#4: Catching Fire

Collins, Suzanne: Catching Fire. New York: Scholastic, 2009. Print. 391 pages.
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SETTING: The country of Panem (a post-apocalyptic world where North America once existed), sometime in the future.
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SUMMARY: Every 25 years, a special edition of the Hunger Games is held, and with the 75th Hunger Games approaching and Panem in a state of unrest after the conclusion of the 74th Hunger Games, tension and rebellious rumblings are growing.   The rules have become such that the authorities will not hesitate to make changes that will preserve the "peace" and stop a repeat of the unrest that led to the formation of the Hunger Games 75 years ago.
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FAVORITE QUOTE: "'It's good.  You're good with this healing stuff,' he says. 'It's in your blood.'
'No,' I say, shaking my head. 'I got my father's blood.' The kind that quickens during a hunt, not an epidemic." - Chapter 22, page 322.
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After the kick-assness that was exhibited in Book One, with the excellent descriptions of the blood, gore, and mayhem that is the Hunger Games, I started Book Two with the assumption that I'd find myself comfortably situated in a similar atmosphere.  To be blunt, I was gravely disappointed.  The first half of the book is too mushy for my taste, and the second half did not live up to my expectations.  The ending redeemed the story in the slightest of ways, but I'm also aware that I'll probably have to read the third installment before I can make a final decision regarding the merit of the entire series.  Again, referring to The Lord of the Rings, the second movie became my favorite after I watched the third movie.  Perhaps something similar will happen?  You'll have to wait until I finish and review Book Three to find out!
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Things I liked about this book:

1. Individuals who should be adversaries team up for a central cause.  I love stories where people from different backgrounds, who are expected to kill each other at the first opportunity as is the case in this scenario, join together to fight for a common goal.
2. The toxic fog/gas that causes nerve failure and muscle spasms.  The biology enthusiast in me was very excited by the mechanics of this event!
3. The arena designed as a clock, although I thought they figured it out just a little too quickly.
4. Wedding dress --> POOF!  FLAMES! --> Mockingjay dress.

Things I didn't like about this book:

1. Waaaaaaaaay too hormonal for the first half.  Does Katniss love Peeta?  Or does she love Gale?  Who will she sacrifice her life for???  Sorry, Ms. Collins, but I don't care!  I love romance, but I don't have much appreciation for teenage romantic drama.  I'm also surrounded by enough of this type of thinking in everyday life, and I look to books to provide an escape from reality.  This book did not do that for the first 266 pages.  There was potential for the romantic aspect of this series to go somewhere, but there wasn't enough development of the emotions between Katniss and Peeta, and Katniss and Gale.  All the reader receives is Katniss' constant revisitation of who should receive her affection and loyalty.
2. Dresses and makeup and ribbons and glitter and too much girly stuff for my taste.
3. Not enough Hunger Games action!

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I'm going to give Book Three a try, but I've decided to take a little break from the series before doing so.  With so many people saying they love the series, it only seems right to give it a fair chance to end and redeem itself, rather than start it when I'm still reeling from the disappointment of the direction Book Two was taken by the author.

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Recommend?  Yes, but only because it's a shame to start a trilogy and not end it.  

#3: The Hunger Games

Collins, Suzanne: The Hunger Games. New York: Scholastica, 2008. Print. 374 pages.
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SETTING: The country of Panem (a post-apocalyptic world where North America once existed), sometime in the future.
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SUMMARY: To remind the citizens of Panem of the consequences of rebelling against the governing bodies, an annual survival contest, called the Hunger Games, is held that sets 24 young people, ages 12-18 years-old, against each other to fight to the death.
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FAVORITE QUOTE: "In our world, I rank music somewhere between hair ribbons and rainbows in terms of usefulness.  At least a rainbow gives you a tip about the weather." - Chapter 16, page 211.
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I began this book thinking it has definitely been over-hyped (in the same way the movie Napoleon Dynamite was, which I did not enjoy at all), and finished it feeling slightly overwhelmed and depressed.  I don't like buying new books, because old, borrowed, and used books have so much more character which contributes to the overall enjoyment of the story.  Because of this book's popularity, it's taken me a while to find someone to borrow from, but I was finally able to get my hands on it!  The structure of this review will be slightly different, mainly because I don't have any points of dislike, and was surprised by my reaction and thoughts while reading and after finishing the story.  
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Things I liked about this book:

1. Katniss + Peeta! (I have to start with this- I'm a professed romantic, and there are parts of their story that made my heart smile...).
2. Quick and easy read, as it should be considering it's a young adult novel.
3. Didn't skirt around descriptions of blood, gore, and overall nastiness.
4. It's a dystopia!  Dystopias provide a constructive, and somewhat protective, avenue through which the reader can reevaluate the evils that we see, hear, and read about in our everyday lives.  It's also fun to think about the "what if's" that accompany picturing the future.
5. Katniss. is. kick. ass.  And I hope I'm as kick-ass as her when I fearlessly come face-to-face with the most lethal of infectious diseases in my pursuit of being the best in infectious disease epidemiologist North America has to offer (if you're thinking epidemiology has something to do with the skin, you're wrong!  Please wikipedia it and learn about this awesomest of health subjects.).

Things that surprised me about this book:

1. I didn't mind the first person narration.  I usually avoid novels and short stories written in first person because I become quickly annoyed with the narrator.  Definitely wasn't the case here.
2. How quickly I was able to read it while still retaining all the little details.  I can read fairly quickly, but that doesn't mean I always remember every little thing I've read.  I can't explain why, but the author's descriptions of events and surroundings were definitely not lost along the way.

Main thought that was running through my head while reading this book:

• Psychological trauma, anyone???  Of course, I then thought about how there are children, teenagers and adults, in this realest of worlds, who have to face horrors such as death and killing another human being to ensure their own survival.  And how about poverty, starvation, racism, dehumanization, oppression, and on and on and on and HOW DO WE FIX IT ALL?  This is why I can't enjoy life sometimes; I'm overwhelmed by these thoughts and feel helpless.  Another reason I'm completely willing to uproot my life and move all the way across the country: hopefully acquiring medical skills to add onto my public health and epidemiology background will make a small dent in the health realm of the disastrous parts of the world?

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I'm glad I was finally able to read this book, and I undoubtedly enjoyed it, but I don't find myself as enthusiastic about the book as my family, friends, and acquaintances are.  I'm definitely reading the next two books in the series, because I'm not satisfied with where the story is after book 1, similar to the way I felt after watching the first Lord of the Rings movie (LOTR is the one book series I have yet to finish; the books were ruined because I watched the movies first.  Since then, I usually take care to read the book before watching the movie).  Continually thinking about how the horrors in this book can be found in real life left me feeling depressed and with the dangerous thought of "what can one person possibly do to change this?"  But soon enough I found myself feeling all awesome about the plethora of things I'll hopefully be able to do sometime very soon in life.  Anyway, perhaps my opinion of the book will change once I've finished the entire series.  Quite exciting that I already have two more books lined up to read!

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Recommend?  Yes!  It was a quick and enjoyable read.

#2: Pride and Prejudice

Austen, Jane: Pride and Prejudice. New York: Bantam, 2003. Print. 344 pages.

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SETTING: 19th-century England, primarily in the Eastern county of Hertfordshire.
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SUMMARY: With five daughters and no heir to the Bennet family estate, Mrs. Bennet is preoccupied with marrying her daughters to wealthy suitors, thus providing assurance that the family will be cared for after Mr. Bennet's death.  Elizabeth Bennet, the second eldest daughter, is different from her sisters; whereas her sisters are either shy or just plain silly, she is clever, energetic, and speaks her mind.  The novel chronicles Elizabeth's dealings with her family, neighbors, and acquaintances regarding marriage, education, propriety, and, above all, how pride and prejudices can influence a person's judgement of another's character.
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FAVORITE QUOTE: "Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously.  A person may be proud without being vain.  Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us." - Chapter 5, page 15.
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Similar to comfort foods, P&P has become my comfort book.  I re-read it about every six months, usually when life throws a curve or I find that I need a quick break from reality.  Each re-read brings a better understanding of the novel and its characters, and I enjoy it every single time.  It's a strong, well-written story that is far from my life, and thus provides a perfect avenue for daydreaming and satisfying my curiosity of what life would have been like had I been born about 150 years earlier (at times, I'm convinced I was born in the wrong century).  After finishing the novel, I'll usually thank everything and everyone that can be thanked that I live in this century, mainly because I won't ever have to rely on marriage to provide me with financial stability.  It seems incredibly stressful to be doomed in life if you aren't able to marry well!
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Things I like about this book:

1. Great character development.  The reader has a clear understanding of each character, and what his/her role is in the story.
2. 19th century!  England!  Romance!  Drama!  Strong-willed, clever, outspoken, female protagonist!
3. The prejudice portion of the novel (although the pride part is pretty awesome too).  We're all guilty of forming a sketch of an individual based off of an unflattering first impression or hearsay, and then using that character sketch to create all sorts of false notions of that person.  It's great to see the consequences and emotions that result from doing so, especially Elizabeth's experience with Darcy.
4. Evolution of Elizabeth and Darcy's romance.
5. Inclusion of Charlotte's story, which is more likely representative of 19th century British marriages.

Things I don't like about this book:

1. How Elizabeth has to feel shame for her family's behavior around Darcy and feels obligated to make up for it, while Darcy doesn't feel the need to go to such extremes for his family member's rude behavior (Lady Catherine).  It's probably what the reality would have been like, considering the Bennet family's lower rank, but that doesn't mean I liked it!  We all have kooky family members, but we don't love them any less for their eccentricities (I'm trying to be polite... some really are borderline crazy).

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I love this book, so obviously very few points of dislike.  I'll probably go back to it again around October, but don't worry, I won't write a review after every re-read.

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Recommend?  YES!  Duh.

#1: Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell

FYI: I'm going to give a very brief summary of each book I review, only because longer summaries, even the ones on the book jacket, tend to ruin the story for me.  It leads my brain to form preconceived notions of the story, and I've usually decided if I'm going to like or dislike the book even before I've started it.  In general, I avoid all summaries.

Hope you enjoy the first of many book reviews!  And please give feedback!

Clarke, Susanna: Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. New York: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2004. Print. 782 pages.
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SETTING: England (with some chapters taking place in Spain, Portugal, and Italy), 1806-1817, during the Napoleonic Wars.
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SUMMARY: It is believed that only theoretical magicians exist in early 19th century England, but this is proven false with the discovery of Mr. Norrell, the only practical magician left in England.  The story focuses on the return of practical magic through Mr. Norrell, and later Jonathan Strange, his pupil; the relationship between the two magicians; and the consequences of basing one's actions on vanity and the need to preserve self-importance.
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FAVORITE QUOTE: "The box was small and oblong and apparently made of silver and porcelain.  It was a beautiful shade of blue, but then again not exactly blue, it was more like lilac.  But then again, not exactly lilac either, since it had a tinge of grey in it.  To be more precise, it was the color of heartache." - Chapter 54, page 610.
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Over the past 2 years, I have attempted to read this novel four times, but found difficulty the first three times to commit, solely due to the sheer length of the novel.  I finally had the necessary patience during the fourth try!  I read it over a span of two weeks, which is longer than it would have taken me to read other books of similar length considering how much free time I had, but this is a novel that you really can't speed read through.  Clarke has created an entirely different 19th century Britain for this book, and reading quickly will guarantee the loss of many important details.  The beginning is a little slow and tedious, but patience pays off as you continue through the novel.
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Things I liked about this book:

1. The author clearly cared about this story.  The attention to detail is something I haven't seen in any other novel I've read thus far.  Example: The author took care to clarify the most minor of points via her numerous footnotes, giving the reader an excellent backstory and a clear understanding of the world in which the story takes place.
2. The novel is split into three sections.  The organized part of me loved this because it made for a neater presentation of the story.
3. It's about magic!
4. The fluid incorporation of real historical events into this alternate world.  
5. I really grew to love and hate some of the characters.  Showed how invested I became!
6. Stays true to 19th century style of writing (I have a soft spot for 19th century British literature).
7. Emphasis on the importance of books; Mr. Norrell's library is an integral part of the story.

Things I didn't like about this book:

1. Too long!  Around page 600, I became incredibly impatient to reach the end.
2. Too many footnotes.  Again, around page 600, I lost patience and started skimming the footnotes.  Some of the footnotes spanned more than an entire page, and in really tiny font!

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There are clearly far more pros than cons.  The conclusion wasn't what I expected, but I was satisfied.  After everything that happens in the book, it's not practical to expect a structured, and they lived happily every after, conclusion.  The ending is left open to the reader's imagination, which is fitting considering the nature of the book (i.e. alternate universe, about magic).
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Recommend?  YES!  But only if you have the necessary amount of patience.  I really enjoyed it, and finishing it was a sort of accomplishment!

INTRODUCTION: I. can't. sleep.

In response to a fit of insomnia brought about by jet lag from a recent trip approximately 8,000 miles away, I've decided to start a blog! About books. And how much I love them. Sometimes more than people, as already indicated above. It will be filled with my own incredibly important and useful reviews, which will be promptly posted as soon as I finish reading a book. You will then use these reviews to create your own reading list, because I read only awesome books that you should also read. Actually, I'll give almost any book a chance, even some not-so-awesome ones.

How do I pick the books I read? Why, I judge them by their covers! And dimensions and font. In general, if the book doesn't look and feel like a good read, I won't pick it up. Luckily, this selection criteria is broad and my definition of what is a nice cover, and the right dimensions and font vary by the season. So I don't think I've missed out on too many good books solely because I do pick and choose based on aesthetics.

I'm creating this blog more for my own entertainment than anything else, but I do hope anyone who reads this will enjoy the posts, and contribute their own thoughts as well. As for the name "Artemisia Eupraxia," I've always fancied that if I ever write a novel, there will be a character with that name.

Happy reading!