Showing posts with label Suzanne Collins. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Suzanne Collins. Show all posts

05 June 2012

The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay



I know I'm late to the game, but I wanted to write my thought about Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay and hear your thoughts as well! I'm assuming all ya'll have already read the series, so this is more "book club discussion" than "book review." So if you haven't read it, go read them, then come back!


I don't really have very much to say about Hunger Games itself. I like the novel. I like the whole idea, I mean, who comes up with that?? (although now I can clearly see her influences, but whatever. I maintain that there's no such thing as an original idea so it's not like I find her a copy cat or anything) I like the characters. I like that I never knew if Peeta really had feelings for Katniss or if it was all fake. I like how Collins didn't give the names to many of the other tributes so that killing them didn't feel that different from killing animals, especially for Katniss. I like how intense it was. I like how heartfelt Rue's death was. I like everything. It's a very enthralling book. 


Catching Fire is probably my favorite of the three books & I wish they would have spent more time at the games, or more time discussing the games in the book. But it's hard in my mind to distinguish between Catching Fire and Mockingjay to me. They feel like one continuous book, which is fine, but I just have to discuss them together :) 


So, here we go. I really like Finnick. He's one of my favorite characters (and I was heartbroken when he died!). But I just get really bugged by Gale! Why is he acting all hurt? He was way more like a brother to Katniss, so I don't get why he's all upset. I understand that it's hard when things change in your life and your best friend starts dating someone else, but really. Get over it, Gale. You're just making Katniss more confused than she needs to be, and protecting everyone is her first priority, not romance. 


As far as Katniss, I totally understand. It's hard to choose between the boys and to even understand that you need to choose. But part of growing up means that you can't have both and you can't stay friends. You can call each other friends, but it won't be the same as it was before. Katniss loves Peeta and Gale differently and has different bonds with both of them. Gale understands her pain at her father's death. Peeta was with her at the games. Noone else will ever understand how the games felt to Katniss. 


I also feel like Gale didn't really love Katniss to begin with. He feels protective and responsible, he loves her but he isn't in love with her. He says he is, but he's not. 


The end of Mockingjay was really rushed to me. Prim's death didn't seem real. Katniss's mourning felt . . . different, somehow. Not quite true to Katniss. I feel like Prim's death was just a suckerpunch. Rue's death makes me super sad. Prim's death feels like something we could discuss over coffee. I do like how Katniss figured out that Coin was just like Snow; took her a little while, though! 


I'm not sure how I feel about the ending ending, though. It seems weird, but at the same time, it feels true to Katniss and to Peeta, although I still don't know if they are in love for real, but they do belong together. They need each other. It feels true to the story and to Panem. I'm curious as to how they set up a new government, though,and if it really works. 


Overall, I liked the series and was happy with how they ended. What do you think?

07 July 2011

Running Towards Death!

Wedding Countdown: 11 days!

The Checklist is almost completed. Saturday Mom and I took a vanful to Cedar and Cass gave me my keys. I also totally unpacked and organized the kitchen. Monday, Distribution Center Shopping. I picked up my dress and met with the stake pres. on Tuesday.  Today, I got my nails done. Bridals and Endowments on Saturday. All the announcements are sent. [more or less. I think I only messed up a few :)]

Somehow I managed to read, too. (but only Matthew books) 
-The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan -- good book, not my favorite of his, but a nice sequel to The Red Pyramid. I'm not as into the Egyptian stuff and at times the story is disconnected, but I will surely read the next in the series.
&
ALL of The Underland Chronicles by Suzanne Collins -- which I totally loved (hence the super fast reading of the 5 books). They were written for children, which aided the fast read, and are totally at a children's level (which is why I made Jenn get them for Matthew for Christmas) and I'm not sure why I didn't read them earlier. Probably school! :P
The books are about Gregor, from the Overland, and his travels into the Underland, where humans live among various creatures of unusual size. Gregor is presumed to be the warrior in prophecies left by  Underland's founder and it is seen as his duty to fulfill them.  I really enjoyed the serious, the thought and plot were original.  Nerdy me really enjoyed the use of language and the differences in syntax between the Overlanders and the Underlanders. As well as the linguistic styles of the speaking animals. And character development was great -- even in the animals, of which there were many! I really grew attached to all of the characters by the end of book five. They were all fairly realistic.
However, I didn't love the ending, but I can see what Collins was doing, as well as why.  I just would have ended the series differently. But my ending would have been fantastical whereas hers was realistic.  Even though it was a fantasy series. Regardless, I totally recommend this. Go. Read. Enjoy.

The good news is, I don't really have that much to stress about! And please forgive my scattered crazy post! Eventually I will be normal! Or back to my normal. . .