Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

FIRST LINE (or two):

"I clasp the flask between my hands even though the warmth from the tea has long since leached into the frozen air."

SUMMARY:

This is the second book in The Hunger Games series and picks up where the first book left off.  Katniss has won the Hunger Games with her friend/lover Peeta and against all odds and has returned to her home, District 12.  While most people of the districts look at her as a hero, how she won the last Hunger Games has caused unrest that she cannot control.  She wants the people of the districts to be free of the terror of the Capital but knows it could come at a costly price. 

At the same time the Capital and the President blame her for the unrest in the districts.  Katniss knows because of this her life and the lives of her family and friends are at risk everyday.  On top of this, the book also centers around a special edition of the Hunger Games.  By a twist of events, Gamemakers decide to send tributes of past victors into these Games which means that Katniss and Peeta fight for their lives once again. 



MY THOUGHTS:

Before I even started reading this book I already knew that Katness and Peeta went in for a second round of the Hunger Games and at first I was a bit disappointed.  But after reading the book I realized that the bulk of it is not about the games but everything that leads up to them.   

Overall, I did enjoy the book but not as much as the first one.  When Katniss and Peeta went into the Games for a second time my initial thought was that it was going to be a repeat of what happened in the first book.  But after finishing the book I am glad that the author decided to have the two main characters go in again.  Although they were in the Games again things turned out very differently.

I did not care for the ending.  Without giving it away, I felt that the very ending of the book was just a summary of why things turned out the way they did instead of those events actually happening.  It was almost like the author was tired of writing the book and decided to quickly wrap it up!

RATING:

I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

FIRST LINE (or two):

"When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold.  My finger's stretch out, seeking Prim's warmth but finding the rough canvas cover of the mattress."

SUMMARY:

The setting for this book takes place in a nation called Panem in the not-to-distant future.  At the center of the nation lies the Capital which is surrounded by 12 Districts.  In order for the Capital to maintain order and control the districts are forces to participate in The Hunger Games, in which one teenage boy and girl from each district is chosen by lottery and sent to compete against other teenagers in a fight to the death. 

When Katniss Everdeen is ends up going to fight in her sister's place she know she's has signed her own death sentence.  But as the games progress and opponents are picked off she sees the light at the end of the tunnel - the possibility of actually winning the games and being able to go home to her family. 

MY THOUGHTS:

This books it most definitely a page turner.  Very addicting much like the Twilight series, in my opinion, but better written.  With the end of each chapter, the author gives us a mini cliff hanger that easily has the reader reading on.  When reading the book it becomes easy to start wondering how you would fare in The Hunger Games even though it could never happen in reality.  Maybe that is the intriguing part. 

The main character is kick-ass and loving character all at the same time.  She is intelligent, awkward, and fiercely loving of her family, something that everyone can relate to.  The reader cannot help but to be rooting for Katniss and her love interest in the book, Peeta, to win the games and be together forever.  (Easier said than done, though). 

RATING:

I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.
I am looking forward to reading the 2nd and 3rd book in the series. 

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski

FIRST LINE:
"After dark the rain began to fall again, but he had already made up his mind to go and anyway it had been raining for weeks."

SUMMARY:
This story centers around a boy who is born a mute and uses a combination of Sign Language and his own signs to communicate with his family.  The family business is dog breeding and training in which mother, father, and son are all involved.  Throughout the book the boy, Edgar, shows a fierce love for his dogs.  It is when the father's brother, Claude, comes to stay with the family that turmoil ensues. 

Unexpectedly, the father tragically dies.  Ultimately, this brings Claude and the wife together which leaves Edgar feeling alone and betrayed.  When Edgar tries to prove that someone murdered his father the plan backfires and he ends up fleeing his home with his dogs into the woods.  Eventually, he returns home to face all that he had run from. 

MY THOUGHTS:
This book is without a doubt beautifully written.  It is as though the author chose every word written with great care and at the same time the words, sentences, pages flowed with such ease.  The author really took his time telling this story (the book was over 600 pages) and with each page the reader became just a bit more invested in the characters and storyline. 

However, in my opinion, I think the book was too long and drawn out.  I can appreciate the fact that the author had a story to tell but it was too much for me.  I was also not satisfied with the ending.  If I had the time and felt the need this would be a good book to re-read as you would be able to pick up on all the things that were more certainly missed the first time around.   

RATING:
I give this book 3 out of 5 stars. 

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman

FIRST LINE (or Two):
"Momma left her red satin shoes in the middle of the road.  That's what three eyewitnesses told the police."

SUMMARY:
This story is told from the perspective of a twelve-year-old girl named CeeCee who lives in Ohio with her her mother and father.  It is soon revealed that her mother has suffered from bipolar disorder for years and her father is constantly traveling for work to avoid the stressful situation.  It is left up to CeeCee to tend to her mother's outbursts and dramatics which often occur in front of anyone and everyone in their community.  Because of this she becomes an outcast too embarrassed to open up and socialize with kids her age.  One day her mother suffers an untimely death and before Cee Cee knows it she is being swept off to "the south" (Savannah, Georgia to be exact) to live with her great aunt.  And this is where the story really begins...

While in Georgia, CeeCee is introduced and eventually becomes friends with loving, strong, wacky women that happily embrace her from the moment they meet her.  These women show her what it means to have true friends - no matter what age. 

MY THOUGHTS:
The best part of this book by far is the characters introduced throughout.  These women from "the south" have bigger than life personalities, dress, and cooking!  The author does a great job of allowing the reader to paint a mental picture of what each one of these women look like - how they move - the tone of their voice.  She gives us the opportunity to dive head first into southern living during the 1960's.

I also appreciated the flashbacks that the author incorporates throughout the book.  While CeeCee is in Savannah, periodically she remembers certain days and events that occur with her mother while she was growing up.  This helps the reader get a clearer understanding of the bond that mother and daughter had before bipolar disorder took hold of her mind.  I think the placement of these flashbacks in the book really enhances the story for the reader. 

However, the ending of the book was a disappointment for me.  Without giving too much away I will say that I didn't really enjoy how everything worked out JUST RIGHT; almost like the author was wrapping up a gift and the ending of the book was the bow on the top. 


RATING:
My rating for this book is 3 out of 5 stars.

Room by Emma Donoghue

FIRST LINE (or two):
"Today I am five. I was four last night going to sleep in Wardrobe, but when I woke up in Bed in the dark I'm changed to five, abracadabra."

SUMMARY:
Since the author does not give too much away on the back cover of this book, neither will I. This book revolves around two main characters, Ma and Jack and is told from the perspective of Jack, a five year old boy. Therefore, the author writes in the way that a five year old would speak and think. What I can tell you is that in the beginning of the book the reader finds out that Ma and Jack are living in a small room. How? Why? These are question I cannot begin to tell you because it would essentially ruin the surprise element that the author is going for. Once you get past the first 20-30 pages or so you begin to understand why they are in this room...and I can guarantee that you will not be able to put the book down.

MY THOUGHTS:
This book in amazing, through and through. First, the author choosing to write this story from the viewpoint of a five year old boy is genius. From the first lines of the book this boy is able to grab at the readers heartstrings and not let go until the very end. It is beautifully written and because of this you can't help but root for this mother and child at every page turn.

I became deeply invested in this storyline despite the fact that the concept is so foreign to me. Maybe that's why I couldn't stop reading it - the author told a story unlike anything I have ever heard before and because of this I needed to know what happened on the next page, next page, next page...

Lastly, I appreciated how the book ended. The ending was satisfying and completely fitting. I will say no more because I do not want to give away the good stuff. However, for anyone reading this blog..this should definitely be the next book you read.

RATING:
My rating of each book I blog about will be out of five stars.

This book receives 4 1/2 out of 5 stars.

My start as a book worm..

It was at the beginning of fifth grade that I first realized my love of books.  My teacher used to track the amount of books that each student read in her class.  I was always neck and neck with one other student, both of us having blown WAY past all the other kids in the class.  (Suckers.)  It got to the point that, if I remember correctly, my teacher didn't even bother me with writing a book report after each book I read.  She knew I read the book, I definitely knew I read the book - time to move on!  Looking back, I dare say it was a competition of sorts in the beginning but soon I just loved to read.  Bottom line.  End of story.  From then on I always had a book on my nightstand, in my backpack when we traveled, and sometimes at family functions when things got just a little boring.  (Sorry family.)

Fast forward fifteen years and I still consider myself a dedicated book worm.  I believe most of my family and friends would agree.  In the past few years its been tons of fun trading books with some of my cousins and aunts and discussing them as we do.  Over the years I have accumulated quite the volume of books.  Just as a side note...do to various reasons (which I won't bore you with now)  I buy my books, usually from B&N, and do not check them out of the library or purchase them through a Nook or Kindle.  Personal preference - "to each their own" I guess. 

As far as the genre of books I gravitate to and read, well..., I pretty much read almost anything.  When I head into a bookstore with the intension of buying a book (or two...or three) I have a bit of a routine.  First, I look for a book whose title and cover catch my eye.  If they do, I will pick it up and read the summary on the back.  And if the summary on the back sounds up my alley you would think - SOLD!  Let me start digging for my money and B&N rewards card!  But wait!...not so fast!!  There is one more test a book must pass in order for this book to become worthy of purchase.  Before I take one step towards the check-out line of any bookstore I do one last thing - I read the first line of the book.  Simple.  Easy.  Very quick.  But the first line of any book is possibly more important to me than the summary on the back or the title on the front.  I believe the first line of any book is the HOOK - either the author has you or they don't.  And if they don't then it's going to be hard - at least for me - to be swayed to make the purchase.  Basically, if the first line of a book doesn't "speak to me" AKA grab my attention then it is lovingly placed back on the shelf and I move on. 

Recently, someone gave me the idea of blogging about the books I read.   So here it is..Just for the sake of everyone clearly understanding the main idea of this blog, basically, I will summarize a book I read, pick apart the good and bad, and finally give it a rating.  As a reader of my blog take my thoughts, critiques, and suggestions with a grain of salt.  They are MINE..another person may read the same book and think something totally different.  And that is just one of the many things that are totally cool about reading books!  One book - MANY opinions!   Now let's get started...