Thursday, January 29, 2015

Series Review: Catching Fire and Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (slight spoilers)

Book: Catching Fire
Author: Suzanne Collins
Publication: Sept 1st, 2009
Source: Borrowed from friend
Read: Jan 3rd to 7th, 2015
Summary (from Goodreads)
Sparks are igniting.
Flames are spreading.
And the Capitol wants revenge.

 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.


My Thoughts:

After not liking the first book in this series, The Hunger Games, I'm pleased to report that I enjoyed Catching Fire and Mockingjay. This first section will be my thoughts on Catching Fire.

I went into Catching Fire already have seen the movie so as I read this book the movie was rolling through my head. I think the movie followed the book very closely. I didn't notice really any parts that I really wanted put in the movie.

I love Jennifer Lawerence as a actress and I think she helped me to like Katniss better as a character. I didn't like Katniss when I first read The Hunger Games back before the first movie was released. I think Catching Fire was very well paced. I enjoyed all the action and catching up with Peeta, Gayle, and Haymitch.

I was most excited for the games. Although I have seen the movie and knew how the games turn out I still found it be very intense. There were still moments I was unsure what would happen. I never knew I would fall so in love with Catching Fire the novel. It is easily my favorite movie, but now it is my favorite book of the series too.



Book: Mockingjay
Author: Suzanne Collins
Publication: Aug 24th, 2010
Source: Borrowed from friend
Read: Jan 7th-13th, 2015
Summary (from Goodreads):

My name is Katniss Everdeen.
Why am I not dead?
I should be dead.

 Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss's family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.

 It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plans--except Katniss.

 The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' Mockingjay--no matter what the personal cost.

My Thoughts:
Mockingjay had a totally different feel from Catching Fire, but I enjoy this one as well. Mockingjay part 1, the movie is pretty slow, and the book is as well. My only disappointment is that I wanted more Peeta. As my favorite character I was really missing him having a vital part in the book. Of course he is still very important to the rebellion although he does not know that.

It was interesting to learn about 13 and their dictatorship like society. I enjoyed how they used Katniss to help with the rebellion. Katniss had her same spitfire attitude throughout the novel that I love. I also loved to see Finnick in this novel. I think he was a great asset to Katniss in her time of need.

The second Half of Mockingjay really picked up and this is the part I had no warning on. I think I would have took the ending totally differently if I had been spoiled by the movie prior to reading this book. The Hunger Games is not a happy series and therefore I knew the book was not going to end with happily ever after, but the ending that Suzanne Collins chose was really hard to swallow. If you read my review of Allegiant you would understand why I'm okay with Collin's ending. I respect her for not choosing to end her series in the easy way, but taking the path that would lead some readers to hate the book and others to love it despite the ending.

I can not wait to see how Mockingjay Part 2 the movie is. I'm glad that I finally read the final two books in the series. I was ready to read the books this time and I really enjoyed them both. This series will probably never be one of my top favorites, but I did enjoy it.

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

2015 New Release Challenge Sign Up


Stormi and Lexie my fellow COYER participants are hosting a reading challenge. I have joined a number of challenges at the beginning of the year that challenge me to read off my tbr list and not read new releases. I read 21 new releases in 2014 and I'm sure I will read quite a few this year also. I currently have 27 new releases on my 2015 new release to read shelf. I'm sure I will find more interesting books throughout the year. I'm going to start out as newbie which is 1-15 books and I will move up if needed.

Some New Releases I'm excited to read:
Fairest by Marissa Meyer
I was Here by Gayle Forman
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
The Storyspinner by Becky Wallace
The Orphan Queen by Jodi Meadows
The Start of You and Me by Emery Lord
The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West

and much much more.

Show Your Shelves Some Love My Physical TBR


Here are all the books I have accumulated that I have not read. You can see a few of my read books in the background. 


Here's the break down of the books. The books on the right are all library book sale books. From there is all books that my sister and I have purchased or won through giveaways. 


Here's the two books I have at college right now. 

I have 30 unread books. That isn't bad, but I still would like to reduce the number significantly over the course of 2015. 




Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Mini Book Reviews: Can This Be Christmas? by Debbie Macomber and An O'Brien Family Christmas by Sherryl Woods (no spoilers)

Book: Can this Be Christmas?
Author: Debbie Macomber
Publication: October 1st, 1998
Source: Purchased
Read: Dec 16th-18th, 2014
Summary (From Goodreads):

In this short hardcover, Debbie Macomber shows how a group of train travelers stranded in a New Hampshire depot on Christmas Eve find the true meaning of Christmas. Len Dawber, a navy man stationed in Maine, is desperate to get home to Texas, where he intends to propose to his sweetheart Amy. Cathy Norris, devastated by her husband's recent death, doesn't expect to enjoy the holiday with her daughter's family in Boston. Burned-out computer salesman Matt McHugh, emotionally estranged from his wife and two kids, nurses his resentment and contemplates divorce. Kelly and Nick Berry fear they're losing the closeness they once shared as they struggle to adjust to their new roles as adoptive parents. When a blizzard forces these characters, and several others, all cranky and argumentative, to spend the night before Christmas together, they find that a little kindness and the courage to open their hearts go a long way toward making it a Christmas to remember. A good choice if you're looking to get in the Christmas spirit.


My Thoughts:
This story was very short around 115 pages, but very sweet. Every person had a story, but a similar goal. They all wanted to spend Christmas with their families and friends. A blizzard forces these weary travelers to change their plans. They all board a train not knowing that the train will break down and they will be forced to spend their Christmas in a train depot.

I loved all the different stories of the characters. I understood their frustration with being stuck in the train depot. It was funny to see how they changed through a few small acts of kindness by the community. I thought this was a really sweet Christmas story to begin my holiday reading season.

Book: An O'Brien Family Christmas
Author: Sherryl Woods
Series: Chesapeake Shores #8
Publication: Sept 27th, 2011
Source: Purchased
Read: Dec 18th-21st , 2014
Summary (from Goodreads):

Dating Matthew O'Brien—a playboy and a younger man—cost Laila Riley her career and her parents' respect. A high price, even for love—and when Laila decides it was just a fling, she breaks it off, despite Matthew's objections.

 But the O'Brien family has other ideas, and they conspire to get Laila to join them on a Dublin holiday. It's a great time to get away from it all, but Laila has reservations about the trip. Matthew's bound to be there, and she's far from immune. What if she can't resist temptation?

 Meanwhile, the O'Briens are in an uproar over matriarch Nell's unexpected romance with an old flame. Will she follow her heart despite the risks? And will Laila discover that some risks are actually once-in-a-lifetime opportunities?
.

My Thoughts:
I bought this book at a library book sale and I was excited to read it. When I went to mark it as to read on goodreads I learned that it was the 8th book in the Cheasapeake shores series. This was my first book by Sherryl Woods so obviously I have not read the other books, but I decided to continue reading anyways since I was about 50 page in at the time and I understood what was happening.

Laila and Matthew were the main characters of this novel. Laila had broken up with Matthew and quite her job at the family bank, which makes her estranged for her family except for her brother. The O'Brien's are a meddling family and they have a goal this Christmas: to get Matthew and Laila back together.

I really enjoyed getting to know all the O'Brien's. They seem like such a fun family. Not to mention they spend Christmas in Dublin, which seemed like the perfect romantic setting. I enjoying getting to know Matthew and Laila better and I was cheering for a reconciliation.

One of my favorite parts was watching Nell fall back in love with her old flame Dillon much to her son Mick's disapproval. I think it showed that you are never too old for true love. Maybe this Nell's chance despite being a million miles apart.

The ending was very romantic and sweet. I am a big fan of sappy endings. It left a lot of loose ends for future novels. I'm interested to go back and read the rest of the series. Sherryl Woods has a few more Christmas novels with these characters that I would love to read.


Sunday, January 25, 2015

Sunday Post # 3: Homework is endless

Hosted by Kimba @ The Caffeinated Book Reviewer

Last Week On the Blog

Winning at Reading/Take Control of Your TBR Pile Sign Up
Top Ten 2013 Releases I Missed
Fill in the Gaps/ Deal Me In Sign Up
Series 2015

Not too many posts this week. I signed up for the Winning at Reading Challenge and am going to try to read books I have won from giveaways in February. Then I'm going to take control of my TBR pile again in March and read books that I own. I also updated my Top Ten Tuesday archive page and realized I only participated 3 times in 2014. I'm going to try to participate more this year. I also talked about my series goals for 2015. The series I need to finish, start, and the series I finished in 2014.

In life it has been a busy week. I have had piles of homework and I'm still not quite done, but getting close. We have to interview a person from another country for World Geography and I'm waiting for our person to email me back so we can set up an interview time. I also need to interview a parent that has young children and I'm wait for my cousin to agree otherwise if she doesn't respond back by tomorrow I'm going to ask somebody else.

My #fitreaders update. This has been a great week. I stayed home until Tuesday morning so I missed my Tuesday swim, but made it to my Thursday swim and was there for 40 minutes. Then my friends and I have completed 4 Zumba workouts this week. Each Zumba class is 50 minutes. That is 4 hours of workout this week. We did walk around the track a little bit and run a little bit also, but I'm hoping to get a real run in sometime this week.

Read This Week

I finished Sold for Endless Rue by Madeleine E. Robins. I loved this book a lot. 

Currently Reading

I'm currently reading My Life with the Walter Boys by Ali Novak

I'm almost finished with this novel and it has been such a fun contemporary. I'm planning on reading Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George next.

Snagged at the Library

Still nothing new from the library although Sold for Endless Rue has been returned. Check out this post for my current check outs minus Sold for Endless Rue

Events this Week

The next COYER read-a-thon is up and this is a longer one. The Scavenger Hunt read-a-thon starts today and goes until February 8th. 
I'm currently read the one word title: Fallen by Anne Hunter. I'm 33% in. I hope to finally finish this book soon. 
For a book with a purple cover and a script style lettering in the title I'm going to read Coralina by Anita Valle
For a book who uses initials I have Beyond New Eden by H.S. Stone
A book with a pirate or a sea captain I have Cutlass by Ashley Nixon
A book with a fully clothed man I have Starstruck by Jamie Campell

There are some choices I have I do not think I will get to all of them, but I would at least like to finish Fallen and start another ebook. 


The Winter's Respite Read-a-thon also happens this week. I'm planning on finishing My Life with the Walter Boys and starting Princess of the Midnight Ball.