Category Archives: fiction

Catching Fire

Posted on August 12, 2010 | 2 Comments

Catching Fire

by Suzanne Collins

My rating: A +

Warning: If you haven’t read The Hunger Games DO NOT READ FURTHER!!!!

The Hunger Games are over and Katniss is happily back home in District 12. Or she should be, anyway. As she and Peeta tour the districts, they notice that all is not well with the people of Panem. Riots are breaking out in several of the districts, and more Peacekeepers have been sent to enforce the law. President Snow shows Katniss that he means business in the most terrifying way possible: by putting her loved ones at risk. Just how far will Katniss go to save the ones she loves?

OH. MY. GOSH! So many times, the sequel to a book isn’t near as good as the first. In my opinion CF was even better than THG (if that’s possible). Collins is such a talented writer. She paints a vivid picture of Panem and the struggle between the capital and the 12 districts that you can’t help but root for Katniss and Peeta. Or are you Team Gale? I’m not really sure after this book. Going in I was Team Gale for sure, but I’ve got a soft spot for Peeta, too.

The 3rd book in the trilogy, Mockingjay, is set to be released on August 24th, a mere 12 days away. I’m already on the waiting list at my library for it and I’m #8, so I shouldn’t have to suffer too long.

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Posted in 75 in 2010, books, dystopian, fiction, Suzanne Collins, Young Adult

Birthright

Posted on August 2, 2010 | Leave a comment

Birthright

by Nora Roberts

My rating: B

Archaeologist Callie Dunbrook is sent in to head the Antietam Creek Project in the heart of Maryland. What would be a routine historical dig turns into a life-changing mystery just after her ex-husband, the lead anthropologist is sent in to head up the dig with her. Local legends, crime, and strange coincidences all work together to change Callie’s life perception of her past.

Well, I don’t have to tell any of you who Nora Roberts is. Hello, the woman has written over 100 novels. Geez! I can barely get myself to write ONE.

I picked this up from a stack of paperbacks that my mom was getting rid of last month. She had quite a few Nora Roberts books that I hadn’t read, and this one looked right up my alley. I’m a HUGE fan of the show Bones, and this book was very similar, as far as the relationship dynamic and the anthropology stuff. Overall, I really liked the characters and the mystery was solid until the end. She definitely threw out a surprise or two. One problem I had with this? The pacing. It was SO slow in the beginning, and I felt like nearly all of the action was shoved into the last 1/4 of the book. I would have liked it if it were a bit more spread out. I think it would have made for a quicker read.

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Posted in 75 in 2010, books, fiction, Nora Roberts, romance

If I Stay

Posted on July 16, 2010 | Leave a comment

If I Stay

by Gayle Forman

My rating: B+

What if something terrible happened to everyone you love, and you were give the choice to stay behind or go with them? What would you choose? Mia’s life is forever changed when a quick family trip turns deadly. Everything she holds dear is ripped from her, and now she has to choose. This will be the most difficult decision she ever has to make.

Gayle Forman did a wonderful job with this book. She took a relatively unusual idea and expanded upon it in a beautiful and touching way. The characters in this book are quirky and fun. The writing style is unique, and not one that I usually read. This is a Slice of Life book. It explores one very small moment in time, as opposed to a book which takes several days, weeks, or even years for the story to run its course.  One of the interesting literary devices that Forman used in this novel is the flashback. We got to see a much deeper picture of Mia’s life and choices through the flashbacks. I don’t see how the book would have worked any other way. Really, the fact that it is just this slice of life is the only problem I had with the book, and that was just a personal preference. I prefer to read novels where I get to really delve into the characters and stay with them for a good period of time. I think this is why I enjoy series books so much. If I Stay just isn’t that type of book. If you find that you enjoy action-based novels more so than character-driven novels, then this is a great choice for you.

Go check out Gayle’s website by clicking on her name above. She has a trailer for the book, as well as some other cool stuff. Follow Gayle on Twitter by clicking here. (Oh, and follow me if you aren’t already by clicking on the cute bird over there—-> )

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Posted in 75 in 2010, books, fiction, Gayle Forman, Young Adult

The Reckoning

Posted on July 3, 2010 | Leave a comment

The Reckoning (Darkest Powers #3)

by Kelley Armstrong

My rating: A

Chloe and her band of on-the-run supernatural friends are still hoping that they can find help overcoming the Edison Group. Along with Derek, Simon, and Tori, she heads to the home of Andrew, an old friend of the boys’ dad’s. He is their last hope, but she’s not so sure he can be trusted. Along the way, the group of friends finds out just how powerful they really are, surprising even the adults who helped make them that way. Their powers aren’t always a positive thing though. They just might end up getting killed because of them.

Almost  the exact minute I finished reading book 2 in the series, I got a call from the library saying this was available. How perfect is that? The 3rd and final book in the Darkest Powers trilogy was by far my favorite. The entire book was packed with action. Never a dull moment here, folks. The characters were even further developed in this book, even though the focus was definitely on the action. It did leave me with a few unanswered questions, but not in a bad way. This was such a quick and fun read that I can’t wait to read more by the author.

For me, this series was sort of Twilight meets the X-men. I love both of those dearly, so I was bound to love this, too.

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Posted in fantasy, fiction, Kelley Armstrong, paranormal, Young Adult

3/75: i am the messenger by Markus Zusak (and a little excitement, too)

Posted on January 8, 2010 | Leave a comment

Well, I just had a little excitement and wanted to share in addition to my 3rd book of the year. Excitement…then book.

A long-time friend of mine teaches in the theater department at our local university. She happened to mention to a cast member there that I am trying to get more involved in photography and the friend wants me to take some headshots. We are meeting on Saturday to discuss it and plan for the shoot. YAY! If she agrees to it, I plan on posting them on facebook and here. I’ll let you know how it goes. On to the book review…
i am the messenger
by Markus Zusak

My rating

I’m sort of at a loss to say about this book. It came very highly rated by friends, so I really wanted to like it. I’m not sure that I did. I’m not sure that I didn’t.

The book started out with a bank-robbery gone awry that introduces us to the main character, Ed Kennedy. Ed is an underage taxicab driver in Australia that lives in a rundown shack with his atrociously smelly dog. He spends his free time drinking and playing cards with his 3 best friends. He really hasn’t tried hard to make much of himself.

One day, Ed receives a card, an Ace, with three names written on it. He knows he has a mission, but he isn’t quite sure what that mission is. The book takes us on Ed’s journey of discovering and carrying out his mission. It also takes us on the journey of him discovering himself.

There were parts of the book that I didn’t want to put down, but most of the book dragged. It takes place inside of the character’s head and this character happened to be whiny and self-loathing. If I could have heard the Australian accent, it might have helped a bit. ;) The end of the book finished on a higher note for me than it started out, but it left me going “huh??” I think I might stew on this for a while and eventually post a follow-up once I’ve had more time to digest it.

3 down, 72 to go!

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Posted in 75 in 2010, books, fiction, male narrator, yarn