Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins

Catching Fire is the 2nd book of the Hunger Games Series. I read the Hunger Games (1st book) a while ago and forgot about the sequel. They are youth books and I would call them science fiction. The books kind of remind me of the movie Waterworld only because it is set in the future but it seems like things have become more primitive. In the Hunger Games series children compete in the Hunger Games which happen once a year. There are 12 poverty stricken districts (some more than others) who each send two children to fight to the death for the amusement of the "Capitol". A young girl named Prim is selected from district 12. In the 1st book she wins, with a twist! In Catching Fire, she is sent back into the arena again along with 23 other past winners for the 75th anniversary of the games. Her and the other contestants fight to stay alive and form alliances with each other while causing rebellions to break out in the districts. It is a crazy book and I was thinking why is this so entertaining, but it is! I can't wait until the 3rd book, MockingJay comes out in August.

The Glass Castle - Jeannette Walls: A Memoir

I usually am not a fan of autobiographies. I think that a lot of people  think there lives would be interesting as a book and they just aren't. Well, Jeannette Walls definitely had something interesting to write about. It's about her "adventurous" childhood, being raised by parents who always kept them on the move and definitely weren't the best at prioritizing how to spend there money.

The thing I find most fascinating about her story is that both of her parents were very smart people who had the ability to work and earn money for their family, but they just didn't always do that. Her mother was a qualified teacher but had a life long dream to be an artist. Her father was a coal miner, among other things, but  his booze always seemed to get in the way of his plans. To come from such a crazy background, Jeanette Walls has turned herself into a successful woman.

Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas - James Patterson

This book turned out completely different than I thought it was. It was a love story and a tragedy all wrapped into one. It is a book full of hope for the future. It just goes to prove that we are capable of so much more than we realize. Not much else to say accept everyone should read it.

Mercy - Jodi Picoult

This book was definitely different. There were times when I really enjoyed it and times when I was yelling at the characters on the page, ("don't do that you idiot!") but I guess I enjoyed doing that also. The tag line on the cover of the book reads, "What would you do for someone you love? Would you lie? Would you kill?" After reading this book, no. I still wouldn't lie and I still wouldn't kill. The characters do both of those things in this book and we are suppose to understand and show mercy because they do these things out of love. I'm still not convinced and probably never will be, but it was a very interesting story to read especially from a psychological standpoint. I got into the minds of the characters and really understood the motives behind their actions. Jodi Picoult is an amazing author and I would definitely read more books by her.

The Help - Kathryn Stockett

The Help was a wonderful book. It is about the relationships between black and whites in the south in the 1960s. It just makes me really grateful that I live now and not back then. I would hope that I would be the type of person that stood up for equal rights and desegregation, but people were raised with such a different mindset back then. I wonder how much of how we think is based on our surroundings and how we were raised and how much is just inherent in us. I grew up in a small very white populated town in the south where, even today, many racial problems exist and are still prevalent, but my parents raised me to treat others with respect regardless of race, gender, etc.

This book is such a source of empowerment for women. Even in a time when some women didn't have many chances of changing their circumstances, they had dreams and hopes. They made the best out of what they were given.

There is a quote on the back cover of The Help that sums up what I got the most out of this book. :"The Help by Kathryn Stockett is a story that made me weep as I rejoiced for each of humanity's small but steady triumphs over hate and fear. I will never forget this wonderful book." (by Dorothea Benton Frank)

We have come very far as a society, but racism still exists in many parts of our country and across the world. We take baby steps farther every day and I wonder how close we will really get to justice and equality for all.

The Adoration of Jenna Fox - Mary E. Pearson

Wow, I really enjoyed this book a lot. It is about a young girl, Jenna Fox, who gets into an accident an is in a comma. She wakes up a new person and discovers many secrets that her family has been keeping from her - like she is only 10% of who she used to be. Jenna searches to find the truth and herself. I loved that I never knew what was coming next. Everything was so unexpected including the ending.

It raises questions like how much of a person must be human and not "prostethic". In Jenna's case, she was only 10% human. I don't know if we will ever get to that point in the real world but I don't forsee it happening in my lifetime.

All in all, it was a fun book and unlike anything else I've ever read.

The Willoughbys - Lois Lowry

I must start by saying this was a strange book and I'm curious to hear what kids think of it. It was bizarre, but I did like it. (I like most books I read so just get used to it.) It's about 4 children who don't like their parents and want to be orphans. Their parents don't like them and try to figure out how to get rid of the children. I think writers are very interesting people. I'm not the creative type at all, although I do have a weird dream every now and then, so I don't understand how people can come up with these things. What makes you wake up and say, "I'm going to write a book about 4 children who want to be orphans and send their parents on a trip to kill them." The book was so bizarre that I actually started to believe the things that happen could actually happen in real life. it was a fun, easy read (duh, its for kids) and I especially like the kid that thinks he can speak German, but can't. "It makesch me vant to womit."

While My Sister Sleeps - Barbara Delinsky

I have decided that, since I read all these books, I should write down what I think of them. My first book is called While My Sister Sleeps by Barbara Delinsky. I thought it was a great example of how a family can grow together through tragedy. Hard times are when you realize who will stand by your side and who is just using you to get there way. This book is about two sisters, one who has a hidden heart condition. Her name is Robin. She collapses while running and ends up in the hospital on life support. Her family struggles to make difficult decisions while learning things about their family they never could have imagined.

It was interesting to see how different people react during stressful times. Some just freeze up, others go balistic. I feel I've had a pretty easy life without much trauma. I wonder what I would do in this situation. I have had to deal with death in the family, two grandparents within a couple of months. I think my understanding of what happens to us after we die has always made it easier for me to handle death. Things are less scary. I am a true believer in heaven and faith and I think that helps me through difficult times in life. The father in this book, Charlie, is the family's religious rock. He is the one that believes in faith and miracles.

In While My Sister Sleeps we also read past journal entries from Robin. These journals reveal a person somewhat different from who her family thought she was. I suppose everyone's journal would reveal something at least a little different about them. I write things in my journal I don't plan on sharing with the world. I think most people don't plan on anyone reading their journal; at least, not in their lifetime.

On last item mentioned in the book are "sprites". These are described as things that happen and we don't know why at the moment, but eventually we see there importance. I've had many "sprites" in my life. These "sprites" are constantly leading the family to new discoveries about each other.

Why another blog about books?

This website is purely for my enjoyment. Because work has become so monotinous and brain powerless, I feel the need to use my brain again. If others happen to read this, please enjoy and feel free to comment. I read alot of books; a love of books is something I discovered when I was in college. I enjoyed going to the library and getting lost in a good novel that no one was forcing me to read. I enjoy all types of books and plan on sharing my opinions of them and how they have affected me as a person.