Books to read in 2014 before seeing the movie

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book, books, divergent, J.R.R. Tolkien, James Dashner, Mockingjay, movie, movies, reading, review, Richelle Mead, suzanne collins, The Hobbit, The Maze Runner, Vampire Academy, veronica roth

The writers at POPSUGAR put together a fantastic list of 35 books to read before they are turned into movies this year. I’ve read some of them:

• Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (Ermisenda’s review)
• Divergent by Veronica Roth (Ermisenda’s review)
• The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

…that I apparently need to review. Ermisenda also reviewed Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.

I’m interested in Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead and The Maze Runner by James Dashner. To be honest, I wasn’t going to read Divergent until I saw the movie trailer and hadn’t heard of Vampire Academy before its trailer. That’s one bonus for movies, they can on occasion allow us to discover books we might not have explored otherwise.

The full list of 36 Books Becoming 2014 Movies is also a convenient pin, so stash it on your TBR board and let’s get reading!

-Eliabeth

PS Are any of you participating in the Goodreads Challenge? How many books did you pledge and how far are you?

Book Review: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

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book, book review, books, Catching Fire, dystopian, fiction, review, reviews, sci-fi, science fiction, suzanne collins, The Hunger Games, YA, young adult

Catching Fire (Hunger Games #2)

by Suzanne Collins

genre: dystopian, YA, science fiction

Don’t start Catching Fire unless you’re ready to read Mockingjay. I’m sure I looked like a raving lunatic with tears streaming down my cheeks for nearly the whole time I was driving with my audio book this past weekend. You have to get through some rather annoying Peeta-Gale love triangle drama that detracts from the seriousness of the storyline, but after that, everything builds to an incredible peek.

Summary from Goodreads

Against all odds, Katniss has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and her longtime friend, Gale. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned his back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol – a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.

Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest she’s afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she’s not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol’s cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can’t prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying.

In Catching Fire, the second novel in the Hunger Games trilogy, Suzanne Collins continues the story of Katniss Everdeen, testing her more than ever before…and surprising readers at every turn.

Books and Movies

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book, books, movies, suzanne collins, The Hunger Games

Slightly unrelated, because The Hunger Games movie did a very good job of staying true to the book…

I saw The Hunger Games trailer and rushed out to read the book.  I wanted to make sure I read it before seeing the movie, and I’m so glad I did.  Not only was the book better (when is it not?), I’m starting to think it made the movie better.

My friends who read the book liked the movie more than my friends who did not.  I’m curious if that’s true for everyone, or just my limited sample, so please comment and let us know if you read the book and what you thought of the movie.

Thanks!
-Eliabeth

If no one watches, they don’t have a show…

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books, movies, reading, suzanne collins, The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games movie had a very thought provoking scene in it where Gale and Katniss briefly discuss how the annual Hunger Games affect on the balance of power.  For anyone who hasn’t read the books or seen the movie, the Hunger Games is an annual competition where one boy and one girl (from now on referred to as “tributes”) are selected out of each of the twelve districts to compete to the death for the title “Champion” and a surplus of food for their district for one year.  This is the Capitol’s way of punishing the districts for rebelling several decades ago.  The people in the districts are forced to watch the games and anyone with money is able to sponsor a tribute.  Sponsors are often the difference between life and death during the games, because a sponsor’s money can be used to buy medicine, water, or other supplies.

Before the games start, Gale states that if no one watches, they don’t have a game and it would be all over.  Katniss laughs and tells him it would never happen. At first, I thought only Katniss was right.  It goes against our nature to ignore something like that, and to ignore a tribute from the poorer districts would be to condemn them to death since the richer districts actually train and volunteer for the Games.  But, after some thought, Gale is correct too, IF everyone were to stop watching, the Capitol would no longer be able to use intimidation to control the districts through the Games and the Games would no longer exist, but would it really be better?

The Hunger Games Movie Review

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books, fiction, movies, review, reviews, science fiction, suzanne collins, The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games

Movie Review

The Hunger Games was everything I wanted it to be and more.  Having read the book after seeing the previews for the movie, it was still somewhat fresh on my mind and there were certain scenes I was looking for, all of which the movie delivered.  While not identical to the book, The Hunger Games Movie did a brilliant job staying true to the essence of the book.

However, since I know not everyone has read the book, I’ll make sure to cover just the movie to start.  I’ve seen it twice so far, and both times with someone who has not read the book.

Twilight vs. The Hunger Games

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Another Fine Myth, books, fiction, funny, humor, magic, movies, Myth Conceptions, Robert Asprin, Skeeve, Stephenie Meyer, suzanne collins, The Hunger Games, Twilight, vampires

From Pintrist.

I know it says ‘cast’ but, how do you think the Twilight characters would do in the Hunger Games?  Any other novel characters you think would do well or poorly?

Personally, I would love to see Skeeve from the Myth series by Robert Asprin in the Hunger Games.  He has a knack for getting himself out of trouble in the most unique and bizarre ways.

-Eliabeth Hawthorne

The Hunger Games – A reason to hit the gym

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books, exercise, fiction, running, suzanne collins, The Hunger Games, weight loss

YES! BEST reason to go to the gym EVER.

*One of my coworkers sent this to me from her Pintrist.

What are your reasons for working out?

-Eliabeth

PS, sorry to be so late with Listen & Write, I’m going to try to do it biweekly, but it’s been a hectic week.  Eventually I’ll stock pile them and set them on a schedule. ❤ Thank you for your understanding.

Book Review: The Hunger Games

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adventure, book, book reviews, books, dystopian, fantasy, fiction, reading, reviews, science fiction, suzanne collins, The Hunger Games, YA, young adult

The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games #1
Suzanne Collins

genres: adventure, dystopian, science-fiction, young adult

synopsis from Goodreads
In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister Primrose, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister’s place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before — and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

Ermisenda has already reviewed The Hunger Games Trilogy, but with the movie coming out this year, I just had to read the book first and see if it stood up to the hype.  Yes, we’ve decided that occasionally you will get to hear both of our thoughts on a book.  The Hunger Games is our guinea pig.

Book Review: The Hunger Games Series

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action, books, Catching Fire, dark, dystopian, ebooks, female, fiction, life, Mockingjay, review, suzanne collins, The Hunger Games, The Hunger Games Series, war, writing, YA

The Hunger Games Series

by Suzanne Collins
4.5 stars

Overall, I loved this series. I bought it because everyone had been raving about it. I kind of dismissed the comment and went to find out what was so good about this series. They were so good. These books were gripping and I couldn’t put them down. I originally didn’t read too much young adult but recently I have been reading more and more. It’s been a good phase so far.

The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games #1

The Hunger Games was fantastic. I thought it was brilliant, original and fast-paced. That was the kind of book I had been looking for. An action packed world with a kick-ass female character. One thing that annoys me about YA in general is that the world’s often seem unrealistic and the romance usually makes me want to vomit. This one didn’t have that effect. Sure there was a love triangle but to me I think it’s more of a third wheel approach (at least to me it was obvious who Katniss would choose). Romance isn’t the height of the book which I enjoy, the main focus is the action and gripping plot.

First one is a definite 5 out of 5. I recommend it to all.