The good,the bad,the ugly and the magnificent

   I'm a firm believer that truth is stranger then fiction. I'm continually blown away with how incredible true stories are or stories inspired by true events. I love memoirs because when they are written well they are so transformative. A good memiorist can make you feel like you are right there is their shoes. I find that to be fascinating. I love fiction but a big part of me loves truth more or atleast a person's personal truth.

  The first memoir I read was The Diary of Anne Frank in middle school and it changed my life. The idea of journaling became something vital to me after reading Anne's story in her own words. She was able to write her history and in doing so she became one of strongest and youngest voices of the holocaust tradgedy. She changed the world with her words. To this day I think that is something truly incredible.

  I find that as I read other's stories I begin to make sense of my own life. Memoirs to me are a testament to how different and unique we all are while being still so similar as human beings.We can learn so very much from one another and to me that is why I read Memoirs because I want to learn. The good,the bad,the ugly and the magnificent. That is what a good Memior is. Its not sugar coated. Its raw and honest. It shows the good at its best and ugly at its worst. Life isn't glossy. Its gritty. That is what I love. That honesty in someone's own words.

Catching Fire

   The second book in The Hunger Games series was anything but a let down. In fact it feels like with every book in this trilogy just gets better and better. It held my attention even more because this time around my heart is already with the characters. I felt fear for Katniss and Peeta from the beginning of this book. The feeling that they are about to suffer greatly is felt right from the beginning. I was so scared for them which says something for the brilliance of Suzanne Collin's writing because everything felt so real. The emotion just flew right off the page. The whole book was so emotionally charged to say the least. I felt like my heart was on a string.

    I've invested myself in these characters. I want them to succeed and take down The Capitol so much. I love that the hope of the people in the districts is in a 17 year old girl who began her battle just to save her baby sister. She's not interested in fame or power and she didn't know that a simple action in her eyes would spark a revolution but nonetheless she's accepted her calling. Now she's fighting for more then just those she loves. Now she's fighting along side others for a real future and the pursuit of real freedom. Freedom to live a life not controlled by a corrupt society and the peace of knowing future generations can be safe. Its so epic!

    This book just deepens the passion and heart in this story. It takes it to another level. There are so many symbolic themes and so many issues that this story raises. Its something you can't read and not contemplate. Its been reeling in my head since I finished the last page of the first book. I was dreading how small the pages were getting. My heart was full on racing by the last two pages. I clung to every single word and sentence feeling like I was right there with Katniss. If that's not an indication of a fantastic book then I don't know what is. I have a feeling Mockingjay is gonna blow my mind!

I can't wait to get my hands on the next book!

       I finished The Hunger Games and it was one of those things where I was dreading the book ending. I didn't want the story to end.It was creepy and disturbing how The Capitol glamorized the games. It made me think of our society and the way we define celebrity not to mention our collective obsession with it. The whole time the stylists were dressing up the contestants I compared it in my mind to how a famous Actor or Actress is dressed for the red carpet at The Oscars the big difference of course being that the teens in the hunger games were being dressed to eventually be slaughtered for the amusement of others. Its a very strong commentary on our obsession with reality television as well. As awful as it sounds the idea of The Hunger Games didn't seem so far fetched to me when you think about the direction we are heading with all the shows out there where we make a spectacle of the suffering of others.

      I really liked the strength portrayed in Katniss. She's a girl who has never had it easy but what drives her besides the basic instinct to live is her love for her family especially her little sister. I can relate to her as an oldest sibling and could completely understand when she volunteered to take Prim's place. I think in her position I would have done the same. I liked Peeta as well. He's an all around good person and a fighter for reasons that are different from Katniss. I was struck by the thing that linked them. That seemingly small act of kindness from Peeta to Katniss with that charred loaf of bread. It was a beautiful metaphor for hope and it shows the kindness Peeta is capable of. Its why I knew he could never kill Katniss besides the fact that he is really in love with her.

        I can't wait to get my hands on Catching Fire. There is so much to this story. I'm excited to see Gale enter the picture much more prominently. I'm really wanting to know how he felt watching Katniss fall in love with someone else on t.v. in front of everyone not to mention how he felt when he thought she was going to die. Its obvious he loves her and always has. This love triangle quite frankly makes the whole Bella,Edward,and Jacob thing look lame to say the least. This is a love triangle with a lot of emotion and substance. Honestly I don't know who I would choose if I was in Kat's position. I'd be torn to and a lot.

       The biggest thing I'm anticipating in Catching Fire is how The Capitol is gonna punish Peeta and Katniss. There is no way they are going to let them show that kind of defiance without a fight. I hope its a good one. Also there better be more of explanation as to what those mutant mutts who look eerily like the deceased contestants really are. Thats the thing I loved the most about The Hunger Games. You know that this is just the beginning. The story is about to get a whole lot more epic then it already is. That to me is what makes a great series.

Let the games begin

I've started reading The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I've been hearing a lot about this book for awhile and Its been on my to read list for about a year. So far its been very interesting and disturbing at the same time. Mildly reminds me of Margaret Atwoods The Handmaids Tale. Its got the same sort of terrible futuristic plot going on. I definately knew I wanted to read this book before the movie comes out. I have a feeling this one is gonna make me cry and then some. Its already getting a emotional response out of me and I'm olny about a chapter in. I love the way Katniss is a strong tough girl main character and yes I'm already forming a bit of a crush on Gale. He makes Edward Cullen seem very pansy like to me even in his mere mortal state. This is gonna be my new book series addiction. I can already tell. I really can't ignore a book that both Stephanie Meyer and the great Stephen King call "Amazing". Call me crazy but I kinda trust their taste in books.

The Host....so much better then Twilight!

   You have to live under a rock to not know what the Twilight Series is. Its a vampire/human/werewolf love story...yeah we all know the plot but what I want to talk about is another book Stephanie Meyer has wrote called The Host. Its an Alien/human love story and in my opinion it is leagues ahead of Twilight for so many reasons. First off its classified as an adult novel not a YA novel because it is definately more mature then Twilight. What I love about the host is its not just a love story in the romantic sense. Its about love in general especially the love between family and friends. Its about loyalty and the beauty of humanity. I loved the way Stephanie Meyer took a story that is primarily about an Alien and turned it into a commentary on what makes us all human. I was so moved. Twilight never has moved me the way The Host did. I've read it more then once and I could easily read it again. It always strikes a cord with me and that is what makes a good book great to me.

The first time I fell in love with a book

   I was really young when I started to seriously read books. I remember the first chapter book I read although for the life of me I can't tell you what the title was. I just remember it was a story about a cat with blue fur and a dog. Thats not very descript but keep in mind I was olny about five years old. What I remember the most was how I amazed I was to fall into a story. Its been that way ever since. Books are a whole beautiful world unto themselves and they have always been an escape for me. The best kind of way to get away so to speak.

   I love the feel of a book in my hand. The weight of it and even the way it smells. There are so many good memories tied to the smell of a new or old book. I'm kinda a compulsive book collector but not in an unhealthy way I just can't resist buying a book when I can afford too. Its a wonderful investment to me and also a bit of a gamble if its a book I've never read before. Even when I don't like a book I have read I still find that I can take something away from it. Stories have that power and If its a book I love well then I feel I always have the story with me. Once a story has been read its immortal. That is what I love the most. The immortality of stories and words.