The Hunger Games from a Non-YA Reader's Perspective (2)

For those of you who don't know, I'm chronicling my dad's thoughts as he reads The Hunger Games. He's a teacher and the entire school where he works is reading it. I thought it might be interesting for other people to see what a non-YA and non-fiction reader in general would think of The Hunger Games.

I talked to my dad for the first time about it earlier tonight. He says he really likes it! I was super excited when he said that because it's one of my favorite books (obviously). Some of his thoughts were that it's really long - I was kind of surprised when I heard this because I've never considered THG a long book. But I guess 350+ pages is kind of long. He's only at the part where Katniss first arrives at the Capitol, though, so to him it probably seems like forever until the end. He doesn't like how people have weird names, which I laughed at. He also says that he has a certain ending in mind (but I don't know what it is) that he wants to see happen and that will partly determine whether he reads the next two books.

That's all I have to report now but to me this is very interesting and hopefully someone else is interested too.

The Actor and the Housewife by Shannon Hale

Summary:

What if you were to meet the number one person on your laminated list - you know, that list you joke about with your significant other about which five celebrities you'd be allowed to run off with if ever given the chance? And of course since it'll never happen it doesn't matter...

Mormon housewife Becky Jack is seven months pregnant with her fourth child when she meets celebrity heartthrob Felix Callahan. Twelve hours, one elevator ride and one alcohol-free dinner later, something has happened... though nothing has happened. It isn't sexual. It isn't even quite love. But a month later Felix shows up in Salt Lake City to visit and they know what's hit them, Felix and Becky are best friends. Really. Becky's husband is pretty cool about it. Her children roll their eyes. Her neighbors gossip endlessly. But Felix and Becky have something special... something unusual, something completely impossible to sustain. Or is it? A magical story, The Actor and the Housewife explores what could happen when your not-so-secret crush walks right into real life and changes everything. (from Goodreads)
Review:

Shannon Hale is one of my favorite authors, but for some reason this is the first book I'm reviewing by her. It's probably because I haven't read one of her books in a really long time, but I would recommend all of them, even the ones I haven't read. Shannon won the Newberry Medal for Princess Academy, so she has to be a good writer.

Like all of her other novels, I really enjoyed The Actor and the Housewife. I think I like her adult novels better than her young adult (I adored Austenland) so don't skip this just because it's labeled as an adult. I really liked the premise of TAATH because everyone has one (or ten) celebrity that they would love to be best friends with. I would love to be BFF with Ian Somerhalder, but I don't think it could stay that way (he's just too cute!). But I liked that TAATH went after the age-old question: can married women still be friends with men and vice versa? I think it did a pretty good job of showing all aspects: the jealousy it can cause, but also the strength and trust that it can create when you're okay with your significant other being friends with the opposite sex. I liked that Becky was able to be faithful to her husband and still be friends with Felix and I hope other couples can appreciate that too.

As for the story, it was very good. I liked Becky a lot, even though she was nothing like me (I don't plan on becoming a Mormon housewife, but I loved reading about it). The book was very long, but it spans almost fifteen years I believe, so a lot happens. There's some great dialogue between Felix and Becky - they are hilarious together. As for the ending, I thought it was very good. Except for the SAD EVENT which was literally the most depressing thing I've ever read. I usually don't cry while reading books, but I was bawling during this part. Kudos to Shannon Hale for making me cry and I liked that because it mean that I actually felt something for the characters. Which should be every author's goal in my opinion. But overall, I enjoyed The Actor and the Housewife immensely and if you haven't read any of Shannon Hale's work, I suggest you go do that right now.

8 out of 10.

FTC: I borrowed this book from my library.

2009/Bloomsbury USA/352 pages

Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult

Summary:

The discovery of a dead infant in an Amish barn shakes Lancaster County to its core. But the police investigation leads to a more shocking disclosure: circumstantial evidence suggests that eighteen-year-old Katie Fisher, an unmarried Amish woman believed to be the newborn's mother, took the child's life. When Ellie Hathaway, a disillusioned big-city attorney, comes to Paradise, Pennsylvania, to defend Katie, two cultures collide -- and, for the first time in her high-profile career, Ellie faces a system of justice very different from her own. Delving deep inside the world of those who live "plain," Ellie must find a way to reach Katie on her terms. And as she unravels a tangled murder case, Ellie also looks deep within -- to confront her own fears and desires when a man from her past reenters her life.

Moving seamlessly from psychological drama to courtroom suspense, Plain Truth is a fascinating portrait of Amish life -- and a moving exploration of the bonds of love, friendship, and the heart's most complex choices. (from Amazon)

Review:

I don't read many adult novels, but Jodi Picoult is one of my favorite authors in that genre, and in general. And what I like about her novels is that they cross boundaries: they read like YA and since they switch point-of-view so much, there's often a teenager who has a voice in the story. In Plain Truth we get the perspective of Ellie, the powerful Philadelphia lawyer and Katie, the 18-year-old who is accused of murder. Since Katie is still pretty young, it's practically half YA.

Regardless of its genre, I loved Plain Truth. For me, it was really interesting because I live near Lancaster, which is where all the Amish live. My aunt lives in Lancaster and she's even had some Amish (well, they might have been Mennonite) over during a family party. Even though I live so close, I still didn't know that much about their culture and lifestyle, and I learned so much from Plain Truth. The fact that the accused was Amish made the book a different type of legal drama, because Katie has no idea how our system works and it just makes the story that much more interesting. A lot of the novel takes place in the courtroom or is about the trial, which is why I picked it up because I love these types of books.

One thing I love about all Jodi Picoult's book are that they have these amazingly complex stories. There's different POVs, flashbacks, and then the main plot and somehow everything is intricately weaved together so you're not confused at all, just engaged in this completely rich story. Honestly, read one of her books, and you will see how complicated the story is but at the same time not difficult to read at all. I could not put Plain Truth down because it was so honest and true and was filled with all these great characters, relationships, details, and themes. The ending was very satisfying and I would recommend this book to all ages, to fans of all genres.

9 out of 10.

FTC: I borrowed this book from my library.

2001/Washington Square Press/432 pages

Waiting on Wednesday - 11

Waiting on Wednesday was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine as a way for bloggers to lust over upcoming books.

Shadowspell by Jenna Black

On top of spending most of her time in a bunker-like safe house and having her dates hijacked by a formidable Fae bodyguard, Faeriewalker Dana Hathaway is in for some more bad news: the devastatingly handsome Erlking and his followers known as the Wild Hunt have descended upon Avalon. With his homicidal appetite, immortal powers, and striking good looks the Erlking has been long been the nightmare of Faerie, the Fae realm. A fragile treaty, sealed with a mysterious spell, is the only thing that keeps him from hunting unchecked in Avalon, the only place on Earth where humans and Fae live together. He can only hunt there with a Faerie Queen's permission. Which means Dana's in trouble, since it's common knowledge that the Faerie Queens want her, and her rare Faeriewalker powers, dead. The smouldering and sexy Erlking's got his sights set on Dana, but does he seek to kill her, or is there something else he has in mind?

When I read Glimmerglass by Jenna Black, I was sucked into the faerie world she had created and immediately knew that I had to read the rest of the series. Shadowspell will be released January 4, 2011.

Have Trouble Reading the Classics? Try This!

Everyone has used SparkNotes for books that they don't understand. It is a really useful tool for researching characters, reviewing summaries, and defining symbols. They even have No Fear Shakespeare, where you get regular English side-by-side the old English so you know what's going on. Unfortunately, what if it isn't just Shakespeare you have trouble reading? Author Wayne Josephson has started a series called Readable Classics, in which he "gently edits great works of literature to make them less frustrating for students and modern readers." According to Mr. Josephson, "each Readable Classic follows the original, chapter by chapter. A student can read my chapter first, and then better understand and enjoy the same chapter in the original version." Wayne Josephson has published Jane Eyre, The Scarlet Letter, Moby Dick, and Pride and Prejudice.

Even though I would recommend reading any classic novel in its original form, I do believe that the Readable Classics could definitely help students who struggle in English. So if you or anyone you know needs help, the Readable Classics would be a great resource.

Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder

Summary:

Restless souls and empty hearts.

Brooklyn can’t sleep. Her boyfriend, Lucca died a year ago, and now their friend Gabe has died of an overdose. Every time she closes her eyes, Gabe's ghost is there, waiting for her. She has no idea what he wants or why it isn't Lucca chasing her through her dreams.

Nico can’t stop. He’s always running, trying so hard not to feel the pain of missing Lucca. But when he begins receiving messages from his dead brother, telling him to help Brooklyn, emotions come crashing to the surface.

As the nightmares escalate and the messages become relentless, Nico reaches out to Brooklyn. But neither of them can admit that they're being haunted. Until they learn to let each other in, not one soul will be able to rest. (from Goodreads)

Review:

Whenever I hear this title, I simultaneously think of the movie Chasing Liberty and Brooklyn, the town. For most the book, I was imagining Brooklyn walking around Brooklyn, until I realized that the title refers to her name, and only her name. So there was some confusion with that, but overall I liked Chasing Brooklyn. I didn't think it was amazing, but it was a pretty decent novel. Like the rest of Lisa Schroeder's work, Chasing Brooklyn is written in verse, which I think works well. One, because Lisa Schroeder is actually good at writing verse, and two, because the format works with the overall theme, that is - lost love and the supernatural. I liked that this was a ghost story without falling into the horror genre. I like scary things, but this actually seemed real, like it could happen to someone. The ghostly encounters were subtle, but still very spooky. I thought the ending was a tad corny, but it was cute and wrapped up nicely. I liked watching Brooklyn evolve and develop throughout the story and the fact that Nico helped her with it. He's a really good guy, that Nico. Whenever I read good verse, I'm always amazed that so much could happen using so few words. It takes a great writer to do that. Even though Chasing Brooklyn wasn't my favorite novel ever, it was still a good read and it was nice to see some well-written verse.

7 out of 10.

FTC: I borrowed this from my library.

2010/Simon Pulse/432 pages

Mostly Good Girls by Leila Sales

Summary:

Sixteen-year-old Violet is under a lot of stress. Between trying to pass her classes at a prestigious prep school, preparing for the SAT's and editing the school's literary magazine, Vi has a lot on her plate. She also wants to snag cute and funny Scott Walsh who attends the boys' school across the street. But when Violet's friendship with Katie starts disintergrating, she must find a way to make everything work out.

Review:

I loved Mostly Good Girls and really enjoyed reading it. It seems like a pretty standard novel: schoolwork, boys, friends, the usual fare in YA. But what made Mostly Good Girls stand out from other novels was that it was absolutely hilarious. And I don't mean just a small chuckle here and there; I was literally laughing out loud in public reading this. Violet was such a great character. She had a really relatable voice and was extremely sarcastic, which I love. Here are a few of my favorite quotes, to give you an idea of what is in the novel.

Pg. 63-4 "Turns out Raymond is not a great driver. I wouldn't even describe him as a good driver. Every time there was a red light, he slammed on the brakes just before reaching it, so we came skidding to a halt, slamming me against my seatbelt. I couldn't think of a tactful way to explain to him, 'Look, the light turns yellow before it turns red, so if you see a yellow light, you might want to consider slowing the hell down.'"

Pg. 100-1 "A lot of Harper Woodbane guys come to Westfield dances, so it's also a great opportunity for Scott Walsh-watching expeditions. I don't see nearly enough of him, because I can never think of a credible reason why I should be in his vicinity. ('Heyyy, Scott! Fancy running into you here...on the tennis courts...at Harper Woodbane...a school that I do not attend.')"

Pg. 169 "However, it is true that Noah is a champion television watcher. He has an uncanny sense for how long commercial breaks are, so he can effortlessly switch between a favorite program and a second-favorite program without ever missing a frame. Of course he has a DVR too, but he hardly needs it - he devotes maybe six hours a day to television watching, so it's not like he ever 'misses' a show because 'he's doing something else.'"

I know those examples are a little long but I think they demonstrate how witty Violet is (or at least I hope). The whole book is filled with these little statements, making the book an extremely fun and enjoyable read. Mostly Good Girls may not be the deepest book out there, but it gets points for being relatable and entertaining at the same time. By the time you're done, you practially wish Violet was your best friend, because she gets into all these crazy situations and still manages to make a witty remark or two. I really hope Leila Sales continues writing about Violet because I would definitely read those books.

9 out of 10.

Release Date: October 5, 2010

FTC: I reviewed this book for Flamingnet.

2010/ Simon Pulse/ 368 pages