Comments During Reading

Mockingjay
page 209--What does Katniss think she's doing? She just let her best friend murder tons of (kind of) innocent people. She knows it wasn't right. She knew it wasn't right before she agreed to it. And now she's trying to make Gale happier, to help him blow off steam? Yes, this will help to secure all of the districts and overthrow the Capitol, but she knows what it's like to lose someone you love to an "accident." This is not how she operates. And Gale is being so cruel! He lost his father in the same coal mining accident that Katniss
lost her dad in And now he's willing to blow up living citizens?
page 20-something--I've been thinking this book is slow, with a wayward plot.I was right.

Response to Catching Fire

           No worse than the first, Catching Fire is the second book in the Hunger Games trilogy. This is to say, it was as good as the first, to rephrase. Many sequels are disappointing, but this book did not fail my expectations...at least in writing technique. To be honest, it was slow. Really slow. It got started action-wise on page 270. And I'm not saying the pages and chapters before that were dull. They were leading up to the action. But a lot of it was just unnecessary. If you ask me, this whole book was captivating but unnecessary. SPOILER ALERT: Did Katniss really have to enter the Games again? That was a little pointless. She entered only to be rescued. It would have been a lot more efficient just to have the tributes on the train to the arena and then have Katniss rescued and Peeta captured. That would've chopped about 200 pages off the book and it could've been so much more worth it. That would've been a much better lead up to the third book. Honestly. But make no mistake, I recommend the book. Just don't expect wonders.

Response to Ever

           You got me, readers. After the Two Princesses of Bamarre, I should have been on the lookout for young books. But this book surprised me, in a good way. This book was preferrable to the tale of Bamarre, with a plot focused solely on love and sacrifice. Yes, it was no more realistic than the tale of Bamarre, with a visit to the land of the dead and a god of the winds. But it was a lot less...pleasing? The ending was sad, which made it less fairytale-ish, which was satisfying.
          I'd recommend this book to maybe a sixth grader, because it's sweet and captivating yet fantastical and grim. Not to mention creepy. Sixth graders are just figuring out who they are, which makes them able to relate to Kezi, main character who must decide if she wishes to choose love and immortality, or sacrifice and honor.

Response to The Two Princesses of Bamarre

          First off, as with most books I read, I liked it. Did I love it? No. But I still appreciated Levine's traditional technique; a quest, danger, destiny, character change, finding true love. Although it's getting a little predictable. But  I followed main character Addie not reluctantly but willingly through dangerous forests where dark creatures dwell, into the cave of a hungry dragon and out into a fight with ogres and grffins, to a fairy castle where Addie discovers her bravery and her truly beloved.
          On second thought, this book was a little young. Although I can relate to the sisterly bond that forms the plot. Readers, particularly those readers tween and up, I would let this book alone unless you're reading it to a younger person. If I were in, say, fifth grade, I'd be awed. But there are so many more age-appropriate books out there for me, and honestly, it was kind of a waste of time. Maybe I'm sending mixed signals here. In the beginning, I was ready and willing. As time went on, I was growing slightly bored. I am glad I read it because now I know what to stay away from and I can add it to my list of finished books. But did I really enjoy myself? Negative.

Response to Star Trek: Resistance

           I like this book. A lot. It has room for improvement, certainly, but liking is my general impression. J.M. Dillard...I feel like s/he tries too hard to be a good writer. In writing, it's good to rephrase things differently so the reader understands better/receives a different perspective. But Dillard does this to the point of redundancy. Dillard also has a tendency to zoom in on detail and emotion and writes about it in a very poetic way, but which more often then not comes off as cheesy.
           This has only a minor impact on the story, which is filled with emotion, detail and action. Because I am familiar with the TV series, the interaction between characters amuses me, although may be dull or confusing to an unexperienced watcher. So, if this book were a food, it would definitely be an acquired taste. It doesn't appeal to a big field of readers, judging from experience, but for those who find it interesting it's and excellent pick.
         

Response to the Hunger Games

              Oh, my goodness. I read this book in a blur; I really couldn't put it down. The main character, Katniss Everdeen, lives in a half-fantasy, half-reality world where her district is forced to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a brutal fight between kids ages 12-18. Besides enthralling and compelling, this book is emotionally conflicting. What would I do if I were in this situation? Would I stake my own life above everybody else's? If I won, would I feel guilty? How good am I of a survivor?
                Suzanne Collins writes like the teenager Katniss is, and makes me believe in her fear and her confusion. Hmmmm, I wonder if the second book is in paperback yet...

Currently Reading

Mockingjay--page 113. The final book in the Hunger Games trilogy, Mockingjay is good. Tense and powerful, but still a little slow, although no way near as slow as Catching Fire, which ironically only caught fire starting on page 270. Katniss is angry and desperate to save Peeta from the Capitol. Okay, that Gale/Katniss/Peeta love triangle is really confusing. It seems like she's in love with Peeta, but maybe that's just for the cameras always tracking her down. She says she chose Gale, but really? If Peeta and Katniss aren't in love, what do they have? An awkward relationsip. Whereas if Gale and Katniss aren't in love, they're still friends like they were from the beginning. I'm just hoping she choses Peeta. He's my favorite character.
Girls in Love--Sort of a background book. It should be an ALA  Quick Pick/easy read. It's a typical girlish novel filled with appearances and typical tween situations. I enjoy it all the same. I never said I didn't like that.

Response to The Demonata #6: Demon Apocalypse

           As Carlton Lassiter, of the TV show Psych, once said, " I never thought I'd make this sound in my life, but...e-yuck!" This really is a disturbing book, so reader be warned. While it's not bad...let's say the only reason I really stuck with this book was because the plot sucked me in. It was so gruesome, so unfathomable, and dealt with one of humanity's worst fears. The writing wasn't amazing...actually I think gore is the only reason Darren Shan is so popular; it masks his writing. So go ahead, read the series--I would start from the beginning, though--but know I was not dazzled. True, I want to read the rest of the series, but admittedly, this book tapped into the dark part of my psyche, and that's why I like it. I feel so mischievous!...and sort of unsettled...

Abandoned Books

--Still Sucks to be Me: I can tell this plot is going no where interesting fast, and besides the writing quality greatly declined since the first book. No thanks!

--Star Trek: It's not that I don't like this book, I do. A lot. But it is taking me a very long time to finish, and disrupting my reading life. It's the reason I've only finished 7 books since September! So maybe I'll read it in the background, or finish over summer vacation. Either way, I'm not giving up on this book completely.

Past reading

Star Trek the Next Generation: Resistance, J.M. Dillard
Angela's Ashes, Frank McCourt
             Resistance is a book about the Starship Enterprise's struggles against an especially aggressive race called the Borg. I find it an enticing read, but I also feel that J.M. Dillard sometimes tries too hard to be a good writer, if you know what I mean. S/he often writes with detail a little over the top. S/he often restates what s/he said only moments ago, trying to really leave you with an adequate vision of what is going on, and it works, but I am a little bored of redundancy.
             Angela's Ashes is excellent. A memoir about the childhood of Frank McCourt, it's sort of--I guess you could call it subtly depressing. Frank retells details of his miserable life in a monotone, with almost no description of emotion. It's almost as if Frank floated through his experiences, occasionally commenting and interacting, but simply watching and drinking in.