, cigarette smoke, dogs, rabbits, horses, and wool, and it’s no wonder Sandra felt she had to live her life as “Allergy Girl.” When butter is deadly and eggs can make your throat swell shut, cupcakes and other treats of childhood are out of the question—and so Sandra’s mother used to warn guests against a toxic, frosting-tinged kiss with “Don’t kill the birthday girl!”. It may seem that such a person is “not really designed to survive,” as one blunt nutritionist declared while visiting Sandra’s fourth-grade class. But Sandra has not only survived, she’s thrived—now an essayist, editor, and award-winning poet, she has learned to navigate a world in which danger can lurk in an unassuming corn chip. Don’t Kill the Birthday Girl is her story. With candor, wit, and a journalist’s curiosity, Sandra draws on her own experiences while covering the scientific, cultural, and sociological terrain of allergies. She explains exactly what an allergy is, describes surviving a family reunion in heart-of-Texas beef country with her vegetarian sister, delves into how being allergic has affected her romantic relationships, exposes the dark side of Benadryl, explains how parents can work with schools to protect their allergic children, and details how people with allergies should advocate for themselves in a restaurant. A compelling mix of memoir, cultural history, and science, Don’t Kill the Birthday Girl is mandatory reading for the millions of families navigating the world of allergies—and a not-to-be-missed literary treat for the rest of us.

The Map of Time: 
The Map of Time by Felix J. Palma. Set in Victorian London with characters real and imagined, The Map of Time is a page-turner that boasts a triple play of intertwined plots in which a skeptical H.G. Wells is called upon to investigate purported incidents of time travel and to save lives and literary classics, including Dracula and The Time Machine, from being wiped from existence. What happens if we change history?

Sunday 1 January 2012

01012012: 2011 Wrap Up


Happy New Year! I aimed to make this post last night but this year I was actually out celebrating in my own way. 2011 wasn't really a bad year over all but I certainly hope that 2012 will be miles better and I aim to make this possible.

25 Books read in 2011:
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry 
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Room by Emma Donoghue
Let The Right One In by John Alvide Lindqvist 
A Street Car Named Desire by Tennessee Williams

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Hellsing Volume 6 by Kohta Hirano
Hellsing Volume 7 by Kohta Hirano
The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson
Death Note Volume 1 by Tsugumi Ohba
Death Note Volume 2 by Tsugumi Ohba


A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
 The Hobbit: Or There And Back Again by J.R.R. Tolkien
Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney


Hellsing Volume 8 by Kohta Hirano
Et Cetera Volume 1 by Tow Nakazaki


Dead Inside: Do Not Enter by Lost Zombies 
The Shining by Stephen KingKuroshitsuji Vol 1 by Yana Toboso
103 Films watched in 2011:
The Road
The Little Norse Prince
The Green Hornet
Social Network
Megamind
Catfish
Zack and Miri make a Porno
A Street Car Named Desire (1992)
A Street Car Named Desire (1951)

The Kite Runner
Cops Out
Black Swan
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Losers
Repo! The Genetic Opera
Batman
Tooth Fairy
Paul
Meet the Robinsons
Batman Returns
Bill and Teds Excellent Adventure
The Green Hornet
Thunderbirds (2004)
Batman Forever
Beetlejuice
The Girl Who Played With Fire
Batman & Robin
Batman Begins
Fanboys
Jackass 3
Get Him To The Greek
Skyline
The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets Nest
The Other Guys
Limitless
Monsters
The Town
Stone
127 Hours
Tangled
Death Note
The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets Nest
Operation: Endgame
Dinner With Schmucks
The American
Thor
Killers
I am Number Four
Rio
Fast 5
The Adjustment Bureau
Tomorrow, When The World Begins
Aquamarine
Drive Angry
Tron
X-men: First Class
X-men
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt1
The Diary of a Wimpy Kid
The Switch
Animals United
Paranormal Activity 2
Sucker Punch
Green Lantern
Blood: The Last Vampire
Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon
Lord of the Rings:  The Fellowship of the Ring (Extended)
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Extended)
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Extended)
Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Pt2
Tokyo Gore Police
The Machine Girl
The Inbetweeners
Horrid Henry
Captain America
Words, Words, Words
Hall Pass
Words, Words, Words
Source Code
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Morning Glory
Serenity
The Smurfs
Gulliver's Travels (2010)
Horrible Bosses
The Shining
Full Metal Jacket
A Clockwork Orange
Serenity
American Psycho
Paranormal Activity 3
Rango
Flight of the Phoenix
Stake Land
Bill & Tend's Excellent Adventure
Kung Foo Panda 2
Attack The Block
Faster
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure
American Beauty
Captain America