The Hunger Games

Title: The Hunger Games

Author: Suzanne Collins
Published: 2008
Read: January 2011
Number of pages: 374
Fiction
Where I obtained the book: Barnes and Noble
How I discovered it: word of mouth 
My grade: A

I just finished reading The Hunger Games and I could not put it down! After not being able to flip through Entertainment Weekly without hearing updates about the inevitable film version, or walking through a bookstore without seeing the book series on prominent display, or reading peoples' high recommendation of this book on forums, I put this book in the back of my mind for a future reading option. However, it wasn't until I was listening to a pop culture podcast and they were talking about this book and when somebody mentioned that this book was the opposite of Twilight, I knew I had to read this. After all, I loathe Twilight, so that would mean I would love this book, right? Not only did I love it, but it makes Twilight look even more boring and stupid than it already is! If you hate Twilight, you will love this book! If you like Twilight, chances are you'll hate it after reading The Hunger Games! 

The Hunger Games is what you would get if you combined the short story, "The Lottery" with the reality show, Survivor, and the Japanese movie, Battle Royale. It takes place in a dystopian future where the United States no longer exists and is now a place called Panem. It doesn't specify when in the future it takes place, but I'm guessing a couple hundred years. There are new technologies that I doubt I'll be seeing in my lifetime. 

Panem consists of the Capitol, which is really wealthy and where the Hunger Games are held. Also, part of Panem are twelve districts that each have their own specialty (mining, agriculture, etc.) and the higher the number, the poorer the district. Our heroine, Katniss, lives in District 12 - the poorest district. The citizens have to hunt for their own food and trade their goods for others. Even though this book takes place in the future, there were times when it felt like it took place in the past!

The Hunger Games have been going on for 74 years and it's something the Capitol (aka the Government) came up with to show that they are in charge, pretty much, and they won't tolerate other people rebelling against them or making their own rules. Each year a boy and girl between the ages of 12 and 18 are chosen from each district to fight in the Games (and it's done by drawing names ala "The Lottery") and they must fight to the death and the last one standing is the winner. At first, I thought they fought one on one in preliminary rounds, then the winners of those rounds fought other winners, and so on. Thankfully that wasn't the case. Instead, after the 24 contestants have had a week of training and prepping, they're put into a terrain that's controlled by the Capitol (they can control things like the weather and water flow). This is how it reminded me of Survivor: not only is this being shown on TV as the world's most effed-up reality show, but they do things you'd see on Survivor - build fires, make alliances, catch food (and sometimes they even "win" food and supplies), make shelter, etc. 

And then you add in the whole middle school and high school-aged kids killing each other with whatever weapons they can get their hands on, and you have the plot of Battle Royale! 

While reading this book, I found myself gasping several times because there were so many little twists and turns and if I didn't have other priorities, I would have probably finished this in one sitting.

  

The Mist

Title: The Mist

Author: Stephen King

Published: 1980
Read: July 2010
Number of pages: 230
Fiction
Where I obtained the book: Amazon.com
How I discovered it: from the film
My grade: B+

I saw the movie a few years ago and really liked it, so I thought I would check out the book which I could never find at the bookstore or library, so finally I just ordered it from online. Told in first person, the main character, David, goes to the grocery store with his young son after a massive storm has hit to get some supplies. A mist has arisen and there's something ominous lurking out there. He and the others are trapped in the store and the people become divided about what they should do in a Lord of the Flies like moment. 

From what I remember of the movie, it follows the short story pretty well. It's not one of King's scariest stories, but it's definitely creepy. There were a few scenes that made me shudder and the deaths do get pretty gruesome. The main difference between the book and the film is the ending. Without giving too much away in case you haven't seen the movie and/or read the book, in the film we know exactly what happens to the characters, but the ending in the book is a bit more ambiguous, you don't know the fate of the characters, though you can probably guess it's a grim one. I liked the ending better in the movie and even Stephen King admitted he did too. I kept picturing Marcia Gay Harden as the bible-thumping Mrs. Carmody even though in the book she's described as being fat and much older.

The Dante Club

Title: The Dante Club

Author: Matthew Pearl

Published: 2003
Read: July 2005
Number of pages: 464
Fiction
Where I obtained the book: borrowed from parents
How I discovered it: from a "what I've read recently" forum online
My grade: C+

This novel, which takes place in Boston in 1865 is based on a series of murders that are inspired by Dante's Inferno. Since I really enjoyed Inferno, I thought this would make for a good, grisly read. The characters are actually real people who had formed a Dante Club; they were the first to translate the cantos into English. While that is fascinating, the novel got a little dull at times and even though the deaths were gruesome, I wanted to be more shocked.  

I don't have the book with me, and as you can seen it's been a while since I've read it, but I would recommend reading the actual Dante novel before reading this, though you may find this interesting if you're into Dante's work. 

Queen of Babble

Title: Queen of Babble

Author: Meg Cabot
Published: 2006
Read: July 2009
Number of pages: 309
Fiction
Where I obtained the book: Library
How I discovered it: browsing at the library 
My grade: B

Title: Queen of Babble in the Big City

Author: Meg Cabot

Published: 2007

Read: April 2010

Number of pages: 307

Fiction

Where I obtained the book: abebooks.com

How I discovered it: from the first one

My grade: C-

Title: Queen of Babble Gets Hitched

Author: Meg Cabot

Published: 2008

Read: July 2010

Number of pages: 319

Fiction

Where I obtained the book: Library

How I discovered it: from the first two

My grade: C

Okay, I'm going to be giving out some major spoilers in this review, so if you're really set on reading these books, then don't read this. I normally don't like to give out spoilers in my book reviews, but these books weren't that great anyway, so I don't care!

You know how when there's a film trilogy, you see the first movie and absolutely love it and can't wait for the next two films, but when you see them, they don't quite meet your expectations the way the first one did? This is how this book trilogy by Meg Cabot was to me. Granted, Queen of Babble isn't anything award-winning and it's not the type of book that will make you look scholarly if you're caught reading it. In case you couldn't tell, the main character, Lizzie, can't keep her mouth shut and is always spilling secrets which gets her into trouble - sometimes hilarious, sometimes serious.

I really did enjoy the first book which I found to be cute, funny, and romantic. Lizzie finds herself spending the summer in France with her best friend and her best friend's boyfriend. There she meets Luke (the best friend of her best friend's boyfriend - I know, it's totally contrived) and they have a summer fling and end up falling for each other. I should also mention that Luke is ridiculously good-looking and super rich. Almost too good to be true, right? We'll get to that later.

The other storyline is that Lizzie finds her passion to be a wedding dress restorer and saves the day by restoring an old wrecked wedding dress that used to belong to Luke's mom to be used for the wedding of Luke's cousin (or someone...it's been awhile since I've read the book). 

The second book deals with Lizzie and Luke living together in New York. She's found a job working at a small wedding restoration shop with a French couple (or maybe that's not until the third book...) The major plot point of this novel is that Lizzie is hoping Luke will propose to her, but she's worried that he has commitment issues because he likes their arrangement just fine the way it is. Her best friend breaks up with her boyfriend, Chaz because she (the bff) has become a lesbian. Yes, I know, totally random. Oh, and Lizzie helps make a dress for a plus size girl who's marrying a well known man. The dress is gorgeous and she gets lots of publicity.

In the final book, Luke finally proposes to Lizzie, but Chaz has admitted that he has feelings for her (because he's known her all his life). Uh-oh, smells like a love triangle! When Lizzie finds out that Luke has been cheating on her, of course she goes for Chaz. I will admit, I did not see the whole Lizzie/Chaz relationship coming up - those two never really had any scenes together in the other books, except when they were all together with their significant others.

The problem with this series is that it got very tiring very fast. The way Cabot writes Lizzie is super annoying. While it was cute and amusing in the first book, it got really old in the second two and you don't blame her friends for getting irritated at her so often because I know I would! 

The Sex Lives of Cannibals

Title: The Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific

Author: J. Maarten Troost
Published: 2004
Read: April 2009
Number of pages: 272
Non-fiction
Where I obtained the book: Barnes and Noble
How I discovered it: on one of the display tables at Barnes and Noble
My grade: A

The kooky title made me pick up this book at Barnes and Noble and reading the back cover convinced me to buy it. Troost, who was 26 when he spent two years in the Kirabati Islands in the South Pacific (aka the middle of nowhere) when his girlfriend had to move there for her job, writes a memoir about the experience. And what an experience it was! He documents his life on the tiny island, noting often that it is very hot and there is not much to do on the tiny island and it is very easy to go stir crazy. If you're planning a vacation to a tiny island near the equator, this book might make you change your mind. Moving from the United States to these tiny group of islands was quite the culture shock for Troost and his girlfriend. 

My favorite chapter was about the island's Poet Laureate, a young British guy who wrote to the head of the government and asked if he could be theirs and was granted his wife and a free trip to Tarawa. 

The book gets its name because the island was home to cannibals at one point. Usually I find travel writings to be a bit on the dull side, but this one was anything but dull. The ending may even surprise you. 

Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Title: Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Author: Aaron Ralston
Published: 2004
Read: January 2011
Number of pages: 368
Non-fiction
Where I obtained the book: iTunes
How I discovered it: All the press from 127 Hours 
My grade: B

I didn't read this book, per se, it was actually an audiobook I listened to on my iPod. I got an iTunes gift card for Christmas and decided to spend half of it on an audiobook and this was the one I chose. As your probably know by now, Between a Rock and a Hard Place is the book that the film 127 Hours is based on. In April 2003, Ralston (who also narrated the audiobook), an avid adventurer who was 27 at the time, went hiking in the mountains of a national park in Utah by himself without telling anyone where he was going. (First stupid mistake right there). His arm became pinned between a boulder and a rock wall and he was there for five days before he became desperate and cut off his own arm. I'll let that sink in for you.

Even if I wanted to see the movie, I couldn't because it's not playing in my area. But even if it were, I don't know if I would want to watch it because LISTENING to him describe how he had to amputate his arm made me cringe and a couple of times I found my hands covering my ears. I don't know if I could handle actually SEEING it. 

Obviously the most fascinating thing about the story is how he had to survive those five days. He tried to ration out the remaining food as best as he could, but he didn't have much so it didn't last very long. He was more concerned about his water supply, which he didn't have very much of either. He tried to take only a few sips only a couple hours but soon ran out and inevitably had to turn to drinking his urine. Ewww. 

He tries to chip away at the boulder and rock wall to see if maybe he can pry himself loose, but that doesn't work. If only he had a cell phone, but he doesn't! (Second stupid mistake right there - although who knows if it would have even worked). He soon realizes he has three options: wait for someone to find him (which is unlikely since nobody knows where he is and he never sees any hikers), wait to die (which he almost comes to accept as he has a video camera and tapes a goodbye to his friends and family), or cut off his own arm. At one point, he's desperate and does take a stab (ha ha, I made a pun!) at it, but realizes he can't cut through his bone. I think this was during the third day when he tries that. It's not until two days later that he realizes he should break his arm so the bones separate and he can cut through his arm then. Seriously, I'm surprised he didn't pass out from all that pain!

Ironically the same day he sets himself free is the same day that people discover where he is and are searching for him in the park. Maybe if he had waited a little longer, he could have been found. True, his arm probably would have been amputated anyway since it had been under a rock for so long, but maybe they could have removed the bolder and he could have had it amputated in a hospital...by doctors....who know what they're doing. 

He also talks about other hiking adventures, which I admit I kind of zoned off during. And he talks about how his family and friends and the police eventually found where he had gone. I bet he never goes anywhere without telling someone where he's going to be! 

The Girl Who Stopped Swimming

Title: The Girl Who Stopped Swimming

Author: Joshilyn Jackson
Published: 2008
Read: January 2011
Number of pages: 308
Fiction
Where I obtained the book: Barnes and Noble
How I discovered it: on one of the tables at B&N; read the back cover and was intrigued.
My grade: B

The title refers to a thirteen year old girl named Molly, the best friend of the protagonist's daughter who is found dead one night in their swimming pool. That fact that Molly came to Laurel, the mother of her best friend Shelby as a ghost is what intrigued me to buy the book in the first place. I did enjoy reading it (and it's a fast read), but don't expect any ghost stories. Molly only appears to her once, though she does sometimes see her Uncle Marty who was shot during a hunting jaunt (and I won't say whether that was an accident or not). 

No ghost story here. What this book really is is a murder mystery intertwined with a family drama. Laurel thinks someone might have been involved with Molly's death and wants to know why she was in their backyard in the first place. She feels the only person who can help her is her older sister, Thalia, but despite some differences, the two barely talk anymore. Some may say they make up too soon when Thalia agrees to help her, even though the sisters got along for the most part, she was doing this to help her niece. 

Laurel suspects that one of her neighbors, a guy in his 30s may have something to do with the girl's death because she gives him a creepy vibe. Of course we all know the most obvious suspect is never the one who does it, so when we found out the real reason for his weird behavior, I wasn't surprised that he wasn't the culprit. I did have a few of my suspicious, but I will admit I never saw it ending the way it did. 

Laurel and Thalia are from DeLop, Alabama (couldn't find it on Google, so I guess it's not a real place, which I guess is a good thing!) which is pretty much the worst place you can live in the United States. The description of this town was a little too over-the-top and full of stereotypes. Apparently, nobody there is educated beyond eight grade (and Laurel and Thalia were the only ones ever to graduate high school), there's no plumbing or electricity, everyone is a crack head or an alcoholic, people have no teeth, no food, no roofs on their houses. It's pretty much the Southern Ghetto intertwined with Hell. 

This book kept me turning the pages because I did want to find out to the dead girl and who was involved in her death. 

The Divine Comedy

Title: The Divine Comedy Volume 1: Inferno

Author: Dante Alighieri

Published: 1971 (written sometime between 1308 and 1321)

Read: September 2004

Number of pages: 387

Fiction

Where I got the book: student bookstore

How I discovered it: read it for a class

My grade: A

What do I remember about my Western Civ Lit class? Absolutely nothing! I do, however, remember we had to read Dante's The Divine Comedy: Inferno. Of course I had heard of this piece of work before, but had never read it as I don't do much reading of novels that were written past the twentieth century. (And this was written waaaaay past the twentieth century). And I probably would have never read it if it wasn't assigned reading for a class.

I am glad that it was assigned reading because it turned out to be one of the most interesting and thought provoking books that I've ever read. The main character, Dante, is being led through Hell by Virgil. Think of it as a tour guide of the seven layers of Hell. Its' the first book in a trilogy. The other two are called Purgatori and Paradiso where he travels through Purgatory and Heaven. I've been meaning to get around to them, but I haven't read read them yet. Probably because Purgatory and Heaven just don't seem as interesting as Hell.

Thankfully each of the cantos are translated by Mark Musa and that helped a lot. Without those little Cliff Notes, I would have no idea what was going on during Dante's and Virgil's journey through Hell and might as well just be reading a book in a different language. Dante's words may have been translated into English, but obviously the English language was a little different back then than what it is today. Musa even gives a little synopsis before each chapter to describe what the reader will be reading about. 

If you've ever taken a Western Civ Lit class as well, you've probably read this book, but if you haven't, I highly recommend it - just make sure to get one that has a translation! 

One Day

Title: One Day
Author: David Nicholls
Published: 2009
Read: December 2010
Number of pages: 435
Fiction
Where I got the book: Amazon.com
How I discovered it: Entertainment Weekly gave it an A in their book reviews and raved about it in a couple different issues.
My grade: A

The one day in question in One Day is July 15th. The book, set in Britian, starts on that day in 1988 and the leads, Emma Morley and Dexter Meyhew, have just met and have a one-night stand after their college graduation. Being that this was their first time together and how different they are - Emma comes from a working-class family and lacks self-confidence while Dexter comes from a well-to-do family and revels being the life of the party, one would think they would never see each other again, but they become friends and over the next twenty years we see how their relationship unfolds each year on the fifteenth of July.

The story is told in third person, mostly from Emma's and Dexter's point of views, but the reader sometimes views the story through a couple of the minor characters' POVs. This may be a love story, but don't expect the leads to fall in love and get together within the first fifty pages (um, hi, Twilight!) There is an initial attraction between the two leads, but Nicholls lets Dexter and Emma find themselves before he allows them to find each other.

Not too surprising, this is being made into a movie with Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess as the leads. I hope that Anne will do a British accent and they don't make Emma an American like they did with Hilary Swank in P.S. I Love You. Also, the premise for the movie on IMDB says that Dexter and Emma "reunite one day each year for the next twenty years", but that isn't true. They're still in contact the other 364 days of the year; we as the reader are only seeing what happens on July 15th, so I hope they didn't change it for the movie.

One Day had me laughing out loud a few times; something that rarely happens when I read a book, but it also made me choke up, so you could say the novel is a roller coaster of emotions. One of my favorite chapters (which takes place in 1998) is when Dexter is dating this girl from a rich family. He's having dinner with her family and her younger twin brothers are giving him a really hard time. The entire family plus Dexter ends up playing a "parlour game" called "Are You There, Moriarty?" and let's just say if this isn't in the movie, I'm not going to be happy!

Check out this book and definitely try to read it before anyone can spoil the ending for you.