Suzanne Collins: The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games: A+
YA fiction


Oh man, this book was good. It was really good. It was really, really good.

The United States is no longer and has given way to a nation called Panem, split into twelve districts and its Capitol. In order to have the citizens of Panem remember the cost of rebellion, the Capitol hosts The Hunger Games annually, where two kids (ages 12-18) are sent from each district to fight to the death.

Our heroine is Katniss, sixteen and toughened from the harsh conditions of living in Disctrict 12, a coal mining district. Her father passed away when she was young and when her mother went into serious depression, she took over as the head of the household, working hard to support her family. She adores Prim, her sister younger by four years.

It is time for The Reaping, and out of all applicants, Prim is the female tribute selected and Katniss quickly volunteers to go in her stead.

So starts The Hunger Games, a story that will really have you on your toes, but even greater is how it makes you think ...about life. What is love? What is death? And what do you do when you have to survive? Katniss sees the indulgence and excess in the Capitol - what is overindulgence and what is compassion? Of course, what had me in tangles was the love angle of this entire affair.

Simply put, it is quite a grand read. I rushed to Borders the next day, consumed the sequel in three-and-a-half short (but glorious) hours, and am counting down until the third is released.

It's the kind of book that makes me remember why I love reading.

Sabrina Jeffries: Never Seduce a Scoundrel

Never Seduce a Scoundrel: D-
Lady Amelia Plume & Major Lucas Winter
Historical - British Regency
The School for Ladies series

Sometimes when books are bad, I finish reading it... just to see how the ends turns out. Usually, the end isn't enough for what I consider to "redeem" the book. As in, the end might be all right, but I still close the book thinking, whaaa?

I think this book failed me on two different levels: the love scenes were pretty laughable and the plot was lame.

Amelia Plume is a decently wealthy young lady looking to get married. She dreams of adventures and passion: she spends her time reading raunchy romance novels (insert laugh here, LOL) and wants to get awaaaaay from England.

Major Lucas Winter comes to her in his completely tall, dark, and handsome form, but Amelia suspects Lucas to be up to something so she plays the part of a henwit (read: ditz). He is, in fact, looking to solve a mystery and to clear his name while at that. Some person has stolen all of his family fortunes, ruined his good family name, and Lucas wants to come down to the mystery for the sake of his family honor and for closure.

Bad news: Lucas suspects Amelia's step-mother is the bad person.

And then they go about trying to solve the mystery and then fall in love.

So, here enters the bad love scenes. Not that I'm looking for anything grand or special, but gads, the things they say to each other as they... uh... "pleasure" each other... just.. is really laughable. It's silly enough for me to be thrown out of the nice, romance-y feeling and into a what just happened here? mood.

And also enters the overly long solving the mystery plot. I lost track of what was happening and then just read it, hoping that something magnificent would happen so that I would be... oh, I don't know... romanced? But that didn't happen.

Bottom line: don't read.

Jane Austen: Persuasion

Persuasion: A+
Anne Elliot & Captain Frederick Wentworth
Historical - British Regency


It would be untrue for me to say that I am a huge fan of Ms. Austen because the only other book of hers that I've read is... yes, you've guessed it: Pride and Prejudice. And while I love Mr. Darcy with all my heart, I couldn't bring myself to read any other of her novels for the same reason I dislike reading classic literature (the whole hard, heavy, dramatic, and stiff issue).

But I seem to have forgotten how delightful Ms. Austen's writing really is. It is witty. It is genuine. And she really speaks of the matters of the heart: real feelings, honest emotions, and humor.

I finished Persuasion over the weekend and I have pretty much made up my mind to go out all her other works (read: massive glommage).

Persuasion in a nutshell would be as follows: Anne and Wentworth ("Wentworth" sounds so much better than "Frederick" to me. hehe..) were young loves, she nineteen and he twenty-three when he proposed to her. Because of Anne's snobbish and utterly idiotic family opposed the match (he was poor and was not of significant social standing), Anne turned Wentworth down.

Heartbroken, betrayed, and angry, Wentworth departed for the navy where he worked up to the prestigious rank of Captain.

Eight years have now passed. Anne is a spinster, living underneath the shadows of her shallow father and older sister. Her younger sister, Mary, has married (a surprise to us all since she is completely whiny and annoying). Anne's father mismanaged his finances and the Elliots are required to move out of their home and put it up for rent. Surprisingly, Wentworth's sister and her husband move in.

And so! Wentworth comes back to town, to stay with his sister... and then! Anne and Wentworth meet again.

With Austen, a happily-ever-after cannot be guaranteed. Her stories, though focused on love and relationships, are not category romances... which makes it even more delicious. Austen realized, two hundred something years ago, that a happily-ever-after is not what is important, it is the love story between the hero and heroine that make the story worthwhile.

I lurve it!

Bottom line: Read!

review roundup

Instead of having an individual post for each average novel, I have decided to lump them together. For books that I felt were better or worse than average, I will have a separate entry.



Candace Camp: Swept Away
Grade: C+
Historical - British Regency
Julia Armiger & Deverel Grey, Lord Stonehaven

Deverel wrongly accuses Julia's brother of stealing funds from a trustee fund. After her brother's death, she is determined to clear his name by getting close to Stonehaven. Of course, the only way she can do this is to seduce him.

Though the mystery and Julia's pursuit to clear her brother's name wasn't an eyesore to read, the relationship between Julia and Deverel was slow and superfluous. It took so long for Julia to convince Deverel of her brother's innocence that I had already given up on the mystery: who cares about the mystery? Let's just get this show on the road. This, of course, is never a good feeling to have while reading a happy romance.

Bottom line: read if bored.




Elizabeth Boyle: This Rake of Mine
Grade: C
Historical - British Regency
Miranda Mabberly & Lord Jack Tremont

Jack mistakes Miranda for his mistress, and in a very public place, kisses her, succeeding in ruining her. She disappears and comes back nine years later with as a decorum teacher with a new name at an academy for young ladies. She is given the responsibility of escorting three students home when they find themselves stranded at Jack's rundown estate.

The three girls try to set Jack and Miranda up, Miranda suspects Jack of being involved in some shady business, and then a lot of things happen in which they discover their love for each other anyway.

I'm not especially fond of Ms. Boyle's writing style, but it was readable. What I am interested in are the books to follow this one. Clearly, each of Miranda's charges will get their own book and I'm curious about their story.



Karen Hawkins: An Affair to Remember
Grade: C
Historical - British Regency
Anna Thraxton & Anthony Elliott, Earl of Greyley

I read this a month ago and I cannot really remember what happened... I think something about Anthony inheriting five unruly orphans and he hires Anna as their governess. She, who was once a peer, has to now work her for her wages since her grandfather (I think grandfather... some male figure) has wasted it away.

I actually can't remember why Anna and Anthony are at odds with each other and why they don't just hop together in bed at the very beginning. It might have been Anna's independent and stubborn nature and it might be Anthony's.... I can totally be making this up.

Seeing that I can't remember what happened a mere couple weeks after having read it, the read itself wasn't entirely thrilling.


Happy Thursday!

Laura Lee Guhrke: The Marriage Bed

The Marriage Bed: A-
historical - Victorian
Lady Viola Hammond & Viscount John Hammond


The third book in an unofficial series, we have seen Lady Viola's estrangement from her husband in the books Guilty Pleasures and His Every Kiss.

On Ms. Guhrke's blog, she stated that she had received many inquiries about Viola and her story. When was she going to kill off John (the lowly scumbag!) so that Viola would be able to get her own story? Ms. Guhrke decided to rekindle the romance between the two, something this blogger feels she did successfully.

After eight and a half long years of separation, John is in desperate need of a legitimate heir. His cousin, Percy, whom had been responsible for producing an heir, suddenly passes and John realizes he must make amends with his wife.

One problem.
She absolutely hates him.

When they had married, she was a naive and innocent girl of seventeen who was madly in love with John. After all, he was charming, handsome, and paid the kind of attention to women that they desired. Unfortunately for Viola, John needed to marry someone with a large dowry, something Viola was in possession of with her older brother being a duke and all.

They have six months of happiness.
Then Viola realized John married her for her money, that he had never loved her, and he had even had a mistress until the day of their wedding.

She shuts him out, devastated, and John found comfort in the arms of other women.

By the start of the novel, John has had numerous (but not an excessive number) of mistresses. Viola has created a new life for herself. And society knew that Viola and John were to never be invited to the same social functions. Ever.

And so begins this surprisingly emotional novel.

Emotional for me because I completely felt for Viola. I have the greatest of admiration for any author who manages to make the main conflict of the book less than idiotic. (Like the heroes who are traumatized by a bee sting from their childhood, heroines who refuse to get with the hero because of, oh I don't know, something stupid). Had I been in Viola's situation, I would have been equally as appalled and devastated, but at the same time, I empathized for John.

I also felt this novel managed to capture a sense of realism that a romance is generally unable to do.

I did, however, have some disagreements with the way the author managed to end the book. Thirty pages left and she managed to throw some unnecessary stuff in that bungled the complete happiness I would've felt otherwise.

Bottom line: a worthwhile read, disregarding the last two (stupid) chapters.



PS: I'm totally sneaking into Borders to read Lisa Kleypas' new novel, Married by Morning. I refuse to buy it unless I know I like it. Yes, I'm cheap like that. That's how I roll. *dust shoulders off*

=D

Happy Tuesday!
I hope your Memorial Day was safe and filled with fun.

Mine was awesome:

Pro: managed to get a tan
Con: only from mid-thigh to the knees. I'll extraordinarily tan (and hot!) thighs. Ooh yes, just call me sexy....

the pressure

So, I started my little 101 books in 1001 days challenge back in 2008 or so and for some reason far beyond me, I decided to put a bunch of classic, literature books on there. These books, you know - the acclaimed ones like Lolita and War and Peace - are good books... so I've been told. A definite must for a book whore like me.

But as you also know, I dislike reading hard, heavy, dramatic, stiff books. I have enough stress in reality and when I read, I enjoy reading light-hearted, easy books - hence the love of the romance genre.

This was a dilemma; how was I going to read all of the books on my "books to read before I die" list if I don't want to... well... read it?

Ooh yes! Put a whole bunch of those books on my list for a book challenge (where I'd be forced to read it in order to complete the challenge). Yes! I would have to read these delightful books.

Nooooooo!!
Bad, bad idea!

I just realized I now have months - eight? - to read, like, sixty, hard, heavy, dramatic, stiff books.

Like The Iliad and The Great Gatsby (nooooo!) and Crime and Punishment and War and Peace and Lolita...and ... and... curses!!

Not enough time! Not enough time! Getting through one of those honkers will undoubtedly depress, bore, or stress me. I'm hoping only for one of those options per book.

Oh dear.
Wish me luck.

Susan Mallery: Sweet Trouble

Sweet Trouble: D-
contemp
Jesse Keyes & Matthew Fenner

Jesse Keyes has done some serious growing up. With a steady job and a vibrant four-year-old son, Gabe, she's in a far better place than when she left Seattle five years ago…pregnant and misunderstood by almost everyone in her life.

Now it's time to go home and face her demons. But her sisters, Claire and Nicole, aren't exactly impressed with the new and improved Jesse. And then there's Matt, Gabe's father, who makes it clear that he never wants to see her again despite the lust that still smolders between them.

Jesse doesn't know if she can make up for all the mistakes of her past. But the promise of sweet nights with Matt might just give her the extra incentive she needs to make it worth the trouble.… (amazon)

I shall try to make this review sweet and simple. It's not so much a consideration for you, bloggers, but because of my own shortcomings: I read this book a couple weeks ago and I cannot really... recall... what happened. Why I'm writing a review in this state, I'm not so sure myself. But I cannot blame myself entirely for neither remembering the characters nor the plot.

This book was insignificant.

It is like my favorite romance, Paradise, but, like, fifty times worse.

There are some similarities between Paradise and Sweet Trouble:

1. Both books have heroes whose name is "Matthew."
2. Both books are about lovers who reunite after years of separation.

And that is where the similarities end.

Unlike Paradise, Sweet Trouble has a lackluster and unexciting plot(s). Not only is our heroine, Jesse, trying to win back the favors of her older sisters, she is also trying to win back the love of her life.

Matt has come a far way from being the geek he was when he first met and fell in love with Jesse. Then something about a (really dumb and lame) misunderstanding that tore them apart which caused Jesse to run away and give birth to her son in secret.

And then she comes back in town after having matured.
And then copious amounts of drama ensues because her sisters are dumb and Matt is even dumber: he loves her but cannot get over the past because... of his fear, I think. Though this sort of fear is not the sort to be laughed at, Ms. Mallery does not do her characters justice by writing about him/ them in a way that makes me... care.

Oh, wait. I do believe Matt's anger stems from the fact that Jesse kept from him the fact that he fathered a son. His anger is hard to sympathize with, as I felt she had valid reason to genuinely believe that Matt would have no interest in his son. Since I couldn't sympathize with Matt and the foundation of the central conflict, I just wanted to tell Matt to "get over it and move on."

Bottom line: reading about Jesse's secret brownie recipe made me want to have a brownie by the end of the book. Mmm... brownies.....