Friday, August 20, 2010
Face it Friday: Week 34
I worked on one big goal this week.
You see, for some crazy reason, I convinced myself that I had plenty of time to read THIRTY books in one year.
Which would have been just fine if we were talking about some of my all-time favorites like, There's a Monster at the End of this Book or Where the Wild Things Are.
But, no. I was talking about the big, fat kind of books that don't even have pictures in them. Which takes a lot of time, you know?
And I'm a little behind. I'm a third of the way there. But it's okay because this week, I've been reading:
I finished The Hunger Games (for the second time) yesterday, and almost immediately grabbed up Catching Fire in preparation for the release of the third and final installment of the trilogy, Mockingjay.
If you have not read these books, you really should. They are all kinds of awesome.
The basic story is that Katniss Everdeen is a 16-year-old girl living in what used to be known as Appalachia, but is now called simply, District 12, the poorest of the twelve districts of the country of Panem. (Panem is located where the United States used to be.) Years ago, 13 districts rose up against the capital and were defeated. The thirteenth district was wiped out. Every year, as a reminder not to fight against the capital, each district must send two tributes, a boy and a girl between ages 12-18, to fight in the Hunger Games, a death match where there can only be one winner. When the name of her younger sister, 12-year-old Prim, is drawn, Katniss rushes forward to volunteer to take her place.
It's totally worth it to find out what all the fuss is about.
These books are amazing.
I was talking with some friends the other day about how this series is so different from so many others for a lot of reasons. For one thing, the writing is very, very good. This story is about the people and the events that surround them and effect their lives. There's no magic. Very little in the way of technologically advanced gadgets. The novels rely on the characters to move forward.
I think what REALLY sets this series apart, though, at least so far, is the love triangle. Because that's never been done, right?
Okay, okay. What I mean is that there IS a love triangle. And it's a really good one. And it leaves room for a lot of debate. But what makes it so fantastic is the fact that there is no clear answer on who Katniss should choose. Unlike in Twilight, where it was COMPLETELY OBVIOUS that Bella should end up with Jacob, author Suzanne Collins lays out perfectly good reasons why Katniss should be with either boy. And why she should perhaps choose neither.
Brilliant.
Anyway, I LOVE this series. Absolutely love it. And you will, too. If you like books that don't suck.
Have you been working on any goals this week? If so, link up and tell us all about it! And be sure to visit Jennee to see what she's been up to.
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"You know what they say. If you don't have anything nice to say about anybody, come sit by me."
~Clairee Belcher, Steel Magnolias