Saturday Review: The Hunger Games

I know you really don't need me to add to the mountain of reviews telling how great this book is and how much people loved it. However, it was great, and I loved it so much I'm posting this anyway, though I'll keep it brief. I read this book in 4 hours. 4 hours straight through. I started it at 12:30 AM (not my best idea) and went to bed at 4:00 AM this morning. The last book I stayed up later to read was, well, I really can't remember.

Since the reviews have already been more than numerous and praising, I'll just stick to listing the things I loved about this book and the things I maybe didn't love so much.

Love:

From page one, I was hooked. Every word was like a magnet that I couldn't pull away from. This was no dreaded "you just have to get into it, it gets better" book. No, The Hunger Games was more than good from the very first word to the very last. 

Not Love:

This is just a nitpicky thing, but I've never been able to truly enjoy books written in first person present tense. It has its pros and cons, I will admit. I feel as if I'm in the story and it drags me along for the ride. Still, I can't get over the nagging sense of, well, I really don't know what. It just bugs me. Don't think I'm criticizing the book or the author for it, it's just a comment.

Love:

Katniss's relationship with Prim. It's the kind of sisterly bond I've always admired. Katniss will literally do anything for her little sister, and we know she's never out for the glory or recognition of it. It's just for Prim, and only Prim, and everything else doesn't matter.

Not Love:

Nope, I'm out of Not Loves. The thing is, The Hunger Games is an excellent example of what I believe Young Adult novels should be. This may be dystopian and hundreds of years in the future, but Katniss and Gale and Peeta and the rest of them are dealing with very real issues that young adults can still relate to, even if in a less life-threatening sense. They're dealing with injustice, with family issues, with being young in a world where you can't afford to be young, or just being young in a world where the youth get told what to do and never have a say in the matter. Do as you're told and you'll be fine. 

Here's The Thing:

About dystopians. They represent, as far as I can tell, a distorted and exaggerated view of our society. There's a message in every good dystopian; it screams at you to look at the world and see it differently. It's interesting that the Capitol pits only the youth against each other to fight to the death. See, the youth are expendable. The ones that survive are lucky and they get to carry the weight of their families on their backs. The rest, it doesn't really matter. They're just extras. Katniss proves otherwise. She is the sole provider for her family. There is nothing expendable about her. So much depends on her very existence, she has to win the games. For Prim. For her mother. It is this that drives her on. I feel like I learned something when I read The Hunger Games. Not to be sappy or anything, but I truly did. For me, there is a huge amount of power in good writing, in good storytelling. It's the difference between Twilight and Pride and Prejudice. No, I'm not referring to vampires versus contemporary, or classic versus recent. No, it's good storytelling versus bad. The writing makes all the difference.

So there you have it, that's all the reasons why I liked The Hunger Games. I'm not going to bother to rate it because I'm tired and I really hate rating books. See, reviewing books is more about having a place to vent my thoughts on a book. The rating is just kinda like the thing that everybody does. I probably won't do it anymore. I don't know. I'm going to bed first. I'll decide later.

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Life of a Book: The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet

I'm obsessed with this book. Or, rather the idea of this book. By no means do I meant that lightly. First of all, one of the goodreads reviewers references Dr. Seuss in his review. Considering this is a blog named after the very first Dr. Seuss book ever written, well, do I need to say more? But that's all surface stuff. Just look at the book. It's fiction in its finest. I've come to the conclusion recently that I'm not really a YA person, or at least not the YA person I once was. Every YA story is the same formula. Every fiction story is the same formula. The difference is that I've read a whole ton of YA. I've read about a feather's worth of fiction. That's why my current books of choice are books like The Beauty of Humanity Movement, Last Dragon, Napier's Bones, etc. There's a different vibe from fiction, I think.

In 1799, Jacob de Zoet disembarks on the tiny island of Dejima, the Dutch East India Company’s remotest trading post in a Japan otherwise closed to the outside world. A junior clerk, his task is to uncover evidence of the previous Chief Resident’s corruption.

Cold-shouldered by his compatriots, Jacob earns the trust of a local interpreter and, more dangerously, becomes intrigued by a rare woman – a midwife permitted to study on Dejima under the company physician. He cannot foresee how disastrously each will be betrayed by someone they trust, nor how intertwined and far-reaching the consequences.

Duplicity and integrity, love and lust, guilt and faith, cold murder and strange immortality stalk the stage in this enthralling novel, which brings to vivid life the ordinary – and extraordinary – people caught up in a tectonic shift between East and West.

The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet embodies everything I love about life. Just read that last paragraph - it seems to scream my name. There's something compelling about a book that has themes beyond teenage angst. That's why books like The Hunger Games are still enjoyable to me. While YA, it still explores themes that we all understand. Its why The Book Thief remains my favorite book. Its YA, but not in the typical way.

As for the Life of a Book "analysis", this book was published a year ago, May 2010. Raise your hand if you've heard of it. I see no hands. That may or may not have something to do with the thousands of miles between the two of us, but no matter. My point remains: its unknown. It's probably amazing, although I don't speak for it because I haven't actually read it. I'd suggest it, but I don't want to be responsible for its content. They say for better or for worse, but that's only in marriage, and as much as it may seem like it sometimes, I'm definitely not married to my library.

I guess this whole life-of-a-book thing is turning more into another one of my "let's talk about books" posts under the guise of a "this is what I'm looking forward to that's already out" post.

I was in a very hyper mood when I wrote this, apparently. I'm currently on vacation, which means this was written last week in advance for you. I probably won't post again 'til the Saturday review, just because I didn't prepare anything else. Have a good week! (I know I will...)

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Quick Review: The Floating Islands, Bumped, Ted Chiang

Some books aren't meant to have full reviews. It may be that they weren't finished, or they're easily summarried in a few sentences. Maybe the time just isn't there or the book just isn't worth it. That's why quick reviews. A quick synopsis of recently read books that I just don't have the time or maybe the willpower to give a full review. Usually, it'll be more than one book. This week, I've chosen the books that I've read most recently: The Floating Islands, Bumped, and Stories of Your Life and Others

  

The Floating Islands by Rachel Neumeier

The Floating Islands will forever remain a DNF book for me. It was, for me, all at once lovely and disappointing. You may have noticed from my previous posts that I think the writing is a big deal. It can make or break a book, and in this case, it broke it. I absolutely loved the world that the author created. I was reminded a bit of a scene in Avatar where they go to visit those mountains or whatever that was. (It's been a long time, sorry.) The world was excellently and expertly created, and I loved every detail of it. However, the story itself fell a little flat. There was nothing in it for me to feel for the characters. They were both brats, although that may be a little unfair considering Trei's parents and everyone he knew had just died. I think if I had finished this book, I could find myself very much enjoying it. I just couldn't get very far in it. Maybe I'm just in a book slump or something. Anyway, I would neither recommend nor not recommend the book. I say give it a try, just don't have great expectations for it. It might not disappoint, but it might not live up to them, either.

Bumped by Megan Cafferty

Bumped was an experimental read. I have never really enjoyed satire because I tend to take it too seriously. So when I started reading bumped, I went in with no expectations. The subject is a rocky one for me - teen pregnancy, especially where I firmly believe in no sex before marriage. Still, I found the book entertaining. The switching of perspectives between Harmony and Melody was interesting, especially when the two girls looked at the world is such different ways. I'm not sure that I appreciated the author's representation of Harmony and Goodside, mostly because it hit so close to home. It is a completely inaccurate representation of Christians, and I'm not sure how to respond to it. I know that the book is satire, and it therefore walks what I would call a very fine line. Now don't think I'm feeling offended or upset by it, I simply am not sure how much of it is truly satire when there ARE "christian" cults that behave that way and I sincerely feel for the people who are subject to it. In any case, back to the book itself. The entire story was about choices and identity and the two subjects are handled very well. Both girls go back to their lives with a different mindset and a different view of how they live. Not that they suddenly are against their society's methods or ways, but they simply have realized that they had a choice they did not have before. The lingo quickly gets tiring, but it's not enough to ruin the book. Definitely an interesting look at a future not so far from being possible. Still haven't decided if I'll read the sequel or not. The cliffhanger ending does not help.

Stories of Your Life And Others by Ted Chiang

This book is a masterpiece of science fiction, as far as I am concerned The writing is gorgeous. It's eight short science fiction stories that may have just reaffirmed my love of science fiction. I don't read sci fi very often, mostly because I don't spend a lot of time around those sections of the local library/bookstore and I don't know enough people who read it to know the right books to read. I stumbled across this one during my short story obsessive phase - a phase that I am still in, I might add - and I heard only great things about it. The book certainly does not disappoint. Ted Chiang is a fantastic author. He knows how to weave a story within a few short pages. The stories in this anthology are all about discovery of oneself and one's universe. From the inside flap: ". . .What if men bult a tower from Earth to Heaven - and broke through Heaven's other side? What if we discovered that the fundamentals of mathematics were arbitrary and inconsistent? What if there were a science of naming things that calls life into being from inanimate matter? What if exposure to an alien language forever changed our perception of time? . . ." Chiang calls us to our own realities within another reality. He poses real questions that are outside our ability to fathom and answers them with more questions, but he does so with the ease and comfort of having actually answered those questions. He's a science fiction genius, if I may be permitted to say so. This is not a book for science fiction fans to miss.

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The Life of a Book

I had another training meeting at my job today. Never mind the fact that I've been working there for a month, but I digress. During the training meeting, one of the managers offhandedly mentioned the life of a book. She described it as the process of a book travelling from featured table to the new fiction tables, to the hardcover features, to the paperback fiction shelves. She said a book's life is all about its chance to make it to the bestsellers list. It also only has about a month to make it to the bestsellers list. Some books are luckier than others. Most books leave the hardcover shelves and get close to a year before they are in paperback.

It got me thinking about books and the life of a book. I spend hours pouring over the stuff I write, making sure that my sentences are worded in a way that will convey the exact amount and type of emotion I want them to, keeping track of my "fall back words" like always, such, however, and so on. Writing is a process. I admit, I'm a bit of a perfectionist. Still, when it comes down to it, if we're offering our words to millions, we want them to be perfect. Or we risk being the subject of a joke. To think that those hours and weeks and months all amount to a month on a shelf; one month between publishing date and the time its deemed unfit to be on the shelves. It's a little bit depressing. Maybe the truth here is a little bit exaggerated, but it really isn't by much. Your life's work can be done with in a month just because it wasn't noticed by the right person at the right time.

That got me thinking again. How many really good books are out there that are underestimated, unknown, or forgotten? How many books didn't make it to the bestseller's list in the given month and were shelved away with the rest of them - good and bad - as a result? Everyone loves the underdog. Its why we cheer when the little team wins - even when we were rooting for the other side. The case with books is the same. Why do you think people are obsessed with bestsellers? They once were the underdog and they've found their place in the world. Most breakout successes - the ones that make it within it's original month lifetime - are books written by well-known authors or the second, third, fourth in a series. The really good ones are probably in paperback before they're noticed.

I want to commit to a book-a-week type of thing, where I post an underrated or unknown novel and leave it up to you to decide if it's truly underrated or if its unknown for a very good reason. Every week, a new book. It can't be well known, it cant be on the bestseller's list, and it certainly cannot be the subject of many a book reviewer's blogs. It can be old or new, fiction or nonfiction.I can't promise to have read it; I'm a busy person. I'll give a brief synopsis and my thoughts. If I have free time, I will read it and review it myself. No promises, though.

- - -

For this week, I'd like to mention The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor.

First published in September 2004, this book is still very largely unknown, although within the circles where its know, its a like it or hate it kind of book. The Looking Glass Wars is a re-imagining of Alice's Adventures In Wonderland/Through The Looking Glass where "Alice" is really "Alyss," a girl who had lost her way. In the story, the Alice's Adventures In Wonderland we know was Charles Dodgson's - Lewis Carroll's - interpretation of a wild and mad adventure of a young girl who was merely an orphan in a rough world. Alice purists tend to not be fans of this book, and it's not hard to see why. Everything about this book is a grand misinterpreted adventure of the original, except that within The Looking Glass Wars, the original book is a mad misinterpretation of the real story. I think its wonderfully clever. I love the original story, but I love this one, too. Here, imagination reigns. Here, there are yearly parades for inventors and if the inventors are lucky, their invention is sent through the looking glass to our world. Where did you think the idea of a hula hoop came from? Imagination is the most important thing a person owns, and the book is all about its dangers and gifts. As someone writing on a blog named after a book all about imagination, you know what my opinion is on that. I found it to be a fantastic book. Enjoy it on its own merit. Forget for a minute about the original story and all its merits and enjoy this one in its fantastic adventures with Queendoms and chessboard deserts. 

Now it's time for you to decide, underrated or better left unknown?

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New books!

There's no better feeling than getting a new book. There's also a difference between getting a "new" book from the library and getting a new book from the bookstore. This is the case of the second.

A week and a half ago I ordered four books online. The fourth wasn't due to come out 'til July 5th, so it was set to mail all four on the 5th. I couldn't wait that long, so I cancelled said fourth book. Today, I received the other two and let me tell you, I am stoked.

  

The books I received are: The Hunger Games, The Knife of Never Letting Go, and Napier's Bones.

Now, I tend to avoid reading the popular books. It never goes over well for me. Case in point: Twilight, The Mortal Instruments series, etc. Alright, so those are the only two that I can think of, but I think you get my point. What is "popular" these days never really seems to be my kind of book. There's only ever two reasons something is popular. One, it's really good. Two, it's written to be popular.

Unfortunately, the second case is way more common. Books that are really good are often not popular at all. Example? The Book Thief, Last Dragon, the Books of Pellinor, the Looking Glass Wars. They have a very loyal following but not much further. It's unfortunate, but that's just how it is. That's why when a book series becomes popular, I immediately become wary. Therefore, I have avoided The Hunger Games like it was a disease, even though every one of my very good friends whose opinions I trust told me to read it time and again. After working at a bookstore for two weeks watching customer after customer purchase the books belonging to the series, I gave in. It's never too late to jump on the bandwagon, right?

The Knife of Never Letting Go was purchased as a result of a free short story - The New World - that I downloaded on my nook app. I guess it did its job, because I just had to get the first book of the Chaos Walking series. First of all, the name is striking, and I did not intend that to be a pun. There is something about the name that draws me in. Second, the cover is striking. Again, no pun intended. Unfortunately, I did not receive the edition with said "striking" cover. Third, the premise is interesting. I'm not sure how I feel about reading a book about kids on the very young side of the YA range, but I love the concept and I seriously believe in the potential of the book. Let's hope it doesn't disappoint!

The third book I received is Napier's Bones, a book I randomly found while browsing Amazon one day. The premise is that Math is magic, and that was really all I needed to know to want - no, need - this book. As a math lover and future engineer, it's right up my alley. Still, I'm interested to see how the author presents it. Is it a book for only math lovers? Or is enjoyable by everybody? The latter is the option I'd really like to see this book take, but I guess we'll find out.

Are the any books that have you excited recently?

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