"The Cat Who Could Read Backwards" - Lillian Jackson Braun

I wanted a mystery. I don't know how I mentioned the Cat Who... series, but Julie told me she loved them as a kid and read almost all of them.

So what the hey. I rented it from the library.

I'm going to struggle writing this book review because of how sporadically I did read it.

I don't know what it was about this. The reading was easy. The characters easy to identify (I tend to be one of those people who, halfway through the book, go "hold up. Who's Bob? What's he look like? Where'd he come from? Wait, why does everyone hate him??") And the chapters weren't that long. So I don't know.

I'm not absolutely sure I gave it a chance. I just never fully got into the book.

The series is old. But in case you didn't know, the Cat Who.. books, or this one in particular, the first one, begins when Jim Qwilleran, a former crime reporter, has to settle for a job as an art writer. He's getting older, and that was the only job available, and he has to eat.

They say the art beat is the most popular section of the newspaper, which usually isn't the case. Qwilleran takes the job and steps into a world of pride, strange triangle drawings and junk sculptures ludicrously called "art", young talent, and a strange and overall despise and hatred for a art critic called George Bonifield Mountclemens the Third.

"Perfect Chemistry" - By Simone Elkeles

Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles. What first stood out to me about this book, I'll have to admit was the cover. I was at Target, browsing the book sections and picked this up.

I loved the beginning chapter. Seeing the behind-the-scenes life of Brittany Ellis, with her nerve-stricken mom tapping a heel and expecting her to play the perfect daughter every second of the day, to Brittany's constant care and attention she has for her handicapped sister.

I had to read on.

The next chapter was about Alex Fuentes, sharing a room with his two little brothers who fight, and a fiery Latino mother who knows how to set them all straight with a cold bucket of water.

What's not to love?

The story is about these two characters. Their very different lives, and how they're brought together from two perfectly different worlds (almost like West Side story) to love and help each other along their paths in life, even when it seems like the whole world is against them.

Now, the story may be cute. But "bad-wise" this story's got it all: violence, language, sex. I'm assuming Elkeles pushed her limit in what's supposed to be a Young Adult book.

VIOLENCE/GORE: Alex is part of a gang, which institutes violence, senseless beatings, even a murder.

LOVE/SEX: Alex has a reputation of never backing down and when his stupid friends push him into a bet to see if he can sleep with Brittany Ellis or not, he takes it. Thus making sex one of the main factors throughout the entire book.

DRUGS/ALCOHOL: Both characters don't mind drinking. Both get drunk. And one gets high. No real temperance in anything.

Definitely do NOT use this book as a guide for your morals. Elkeles doesn't have any message for the reader except "don't be in a gang" and "use protection". . Which both seem to be stupid "no duh"s in my opinion.

This is a series but I don't know if I'll pursue it, cute as the stories may be.

"Mocking jay" - By Suzanne Collins

So I finally finished the Hunger Game series today.

Phew.

That's my word for this book.

Phew.

I have to say, I feel like Collins SQUEEZED as much death and destruction as possible in her last book. At first, I'll admit, it was interesting and every chapter ended with "oh gosh!", "say what?". But mostly "woah, that person just died!! Oh my gosh, THAT person just died?!. . . Oh. Shocker. They died too. . Okay, so who else is going to die? . . Ugh, there goes another one. . Seriously, another?"

The final lap of this book was getting kind of painful, I'm sad to say. I had a few days where I was sure I'd finish it then sighed and told myself I'd finish it tomorrow.

As always, Collins takes you on an adventure, pretty or not, to some place you've never been, and for that, I tip my imaginary hat. I was also pretty pleasantly surprised with the ending, which dulled the pain. So don't give up, read to the end.

VIOLENCE/GORE: It's a Hunger Games book. 'nuf said?

When it comes to a comparison with the other books. .  I don't really know how to compare, actually. But there is torture in this one, malicious, and gruesome thoughts. And graphic scenes.

LOVE/SEX: Before I forget, I forgot to mention something about the other books. There has been a few suggestions of prostitution in the previous ones. And in the second, a fake pregnancy.

In this book, one of the characters speaks out for being forced to sell their body. Nothing descriptively graphic, more conversational.

DRUGS/ALCOHOL: Haymitch is always drunk, or always wants to be. And Katniss speaks of the morphine used to dull her pain almost like sweet nectar and how beautiful it is.

As always, honor where honor is due. Congratulation Collins for making such a successful series. People have fan art, fan fiction, jewlery, tattoos. Heck she must be sitting pretty is my guess. As an aspiring writer, I admire her very unique work.

"Catching Fire" - By Suzanne Collins

So. . . You'll have to excuse the little tantrum I had over losing this book at the library. *cough and blinks awkwardly, staying quiet for a few moments* Yeah. I have nothing more to say about that.

Anyway, so I finished book two of the Hunger Games. I was a little confused because I thought some people said they hated it, then others told me it was their favorite. I really can't say which one I like more. They're really pretty different. This one may be a bit slower, just because we aren't so hooked on finding out if and who will die once we turn the page.

Something that may factor into the difference between my reading this book and reading the first is that, before I read the first, I watched me movie. Obviously, I couldn't do that with this one, so now I'm excited to watch the movie now that I've read the book.

I know. Like you care if I watched the movie or read the book first. I'll move on.

Catching fire, obviously, is the second book in the Hunger Games trilogy. We enter back into Katniss and Peeta's world to find Katniss still is on the fence with the whole guys-who-are-in-love-with-her issue yet she has avoided Peeta like the plague since she arrived. Kinda bummer to me, because I really like Peeta. I mean I can understand, Gale is Katniss' first love. But when you're thrown into a crazy situation like this with a guy, actually do like him a little, spend all this time with him, and - just for the heck of it, I'll add - are being forced to pretend to be in love with him: frikin' just accept that maybe God's trying to tell you something. Just sayin'.

You can tell I'm a romantic. So I'm just playing into Ms Collins' hands, letting her taunt me with the love triangle that never ends. I guess all I can say, and ever say, is poor Peeta.

So, Peeta and Katniss got the mansions they were promised, the rations and feast for their district has arrived, and for once everyone in it will sleep with full stomachs. Their greatest worry is really just finding something to do so they don't get bored. . . And then President Snow mentions whispers of rebellion. Says that Districts are starting to believe her eating the berries was her going against the Capitol, not a sign of desperate love. Tells her her current fake romance with Peeta won't do, and she'll have to step it up a notch if she wants everyone she loves to be and stay safe.

And then something unexpected happens: her and Peeta are sent back in the rink. A fight to the death. And this time, it's for sure: only one person is coming out alive. The question is just: who?

The second book may come across a little slower, because it's a little more focused on Katniss' emotions and thoughts and feelings, as opposed to the fast action from the arena in the first one. But I found it interesting. And interesting is enough to keep me going through a book. I also always love being taken somewhere I've never been before and seeing it in my mind. These books are adventures, which is probably why I love them.

VIOLENCE/GORE: It's a Hunger Games book, so there is a lot of violence. Enough to make an impression on you. In comparison to the first one, I almost want to say there's more, but I don't remember enough to compare. I may just be saying there's more because this book is fresh in my mind. But also because this violence happens outside of the arena. In a way, the violence inside the arena is acceptable because we're expecting it and  it's in the rules. The violence outside the arena, in their every day lives, comes across more cruel and dastardly.

LOVE/SEX: Katniss and Peeta kiss vaguely and sleep in the same bed with each other, but nothing more than that happens.

DRUGS/ALCOHOL: Haymitch is as always struggling with his alcoholism. And there are two, what they call, morphlings, from other districts, addicted to drugs and presented as pale and sickly. Collins doesn't seem to be, in any way, advocating drugs or alcohol.

I'll read book three as soon as possible. =-)

"The Hunger Games" - By Suzanne Collins

I had watched the movie of this before reading the book. I'll say that up front. And honestly, the movie didn't thrill me at all. I mostly didn't understand and what I did understand I thought was gruesome.

My older brother has been gone to college all year, even when we had moved we had to box up all his things for him. Well, he came back for spring break, and just when I thought I was through with boxes, we got to go through our storage shed and pull all his boxes out yet again for him to go through them. The lucky thing is that he's a bookie too. So he has all these guy books: military history and such, different from what I have. But he said I could pull aside whatever I wanted, since he wouldn't be using them anyway. So I scored big. Starting with the first Hunger Games book.

It may seem sad that I'm this far behind the Hunger Games frenzy, but I strangely take pride in that fact, though, I must say, I am catching up to frenzy pretty quick.

So, true. A bunch of kids brutally hacking other to the death isn't really a Mary Poppins bedtime story. But the writing - totally not grammatically correct, by the way, which isn't fair - flowed really well. It really is a sit-down read, every chapter flowing into the next.

In case you don't know the story, which would kind of be a shocker at this point but it's possible, the story is about this society in the way future. Every community is a "district" and the harsh government ruling over them is called the "Capitol". Well as the story goes, at one point, the districts tried to rebel against the Capitol. And failed. As yearly punishment for this act and a reminder that they're still in control, the Capitol forces each district to offer up two tributes, a boy and a girl, to participate in a fight to the death called the Hunger Games. When Katniss Everdeen's baby sister, Prim, is chosen, she immediately volunteers to take her place in the games. Katniss views the Hunger Games as a death sentence, but her whole life has been about survival, and she had promised Prim she would do her best to win and not die, so she uses all she knows how in order to keep that promise.

The reason this story is hard to put down is because from the very beginning, well first, you're confused and trying to understand her world, and then you're just stuck, addicted to finding out if she'll die, if the nice guy who claimed to have a crush on her, Peta, will die. Or if they'll kill each other, etc. It's one of those things you just have to know. And Suzanne Collins did a great job of making us this interested in their well-being as we are.

From a moral standpoint, it's iffy. I mean, it is about murder for survival. And at one point, it kind of makes you wonder, how are we different from animals if we act this way. For me personally, it made me grateful life isn't like this in reality. So you can decide for yourself. Like I said very iffy. I don't think I'd want my thirteen year old brother to be reading about this. It really isn't a pretty picture to be selling to kids, nor a clear message of anything. Pure entertainment, I'd have to say. Or for me who wants to be a writer, good studying to see what's trending and what readers like.

VIOLENCE/GORE: Obviously. Haha. Now, I'm trying to remember how graphic it gets. . A boy coughs and sprays Katniss' face with blood. . Blood is spoken of a lot during the battles. And murder. I don't know what else to tell you.

LOVE/SEX: There's a small romance that goes on between Katniss and Peta, as in the movie. In the book, they kiss a few times and sleep in the same sleeping bag, which is more for warmth and survival than romantic. Peta puts his arm around her and that's about it.

DRUGS/ALCOHOL: Katniss and Peta's mentor is frequently drunk and has a reputation for being so. He even throws up in front of them and falls in it. The alcohol isn't seen in a good light, though, since Katniss is bitter toward having her life in the hands of a drunkard, who may just be passed out when she needs him most.

So there ya have it. I was very excited to watch the movie again after reading the book and liked it WAY more the second time. Then I went on and watched an hour long special feature/documentary thing about it. . Yeah, I think I've just been bitten by the Hunger Games bug. I don't know whether to embrace it or be terrified.

Maybe a little bit of both. X-)