The Book For the Month is.......

Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

This is what the majority of you voted for. I hope you guys like it, I couldn't put it down.

Novembers Book!!!!

I have been so excited that it's finally my turn to pick the book for the month. I have seriously been reading like crazy all month searching for the perfect one. The only thing is I really want it to be something everyone else is excited about too. So I've narrowed it down to two books that you can vote between. Whatever one has the majority vote by noon tomorrow will be the winner, because I know you gize hate waiting for the results.

The first pick is:



Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

Book Description

For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch came along.

With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment.

But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure who to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.

For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life.

I bought this book last week and read it in one day. I couldn't put it down. It's the first in a series but none of the other books are out yet and the first book doesn't leave you hanging.

2nd book choice is:


Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightening Thief by Rick Riordan

This is the first in a series of five books. You gize don't have to read all 5 books this month but they are pretty easy reads so it wouldn't be that hard for those of you that wanted to and were up to the challenge. I've read the first two and loved them, they are kind of Harry Potteresque.

The first book is being made into a movie that is coming out later this year. Here is the preview which kind of explains what the book is about.





The series has great reviews on Amazon.com and also got good reviews from Stephenie Meyer herself:

"If you're looking for some beach reading, you might try Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians series if you haven't already. My son finally finished book five yesterday so I could read it today. It was a fantastic end to a fantastic series. I tip my hat to you, Mr. Riordan!"

Okay so those are the choices, just put your vote in the comment section and I'll tally 'em up tomorrow. I'm so excited to find out what it will be.

Discussion Time!

Here is the official discussion post. Lets keep this short.

All Fluff and No Substance

I'm writing this review in the writing style of the author. Which I did not like. Which I really did not enjoy. Like I wanted to scream and run and pull my hair out. To be done with this book already. But I could not. The ocean was like ice over my thoughts. Filling up my dreams. I must write this review.

Here it goes. Hmm. Not quite sure what to say about this book besides the fact that the author is an amateur. Her writing is all fluff and no substance. It's like someone who talks just to hear themselves talk. She writes just to write. I felt like the words in her book belonged more in a book of poems than they did in a novel. She uses language carelessly, throwing things out there just to throw them out there. Because she can. Because she wants to. (Just as I did here). She did this a lot. She'll tell you something and then end it with a period and then tell you the same thing in a different way and end it with a period. All for emphasis. And it drove me nuts. So crazy I fell to the floor, sobbing. Great big tears that would not come.

The author often contradicted herself as she wrote, saying one thing, and then saying another. The main character was also this way. I felt the author did not know who she was and exploited her just to make the story more fantastical. It was almost insulting. It was difficult for me to believe in the love of Travis and Mary after Mary's thoughts and actions toward Travis while they were in the house. I was disappointed in the course the author took. Mary is like a flip flopper. She's so sure of one thing one minute and then she's totally doing something else the next minute. I understand about uncertainty but this was different. I never had the chance as a reader to understand why she was suddenly a different person than the one I had been reading about all along.

The descriptions she wrote didn't make a whole lot of sense. They just looked pretty on the page. She often would say something and then repeat it. Always try to get her point across. But by doing so it took away from the effect. Like she just kept repeating herself and saying the same things in different ways. Like I just did. She did it over and over and over and everything was so dramatic. The main character never had a subdued response to anything. Everything was exaggerated and bold and over the top. Kind of had me exhausted reading it. All of Mary's actions were so dramatic--falling to the ground in sobs, her body heaving and crying and running and fighting and screaming and aching and oh it was too much. It was almost insulting as a reader that she kept trying to convince us of her story and beat it over our heads. I just wanted to tell the author to shut up and let the story happen, stop telling me how to see it happen, I can interpret that for myself.

Also, I thought the themes and the allegories and metaphors in this book were too obvious, again the author was not giving the reader enough credit. I also found the story difficult to follow. I didn't think the author had a grip on exactly what was going on. And if she did, I don't think she got that across because I was always confused and had to go back and reread things because I got lost easily. She was talking at me not to me as the action was happening and I felt so frustrated that I couldn't picture in my head what things looked like, where things were, what was really going on. I read the book and had so many questions of what, huh, that I couldn't enjoy the journey. By the end of the book I still didn't understand or have my questions answered.

I could go on and on but I'm out of time. Basically I thought it was crap. Would have been a much better story if Suzanne Collins had written it.

The Forest of Waste-My-Time

The Forest of Hands and Teeth started out so promising that it's hard to believe it could have gone so horribly wrong.

I loved the concept of a post-apocolyptic village surrounded by zombies. The sisterhood was intriguing; especially when it appeared they were keeping some very big secrets. The first several chapters opened up so many questions and I couldn't wait to have them all answered.

• Why didn't the sisterhood tell everyone in the village about Gabrielle?
• Were they the ones responsible for her becoming a zombie?
• Why was Gabrielle a super fast zombie?
• How did the zombies breach the village defenses?

Unfortunately the author didn't answer ANY of those questions. If she wasn't going to answer any of the sisterhood/zombie related questions the least she could have done was to develop the romance angle. But NOOOOOO. She had to go and destroy that as well. How STUPID to develop this romance between Mary and Travis and then when they are finally alone together they don't even want to be in same room with each other?

Then when Travis gets infected I think, OK, maybe they will discover a cure or something, but then when Mary cuts his head off... Ugh. What a stupid, stupid book. I thought maybe the author might try and redeem herself with a sequel or two, but after reading Sarah's review I guess that's out as well.

I now realize that every death in this book... Mary's Mother, sister-in-law, boyfriend(?); even Gabrielle... were totally pointless. There was no moral to this story, no growth, no triumph, just a bunch of depressing drivel.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth... I'll be trying to wash it off my hands and pick it from my teeth for weeks to come.

MUST READ...

...if you HATE yourself and want to force yourself to read a horrible book as punishment.

There was so much hype floating around the Internet about this book before it was released, I was really excited about reading it. I even marked my calender for its release date and bought it the day it came out. The concept was interesting, the conflicts between the characters were thrilling, the book started off fast, and it was hard to put down.

So why didn't I like this book? Because it had so much potential, but it completely failed to live up to that potential. Eeek's review summed up my feelings exactly. The characters were continually thrown into potentially interesting conflicts, yet the conflicts would always be resolved in the most uninteresting ways. There was zero chemistry between Mary and Travis, yet the author continued to push that relationship. I'm sure the author intended the ending to be tragic, but it was just horrible. For an ending to be tragic, we have to care about the characters. Travis was so dull and two-dimensional, that I was relived when he died. Mary was so self-centered and unlikeable, that I didn't care if she lived or died. I could not relate to her internal struggles, and the fact that she would put her need to see the ocean over everybody else in her life, made me want to slap her.

What a disappointment.

Can't think of a title

Immediately, I pictured the village from the movie The Village as I got into this book. The lack of technology, etc., the platforms for safety. The fence keeping the zombies out. The religious weirdness. And then with the zombies being able to ‘infect’ people and turn them, I pictured them as the same dudes from I Am Legend. Creepy. That movie freaked me out. I kept wondering if they stood around in circles, breathing really fast – or if they all ran temperatures of like 115 degrees.
I felt like I hardly got to know Mary before everything fell apart. I was thoroughly annoyed by the reaction of family and friends when her mother died. Her brother was the biggest jerk ever. Her friends didn’t come to see her. Harry didn’t speak for her. Geez. Then, later when they all needed her help and stuff they were crappy about it and she didn’t even really stick up for herself.
Every time it seemed she was going to settle in and deal with something for a while, she’d freak out and throw herself into some reckless thing, like busting down that door to get into the really dark scary tunnel. Or sneaking into Travis’s room. Loved that little paragraph of her getting off the bed, btw. Steamy. Or, was the steamy just that one sentence?
Anyway, some of it was exciting. Some paragraphs I kind of para-read. It was quick. I’m curious to find out what happens now that she’s in some lighthouse with a stranger. And good riddance to the Sisterhood. They were creepy.

Sam's Review

I was really excited about reading this book. The idea of a zombie book with romance sounded really interesting to me. I liked the mysterious sisters and the secrets they kept. It sucked they didn't go more into their story. I was on the edge of my seat while she was in the basement and found the journal but that didn't end up really going anywhere. She finally got to be with Travis which was great but then he died soon after.

I think this story had some real potential to be great. There was something about it that kept me reading and I finished it in about two days. They shouldn't have killed off Travis. They should've focused more on the sisters and the secrets they kept since she spent so much time building it up. I was also disappointed that she didn't learn more about the girl from the outside. The fact that the book left me hanging at the end didn't really help much either. Over all I liked the book enough to read the sequel and find out what happens next. Till next time:
Oh yeah and the book choice for November should be up by midnight tonight: brace yourselves.

Must read...

if you like completely hopeless stories without a happy ending.

Positives:

I had to keep reading! It started out being a very interesting story and I had to keep reading because I wanted to know all the answers. Plus it totally reminded me of "The Village".

Mary crawling over Travis.

The Sisters.

First half, I was feeling some hope that it was some awful joke on "them"...Like "The Village".

Mary had a chance to see what was outside of the village...only because I wanted to know what was outside.

Glad Mary made it to the beach...all by herself without any loved ones with her and no hope for actual happiness....she totally deserved that...

Negatives:

2nd most depressing book EVER! (The Road being the first)

I wanted her to kill herself.

Couldn't stop thinking about how I would kill myself if I was a character in that story because it's so completely hopeless.

The Forest of Hands and Feet according to Cristin

My Review

I thought this book was so good...until I finished it. It was the worst ending in the entire world! What the...??? Seriously, she just let everyone die to find another village terrorized by zombies??? How is that any better?? What was wrong with Harry??? He was way better than Travis. Travis had a gimpy leg and didn't speak up for her.

The good parts of the book:

I liked the village idea. M. Night Shyamalan made an interesting movie with this concept and the book improved it.

The "Sisters" were creepy and interesting. I liked how mysterious they were and the promise they gave of a good book...even though it didn't happen, I like the possibility that it could have happened.

I liked the love triangle between Mary, her friend and the two brothers. Even though Harry was the obvious choice since Travis was a pansy who just teased her but didn't actually come for her, I liked all the conflicts between everyone and once Travis was dead, I liked that Harry had a chance.

I loved it when they were invaded by the zombies and were forced to leave their village and Mary finally got to see what was beyond the fence with her estranged brother, future husband, the man she was really in love with and his future wife. I love awkward situations and this was definitely one of them.

It was very exciting when they found the new village and it brought a lot anticipation...and then the book started going downhill. And fast.

There was no chemistry or romance what so ever between Mary and Travis and they were trapped alone together in house. In fact, she would go to the attic just to get away from him. That doesn't really convince me that she loves him.

Once they were forced from the village due to the fire that the unsupervised little boy started, the book just got worse and worse and I grew to hate Mary. The ending was so horrible that I completely forgot all that was good left in the world. I just wanted the zombies to kill her and everyone else and have it be over with. but instead, she just abandoned her friends and let her brother die for her.

But it was okay because there was going to be a sequel. This book could still redeem itself...until I found out that the sequel was totally new characters with an entirely new story. YOU SUCK, FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH!!! The only good thing that came of this book was the contest. Your welcome everybody.

Landee Hates Forests of Any Kind, But Particularly This One

Dumb book. Dumb premise. Dumb everything.

Don't expect me at the discussion tonight.

I'm boycotting.





{Yes, the hissy fit is still going strong.}

Hey, You. Yeah You!

Ever since the last girls trip, the idea of the next one has been tossed around. Unfortunately, none of you ladies have the balls to step up to the plate and plan it. Since I just won the popularity vote with our latest contest, I thought I should take over. I am in charge now and what I say goes. Sticking with our Twilight themed trip, I say the date of the trip should be planned around The New Moon premiere. New Moon comes out November 20th, 2009.

Now where to go? Hmmmm, do you remember that one time when Edward and Bella were really really poor but they really want to go somewhere other than Seattle, but couldn't afford expensive plane tickets so then they got on Southwest.com and Jasper and Alice helped them look for cheap tickets? Long story short, San Francisco ticket were really really cheap. It got me thinking, "Hey, that would fun!" So I too went to Southwest.com and saw that Mrs. Stephenie Meyer did her homework, and tickets from Boise to San Fran were cheap! (not as cheap as Seattle though)

So here is my idea, I say we go to San Francisco during the weekend of New Moon. I am grabbing the bulls by the horn and make it official with the dates and location and am putting out an invitation for everyone (even boys (Markie)). I know this is a little tricky, what with it being just a few days before Thanksgiving, but if you really think about, Thanksgiving is just a meal. Is it really that stressful of a holiday? We will be home in plenty of time to pull the turkey out of the freezer for it to thaw. Assign the green bean casserole to an in law and you will be good to go. Tickets are fairly cheap right now but I do want to get the ball rolling and start buying tickets and making reservations. If you want to go, let me know ASAP (Like in the next couple days). I think movie tickets should be purchased right away and also book a hotel soon too.

^^^That could totally be us

outside of the Tanner's house.

We could just pop in and say Hi

Joey and Danny and then head

up to the attic and see what Uncle

Jesse and Rebecca are up to.

And GO!

And The Winners Are....

First the popularity votes.

Obviously the winner is:

Me! (I told you I was cool and popular)

See, I am totally popular. Everybody was laughing at my joke probably.

Now for the real contest.

Well, first we are going to announce who the diorama's belonged to.

#1. Mary crawling over Travis: The Hot Scene

By Amanda O.

#2. Zombies in the ocean: The End

By J. Espy

#3. Rescuing Travis from a house full of zombies: Part 1

By Landee A

#4. Mary Mary quite contrary: The zombie dance

By Memzy W.

#5. Rescuing Travis from a house full of zombies: Part 2

By Eek S.

#6. Err...: Err??

By Amy T.

Thanks to all our contestants for their support and hard work. For 3 of them, their hard work is going to pay off and change their lives forever! At stake, we have a keychain, a mug, and for one lucky person, a t-shirt.

I won't keep them in suspense any longer.

3rd Place goes to:

Amy T!!!!!!!

(Pause for applause)

2nd Place goes to:

Amanda O.!!!!!!!

(Pause for applause)

And now, 1st Place goes to:

J.Espy!!!!!!!

Congrats! Anyone who wants to throw a hissy fit...again...may do so by email, texts or preferably in the comment section so we can all enjoy.

I need Jespy's shirt size and Amanda's address. You may email them to me.

Forest of Hands and Teeth Diorama Contest!!!

Game on!

We have 6 entries and a poll for everyone to vote. The poll at the bottom is for the popularity vote and bragging rights only. For a contestant to win a prize, they must win in the voting done through email. Simply email me your pick for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. It will remain unanimous so don't feel guilty for picking mine for 1 st place.

And the entries are:

#1. Mary crawling over Travis while taking care of him: The Hot Scene

#2. Zombies in the ocean: The End

#3 Rescuing Travis from a house full of zombies: Part 1

#4. Mary Mary Quite Contrary: The Zombie Dance

#5. Rescuing Travis from a house full of Zombies: Part 2

#6. Err...: Errr????

In The Blogging World, I Am Not Cool...

...But in real life, I am totally popular! I have tons of friends, gize. I won't give you their names cuz you wouldn't know them anyways, but trust me, I am way cool.

So how do I know that I am unpopular in the world of blogger?

Well, my first clue was the lack of compliments people give me.

And secondly, I called ITT Tech

But, what really made me realize that I was not cool was when I held a contest for our book this month. Last month, the contest was HUGE! This month, not so much.

Pictures were due yesterday. I got one entry.

ONE.

It came in at midnight. (Phew)

Now, word has gone around that a few people still want to enter. At first I was feeling bitter and angry and thought no. But then I realized that I am still cool and popular in real life so to show all the bloggers that I am cool, I will give a 3 day extention.

3 DAYS!

No More.

If you don't enter, my one entry and I get all the prizes.

Email pictures to me before the sun sets on the 3rd day (Wednesday by midnight).

Important!!!!!

It is now time for the October S.R.B.C. contest!

As you all know, our book this month is The Forest of Hands and Teeth. To honor our book and get us pumped for our discussion we are having another contest...with rules. Cake decorating is so last month, so we are doing a diorama contest. You may need to get your kids help with this one.

The dioramas may be as simple as this or...

...as creative as this.

Everyone need to create one diorama that represents the book. It can be a scene from the book or just your interpretation of the book. Three pictures may be entered. All pictures must be emailed to me (sarastrasser@hotmail.com) no later than Sunday, October 18th. The contest will be held on Monday the 19th. If you have not finished reading the book by the 18th, it is okay. You can just do a diorama of something you have read so far, or just open up the book to any random page and do a diorama of that page. Trust me, you don't want to miss out on the prizes.

RULES!!!

Rule #1. No cheating.

Rule #2. The poll will just be for fun. The real votes will be an email voting system where the contestant will email their votes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd to me.

Rule #3. Hissy fits ARE allowed.

PRIZES!!!

I know this is what all you greedy people are after. Okay, here are the prizes.

First Place prize is:

A SHIRT! (Way cooler than an apron)

If you happen to be a man and you get first place, the shirt will then become a man shirt but the same logo.

Second Place Prize is:

A MUG...with hands and teeth. Don't be grossed out.***

And Third Place Prize is:

A KEYCHAIN!!!***

See, aren't these prizes worth it? Now get to reading and then get to work.

***Designed and created by JEspy

And The Book For October Is...

I don't know yet. I have it narrowed down to two books.

The first is a series book about two twin sisters. They may look the same but they are totally different! Jessica is used to getting what she want especially with boys and she will stop at nothing to get it! Elizabeth is used to giving her sister whatever she wants. Nothing is worth it to her to fight with her sister but when it comes to Todd Wilkins, Liz isn't so sure she should step aside. This time Jessica is going to have to compete for what she wants--WITH HER OWN SISTER!!

Now there are about 35 books in this series and I was only going to make volume one the book this month but people could continue reading. We may have some spoilers though during the discussion! It would also be good to read up on this series since they just announce they are making it into a movie! How about a big "shout out" to Francine Pascal! Way to go! A movie deal. It was well deserved. If the Babysitter's Club got a movie deal, then so should you!

My second thought for the book this month is a little more fitting for October, you know, cuz of Halloween and stuff. I read this book for the first time right after read Catching Fire, so it had an unfair disadvantage from the beginning. However, after I read it, I couldn't stop thinking about this book instead of Catching Fire and you all know how much I LOVE C.F. The book takes place in the future and is about a village that survived after most of the world was taken over by zombies. That's right, zombies. They aren't the good kind of zombies either, like how Edward was a good kind of vampire but the story isn't really about zombies, it is about Mary. The book will eventually be a three series book and the next one will be out in Spring 2010, if the world doesn't end before that...

That is Mary on the cover, btw. So I have been giving it a lot of thought because even though it would be funny to make everyone read Sweet Valley High, especially Markie, I think since it is October, and I do have a bit of a contest similar to the cake decorating contest in the works for everyone, I think my decision will have to be...The Forest Of Hands And Teeth. It will have some controversy in it and make for a good discussion. The contest will be announced as well as the prizes for the contest one week before the discussion. And the rules for the contest will be VERY clear. Capeesh?

The discussion will be on Sunday, October 25, 2009.

UMMMM Am I the only one...

who keeps checking to see what we're reading next month???

Catching Fire

Best Book Evah!

I loved it and couldn't put it down. Sorry I didn't write too much we just got back from the fair and I don't want to miss the discussion.

Catching Fire Discussion

Hot Pants is Catching Fire!

I liked it.

Book 2. Did anyone catch fire? I forget.

So, I did the usual. Read it in a heart-beat and now days and days and days later I don't really know how to organize my thoughts.

I liked the book a lot. At least, the first 3/4's of the book. I knew that there would have to be another games. Cause I did. I really didn't expect that Katniss would be going back. That was sucky. I really thought it would be Prim or Gale too. I wanted to see how they would fight - how it would feel to be on the outside. But then I changed my mind and realized that Katniss had to go back because evil man had to regain control and make them an example.

I'm not way hot on either Gale or Peeta, but as Landee put it so eloquently :

"I NEED sexual tension. I NEED self-sacrifice for the love of your life. I NEED kisses that stir something in your chest confusing you because you want more. I NEED one liners like "Come to finish me off, sweetheart?" " Amen, sistah. ::Fanning myself::

Good, good, good. Who doesn't love some sexual tension, or people sleeping together every night doing .... wait....nothing? The TENSION!!! Really? Did they do nothing? No grabs or nuthin?

Sorry. I got distracted.

I loved the meeting with the evil man. Weird that his breath smells like blood. I loved Katniss's defiance, later. I hated her big screaming tantrum. Not because I didn't think she should do it, but just cause I can't handle that much of an emotional outburst. I hide from stuff like that. Hooray for Mags for throwing herself into the poison cloud. It was GUT wrenching for me when they whipped Gale. Oh, how my heart hurt over that. I could go on for a while. But....

The part where the book gets to stretching that cord or fuse to wrap it around and wait for the lightening or whatever (that whole part confused me a little) is when I started to turn. I was really anxious to see what kind of betrayal was going to happen, cause she made me think that it was all a trap for Katniss and Peeta - and then I was furious when Katniss was pulled out of the games. W T He ll ck? I think I even said outloud, "No!!"

Gosh dang it Suzanne Collins (get a hair cut...) That was just plain MEAN! You deliberately ended this book with your tongue sticking out saying, "Na na na na na naaaaa!" I even thought for the briefest moment that her ego got the best of her (after the great response to the first book) and she decided to drag it out. I'm sorta pizzzed.

But really, it was fun to read. I love how she pulls my imagination out and the originality of the whole thing. Awesome. See you all in about 35 min.

I thought I was something of an expert on hunger, but this is an entirely new kind.

Sigh. I love that line^^, don't you? From page 353.

I have many favorite scenes from Catching Fire. Like when Katniss wrote Seneca Crane on the dummy, or the public show of defiance in district 11, or when Gale was whipped, or when Peeta announced Katniss was prego, or Katniss's and Peeta's last day on the roof in the Capitol... but I think page 352-3 is my favorite.

I was a die-hard fan of the entire Hunger Games series by page 23 of book one. I am in love with characters. I am in love with the high-stakes plot. I am in love with S. Collins’s no nonsense writing style.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is my all-time favorite book, end of story.

Knowing all that, it is simply impossible for me to NOT love the sequel, Catching Fire. Just impossible. I am too far-gone. I am a crazed fanatic.

Before I started Catching Fire, my expectations were through the roof. As far as the characters, the pace, the excitement, and the BRILLIANT writing goes, all of my expectations were met and then some.

However, when it came to the plot, I had very specific expectations for the second book, and almost none of my expectations were met. That was a hard nightlock berry to swallow, but I don’t necessarily think it was a bad thing that the story line didn’t go as I expected. It made the book shocking and unpredictable. I don’t care how wide your book margin is, no one could have predicted that we’d see both Katniss and Peeta competing in another hunger games. I kept thinking, “Wait, they aren’t really going back to compete again, are they? This isn’t really going to happen. Something major is going to occur, and the whole thing will be stopped.”

To be honest, I didn’t want to watch them compete in the hunger games again. I wanted to see them become mentors, and see them outsmart the Capitol and lead the rebellion.

But here is where my die-hard fandom may have come in handy, because I found myself easily letting go of everything I wanted to happen, and just going with it. It helped that S. Collins is such a masterful writer and has such an inventive imagination.

I have more to say, but I'm going to save it for the discussion.

Not Disappointed

I loved the book. I loved everything about it and I even loved that Katniss wasn't her usual strong self. I was nice to see a character who was respectable and strong yet still human with normal human emotions. I loved that the book just picked up the pace quickly. I really enjoyed the tours of the different districts and wish we would have gotten more details from them. I LOVED that Peeta just hurried up and "got over it" and him and Katniss became friends. I also like Gale. Of course I choose Peeta over Gale any day but I like Gale. I like that he's got Kat's back. The whipping scene was VERY sad to me...cuz I am not dead inside...and it showed that Kat's life would never be the same. It was so exciting when she met the two kids from district 8 looking for district 13. It was a nice changed with Kat as well, when she found out that she had to go back to the arena and she freaked out. That seemed normal, that she would cry and feel scared and angry. I liked all the new characters and I loved the new arena, very tropical and romantic. The fact that Kat was willing to die for Peeta just shows that she truly loves him, she just doesn't know it yet. The clock island was interesting and unique and even though it is killing me right now, I loved the cliff hanger ending, especially more now that the depression of having the book end is over now. And my most favorite part of the whole book, including book 1, is page 352 to page 353. And then that stupid lightning storm interrupted things just when they started getting good. Ahhhhhhhh Peeta... I could re-read those pages over and over...

Basically, I loved the book, much more than book 1 and am so so so so excited for the next book.

Markie's Book Two Review

Middle episodes are rough. In almost every trilogy the second episode usually ends up being the weakest. While the third book has yet to come out in this series, I'm pretty confident that such will be the case once again.

Don't misunderstand... I still loved it. I just didn't think it was as strong as Hunger Games. To say it wasn't as entertaining as the first book, still leaves it in a very high class of entertainment. Maybe it was just my extraordinarily high expectations.

The book started out strong. I loved the encounter with President Snow. Suzanne Collins put a face to the evil that is the Capitol, and made me ache to see him destroyed. I loved the moment when Snow gave Katniss the little shake of the head that indicated she didn't do a good enough job quelling the rebellion; and instead of falling apart she realizes that she now has nothing to lose and declares her own private war on the Captiol.

At that moment I thought "oh yeah... it's ON!", and I had great anticipation for Katniss realizing her power and leading a rebelion against the Captiol. Problem is, it just didn't develop. Instead I thought Katniss got weaker instead of stronger.

Of course she did have to face the nightmare of the arena once again; and that was an awesome twist to the story. I have a recurring dream that I wake up back in Guatemala and discover that I have been called on a second mission. I am my current age and I try to explain to the Mission President that I have a job and family and can't possibly serve another two years, but he plays the "So you're turning down a calling from the Prophet?", and the "You don't want to serve the Lord?" cards, and I realize that I am stuck. Stuck missing my family for two years, stuck eating black beans and rice, knocking on doors from sunrise to well after sundown, sleeping on straw mattresses with bed bugs and cockroaches crawling all over me... for TWO MORE YEARS! Yes, it's a nightmare and I wake in a cold sweat.

I could not believe that Katniss and Peeta had to go back into the arena one more time. I thought Collins did a good job of keeping it fresh. The new arena was very cool. I loved the clock thing and the little surprises waiting for them in each section. I hope that book three will find a way to have one more arena... maybe this time with President Snow and Katniss pitted against each other.

I didn't like Katniss' resolve to save Peeta regardless of what happened to her. I wanted her to be even stronger that she was in the first games, and become the commanding leader that I expected her to be. I still have full confidence however that she will pull it out in the end, and I just can't wait!

Writing Skillz, or How Landee Got It Wrong Again

I'm staring into the snakelike eyes of President Snow.

"By the way, I know about the kiss." Then the door clicks shut behind him.

I'll have to marry Peeta.

Forcing him to his knees before the crowd. And putting a bullet through his head.

Was giving everything over to you, keeping up the game, promising to marry Peeta enough? In answer, he gives an almost imperceptible shake of his head.

This is what President Snow calls an uprising.

The pieces of the picture do not quite come together until I see his arm raise the whip.

"Me too," Gale says. He just manages a smile before the drugs pull him back under.

But an image is clearly stamped in the center of it [cracker]. It's my mockingjay.

She's not in District 13 at all. Which begs the question, What is?

I am going back into the arena.

And I'm left staring out the window, watching District 12 disappear with all my goodbyes still hanging on my lips.

And surely, two people who have caused the Capitol so much trouble can think of a way to get Peeta home alive.

Our new Avox is Darius.

Then I step away quickly to watch the reaction on the Gamemakers' face as they read the name on the dummy.
SENECA CRANE.

Because Cinna has turned me into a mockingjay.

This is no place for a girl on fire.

I press my ear against his chest, to the spot where I always rest my head, where I know I will hear the strong and steady beat of his heart. Instead, I find silence.

In the few seconds it takes to rouse them, I begin to blister.

"Tick, tock. This is a clock."

I run wildly in the direction of the voice, heedless of danger, ripping through the vines and branches through anything that keeps me from reaching her. From reaching my little sister.

I try to imagine that world, somewhere in the future... where Peeta's child could be safe.

Surely my mother and Prim will know to return it to Peeta before they bury my body.

My eyes strain to capture one last image of beauty to take with me. Right before the explosions begin, I find a star.

"Katniss, there is no District Twelve."

___________________________________
Those were the last sentences of each chapter. If you did not relive the excitement and the tension all over again, you must not have read the book. There were details that were unexpected, the book was unpredictable, and as usual, S. Collins truly captured my imagination and I was swept up in the emotion.

I love that the relationships are all affected by the political oppression. The fact that Katniss can't even decide who to love because she is forbidden on both counts. The whipping wasn't meant to invoke your sorrow over Gale specifically, it was meant to draw you into the world of Katniss where she can barely even think about love. We weren't meant to feel sad, we were meant to fill overwhelmed at her sense of futility.

The mockingjay as a symbol, but even then, not the message she was sending. A pawn on both sides.

There might have been details you didn't like (I loved that she picked all the olds as her friends) but there was nothing flawed about the book. And who doesn't love a doozy of a cliffhanger?

There is no district 12.

Memzy lays it out Catching Fire Style

I read this book in one day. The morning it came out I was at the book store and I didn't stop reading until 3am. Couldn't put it down. Suzanne Collins had me at page one and there was no stopping that train. I was laughing. I was crying. I was crunching up in the fetal.

Here's the deal. Like the plot route or not,.....any book that keeps me reading like that.....and depressed for days when it's over.....is, quite frankly,....the BEST.

The end.

Cristin's Hot Review of Catching Fire

Ok ok...it's not really hot. Just my plain review. I just wanted to see if anyone would read it if I put the word Hot in it...

The book is Hot though!!! I love some making out...especially when Katniss FINALLY feels it...even though I've pretty much felt it the whole time...but whatever Katniss...I'll forgive you this time.

This book TOTALLY felt like a second book...just like a stepping stone to the best book. Like it's just getting us ready for something super duper good. I can't help but like it...it's how I feel about the Lord of the Rings movies. You have to have the middle and there is good stuff in it but it's really about the beginning and the end.

Originally I was kind of p.o'd about Katniss having to go back but then I felt she kind of deserved it after being sort of wussy like and wanting to run away instead of being her feisty self and standing up for what is right.

It was predictable to me but I think Katniss was just so...so...skeptical that she couldn't see past what she is used too, so she couldn't see that people were really trying to help HER. I like that so many fought and died for her and it gets me really excited for the last book...I mean REALLY excited.

I like Suzanne, she doesn't try to make us feel all warm, fuzzy and comfortable. She lets people die...and not in very nice ways. She's brave.

I didn't care as much for her "cousin Gale" as much as last book. I felt so sad for him that he got whipped but I'm so over him. I'm all about me and Peeta...er...oh I mean... Katniss and Peeta. I know longer feel bad for Gale. He's strong...he'll find another girl...especially since he's so good looking...it says so right in the book.

Over all...me likey! And can't wait for the next book but again I have to be tortured for like a year...if I'm lucky.

Landee's Destined to be Unpopular Review of Catching Fire

Here's the thing... and please, keep this in mind....I really liked Catching Fire. Really. I did. I devoured it and read it in a matter of hours.

That being said.............

::deep breath::

...............I didn't like it as much as the first book ::taking pocket watch out of my pocket and rubbing my thumb across its face as you catch a glimpse of the mockingjay symbol while I wait for this information to sink in::

It just... I just.... Suzanne just.... I dunno.

The thing I loved about book one was all the Peeta/Katniss action-- and I know you know what I'm talking about here. I NEED sexual tension. I NEED self-sacrifice for the love of your life. I NEED kisses that stir something in your chest confusing you because you want more. I NEED one liners like "Come to finish me off, sweetheart?" and I WOULDN'T MIND if Gale was gone.

I barely cared he got whipped, you gize. That's how dead inside I am/how much Suzanne didn't sell me on him.

What I DIDN'T need was for Katniss to go back into the games. I've seen her in the games. I know how they work. I know Katniss dominates the games. I DIDN'T need to meet a bunch of new homies (elderly homies, btw), pretend to care about them and then ultimately NOT care about them which lead me into a nasty guilt spiral of shame. I DIDN'T need for Peeta to be treated like some kind of a porcelain doll that everyone needed to take care of. I mean, I get why, don't think I don't get why...I just DIDN'T need to see that. I hate him being portrayed that way.

What I WANTED was for Peeta to be the tough guy. I WANTED Peeta to save Katniss in some heroic use of his brute strength and smarts. I WANTED to see the games from a different perspective like maybe Gale or Prim got drafted and Katniss, Peeta & Haymitch became their mentors. I know a revolution needed to take place (I WANTED that too) but not this way. No, not this way. This seemed like a repeat of book one but with crazy monkeys, old people & nerve gas.

It did have its poignant moments, I'll give you that. The old man with the wise eyes, for example, doing Rue's whistle in District 11 and then being shot. Whats-her-face old lady sacrificing herself so whats-his-face dude with the trident could carry Peeta faster (again, cuz he's a baby & can't do anything by himself--boooooo). Cinna getting beaten (I very much did not enjoy that but it was an awesome moment just before she pops up in the games). Some very nice moments riddled throughout indeed.

Finally, my biggest beef here...I HATE STEPPING STONE BOOKS. That cliff-hanger is unforgivable. Each book needs to at least TRY to be its own story. This was ridiculous and it's like Suzanne doesn't even feel bad about it. Each Harry Potter book is a story unto itself with a beginning, middle and (mostly) tied up ending. Each Twilight book was it's own (except, in a strange twist, the last one). But this... THIS? No. Didn't even try.

The bottom line is that I expected too much. I upped my expectations and Suzanne didn't deliver. It left me flat, not bedazzled like the first one. And now I get to wait at least another year to see if she can redeem herself with book 3.

Landee, out.

Manic Mandee's Review of Catching Fire

This is gonna be quick because 1- I'm holding a baby and am struggling to type efficiently, 2- She just spit up on me, and 3- You all know I'm not a fun, and articulate writer so I hate to bore you with it.
So here are my quick thoughts on the book.
I liked this one better than book 1 because it was slightly less depressing and disturbing. (And I liked book 1!) It was more hopeful as you got to catch the excitement of a rebellion. And what an awesome rebellion this is gonna shape up to be. Book 3 will be the best!
It was cool!
It was HARD to put down. I didn't really except to pee.
That's my review!
--Later gaters.