The Hunger Games
I'm itching to finish off my reading list so I could drink in more books, but I'm also afraid of not savoring them long enough to be able to bring them to boring places, so that whenever I get bored I could just whip out a book.
I've been reading The Hunger Games since last night. I'm sort of addicted to it right now, to the point of not being able to start studying for my exam tomorrow. I didn't instantly dive into it, however. First of all, the lead character is female. Now in that sense, I'm kind of sexist. I don't appreciate stories where the hero is a heroine. I'm more into the valor and glory of boys, because I rarely see that in real life and it's my idea of romance. I'm also more into stories where there are a lot of characters involved, in which case I find girl characters I absolutely adore, like Arya Stark from GRRM's A Song of Ice and Fire. The good thing I find about Katniss (this book's lead, I'm not too fond of her name) is that she's vaguely like Arya, so I imagine her being fierce and boyish and I un-imagine her name.
Now what drew me into the world of The Hunger Games is not its modernity, but its anti-modern world. It's like The Giver, only brutal, savage as opposed to peaceful monotony. It's like the modern world thrown back into the ways of un-technology, if you can make sense of my made-up word. I'm actually reminded of a Sector 7/Midgar environment (if anyone doesn't know, that's from Final Fantasy VII. Yes, I am a bagful of geekery.) I'm not so much picky on writing style, just get me away from Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series. This book was written for the young adult. I've taken a liking to more serious, heavy adult books since high school, but going back to YA is really refreshing.
I haven't finished it yet, I think I will in a few hours before I start studying for Bio and I'll add on a small ETA on here about how I feel about its entirety. In the meantime, it's a good read so far.
ETA:
Like I promised. Well, I put the book down with a sigh, and my heart feels heavy and joyful at the same time. In the end it turned out to be more of a love story than anything, but I must admit the last quarter of the book was really exciting. I spent the last 5 hours reading, isn't that an indication of its quality?
I can't wait to read the next book (whenever my brother decides to get it. I've been buying most of the books in this house since I was young, it's his turn to step up now). I can't wait to see what happens to Peeta. Peeta is my favorite character (but still not loving those names, to be honest), and my heart breaks for him. I get dangerously attached to lovable characters.
Anyway, I discovered that this is going to be a movie, and is currently in pre-production. I can't wait! I've been imagining it as a movie throughout my reading and I've decided that it would be an awesome movie. I just sincerely hope they do it justice. They've done the Narnia books (the first two, at least) great justice, also true for the Lord of the Rings books, so I hope they get it right with this one two...and cast handsome boys for Peeta and Gale.
So now I've decided to make a catalog of the books I've read this year:
Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
Rising Sun by Michael Crichton
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Lost World by Michael Crichton
Fablehaven: Keys to the Demon Prison
(Drizzt) Homeland
(pending) Sherlock Holmes (complete) Vol. 1
Sphere by Michael Crichton
(pending) A Dance with Dragons by George RR Martin
The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton
I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore
Graphic Novels:
Hush
Kingdom Come
Batman & Robin
And I tried recalling some of the books I've read last year or 2009, I forget:
The Shack by William Young
Mort by Terry Pratchett
Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty
Fablehaven by Brandon Mull
Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star by Brandon Mull
Fablehaven: Grip of the Shadow Plague by Brandon Mull
Fablehaven: Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary by Brandon Mull
(re-read) The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
(re-read) Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks (although I can't remember if I read it 2009 or 2008)
My memory of 2008 was largely dominated by George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire:
A Game of Thrones
A Clash of Kings
A Storm of Swords
A Feast for Crows
I can't remember if there are any more, but these are the ones I remember. And I dearly hope I won't have to re-read the Fablehaven series when I get my hands on the fifth book, and that I'd be able to read Catching Fire (sequel to The Hunger Games) before I forget all about it since I'm decided on immersing myself into another book before the end of the week.