Catching Fire

Catching Fire (The Hunger Games, #2) by Suzanne Collins
Published by Scholastic Press on September 1, 2009
Pages: 391
Goodreads
four-stars

Sparks are igniting.Flames are spreading.And the Capitol wants revenge.

Against all odds, Katniss has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and her longtime friend, Gale. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned his back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol - a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.

Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she's not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can't prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying.

In Catching Fire, the second novel in the Hunger Games trilogy, Suzanne Collins continues the story of Katniss Everdeen, testing her more than ever before...and surprising readers at every turn.

This is a follow-up post to my Hunger Games Review. I finally finished the rest of the Hunger Games book series a few weeks ago and I’m sorry this post is going up so late. I did have to compose myself before writing this post because to say that I was disgusted by MockingJay is quite putting it lightly, but I’ll leave that for the next post.

I wasn’t prepared for the twist at the end of this book, but I thought that this book flowed quite well in the last and final book of the series. I’m glad to see how the districts reacted to the Victory Tour in the book and I loved how it played out in the movie as well.

Hunger Games

5 / 9 / 1211 / 5 / 19

The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1) by Suzanne Collins
Published by Scholastic Press on September 14, 2008
Pages: 374
Format: Paperback
Goodreads
four-half-stars

Could you survive on your own, in the wild, with everyone out to make sure you don't live to see the morning?

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before - and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

New York Times bestselling author Suzanne Collins delivers equal parts suspense and philosophy, adventure and romance, in this searing novel set in a future with unsettling parallels to our present.

So unlike the rest of the world I had not read the Hunger Games obsessively and was eagerly anticipating the movie until recently. My co-worker finally worked me down to have me pick up at least the first book to start. I finished the first book in a week and am are already calculating when I can pick up the rest of the series because I want to find out what happens ( please don’t spoil it for me!)

I love Katniss’s strength and how she sees everything just as it is. I agree with quite a few people that although the story line is a good concept, I would not want to be in the Hunger Games and have to kill fellow kids my age let alone live in a society like that. I saw the movie twice this week once by myself and then with KonaBoy cause he really wanted to see it. I LOVED the movie! I really appreciated that it was not in 3D because in my opinion the quality of the cameras and the angles made it look so real that I think that having it in 3D would have made the movie fall flat. I didn’t recognize Lenny Kravitz as Cinna, but thought he did an amazing job and very relatable. I did think that some of the casting for the participants in the Hunger Games fell short for me. I had pictured many of the characters differently, no I’m not upset that the characters from District 11 were black that actually made me quite happy. I especially liked the rebellion scene in District 11 after Rue dies. I have not finished the other books in the series yet, but in my opinion I think that Hollywood may want to rethink some of their casting for future movies like this. As stated earlier, I pictured several of the participants differently and with a bit more of an ethnic flair. Just something to consider.KonaBoy really enjoyed this movie and we can’t wait to see the next ones in the series.

Want to hear a funny story though? I had heard about the Hunger Games series last year from someone and picked it up for my friend who loves reading as a Christmas gift. She started reading the first book and was immediately hooked. She then made her fiancee go out and repurchase the series for her because she liked all of her books to look the same and preferably in hardback. She has not seen the movie and probably won’t cause she believes that books ruin the movies.

With a Little Luck

5 / 2 / 1211 / 5 / 19

With a Little Luck by Caprice Crane
Published by Bantam on July 26, 2011
Pages: 303
Goodreads
four-half-stars

If love is in the cards, then somebody stacked the deck. Los Angeles radio DJ Beryl “Berry” Lambert, whose name means luck, doesn’t much believe in it—although, thanks to her dear old gambling dad, she’s a bit superstitious, certain that everything happens for a reason. She keeps a four-leaf clover in her wallet, never takes off her horseshoe necklace, and won’t tempt fate by walking under a ladder or opening an umbrella indoors. Ever.

When it comes to love, though, she could use a little luck. Two disastrous relationships back-to-back can mean only one thing to a woman who knows that everything good or bad happens in threes: A third Mr. Wrong is imminent. But fellow DJ Ryan Riley goes against the odds. Their on-air battle of the sexes is a hit for the station and sparks some serious heat after hours. Ryan is funny and sexy, and he thinks Berry’s quirkiness is cute. Is their romance doomed by the numbers—or is a girl who leaves nothing to chance finally ready to gamble?

Caprice Crane’s witty, winsome novel about the game of modern romance proves that with a little luck and the right stakes, everybody wins.

Recently, I finished reading Caprice Crane’s fourth novel With A Little Luck. Caprice Crane is insanely funny! I follow her on twitter and sometimes I can’t stop laughing at her tweets. I loved this book and I look forward to reading all of her books, since I’ve started following her on twitter made this book even more special because I felt that in someways as a fan I was part of some of the process. I definitely recommend this book. I think that you’ll laugh, you’ll cry and you’ll relate. I love the way the story flows throughout the book. It’s amazing pick up one of her books and read. I’ve also done a review on one of her other books here

Will Grayson, Will Grayson

2 / 1 / 1211 / 5 / 19

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green, David Levithan
Published by Dutton Books on April 6, 2010
Pages: 310
Format: Paperback
Goodreads
two-half-stars

Will Grayson meets Will Grayson. One cold night, in a most unlikely corner of Chicago, two strangers are about to cross paths. From that moment on, their world will collide and lives intertwine.

It's not that far from Evanston to Naperville, but Chicago suburbanites Will Grayson and Will Grayson might as well live on different planets. When fate delivers them both to the same surprising crossroads, the Will Graysons find their lives overlapping and hurtling in new and unexpected directions. With a push from friends new and old - including the massive, and massively fabulous, Tiny Cooper, offensive lineman and musical theater auteur extraordinaire - Will and Will begin building toward respective romantic turns-of-heart and the epic production of history's most awesome high school musical.

This review should have been posted sooner, since it has been almost a month since I finished the book. I will talk more about the crazy busyness that is my life in another post, but for now I’ll stick to the book review.

While Will Grayson, will grayson is an interesting novel that is geared toward young adults. I did not feel that it was a strong enough novel to stand on its own. At times it felt as if the novel dragged on for longer than necessary and was sometimes a bit confusing to keep the Will Grayson and will grayson straight. I’m once again going to have to say that I am disappointed by yet another John Green novel and am going to have to put some of the other novels I am considering reading by him on hold because of this.

Mr. John Green, if you are reading this I’m sorry. Other readers you have been warned about the novel.

Stupid and Contagious

12 / 31 / 1111 / 13 / 19

Stupid and Contagious by Caprice Crane
Published by 5 Spot on May 12, 2006
Pages: 317
Format: Paperback
Goodreads
five-stars

In this hilarious, romantic comedy, two twenty-something neighbors embark on a zany mission to meet the founder of Starbucks, and in doing so, find each other.

I recently re- read Caprice Crane’s first novel Stupid and Contagious. It was well worth the second read though, I don’t necessarily have the same feelings the first time I read it. Does this even count for reading a book a month?!? I guess I could count it and I actually have two more reviews to post for you by tomorrow along with some other wonderful goodies 🙂

Stupid and Contagious is about the meeting and crazy courtship of Heaven Albright and Brady Gilbert. Wait! Before you get turned off on this book, let’s say that this is not your typical romance novel at all. It is written from in the voice of both characters at once, well not really at once but both characters tell their side of the story on what’s happening. Heaven Albright is a recently fired PR executive turned mediocre waitress who lives life by the whim and is overly superstitious that she will be dead at 27 because all the fabulous rocker people do that. Brady Gilbert on the other hand is a the owner of his own record company Sleestak Records and is also going in search of his other great dream, to be the owner of the next big thing Cinnamilk or possibly the CatchitCone. Brady moves into the apartment next to Heaven after breaking up with his crazy girlfriend. I won’t completely giveaway the ending, but it is definitely a good one involving a dog named Strummer 🙂

As previously mentioned this book was a re-read and I’ll admit that I enjoyed it more when it was published in 2006 the pop culture references were less dated then, Sorry! The jokes are still relevant, but there are a select few that should be kept in that year. In case you did not catch the reference in the title it is a lyric from a Nirvana song which is a nice touch that Caprice Crane has maintained throughout her career as an author. This book is definitely one of my favorites that I’ve read and I was excited to hear that it had been optioned for TV rights. You can read more about the option here.

I hope that you’ll get the chance to read the book before the TV show comes out and although I’m excited for the potential TV show I’m a little worried how it will turn out. READ the book though!