Review: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Book Info:

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Hardcover: 400 pages

Publisher: Scholastic Press (September 1, 2009)

ISBN-13: 9780439023498

Genre: Young Adult

Source: My Shelves

Rating: 5/5

Fresh from their improbable victory in the annual Hunger Games, Katniss and Peeta get to enjoy the spoils only briefly before they must partake in a Capitol-sponsored victory tour. But trouble is brewing— -- President Snow tells Katniss directly he won't stand for being outsmarted, and she overhears rumbles of uprisings in Panem's districts. Before long it's time for the next round of games, and because it's the 75th anniversary of the competition, something out of the ordinary is in order...




When everybody initially starting raving about The Hunger Games I stayed away because I didn't think it sounded like my kind of book.  Finally, after almost a year, my curiosity got the best of me and I had to see what everyone was talking about.  Once I started reading I was hooked and I couldn't figure out why I waited so long to read it.  Catching Fire was much the same way.  I knew I wanted to read it.  I bought it as soon as it came out, and it's been sitting around my house for almost a year.  Once again, I didn't know why I put of reading it for so long.

As soon as started reading I was hooked.  The characters, the setting, everything about the book worked so well.  Collins included just enough details from The Hunger Games that it jogged my memory, but not enough to feel repetitive if you'd just finished the first book. Katniss is a great character.  She's strong and brave, someone you want to be like, but not so perfect that you can't relate to her.  Peeta is still as sweet as ever, but I'd hoped to see a bit more of Gale.  I didn't know where the storyline was going since I'd stayed away from reviews, and I was pleasantly surprised. 

This series won't be put on the back burner anymore.  Mockingjay is ordered and as soon as it gets to me, I'd better be left alone until I finish it! 5 stars

Review: The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan

Book Info:

The Dead-Tossed Waves (Forest of Hands and Teeth, Book 2) by Carrie Ryan

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (March 9, 2010)

ISBN-13: 9780385736848

Genre: YA

Source: Library, Audio

Rating: 4/5

Gabry lives a quiet life. As safe a life as is possible in a town trapped between a forest and the ocean, in a world teeming with the dead, who constantly hunger for those still living. She's content on her side of the Barrier, happy to let her friends dream of the Dark City up the coast while she watches from the top of her lighthouse. But there are threats the Barrier cannot hold back. Threats like the secrets Gabry's mother thought she left behind when she escaped from the Sisterhood and the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Like the cult of religious zealots who worship the dead. Like the stranger from the forest who seems to know Gabry. And suddenly, everything is changing. One reckless moment, and half of Gabry's generation is dead, the other half imprisoned. Now Gabry only knows one thing: she must face the forest of her mother's past in order to save herself and the one she loves.




The Dead-Tossed Waves is the second book in a trilogy, following The Forest of Hands and Teeth (review).  These types of books are a bit of a departure for me.  I don't usually read books that involve dead things like zombies, and I listened to the first book based on Beth's rave review.  I enjoyed The Forest of Hands and Teeth, but liked the audio production more than I liked the story itself.  Still, I was interested enough to listen to the second book, and I enjoyed The Dead-Tossed Waves much more.
 
I think the difference between Forest and Waves, for me, was how prominent the Unconsecrated were in the story.  In Forest, they were front and center all the time, and since the walking dead don't appeal much to me I didn't enjoy the story as much.  In Waves, the Unconsecrated are still a very important part of the story, but the setting and other characters allowed them to blend into the background a bit and I found myself much more interested in the story.  I also felt  more of a connection to Gabry's character than to Mary's.  I'm not sure exactly why this was, but it was one more reason Waves worked better for me.
 
A different narrator read The Dead-Tossed Waves, and I don't think it was quite as good as the first book in the trilogy, but it was close.  While I didn't expect to be pulled into this series like I have been, I am now very excited for the last book in the trilogy.  I will be listening to it as soon as it becomes available.  4 stars

Review: A Gift from Brittany by Marjorie Price

Book Info:

A Gift from Brittany by Marjorie Price

Paperback: 272 pages

Publisher: Gotham; (March 3, 2009)

ISBN: 1592404340

Genre: Non-fiction, Memoir

Source: For Review, Blog Tour

Rating: 4/5

While in her late twenties, Marjorie Price leaves the comfort of her Chicago suburb to strike out on her own in Paris and hone her artistic talents. Dazzled by everything French, she falls in love with a volatile French painter and they purchase an old farmhouse in the Breton countryside. When Marjorie's seemingly idyllic marriage begins to unravel, she forms a friendship with an elderly peasant woman, Jeanne, who is illiterate, has three cows to her name, and has never left the village. Their differences are staggering yet they forge a friendship that transforms one another's life.




Memoirs are one of my favorite genres, but it's been a while since I've read one that I loved.  It seems like most of the memoirs out are about what a terrible childhood the author had, and how that affected the rest of their life.  A Gift from Brittany is about as far from this kind of memoir as you can get, and it reminded me of why I fell in love with memoirs in the first place.

Price's writing is beautiful and descriptive.  I could easily picture the French countryside, her paintings, and the house she so lovingly restored.  I enjoyed the contrast between her busy life in Paris, and the tranquility of the countryside.  The villagers may have moved at a slow pace, but their lives were full of friends, family and hard work. 

I really felt a connection to Marjorie.  When her relationship with Yves was on rocky ground, I wanted to step in and make things better for her.  Through out the rough times, Marjorie was able to lean on her friend, Jeanne.  Even though Marjorie and Jeanne were so different, their friendship was a testament to the bonds that women form with each other. 4 stars

About the Author:

Marjorie Price was born in Chicago, Illinois. After receiving a B.A. in Speech and Drama (1951) from Stanford University, she returned to Chicago and studied painting and design at the Chicago Art Institute. In 1953 she made her first trip to Europe. She remained there for six months, attending art classes at the Grande Chaumiére in Paris. On her return to the United States, she settled in San Francisco and studied painting at the San Francisco Art League. From 1953 to 1960, she worked in television, continued to paint, and indulged her love of theater by acting in regional theater. In 1960, she again left America for France, living first in Paris and then on a farm in Brittany which she restored and where she created an art center called the “Centre d’Art de la Salle” where painters, sculptors and ceramists came from various parts of France to exhibit their work. In 1970, she moved to Rome, Italy with her daughter Danielle. In 1978, after eighteen years in Europe, she returned to the United States and settled in New York. Her work is represented in numerous private and public collections in the United States and Europe. Marjorie Price lives and works as a painter and author in New York City.

If you check out her website you can also see some of her paintings, which are beautiful.

Review: Tears of Pearl by Tasha Alexander

Book Info:

Tears of Pearl by Tasha Alexander

Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Minotaur Books (September 1, 2009)
ISBN-13: 9780312383701

Genre: Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery

Source: For Review from LibraryThing

Rating:3/5

Looking forward to the joys of connubial bliss, newlyweds Lady Emily and Colin Hargreaves set out toward Turkey for an exotic honeymoon. But on their first night in the city, a harem girl is found murdered -- strangled in the courtyard of the Sultan’s lavish Topkapi Palace. Sir Richard St. Clare, an Englishman who works at the embassy in Constantinople, is present and recognizes the girl as his own daughter who was kidnapped twenty years earlier.

Tears of Pearl is the fourth book in the Lady Emily series. Usually I don't start series in the middle, but this one came for review from LT, and while it looked interesting I didn't feel compelled to read all the books. Tears of Pearl is a historical mystery with a cozy feel. I prefer my mysteries a little more hard core, so I'm glad I didn't start the series at the beginning.

Lady Emily is an amateur sleuth. She is independent and determined, but beyond that, I can't actually say much about her. Maybe if I'd read the series from the beginning I'd know more about her, but even starting the series in the middle I still expect to know a little more about the main character once I've finished a book.

The biggest failing for me in the this book though was that it didn't have the feeling I was looking for. When I read historical fiction I want to be transported to a time and place that I cannot visit, and I never got that feeling with Tears of Pearl. There wasn't anything specific that made this book feel modern, but I had to keep reminding myself that it was set in the 1800's. Maybe it was the fact that the women in the harem were so outspoken that threw off the feeling of the book.

I think this series might be a little better suited to readers who enjoy cozies and historical fiction. It was a decent book, but this is one series I won't be continuing with. 3 stars

TwentyTen Reading Challenge

While I loved the 999 Challenge last year, I'm skipping the 101010 Challenge on LT this year as I just don't think there is any way I'll be able to complete it. What I liked most about the 999 Challenge was the categories and finding books to fit into them. So, I was thrilled to find the TwentyTen Reading Challenge hosted by Bart's Bookshelf. It has the categories I love, but on a much smaller scale.

Rules:
-Read 2 books from each category, making a requirement of 20 books total.
-The categories are intended to be loose guidelines only, if you decide it fits, then it fits. (Apart from those marked **)
-Categories marked with ** have tighter rules, and these must be followed.
-Each book can only qualify for one category.
-Crossovers with other challenges are allowed.
-Books read from 01/01/2010 to 31/12/2010 are eligible.

Young Adult

1. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

2. The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan

TBR**

1. Bright Light, Big Ass by Jen Lancaster

2. Waiting for Daisy by Peggy Orenstein

Shiny and New

1. Tricks by Ellen Hopkins

2. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Bad Blogger's**

1. Still Missing by Chevy Stevens (Trish @ Hey Lady)

2. One Deadly Sin by Annie Solomon (Becky @ My Thoughts, Your Thoughts)

Charity

1. Broken by Karin Slaughter

2. Lucid Intervals by Stuart Woods

New in 2010

1. Secrets of Eden by Chris Bohjalian

2. The Things That Keep Us Here by Carla Buckley

Older Than You

1.

2.

Win! Win!

1.

2.

Who Are You Again?

1. Tears of Pearl by Tasha Alexander

2. Never Tell a Lie by Hallie Ephron

Up To You...Memoir

1. Some Girls: My Life in a Harem by Jillian Lauren

2. A Gift from Brittany by Marjorie Price