Book Review -- Mockingjay

Title: Mockingjay
Author: Suzanne Collins
Genre: YA
Pages: Hardback, 380
Published: 2010
Opening Lines: "I stare down at my shoes, watching as a fine layer of ash settles on the worn leather. This is where the bed I shared with my sister, Prim, stood. Over there was the kitchen table."

"Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss's family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.

"It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plans -- except Katniss.

"The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' Mockingjay -- no matter what the personal cost."

~ Jacket copy

Thoughts: With Katniss' rescue from the Quarter Quell and the uprising of the Districts, I really wondered how Collins was going to wrap this series up. The book starts sometime after Katniss is brought to District 13. She has been there long enough to get the lay of the land, find her hiding spots, etc. After being rescued, left out of the scheme, and leaving Peeta behind, she is completely broken and fractured; a mirror of her former self.

President Coin, the leader of District 13, and several other key members want Katniss to finally take up the role as Mockingjay and spearhead the rebellion. However, this doesn't mean being on front lines and fighting with the people. No, she has to become a TV star. Wearing Cinna's final costume, she must strut around with amazing engineered weapons and pretend.

Most of the book is spent following Katniss wander around District 13, struggle with her role of the Mockingjay, dealing wit her feelings towards Peeta, and just trying to hold it together. Unlike the other books, this is not a Katniss we are familiar with. In a lot of ways, her despondence feels very put on a self-involved. In Catching Fire, she kind of struggles with the idea of starting this revolution; however, she seems to run from it in the final installment.

I'm not sure what to say about this book. By far, it was not my favorite in the series. I felt how they handled Finnick's character was completely foreign to what we were shown in Catching Fire. I couldn't understand the willingness to follow President Coin when she seemed as corrupt as Snow. However, when faced with this rebellion, I feel that Collins is trying to broach the issue of war and what lengths people will go to. I find her commentary the strongest in the treatment of Katniss' prep team and the traps Beetee and Gale are creating. In an effort to overthrow the corruption of President Snow, the rebellion is no better. It is a slippery slope.

All in all, I did enjoy the book. Wanting to know exactly how it ended, I was driven through it. My problems reside with the treatment of some of the characters, Katniss' despondence, and the treatment of District 13. In addition, while it does wrap up the story, I felt as though something was missing. I felt that Collins could have dug into things a little more deeply. But, as it sits now, I feel that she barely scratched the surface.

Rating: ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Currently: Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Pages: 8578
Current Progress:

25/50 books

Book Review -- Three Cups of Tea

Title: Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace... One School at a Time
Author: Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
Genre: Non-Fiction
Edition: Kindle
Published: 2007
Opening Lines: "In Pakistan's Karakoram, bristling across an area barely one hundred miles wide, more than sixty of the world's tallest mountains lord their severe alpine beauty over a witnessless high-altitude wilderness. Other than snow leopard and ibex, so few living creatures have passed through this barren icescape that the presence of the world's highest mountain, K2, was little more than a rumor to the outside world until the turn of the twentieth century."

"While critics agree that Three Cups of Tea should be read for its inspirational value rather than for its literary merit, the book's central theme, derived from a Baltistan proverb, rings loud and clear. "The first time you share tea with a Balti, you are a stranger," a villager tells Greg Mortenson. "The second time, you are an honored guest. The third time you become family." An inspirational story of one man's efforts to address poverty, educate girls, and overcome cultural divides, Three Cups, which won the 2007 Kiriyama Prize for nonfiction, reveals the enormous obstacles inherent in becoming such "family." Despite the important message, critics quibbled over the awkward prose and some melodrama. After all, a story as dramatic and satisfying as this should tell itself." ~Bookmark Magazine

Thoughts: This book captivated me. There were so many passages that struck my attention that my Facebook friends complained that I was posting too many. It is beautifully written and really takes you there. This man, Greg Mortenson, has done more for more people than many of the people acclaimed internationally. His story is an inspiration.

It is amazing reading how much can be done with so little money and so little experience. It shows that the passion of one man or woman really can change the world. At a time when most Americans thought all Muslims only cared about war and should all die, Greg was helping those who needed it, battling terrorism in a much greater way than all the bombs in the world.

I recommend this book to anyone. It will inspire you, and you will learn about a people and a part of the world few know about. It might just change your life.

Reviewed by:
~Raven

Book Review -- Lost and Forgotten Languages of Shanghai

Title: Lost and Forgotten Languages of Shanghai
Author: Ruiyan Xu
Genre: Fiction
Edition: Kindle
Published: 2009
Opening Lines: "Later, she would remember the crack in the building: a line splitting the cement, a body of veins crawling everywhere. It happened in slow motion. On a balcony two blocks away she watched the crumple of the Swan Hotel. Aortas feeding into arteries, capillaries branching off, slender, disappearing into the façade of the building. Carrying blood away from the heart. The hollow, sickening boom of it sucking all air out of her lungs."

"A massive explosion in a Shanghai hotel leaves 32-year-old businessman Li Jing unable to utter a single word in Chinese. Instead, he is only able to speak in halting English, which he learned as a child and which he last spoke at the age of 10. His family pays to bring in American neurologist Rosalyn Neal. Li Jing’s beautiful wife, Meiling, is left to try to run his financial consulting firm and to allay the anxiety of their young son. Because Li Jing and Rosalyn Neal, who has recently divorced, are both isolated by their inability to communicate in Chinese, they soon form a bond born of mutual fear and vulnerability. And Meiling, who always took her husband’s adoration for granted, is dealt another blow by the easy camaraderie of doctor and patient, which stands in such stark contrast to the married couple’s strained attempts to connect. Set in a dense, dizzyingly urban Shanghai, Xu’s elegant first novel affectingly addresses the way identity and language intertwine and the emotional anguish of estrangement." ~Joanne Wilkinson, Booklist

Thoughts: I don't read a lot of straight fiction, but I've found some very good ones over the years. This is one of them. It would be of interest to people interested in linguistics, the brain, human nature, Shanghai, or many other things, because all of these are important in the book.

We depend a lot on language to connect us to the people around us. Imagine losing the language you have spoken most of your life and being unable to talk to your family, your friends, your coworkers, your employees. Imagine the frustration of being cut from everyone you know by the barrier of language after never having that isolation before? This is Li Jing.

Imagine losing the ability to speak to your husband, the frustration of not being able to talk. The pain of him not being able to say your name correctly. Imagine having to take over duties he's always done with no experience in them yourself. You have to be strong for him, but is that what he needs? This is Zhou Meiling, Li Jing's wife.

Imagine being in China for the first time. You've always lived in the United States Midwest and have never been out of the country or to a city as big as Shanghai. Imagine not knowing the culture, not knowing the language, having no way to connect to the people around you. Imagine the isolation you would feel, trying to find your way in this strange place where nothing is familiar. This is Dr. Rosalyn Neal, the doctor the family brings over to work with Li Jing.

What would you do in any of these people's places? How would you adapt? How would you respond? How would you feel?

This book is more about experiencing the unknown and isolation and how people react than about the themes or about the city. The author does make you feel and see the city through the eyes of each of the characters, but she also makes you feel what they feel. She takes you there, not just to the setting, but to the mind, to the isolation, to the emotions.

Ruiyan Xu is an amazing author and I would read anything else she writes, regardless of the subject or genre.

Reviewed by:
~Raven

Book Review -- Catching Fire

Title: Catching Fire
Author: Suzanne Collins
Genre: YA
Pages: Hardback, 391
Published: 2009
Opening Lines: "I clasp my flask between my hands even though the warmth from the tea has long since leached into the frozen air. My muscles are clenched tight against the cold."

"Against all odds, Katniss has won the Hunger Game. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mallark 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."

~ Jacket copy

Thoughts: After The Hunger Games, I wasn't sure how Collins would be able to follow it up. The book was so intense and jammed packed with action, excitement, heartache, and political commentary that I wasn't sure how Catching Fire would compare. After finishing it, I'm speechless. Everything in this book is more.

Once again, I am struck by how Collins is able to pull the audience into the story with Katniss. While the story does not have the same action level as the first book, the political intrigue is greater and Collins sets you up to pull the audience deeper into the story.

It is really hard to talk about this book and dissect it. It is as the name suggests, a catching fire. Katniss learns more about herself, the depth of the corruption in the Capitol, the oppression of all the Districts around her, etc. Because of the lessons learned and the development in the characters, this book was much, much deeper and had more impact to me.

Needless to say, once I finished this book, there was no way I could wait for the library! My hubby and I went on a quest to find Mockingjay at Wal*Mart, K-Mart, and finally gave up and bought it at Hastings! Collins and her cliffhangers are something else entirely!


Rating: ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Currently: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Pages: 8188
Current Progress:

24/50 books

Without Further Ado . . .

. . . Ladies and Gentlemen, we are back in the game! Thankfully, Photobucket worked out all the glitches and things seem to be running. Given a little time -- and tons of people pestering them -- they were finally able to figure out a solution for their computer issues. So, on that note, w00t!

Since I'm in a such a lovely mood and finally got Catching Fire from the library, here is a little shout out to Kindle Vixen. While killing time on my computer -- yay, hubby finally left it!! -- I found her post on her perfect cast for The Hunger Games. Here is the link: click me!

This is my change:

Throughout The Hunger Games, I kept picturing Haymitch as Brendan Gleeson. Although, I admit, I love Vixen's choice ^_~

What do my followers think?

Technical Difficulties!

Dear Followers:

Just wanted to take a quick moment to say that I realize that my page has gone all WONKY today! It seems Photobucket, where all the images are hosted, is undergoing some sort of maintenance. Sadly, the images are hiding!

Hopefully it'll be back to normal soon and my page will be all pretty again!

I know the posts might be a bit hard to read right now, so please come back and try again later.

Thanks,

Book Review -- The Enemy

Ttile: The Enemy
Author: Charlie Higson
Genre: YA suspense
Pages: Hardback, 440
Published: 2009
Opening Lines: "Small Sam was playing in the parking lot behind the Waitrose supermarket when the grown-ups took him. He'd been with some of the little kids, having a battle with an odd assortment of actions figures, when it happened."

"A devastating disease has struck everyone over the age of sixteen. Those who didn't die from it have turned into decomposing, brainless creatures that survive by feeding on anything that's still alive -- including children. Young survivors have barricaded themselves in supermarkets and other buildings, fighting off attacks from the grown-ups, who travel in packs like hungry dogs.

"The group of kids from a store called Waitrose includes fearless fighters, clever engineers, and wise leaders. They are tight-knit and determined to survive, but they are running out of food, and their scavenger hunts are growing more and more dangerous. Marauding grown-ups are picking them off one by one.

"Before long, the Waitrose kids are offered a safe haven in Buckingham Palace. They make their way to it, crossing London on a perilous journey that will test them in harrowing ways. But their fight to stay alive is far from over -- the threat from within the palace is as real as the one outside it."

~ Jacket copy

Thoughts: I'm not sure what I expected from this book. After seeing the sequel on another blog, I was drawn to this one. A zombie YA book sounded like a good addition to the TBR pile, and the library actually had it one its shelves!!

This is perhaps one of the goriest and dystopic YA novel I have ever read! The whole book is a bloodfest and filled with festering, weeping sores; zombie attacks; strong language; and so on. This book even deals with cannibalism. At several points, I found my stomach start to turn. Even though it is gory and violent, it is a fast paced book and doesn't disappoint.

The thing that I found interesting about this book is the way Higson deals with the characters: there is no one main character. At the beginning of the book, it follows the group of kids from Waitrose more closely and, later, the Morrisons as well. He doesn't shy away from killing characters that the audience becomes sympathetic with. No one is safe, and the audience is left wondering who will be next.

I have to wonder, at some level, if this is Higson's Lord of the Flies for the modern YA. It is interesting to note that the children often find themselves longing for structure and the comfort of their family. Many of them often common that it is unfair that they were forced to grow up. Walking down the abandoned streets of London, many of the children wish for the carefree days of their lost youth.

If you're looking for a zombie, gore-packed YA novel, this is a good choice. However, that being said, it is extremely gory and should only be read with that in mind. The story is good, the characters are well developed, the plot is fast paced, and it tackles big issues without watering them down.


Rating: ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Currently: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Pages: 7797
ZOMBIES! Reading Challenge: 1/10
Current Progress:

23/50 books