The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games is a young-adult science-fiction novel that takes place in post-apocalyptic North America, now a nation called Panem, and revolves around the experience of 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen while participating in the Hunger Games.

Panem is made up of 12 different Districts surrounding the Capitol, the central city holding the government and power.  Every year one boy and one girl from each district goes to The Hunger Games as a tribute, where 24 people fight each other to the death to be the victor and live rich for the rest of their lives.  When Primrose, Katniss' little sister, "wins" the lottery drawing for the girls of District 12, Katniss volunteers in her place.  Her journey through the Hunger Games is fraught with difficulty, sadness, and confusion.

I really enjoyed The Hunger Games.  I will definitely pick up the next book in this trilogy to see what happens next.  Katniss' background is sufficiently explained and described so that by the time the games start and all of the characters are well developed.  Throughout, Katniss explores what it means to have independence and freedom, and experiences a "big brother" type of environment.  Because it is based in a post-apocalyptic time the world also has a slight there-could-be-a-zombie vibe about it.  Darker, moody, like there is something hiding in the trees.  I read this entire novel in less than eight hours and was totally immersed in the environment of Panem.

5 out of 5 stars.

A Touch of Dead by Charlaine Harris

A Touch of Dead by Charlaine Harris is a collection of five short Sookie Stackhouse stories.  I've blogged about The Southern Vampire Mysteries before; this book is, as the title says, a touch more of the dead world Sookie lives in.

In "Fairy Dust" Sookie meets Claude (Claudine's brother) for the first time and works on solving Claudette's mysterious death.

"Dracula Night" is a story never mentioned in the Southern Vampire Mysteries and has no affect on the plot, it's just fun.  Did you know Eric Northman's hero is Vlad Tempe? Neither did Sookie, but when she is invited to his annual birthday party she quickly learns a bit more about her vampire friends.

"One Word Answer" is the story of how Sookie meets Mr.Cataliades, Sophie-Anne Leclerq, and learns of her cousin Hadley's death.

In "Lucky" Amelia Broadway and Sookie are asked to investigate disturbances in a local insurance company owned by a witch.

In "Gift Wrap" Sookie finds a naked and injured supe on her property on Christmas Eve.  She brings him in, cleans him up, and he gives her a very pleasant Christmas.

I really enjoyed A Touch of Dead.  Season 4 of True Blood is premiering June 26th so this compilation was a nice lead up, something to sate my thirst you could say.  The short stories meant that I didn't lose interest, and I'm one of those readers who always wondered "what happens next?" when the novel ends, so this was fulfilling for me.  I recommend this to all you fellow Truebies who want to get back in the mood for Blood!

5 out of 5 stars.

The Season of Passage by Christopher Pike

The Season of Passage is an adult fiction thriller about Lauren, a doctor-astronaut, Jennifer, Lauren's younger and mysterious sister, and the people that surround them as Lauren goes on the first American expedition to Mars.  The Americans have two objectives, to explore the red planet and to discover what happened to the very first expedition, sent by Russia.  Although Lauren has a foreboding, she leaves anyway, and goes on to fall deep into the rabbit hole of the unknown.

If I could pick two words to describe The Season of Passage they would be: PLOT. TWISTS. While some developments were obvious (the love triangle between Lauren, her fiancée on the ground Terry, and her pilot in the air Gary had to be wrapped up and that is only accomplished satisfactorily in a few ways), mostly things didn't end the way I thought they would (at least at first) and that was refreshing.  The novel was very well developed with several little details fully hashed out of the duration of the reading.  Lauren is very intelligent and strong, but at the same time a little stupid and weak if you ask me.  The whole time I was reading of their time on Mars I definitely had to remind myself they weren't just walking around outside but had space suits on--that shows how comfortable the scenes are, when you can picture them like you've been there naturally.  This is reading for fans of sci-fi, spirituality, mystery, thrillers, and the supernatural.

4 out of 5 stars.

King Rat by James , Clavell

Set during World War II, King Rat describes the struggle for survival of British, Australian, and American prisoners of war in Singapore in the Japanese camp Changi.  The novel opens in 1945 and follows Peter Marlowe, a British Flight Lieutenant, and "the King", an American corporal who has become the most successful trader and black marketeer in all of camp.  In King Rat we learn about the previous lives of the men, what survival is, how the camp operates, and what happens after the war ends by atomic bomb.

This is Clavell's first novel and is informed by his own stay in Changi. Marlowe is said to be a representation of Clavell's experiences.  King Rat was long, intense, deeply detailed, and pretty darn good.  It isn't my favorite type of novel because it's a bit depressing, but it is a good, informative read with believable, real characters, tragedy, triumph, and complexity.  Marlowe's struggles with honor, morals, ethnics, desire, and "good business" strung throughout, making the reader consider his/her own values.   I recommend this for men, fans of war novels, philosophers, and historians.

4 out of 5 stars.

Immortal by Gillian Shields

Sixteen year old Evie grew up in southern England with her grandmother, Frankie.  Her mother drowned in the ocean when Evie was a babe and her father is in the military, stationed abroad with his men.  When Frankie takes a bad turn and ends up in a nursing home Evie is sent unhappily to Wyldcliffe Abby School For Young Ladies in the north.  Thus is the concise beginning of Immortal by Gillian Shields.  Before Evie can arrive she collides with a mysterious young man with an intense gaze and shadows under his eyes.  At Wyldcliffe Evie arrives as a scholarship student and is confronted with unfeeling and unfriendly faces in the form of teachers and students.  As she makes friends, and enemies, Evie is cast into a world of unknown, and she tries to make sense of the visions shes sees, the mysterious people in her new life, and her past.

I read Immortal in about 6 hours.  It's light, easy reading, and from the perspective of a 16 year old, so there isn't much of an intellectual challenge here.  I like Evie, she is always sensible, but yet ready to take risks and try new things.  She suffers quietly and follows the rules, both traits I identify with.  The cast of characters aren't too well developed as this is mostly a romantic mystery, but the story doesn't suffer from it.  I found the plot a bit predictable, but I am about 5 years older than the demographic here.  I'd recommend this to girls interested in witchcraft, the Victorian era, fantasy tales of old dreary boarding houses, and teens or pre-teens.

3 out of 5 stars

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Jacob Jankowski is a 90 year old man. Or 93. He doesn't quite remember.  He lives in a nursing home, has a hard time remembering the name of his favorite nurse, and is routinely told what to eat and what to do.  But with all of these unfortunate difficulties, he can remember some things quite vividly, such as the time he spent in the circus during the 1930s.  After a horrific accident in which Jacob's whole life changes he is swept away, never to be the same again.

I read Water for Elephants in preparation for the movie release this past weekend.  I was predetermined to love it because of the decade, the setting, and the movie's actors.  What I didn't expect was to fall in love with the main character from the very first page.  Jacob is funny, uppity, and reminds me of my grandparents.  His viewpoint is unique and wonderful, and so deeply developed that you truly feel like you're listening to a friend's stories, not a fictional character's.  Marlena (Jacob's love interest) is a bit dull around the edges for my taste--I have a deep affection for strong female characters--but because this story is about Jacob and his experiences from start to finish that is something I can overlook.   This is, ultimately, a love story, exploring how people grow and change for love.  I recommend this novel for animal lovers, romantics, people who will see or have seen the movie, or anyone who just wants to read a good story.

And one more quick fact I love--this Ms. Gruen wrote Water for Elephants during NaNoWriMo. LOVE IT.

4 out of 5 stars.

The Last Vampire by Christopher Pike

The Last Vampire is a short novel about Alisa Perne (whose real name is Sita), the last vampire. Or so she thinks.  Quickly Alisa finds out that someone is investigating her, and after some a minor plot point she decides to do some investigating herself.  Along her journey Alisa finds a new love and new friend.  She also realizes that maybe she isn't the last vampire after all.

This book is short, uncomplicated, and an easy read.  It is actually one I read in middle or high school, so that shows you the complexity level.  The end of the book is a to be continued and leads into a series (complete set of 6).  I will not be reading the rest.  Mostly its a bit dull due to the lack of depth of characters.  The writing is also just simple--there is no complexity to this at all.  You'll like this book if you're in middle/high school and enjoy science fiction.

1 out of 5 stars.

Sookie Stackhouse (Southern Vampire) Series by Charlaine Harris

The  Sookie Stackhouse (Southern Vampire) Series by Charlaine Harris is the basis for the popular HBO series True Blood.  The books focus around a telepathic waitress named Sookie Stackhouse who works as a barmaid in the northern Louisiana town of Bon Temps.  Each novel  follows Sookie as she solves mysteries involving vampires, werewolves, faries, and other supes (supernatural creatures).  The television series is only a rough adaption of the books, and characters who are very prominent (or still alive for that matter) may not be in the reading.  The HBO series also grabs different parts of different books and mashes them together, so while reading book 7 you may see something they refer to in the tv series around book 3.  There are a total of 10 novels in the series and an 11th is due to be released in May.  They are:

1. Dead Until Dark
2. Living Dead in Dallas
3. Club Dead
4. Dead to the World
5. Dead as a Doornail
6. Definitely Dead
7. All Together Dead
8. From Dead to Worse
9. Dead and Gone
10. Dead in the Family
11. Dead Reckoning (May 2011)

There is also A Touch of Dead, a compilation of Sookie Stackhouse short stories, and The Sookie Stackhouse Companion, which is billed as "the definitive guide to the world of Sookie Stackhouse", neither of which I read.

 I enjoyed this series.  It's not something I will probably read again, but the books were a good distraction from anything going on around me and often the books would pull me in so that I'd be up until early in the morning reading.  Luckily I borrowed the entire series from a friend and so as soon as one book was finished I could start the next in the series.  Some parts of True Blood are better than the books, and vice versa.  I'm not sure if it is because I watch the tv series but often the conclusion of some of the mysteries seemed a bit obvious.  I love being able to see everything from Sookie's perspective as the narrator, it lends to a greater understanding and appreciation of her depth.  Throughout the novels the concept of family is dominant, about cherishing and suffering for your family and those you love, family roots and ties, as well as base emotions such as desire and jealousy.  I recommend this series to Trubies, those who like supernatural fiction, and those girls with "blonde hair and big boobs".

3 out of 5 stars.

Fish on Friday: Feasting, Fasting, and the Discovery of the New World by Brian Fagan

Fish on Friday: Feasting, Fasting, and the Discovery of the New World, by Brian Fagan, tells the history of the fish trade.  As it says on the back of the book:

"What gave Columbus the confidence in 1492 to set out across the Atlantic Ocean?  It would be convenient to believe that Columbus and his men were uniquely courageous.  A more reasonable explanation, however, is that Columbus was heir to a body of knowledge about seas and ships acquired at great cost over man centuries.
Fish on Friday tells a new story of the discovery of America.  In Brian Fagan's view, that discovery is the product of the long sweep of history:  the spread of Christianity and the radical cultural changes it brought to Europe, the interaction of economic necessity with a changing climate, and generations of unknown fishermen who explored the North Atlantic in the centuries before Columbus.  Encompassing ancient mythology, medieval religion, boatbuilding, commerce, and cutting-edge climate science, this dazzling and wide-ranging book shows the intricate tapestry of history in all its fascinating, astonishing complexity."

Sounds exciting, right?  The truth is that this novel reads like a research paper or text book and focuses mainly on the fish culture in Europe due to christianity, generations of fishermen, boatbuilding, and commerce.  All myth and medieval religion referenced are vague and unsatisfying.  A typical chapter (really, look at almost any of the 17) goes: historical fishing statistic, historical fishing statistic, description of a boat, description of another boat, more history on boats, how much people had to pay, recipe.  Any mention of what would be changes in the historical record about finding the New World are diluted by the commonly used phrase "No one will actually ever know, But probably."  Personally I feel this is an extremely  weak case--considering this entire book is supposed to be about how history is wrong and how people got to the Americas before Columbus.  If I were to recommend this book it would be to fishermen, fishing historians & maritime or naval historians.

2 out of 5 stars.

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: an Eclipse Novella by Stephenie Meyer

Saturday I finished up The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: an Eclipse Novella by Stephanie Meyer.  It's a spin-off from the Twilight series, focusing on exactly what it says, the short second life of Bree Tanner.  We don't see much of Bree in Eclipse.  I tried to write this in a way so that if you hadn't read/seen Eclipse I wouldn't spoil the plot of it for you, but then I decided there is no point in reading this book if you haven't read through or watched the third Twilight movie.  So I don't care.  If you don't want to know the plot of those books, stop reading now.

Bree is a newborn vampire, created by a previous villain in the Twilight series, Victoria.  Victoria made an army of newborns to attack the Cullen clan, hoping to kill Bella in the process (because Bella is Edward's "mate" and the Cullen's killed Victoria's).  I can't quite remember how much of Bree we see in the books, but in the movie she's the human huddled in a corner during that vampire massacre in Seattle.  During the big fight scene in Forks Bree decides to surrender to Carlisle and Esme, but then the Volturi decide to kill her anyway.  Not a hugely developed character.

Well, this book is focused completely around the time Bree was a vampire.  It shows more of the back story to the newborns, Riley, their interaction, what the newborns knew of Victoria, what the newborns knew period (some surprises there), etc.  It's short, travels down the already established Eclipse road, and has no chapters (because its only her, and her short life, and one thing--the newbies... get it?).

If you're a Twihard, you've probably already read it :)  If you are a moderate or light fan of the books/movies I would suggest reading it.  The Short Second Life[...] is light (both the weight and the writing), so you could take it to the beach or an oil change at Belle Tire (*cough*).  What I really liked was that it gave you a better idea of what Bree was thinking during the battle scene.  I looked at her character completely different after I read this.

3 out of 5 stars.

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

This week I finished Anna Karenina, originally by Leo Tolstoy (Introduction and Notes by Amy Mandelker, Translated by Constance Garnett).

Published in eight installments in the periodical The Russian Messenger from 1873-1877 before being bound into one novel, Anna Karenina is the story of the lives of upper Russian society.  Focused around seven connected individuals (Anna Karenina, Alexi Vronsky, Stepan Oblonski, Darya "Dolly" Oblonskaya, Alexei Karenin, Konstantin "Kostya" Levin, and Ekaterina "Kitty" Shcherbatskaya) and their families, it is a tale of desire, marriage, family, jealousy, society, and progress.
I am conflicted about this book.  I enjoyed the relationship between Levin and Kitty (the notes suggest Tolstoy modeled much of their story on his life with his wife--so sweet), while at the same time deeply opposing Anna and Vronsky.  My dislike is not of their actions, but of the characters themselves.  Anna's character changes so much within the story that it is hard to imagine such a crazy woman, or a man I could not sympathize with more than Vronsky.  Without revealing the ending, Anna got what was coming to her.
I personally think I would have enjoyed it much more if I had thought of each "part" as a separate book, like The Chronicles of Narnia or Harry Potter are seperate books, and not sequels so much as a continuation of the story in the future.  This classic is quite lengthy and it took me about four months to complete. The novel is also set deep within it's time, so if you aren't following the notes in the back or you don't have a historical eye for the past you may not pick up on all of the little details.  Often the narrator gets bogged down in the Russian of the time, using several chapters to discuss plot points that go no where or have no relation to the main flow of the story.  If, however, you are looking for a book set firmly within high Russian society directly before the October Revolution, or if you are an avid reader/academic I would recommend Anna Karenina for you.
Personally: this is one that I read once for its academic and historic value and will never pick up again.  Just not my cup of tea.
3 out of 5 stars.