Book hunt to come & Other things

Death Troopers

Halloween is just around the corner and my costume isn't completed yet. Jyg and I are doing a theme again. Last year was gothic Wizard of Oz, so this year we decided to darken up another childhood favorite - Little Red Riding Hood. Before you ask, I'm not going to be the big bad wolf. Instead, I'm the woodsman post wolf-slaying. 

My mind is off somewhere else. Right now I'm browsing the bookstore, even though I'm sitting at desk. James Franco's collection of short stories, Palo Alto, was released earlier this month while the rather dark Star Wars novel, Death Troopers, was released in mass market paperback just yesterday. I actually went looking for Death Troopers yesterday while I was at work. The HEB Plus - a local chain of grocery stores - housed a rather large (compared to other HEBs in the area) book section. Sadly, the book wasn't on the shelves. 

I'll probably put off purchasing Pablo Alto - which is getting quite a few bad reviews on Amazon - until it hits the discount table at Barnes & Noble, or a used copy appears at a reasonable price online. And unless I'm planning to find a hardcover version, I'll just buy Death Troopers at Barnes later this week (whenever I get some me time).

At another HEB Plus - this one in San Juan - I saw a young girl wearing a black The Hunger Games shirt. It was the first time outside of Twilight and Harry Potter that I've seen someone wear a shirt inspired by a book. Sad thing is, the latter two are usually on people closer to my age than that of the intended audience. And like most fans of the trilogy, I'm waiting patiently for the film release. As you may all know (unless you don't read anything online) Lionsgate - you know, the studio that's brought you such classics as the Saw flicks - has acquired the rights to the film. And that's about all the news there is. Several female stars have show interest in the screenplay - also written by Suzanne Collins - including Skins star Kaya Scodelario and Kick Ass and Let Me In (an adaptation of the novel Let the Right One In, which is also the basis of the Swedish film of the same title) starlet, Chloe Moretz.

And if you're a fan of the first book, maybe you should check out Hunger Games (the unofficial score).

And finally, one last thing before I go. Atriad Press is looking for nonfiction submissions of books about Texas. If you're a Texan writer of nonfiction, maybe you should think about this press. Who knows. I might just pick it up and whore it out here. Well, if it's good.

Until next time, keep on huntin'.

Collins delivers the absolute ending for a trilogy

Picking up where shortly after Catching Fire left off, Mockingjay opens with Katniss Everdeen, the girl on fire, whom the citizens of Panem fell in love with at the seventy-fourth Hunger Games, standing in the charred remains of District 12. Confusion is still looming over her as the realization of all she was raised to believe were lies. But mostly because while she was rescued from the last arena, Peeta wasn't. His fates lies in the hands of the Capitol and the loathsome snake president, Snow.  

The survivors of District 12 have become refugees of thought-to-be-destroyed District 13, whose citizens have resided underground for the last seventy-five years. Armed with their greatest weapon, Katniss Everdeen - the Mockingjay - who stood up and defied the Capitol twice, in two different arenas, the rebels are ready to take on the Capitol one district at a time. 

But what looms over Katniss's thoughts is - who is the enemy in all this?

After reading the last book, I was on edge that Suzanne Collins wouldn't be able to capture my attention like she did with The Hunger Games. And after Aaron Guerra's constant reminder that this book would piss me off, I wasn't looking forward to reading it. But I did. The moment I put down Catching Fire and picked up this book, I was sucked back into the world that Collins first introduced. While the elements of "who will Katniss pick" still lingered, foul smelling like Snow's roses, the book was motivated with plot and action, leaving you turning the page at the edge of your seat. 

While I can understand why several readers found this book disappointing, the turn of events (no spoilers here) were a necessary evil. And if you're a true reader, you would've seen it a mile away. The book was thought provoking, as well as, heart wrenching. Collins' gift doesn't leave her side as each word carries you through the world of chaos and confusion. 

My only anticipation now is the adaptation that is coming soon of the first book. If done right, we'll have something that blow both Harry Potter and Twilight out of the water. But then, again, it's Lion's Gate that's releasing the film(s). 

"Catching" extinguishes my fire

Leave it to Suzanne Collins to make me eat my words. I praise her over the first book of her amazing trilogy, The Hunger Games, and what does she give me in the second book? The same thing I said she lacked in the first one. 

Catching Fire isn't at all on par with the crapfest, damsel in distress theme of Twilight, but it's painfully near. Nine months after the seventy-fourth Hunger Games, Katniss is adjusting to life of luxury as the rest of District 12 is still starving and barely making ends meet. Gale has started work in the mines and her uncertainty towards Peeta has severed their relationship. Having to still play lovers for the camera, Katniss feels that nothing will ever be the same between her and her friend again. And this makes her long for him even more. 

Caught in a love triangle, she is confronted by President Snow - the only person in the capitol who doesn't believe in her undying love for Peeta and  who sees the berries as a symbol of rebellion than of love. So starts the wheel of events that brings both Peeta and Katniss back into the arena for the third Quarter Quell, along with other victors from the other eleven districts. But something strange is going on within the arena, something even Katniss cannot fathom or put together. What's worse is that something is going on outside, where Katniss cannot reach those she loves in time.

The book starts off slowly, building little momentum at times. I told Aaron Guerra, who suggested the book to me, that it was work that was keeping me from finishing it as fast as I did the first. Really, it was because the events were taking so long to get to the action that I was afraid I wouldn't be able to get past the first section. Collins manages to ruin the trilogy for me by adding in the problem of who will Katniss choose, but in the end it's clearly an inevitable, unavoidable force that her target audience wanted to know. It doesn't move the plot for me, just makes the character's decision that much harder to make in the end.

The action in the arena is much more bloodier than the first, but isn't lasting. The twist ending, however, makes the book worth the read. And trust me, if you can get past the adolescent nonsense, you get a pretty good read.

I'm moving onto Mockingjay now, which Aaron promised me I'll hate. There's something to look forward to, no? Until next time, keep on huntin'.

Books Make Me Happy

I got my copies of Suzanne Collins's Catching Fire and Mockingjay - the last two books in the Hunger Games trilogy - in the mail Saturday. It made my weekend, even though it was a drag at work. Along with these two books, I received my copy of Diary of the Dead (not pictured), leaving me only to pick up a copy of Survival of the Dead to complete my collection of Romero zombie films. 

When I got to work that day, Guerra showed me his copy of Mockingjay which he happily stated that he was already on page 142. I told him I got my copy in the mail along with the second book, which I still needed to read. I don't think I'll get through Catching Fire before the playoffs are over, so it looks like we won't be chatting up a storm about the books. There's always next season, no?

Until next time, keep on huntin'.

Suzanne Collins Leaves Me Hungry for More

It seems like I say this with every Young Adult novel that comes my way, but I mean it every time: The Hunger Games has proven to show that YA has come a long way since I was a kid. I've always been a reader, but if books like this were introduced to me when I was in school I would've stopped attempting all those lame paperback novels by uber popular authors that I only got halfway through. And don't say Harry Potter, because even then I disliked the prepubescent wizard. 

Still, I can't help but to see that, much like Harry Potter, Suzanne Collins has given something to the Twilight generation - a strong female role model whose priority is to survive rather than which boy to choose.  That's not to say that love doesn't have its part in The Hunger Games - and quite possibly the series - but unlike with the Twilight Saga, fans of  The Hunger Games trilogy aren't rallying for Team Gale or Team Peeta. 

The America we once knew is gone. In its ashes remains a country called Panem. The country has been divided into districts - 13 in all - and the Capitol, where the wealthiest reside. Before the story opens, a revolution takes place against the Capitol and its people. But it is a failure and as punishment, District 13 is destroyed. And the Hunger Games begin. Each year, every district holds a lottery to see which two children partake in the Hunger Games. One globe holds the names of every girl of the district and one holds those of every boy. The age ranges from 12 to 18. On the first year of an individuals eligibility, one ticket holds his or her name. The number of tickets increases every year and for additional food. 

The gist of the Hunger Games is simple to follow. Twenty-four children enter the arena and only one is allowed to leave. Each child is expected to survive using their wits and their strength, no matter what. The violence of the game is aired all over Panem, but it is mostly a pastime for those who inhabit the Capitol. The winner's district, in the end, is awarded food for an entire year and the winner is given a mansion, money and enough to survive for the rest of his or her life. And as Prim Everdeen's name is called out on Reaping Day - the day of the lottery - older sister Katniss volunteers to take the place of her twelve-year-old sister. The second name to be called is that of Peeta Mellark, the son of a baker. 

Katniss has skills known throughout District 12 - hunting skills, as well as, survival skills in the wilderness. Illegally, Katniss has been keeping her family alive by hunting the surrounding woods with friend Gale. But on that year's Reaping Day, Katniss is facing her greatest challenge - having to outlive the boy who once helped her survive when her father's life was taken after a mine explosion. 

The book takes you into an unimaginable world where young adults - children, even - are placed into the hands of the wealthiest for the sake of survival and national pride. And while Katniss has every intention of surviving the arena - is she ready to take the lives of others her age?

The book is hard to put down. Suzanne Collins gives us a heroine in a world where girls are yearning to be saved by a homoerotic werewolf or sparkling vampire. I hope that The Hunger Games and the books that follow - Catching Fire and Mockingjay (to be released on August 24) - shine some light upon the eyes of the girls blinded by the drivel presented by Stephenie Meyer. Collins has that special touch, yanking every emotion welled up in your hearts - from tears of sadness to those of victory.

Experience reading with the all-new Amazon Kindle:

Re: Baseball & Books

A month ago, I posted a reading list of books dealing with baseball. That list still stands, by the way. This post really has nothing to do with baseball, but it does have to do with a baseball player and books; one, of which, deals with a rather dark sport. 

I got to work yesterday with A Gathering of Crows in hand. I take books with me because I get way more reading done at work than I ever do at home - go figure. As I was sucked into the page-turner, one of the players - mind you, I work at Edinburg Stadium which is the home of the Edinburg Roadrunners - noticed I was reading. Inquiry occurred and we spoke for a couple of minutes on the subject of books. 

I know there's that old stereotype that jocks don't read, but there's also one that involves nerds not liking sports. And for the last few weeks of this season, I've gotten really into the sport. I don't fancy I'll be watching any games on TV, but I will root for the home team. Well, Aaron Guerra - the name of the aforementioned player - is a baseball player and a semi-new reader. He confessed to me today he's only been reading since last December and has already read close to 65 books, 17 of which has been read just this summer. That puts to shame my 34 books in the failed attempt of 100+ book challenge.

I didn't peg Aaron to be a reader - mostly because of the stereotype. Until one night he entered the locker room with a book in hand. Steven, my assistant/co-worker, and I were setting up the envelopes for our club dues when it happened. I couldn't see what was in his hand, but I assumed - because I'd seen so many books in the visiting team locker room - whatever he was reading it had to deal with baseball. When he headed off back to the diamond, I decided to sneak a peak at what he was reading. Lo and behold, it was a copy of Orson Scott Card's Xenocide - the third book in the Ender's Game series.

So yesterday, when we spoke, he suggested I check out Ender's Game, which I confessed I've tried to read many times to no avail. He then suggested Suzanne Collins's The Hunger Games, which I noted. It wasn't too hard to find at Barnes & Noble. Most importantly, it was only $8.99 for the softcover. Today he suggested I read Christopher Golden's Of Saints and Shadows, which'll be next on my list. The Twilight Saga was tossed around, but I have no plans on reading those. Nor do I plan on reading Harry Potter, which he also suggested.

So with that, fellow reader(s), I'll leave you with this. I'm planning on reading The Hunger Games just as soon as this entry posts. Until next time, keep on huntin'.