Monday, January 18, 2010

Heroic Cockroaches and Stuff

I thought I was behind the times, reading THE HUNGER GAMES last night (and into the morning, if I'm being honest).  I mean, it's been out since 2008.  The critics already raved and gave awards to Suzanne Collins. 

The Hunger Games

I thought I'd better put CATCHING FIRE on hold through our library system today.  I'd rather be reading it today, but I didn't know the first one would end the way it did, and I'm really trying to turn some of my reading time into writing time.  There's only so much time in the day. I knew the wait would be bad because I had to wait quite a while for the first one.  I am now 92nd in line for CATCHING FIRE.  So, it looks like I'll meet my writing and revision goals for February after all.

Catching Fire (The Second Book of the Hunger Games)

I read GREGOR THE OVERLANDER and the rest of her first series last year, and would whole-heartedly recommend it, if the later books in the series weren't so violent.  I loved her characters.  If you've read the first book, you know what I mean.  The cockroaches were my favorites.  And there was this really great bonding moment at the end of the last book that redeemed the series for me.  I felt like it needed redeeming after all the death and suffering I waded through.  But my husband thinks I'm too sensitive, and maybe he's right.  So, if reading about children and teens thrown into kill or be killed situations doesn't particularly bother you, her books are amazing.  There is meaning behind the death and suffering, and it's going to be very hard for me to wait for that next book.    
 

9 comments:

  1. I've really wanted to read The Hunger Games, I just keep forgetting to put it on my (very, very long) list. I'm going to do that right now. Thanks for the reminder! :)

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  2. I loved the Hunger Games, but now I kind of wish that I hadn't discovered it until the last book. It's hard to wait a whole year in suspense.

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  3. You're welcome, Rorie. I think you'll really like it. I handed it to Ben when he came home tonight and told him he should read it.

    And Jessie, I totally agree with you. I can't get the story and wondering what's going to happen out of my head. I checked, and the third book comes out in August.

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  4. I really love these books because they are such "on-edge" adventure. But I agree, I'm always careful who I recommend them to because of the kill or be killed situations.

    You'll have to post what you think of Catching Fire when you eventually get around to reading it. :)

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  5. Yeah, these books were very hard to put down - and definitely keep you thinking about them for days on end:)

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  6. Hmm. One of my friends just got Catching Fire from the library. I may be reading it sooner than I thought. I'd better get cracking on my own draft, or I'll have guilt.

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  7. Don't feel bad--I didn't read The Hunger Games until this last May. Everytime I saw the cover or passed by it in bookstores or at work at the library, I couldn't understand the appeal. But I put it on hold in the spring, and when I read it I understood. I was so desperate to find out what happened next that I just bought Catching Fire the day it came out instead of waiting for the library to get it ordered and processed. (Also, looonnngg lines. It's wonderful when books are loved, but I hate seeing the disappointment on people's faces when I tell them that the book they're hankering after has a long line, and they can be number 101.)

    I do agree with you about the death and suffering--these can be hard books when fully thought through. I never did review Catching Fire after I read it, though.

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  8. This is on my list, but I think I'll wait a bit longer (at least closer to the next book release) to start the series. I am so impatient. :(

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  9. Sarah, I didn't think the cover or the premise would appeal to me either, especially since I kept reading how brilliant Collins was to make her readers care about such an unappealing character. I didn't feel that way about Katniss at all. She's a great character. She did what she had to do to get them out of there alive, and it was awful for her. And I should shut up now before I fill this with spoilers.

    Karen, I wish I'd waited.

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