Review: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Title: Catching Fire
Author: Suzanne Collins
Publisher: Scholastic
Publication Date: September 1, 2009
Genre: Young Adult, SciFi/Fantasy, Dystopian

Summary (from book flap - SPOILERS FOR THE HUNGER GAMES): 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 hsi 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 conivnced 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.

Review: The wait for this book was almost unbearable. September 1st could not come soon enough. I was horrified when I realized that the closest bookstore to my house did not open until 9am, meaning I'd have to wait until I got out of work to hold a copy of the book in my hands! But the wait was worth every single second.

Catching Fire does not disappoint and is just as engrossing as The Hunger Games, with a mix of action and violence that will keep the reader on the edge of their seat throughout the novel. Collins does a great job at fleshing out her characters and giving them depth. I felt like I knew Katniss and Peeta and the residents of District 12. It's as if they were my own friends and family. There's nothing I love more than being so completely invested in such a vast set of characters. There are certain characters to whom I become emotionally attached. I've tried to explain this to other people but so far all I've gotten is a bunch of "Are you crazy?" looks. But this is one of those books.

I love the strength of these characters. Katniss is independent, strong-willed and has such a sense of compassion for those around her. It is characters like this that I am thankful for; because I hope that when I have children, they will have great characters in books to look up to.

If you have not read The Hunger Games please run, do not walk, to the nearest bookstore/library to get a copy. If you have read The Hunger Games, well, what are you waiting for? Go pick up Catching Fire!

Now if I could just be patient for the third book in the Trilogy...a feat I don't think I'll be able to accomplish ;)

Review: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

Title: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Author: Stieg Larsson
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group (Vintage)
Publication Date: June 23, 2009
Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Summary (from back of book): Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo combines murder mystery, family saga, love story, and financial intrigue into a complex and atmospheric novel.

Harriet Vangar, a scion of one of Sweden's wealthiest families disappeared over forty years ago. All these years later, her aged uncle continues to seek the truth. He hires Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist recently trapped by a libel voncition, to investigate. He is aided by the pierced and tattooed punk prodigy Lisbeth Salander. Together they tap into a vein of iniquity and corruption.

Review: I remember the first time I saw this book when I was browsing at the bookstore and initially didn't think much of it, only sparing a quick glance at the cover before I passed it by. It wasn't until a few months later that I took notice of the book for a second time and took a closer look before finally making my purchase.

Initially, the first 30 or so pages started off a little slow for me but very quickly picked up - boy, did it pick up! The worst thing about some crime novels is when you figure out the ending early on and I was a little skeptical that I wouldn't be engaged enough and that the novel would be predictable. I wondered whether the story would live up to all the hype I was hearing about it. Thankfully, my skepticism was unfounded. I became entranced by the unsolved murder of this young girl, Harriet, and the drama that surrounds the mystery.

I found myself wanting to know more about two of the main characters as I made my way through the novel. Their own history and storylines were just as compelling to read about as the murder investigation, which I found especially true of two of the main characters: Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander

All in all, this was a fantastic book that was nothing like I expected or thought it would be. The content is, at times, extremely disturbing and keeps the reader on the edge of her (or his) seat. There were certain points in the story when I literally got chills while reading. It's wonderful to really not know what's going to happen when you turn the page and being just as shocked or astounded as the characters are. I can't wait to pick up the next book in the series: The Girl Who Played with Fire.

This is only the fourth book review I've written since I started my blog earlier this month and I've found myself being unsure of how much of the plot and characters to talk about without giving too much away that also doesn't just leave the review at, "I liked it!" or "I hated it!." For me, one of the best things when I'm reading a book is to make all the discoveries along with the characters and experience things with them. So, for now I've gone with a less is more approach. Hopefully I'll get the hang of this whole reviewing thing eventually!

This is also the first book I have completed for the Olympic Challenge - London 2012. 1 down...201 books to go! =)

Review: Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Title: Lord of the Flies
Author: William Golding
Publisher: Riverhead Trade
Publication Date: This Edition: August 1997; Originally: 1954
Genre: Fiction, Dystopian

Summary (from back of book): Lord of the Flies is an adventure tale in its purest form, a thrilling and elegantly told account of a group of British schoolboys marooned on a tropical island. Alone in a world of uncharted possibilities, devoid of adult supervision or rules, the boys begin to forge their own society, their own rules, their own rituals. With this seemingly romantic premise, through the seemingly innocent acts of children, Golding exposes the duality of human nature itself - the dark, eternal divide between order and chaos, intellect and instinct, structure and savagery. The book's terrifying escalation of violence seems as inevitable as it is chilling. It engrosses, it challenges, and it reveals.

Review: This is one of those books that, once you read it you wonder why the heck you hadn't read it sooner. I had certainly heard of The Lord of the Flies - my brother actually had a beat up copy in high school that I'm not sure he ever read.

To put it succinctly, this starts out as an amazing tale of adventure that evolves into so much more than I imagined. It's fascinating to follow along with the group of boys who are stranded on an unknown island and what they go through while trying to survive. It really made me think about what I would do at that age in a similar situation - being young, no adults to tell you what to do, scary things in the forest that keep you awake at night, and deciding who is going to take the role of leader...and whether or not you'll listen to him.

And then there is the dissent and the violence. It is chilling. There were parts where I was reading and almost holding my breath because I felt like I was in the shoes of the character, terrified about what could happen next. Almost as if I were watching all the events unfold right in front of me.

In the words of Golding himself, "the theme is an attempt to trace the defect of society back to the defect of human nature."

If you are like me and have apparently been living under a rock all these years not having read this book, add it to your wishlist. In my opinion it is definitely worth it.

Review: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Title: The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1)
Author: Rick Riordan
Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children/Miramax Books
Publication Date: April 2006
Genre: Children's Fiction, Fantasy

Summary (from back of book): Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school...again. And that's the least of his troubles. Lately, mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy's Greek mythology textbook and into his life. And worse, he's angered a few of them. Zeus's master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect.

Now Percy and his friends have just ten days to find and return Zeus's stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the true thief: he must come to terms with the father who abandoned him; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of betrayal by a friend; and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves.

Review: I remember first seeing this book when I was working at a bookstore while in graduate school. I was shelving in the kid's section and being drawn to take a look at the book because I thought the cover was interesting. I was intrigued by the summary on the back of the book but it was another couple of few years before I finally brought the book home. I loved the idea of using Greek Mythology as a main part of the story. It wasn't until I started reading that I realized how much I was utterly lacking in my knowledge of Greek gods. It was neat to uncover different stories along the way.

The Lightning Thief is chock full of adventure, action, betrayal (gasp!), friendship and family. I'll admit, there was about 50 pages in the first third or so of the book where I was getting a little bored. It's not that there wasn't action (there's loads of it throughout the story) but I just wasn't enjoying it as much. I came pretty close to putting the book down at one point as I was frustrated about having read quite a few books this year that I ended up not liking as much as I thought I would and was really hoping this one wouldn't fall into that category.

I took a break from the story for a few days before giving it another go. The rest of the book really picked up and I found myself rushing a bit through my morning routine before work so I would have time to read some of it before I left for the day. The action was heightened a bit and I couldn't help but keep turning pages because I couldn't wait to find out what happened next.

The Sea of Monsters is the next book in this series and I have already added it to my wishlist. Percy Jackson and the Olympians, so far, has proven to be a fun series for kids and adults alike. I'm looking forward to seeing where Percy's adventures take him next.

Review: Mary Anne Saves the Day (BSC Graphix Series) by Ann M. Martin & Raina Telgemeier

Title: Mary Anne Saves the Day (BSC Graphix Series)
Author: Ann M. Martin and Raina Telgemeier
Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.
Publication Date: September 1, 2007
Genre: Children's Graphic Novel

Summary (from back of book): When the Baby-Sitters Club girls get into a huge fight, Mary Anne is left to her own devices. She has to eat by herself in the school cafeteria, figure out how to make new friends, and deal with her overprotective father. But the worst thing to happen is a baby-sitting emergency where she can't turn to her friends for help!
Can Mary Anne solve all her problems and save the Baby-Sitters Club from falling apart?

Review: The Baby-sitter's Club books were one of my favorite book series growing up. I remember devouring the books when I was little and constantly begging my parents to go to the library so I could bring home another one. When I first heard that the BSC series was being made into graphic novel format I had two simultaneous reactions: "THAT'S AWESOME!!! I need to go to the bookstore to get this ASAP!!" and "Wait..what if they RUIN it?"

So I bit the bullet, picked up the first few and hoped for the best. I'm happy to report that I haven't been disappointed in the least. I think Mary Anne Saves the Day is probably my favorite of the three I've read so far (there are 4 in the graphic novel format.) The comic strip layout is an interesting and fresh way to read the series. Although it will never replace the original books, Raina Telgemeier manages to capture all the significant parts of the storyline through art in a way that sucked me in just like when I was reading the books as a kid.

I'm definitely looking forward to picking up the next installment: Claudia and Mean Janine. My only qualm is that there are no plans (that I know of, anyway) to continue with any more of the books in this graphic novel format.