Well, I guess it was obvious this was my next stop. I started Catching Fire yesterday morning, after finishing The Hunger Games at 2 am. I only had 80 pages left yesterday when I decided to do the sensible thing and actually get a decent nights' worth of sleep. So I finished it today.
This story picks up where the last left off. Katniss and Peeta have returned from the Hunger Games. Their lives are never to be the same. Katniss is on thin ice in the Capital, where it appears as though she has defied them in order to bring Peeta home alive with her. However, the citizens adore her. They see her and Peeta as star crossed lovers. Halfway through the book, a twist is revealed, and Katniss and Peeta are faced with their lives in danger yet again.
I really enjoyed this book as well. Despite the fact that the story has the same type of premise, I found it to be less violent and easier to read in that sense. My love for Peeta only grew stronger and I can't wait to find out what the future holds for all of the districts of Panem.
271 pages
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
L #1- The Hunger Games
To ring in the new year, I started reading Suzanne Collins' trilogy. Both my sister and Matt have tried to convince me to read these books. But I've held out, thinking the premise was too sickening and gruesome. Turns out I wasn't wrong. But neither were they.
This is the story of Katniss Everdeen, who lives in District 12 of Panem. Each year, as a reminder of why no district should ever try to rebel, the Capitol hosts the Hunger Games. This is when a boy and girl from each district are placed in an arena to fight to the death. Only one can walk away. Katniss volunteers for the Hunger Games when her younger sister is chosen. A boy named Peeta is chosen from her district as well.
Collins writes wonderfully. It is a very easy read, so quick to get through. I grew attached to Peeta and thought his devotion to Katniss was incredibly selfless and heartwarming. I must admit, the games themselves were hard to read about. I felt so heartbroken that children would be put in such a terrible life and death position. And I felt disgusted with the gamemakers and the president of Panem. While it's an "easy" read, it is not light subject matter. Even still, I found myself engrossed and stayed up till 2 am to finish the book.
262 pages
This is the story of Katniss Everdeen, who lives in District 12 of Panem. Each year, as a reminder of why no district should ever try to rebel, the Capitol hosts the Hunger Games. This is when a boy and girl from each district are placed in an arena to fight to the death. Only one can walk away. Katniss volunteers for the Hunger Games when her younger sister is chosen. A boy named Peeta is chosen from her district as well.
Collins writes wonderfully. It is a very easy read, so quick to get through. I grew attached to Peeta and thought his devotion to Katniss was incredibly selfless and heartwarming. I must admit, the games themselves were hard to read about. I felt so heartbroken that children would be put in such a terrible life and death position. And I felt disgusted with the gamemakers and the president of Panem. While it's an "easy" read, it is not light subject matter. Even still, I found myself engrossed and stayed up till 2 am to finish the book.
262 pages
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Lauren's Complete List for the Year 2011
Well, here it is. All the books that I read in 2011. I fell short of my goal, but I am still proud of what I did accomplish because this was a busy year with not a whole lot of time for reading! There are 40 books and a total of 14,147 pages.
1. Playing the Game by Barbara Taylor Bradford (385)
2. Pursuit by Karen Robards (365)
3. Shanghai Girls by Lisa See (309)
4. Fired Up by Jayne Ann Krentz (403)
5. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (288)
6. The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton (549)
7. Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah (391)
8. Sundays at Tiffany's by James Patterson (309)
9. True Colors by Kristin Hannah (494)
10. Black Hills by Nora Roberts (472)
11. The Perfect Husband by Lisa Gardner (402)
12. Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult (466)
13. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (331)
14. The Neighbor by Lisa Gardner (466)
15. Vanish by Tess Gerritsen (336)
16. In too Deep by Jayne Ann Krentz (324)
17. The Surgeon by Tess Gerritsen (350)
18. The Apprentice by Tess Gerritsen (366)
19. Nanny Returns by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus (305)
20. Sweet Valley Confidential by Francine Pascal (205)
21. Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner (359)
22. Naked Heat by Richard Castle (288)
23. The Funny Thing Is... by Ellen Degeneres (177)
24. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling (759)
25. Then Came You by Jennifer Weiner (284)
26. The Sinner by Tess Gerritsen (355)
27. Angel Falls by Kristin Hannah (377)
28. My Best Friend's Girl by Dorothy Koomson (341)
29. Last Night at Chateau Marmont by Lauren Weisberger (368)
30. Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella (273)
31. She Went All the Way by Meg Cabot (354)
32. Chasing Harry Winston by Lauren Weisberger (278)
33. Love You More by Lisa Gardner (351)
34. Making Toast by Roger Rosenblatt (166)
35. Who Loves You Best by Tess Stimson (261)
36. The Baby Planner by Josie Brown (278)
37. The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh (305)
38. The Next Always by Nora Roberts (324)
39. Matched by Ally Condie (366)
40. Crossed by Ally Condie (367)
1. Playing the Game by Barbara Taylor Bradford (385)
2. Pursuit by Karen Robards (365)
3. Shanghai Girls by Lisa See (309)
4. Fired Up by Jayne Ann Krentz (403)
5. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (288)
6. The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton (549)
7. Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah (391)
8. Sundays at Tiffany's by James Patterson (309)
9. True Colors by Kristin Hannah (494)
10. Black Hills by Nora Roberts (472)
11. The Perfect Husband by Lisa Gardner (402)
12. Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult (466)
13. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (331)
14. The Neighbor by Lisa Gardner (466)
15. Vanish by Tess Gerritsen (336)
16. In too Deep by Jayne Ann Krentz (324)
17. The Surgeon by Tess Gerritsen (350)
18. The Apprentice by Tess Gerritsen (366)
19. Nanny Returns by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus (305)
20. Sweet Valley Confidential by Francine Pascal (205)
21. Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner (359)
22. Naked Heat by Richard Castle (288)
23. The Funny Thing Is... by Ellen Degeneres (177)
24. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling (759)
25. Then Came You by Jennifer Weiner (284)
26. The Sinner by Tess Gerritsen (355)
27. Angel Falls by Kristin Hannah (377)
28. My Best Friend's Girl by Dorothy Koomson (341)
29. Last Night at Chateau Marmont by Lauren Weisberger (368)
30. Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella (273)
31. She Went All the Way by Meg Cabot (354)
32. Chasing Harry Winston by Lauren Weisberger (278)
33. Love You More by Lisa Gardner (351)
34. Making Toast by Roger Rosenblatt (166)
35. Who Loves You Best by Tess Stimson (261)
36. The Baby Planner by Josie Brown (278)
37. The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh (305)
38. The Next Always by Nora Roberts (324)
39. Matched by Ally Condie (366)
40. Crossed by Ally Condie (367)
L #40- Crossed
This is the second book in Ally Condie's Matched series. The story begins where the last left off. Cassia is trying to track down Ky's location since he has been transferred to the outer provinces. This story is action packed. Cassia escapes her work assignment to go find Ky. When she gets to the outer provinces, she realizes that Ky has escaped as well. She begins a long, treacherous journey through the Carving, to try to find Ky. She also learns about the a group of people who are trying to go back to the way things were before the Society existed. There are also secrets to be learned about Xander, and even though he isn't prominent in this story, Condie has set it up for him to be very important to the third story in the trilogy.
I loved this book. I read it in an afternoon. I am disappointed to have to wait till later in 2012 for the 3rd book to come out.
367 pages.
I loved this book. I read it in an afternoon. I am disappointed to have to wait till later in 2012 for the 3rd book to come out.
367 pages.
L #39- Matched
I picked up this Ally Condie book at a scholastic book sale. My sister in law works there and informed me that this is the first in what will be a trilogy. Normally I scoff at young adult books, but given I learned my lesson when the Harry Potter series proved to be the most amazing books ever (I admit I was wrong!), I thought I'd give YA books another chance. I'm glad I did.
This is the story of a dystopian society. Cassia Reyes is ready for her Matching ceremony. This is where the Society tells each young adult who they are to marry. The Society decides everything. Who you marry, where you live, what your job is, what you eat, etc. Cassia has looked forward to this day for awhile. But when the time comes, she finds that her match is someone she knows, her childhood friend Xander. She brings her microcard, with the information she needs to know about her match, home to view it. She is shocked when she uses the microcard and realizes another boy's picture shows up. It is another boy she knows, named Ky. Cassia and Ky begin to fall in love. And Cassia realizes there are flaws in the Society. At the end, it is perfectly set up for the next book.
I very much enjoyed this story. It was an easy read, with a fun topic. I love stories that get your mind turning and make you wonder how a world like that would be to live in.
This one had 366 pages.
This is the story of a dystopian society. Cassia Reyes is ready for her Matching ceremony. This is where the Society tells each young adult who they are to marry. The Society decides everything. Who you marry, where you live, what your job is, what you eat, etc. Cassia has looked forward to this day for awhile. But when the time comes, she finds that her match is someone she knows, her childhood friend Xander. She brings her microcard, with the information she needs to know about her match, home to view it. She is shocked when she uses the microcard and realizes another boy's picture shows up. It is another boy she knows, named Ky. Cassia and Ky begin to fall in love. And Cassia realizes there are flaws in the Society. At the end, it is perfectly set up for the next book.
I very much enjoyed this story. It was an easy read, with a fun topic. I love stories that get your mind turning and make you wonder how a world like that would be to live in.
This one had 366 pages.
L #38- The Next Always
I used to read Nora Roberts all the time. I was a sucker for her love stories. After reading almost all of them, I found the formula predictable and boring. I had trouble picking them up again. But I grabbed this one on a whim. And, while it was still the same old formula, I still really enjoyed it. This one is going to be a trilogy. It is about 3 brothers who are building an inn in the town of Boonsboro. Obviously, they are each going to find love in their individual stories (surprise, surprise!).
324 pages.
324 pages.
L #37- The Language of Flowers
This book, written by Vanessa Diffenbaugh, was very intriguing. The story is about Victoria, a girl who has been raised entirely in foster care. At 18, with nowhere to live, she plants a garden in the park. Eventually she finds a job with a florist. The story moves between past and present, showing the reader how Victoria came to know the language of flowers and how it has changed, and continues to change, her life.
While this story was very interesting and I really enjoyed reading the meanings of different flowers, I never felt "attached" to Victoria's character. It made it more difficult to finish this book. But I still think Diffenbaugh is a fantastic writer.
This one had 305 pages.
While this story was very interesting and I really enjoyed reading the meanings of different flowers, I never felt "attached" to Victoria's character. It made it more difficult to finish this book. But I still think Diffenbaugh is a fantastic writer.
This one had 305 pages.
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