The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and other books
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.
The Hunger Games is one of those dystopian futures novels like Scott Westerfeld's Uglies novels, A Brave New World or even Margaret Atwood's Handmaid's Tale. Collins' book is riveting from the get go. Every year two teenagers (one male, one female) from each of twelve districts are chosen via lottery to participate in the Hunger Games. The games take place in a wilderness arena and requires the 24 young contestants to fight to the death. The action is televised and everyone in the home districts are forced to watch. This brutal custom is one of the ways that the ruling class prevent an uprising from the working classes.
Katniss Everdeen is the sixteen year old girl who volunteers to represent her district in the games in order to spare her younger sister, who was the one chosen via lottery. Katniss is an intriguing young women, with a great voice. She isn't perfect at all, and that is perhaps part of her charm. The Hunger Games is a wonderful book. I first heard buzz about it last Labor Day from librarians who were on panel at Dragon*Con. These ladies know their stuff; I was not disappointed. YA Sci/Fi, reccomended highly.
Other books I read in January:
The New Year's Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini - though I usually enjoy the quilter's series of novels this one seemed like a string of anecdotes cut out of previous books and loosely strung together like a flashback episode of a long running sitcom to create a pocket sized novella to market for the holidays. Skip this one and read one of the more substantial novels like the Winding Ways Quilt.
Trickster's Choice and Trickster's Queen by Tamora Pierce - I think this was my third or fourth reread of these books. Originally they were a disappointment to me. I so loved Kel, the hero of the previous quartet that I had a hard time getting to like the very different protaganist of the Trickster books. Ali is actually probably one of the more realistic heroines of Pierce's novels, seemingly lazy and unmotivated in the begining and slowly finding her place and her passions in life by the end of the story. It has grown on me more with every reading until it is, almost surprisingly, now a favorite. Highly reccomended YA Fantasy.
Cat-Tales book one and two by Chris Dee- I don't usually include fan-fic on this sort of list. Chris Dee's work is a world apart from the usual fare one finds. This is a DC Comics based alternative universe story where Catwoman and Batman fall in love, but there is so much more to it than that. The character grow and change and evolve in a way that is never allowed in the comic book medium. It's a change I was thirsting for as a fan, and an adult with an adult's perspecitve on life and not a kids love of thrills and sameness. I could happily never read another comic as long as this talented author is putting out the stories I love with the characters I've grown up with. Five stars for comic books fans who don't mind strong women who say it like it is.
Salvation in Death by J.D. Robb (Nora Roberts) - another entry in the futuristic case files of NYPD Homicide Detective Eve Dallas. This book covers two murder investigations, one of a priest in a Catholic Church in Spanish Harlem and one of a televangalist in town for a revival. I enjoyed watching the prickly detective run up against the devout priest she learns to admire. I hope that he becomes part of the greater supporting cast in this excellent series. Recommended series: strong on the murder mystery with slight sci-fi overtones and healthy doses of humor and married romance.
What I Did For Love by Susan Elizabeth Phillips - tired of Brangelina and Jennifer? I think this author was too. Her tale of America's sweetheart dealing with a wandering ex- husband and his new paragon of a wife while trying to keep her own cool and get the press off of her back seems familiar. Like all of SEP's novels, this enchanting tale combines humor and crazy sit-com situtations with a certain undeniable pathos and a surprising deepness of character for her cast. I'm almost glad the author isn't more prolific because I always find myself reading through the night to finish these books when I get them. I got a slight head start on this one, at least, and made it to bed by midnight... Romance/Humor recommended strongly.
The Hunger Games is one of those dystopian futures novels like Scott Westerfeld's Uglies novels, A Brave New World or even Margaret Atwood's Handmaid's Tale. Collins' book is riveting from the get go. Every year two teenagers (one male, one female) from each of twelve districts are chosen via lottery to participate in the Hunger Games. The games take place in a wilderness arena and requires the 24 young contestants to fight to the death. The action is televised and everyone in the home districts are forced to watch. This brutal custom is one of the ways that the ruling class prevent an uprising from the working classes.
Katniss Everdeen is the sixteen year old girl who volunteers to represent her district in the games in order to spare her younger sister, who was the one chosen via lottery. Katniss is an intriguing young women, with a great voice. She isn't perfect at all, and that is perhaps part of her charm. The Hunger Games is a wonderful book. I first heard buzz about it last Labor Day from librarians who were on panel at Dragon*Con. These ladies know their stuff; I was not disappointed. YA Sci/Fi, reccomended highly.
Other books I read in January:
The New Year's Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini - though I usually enjoy the quilter's series of novels this one seemed like a string of anecdotes cut out of previous books and loosely strung together like a flashback episode of a long running sitcom to create a pocket sized novella to market for the holidays. Skip this one and read one of the more substantial novels like the Winding Ways Quilt.
Trickster's Choice and Trickster's Queen by Tamora Pierce - I think this was my third or fourth reread of these books. Originally they were a disappointment to me. I so loved Kel, the hero of the previous quartet that I had a hard time getting to like the very different protaganist of the Trickster books. Ali is actually probably one of the more realistic heroines of Pierce's novels, seemingly lazy and unmotivated in the begining and slowly finding her place and her passions in life by the end of the story. It has grown on me more with every reading until it is, almost surprisingly, now a favorite. Highly reccomended YA Fantasy.
Cat-Tales book one and two by Chris Dee- I don't usually include fan-fic on this sort of list. Chris Dee's work is a world apart from the usual fare one finds. This is a DC Comics based alternative universe story where Catwoman and Batman fall in love, but there is so much more to it than that. The character grow and change and evolve in a way that is never allowed in the comic book medium. It's a change I was thirsting for as a fan, and an adult with an adult's perspecitve on life and not a kids love of thrills and sameness. I could happily never read another comic as long as this talented author is putting out the stories I love with the characters I've grown up with. Five stars for comic books fans who don't mind strong women who say it like it is.
Salvation in Death by J.D. Robb (Nora Roberts) - another entry in the futuristic case files of NYPD Homicide Detective Eve Dallas. This book covers two murder investigations, one of a priest in a Catholic Church in Spanish Harlem and one of a televangalist in town for a revival. I enjoyed watching the prickly detective run up against the devout priest she learns to admire. I hope that he becomes part of the greater supporting cast in this excellent series. Recommended series: strong on the murder mystery with slight sci-fi overtones and healthy doses of humor and married romance.
What I Did For Love by Susan Elizabeth Phillips - tired of Brangelina and Jennifer? I think this author was too. Her tale of America's sweetheart dealing with a wandering ex- husband and his new paragon of a wife while trying to keep her own cool and get the press off of her back seems familiar. Like all of SEP's novels, this enchanting tale combines humor and crazy sit-com situtations with a certain undeniable pathos and a surprising deepness of character for her cast. I'm almost glad the author isn't more prolific because I always find myself reading through the night to finish these books when I get them. I got a slight head start on this one, at least, and made it to bed by midnight... Romance/Humor recommended strongly.
posted by Talia @ 3:53 PM
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