Mockingjay

Finally finished Book 3 of Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy. I enjoyed Mockingjay more than the second book, but was still disappointed overall. So dark and depressing. Dismal, joyless, bleak are more adjectives that come to mind. The heroine seems to be in a perpetual state of confusion and rehabilitation and has become a major, big-time buzzkill.

Catching Fire

Catching Fire is Book 2 of The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. I didn't like it as much as the first book. The main character, Katniss is starting to wear on me. I was also surprised—not in a good way—by the plot, which I won't give away here. Let's just say I was hoping the story would focus more on life back at home in District 12 after being victorious in the Hunger Games. Maybe flesh-out the characters more, provide more history of Panem in flashbacks, get more insight into what life is like in some of the other districts. Nope, instead we get a Quarter Quell. You'll have to read the book to find out what the heck that is.

I've just begun Book 3. I'm still annoyed with the main character but starting to get into the story.

The Hunger Games

I wanted to read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins when it was first published in 2008. Then I realized it was about teenagers in some sadistic, futuristic society killing each other. So I passed. Now that the movie has become a phenomenon, I wanted to see what all the fuss is about. It's still about teenagers killing each other.


That off my chest, I did enjoy reading Book 1 of this trilogy. It is an easy read with interesting characters and settings. I was a little unsettled when the ending deteriorated into a yucky love story between teenagers, but it left me wanting to see the movie in order to compare my own visuals with those chosen for the big screen.

Now I'm about halfway through Book 2 and not feeling as much love. Starting to lose interest, but still curious enough to complete the three volumes.

The Moment She Was Gone

The Moment She Was Gone by Evan Hunter was a quick January read for me. I even took it to Mexico and finished it shortly after we returned. Camille had rescued the book from the discard pile at Wheldon Library to read during her Intersession, so I picked it up when she was done.

I liked it. It definitely held my interest because of the quirky, complex characters, and the author's writing style is easy and informal. It is basically a psychological mystery. The plot revolves around a family's conflicts when a mentally ill family member continually goes missing.

The author is an interesting fellow who has written many bestsellers, including The Blackboard Jungle, as well as the screenplay for Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds. He has also written more than fifty detective thrillers under the pseudonym Ed McBain.

The Rebellion of Jane Clarke

The Rebellion of Jane Clarke is my favorite of the trilogy of pre-Revolutionary War novels by Sally Gunning. Jane Clarke is an honest and expressive heroine, and the riveting historical elements — including the Boston Massacre and descent into madness of famous patriot James Otis — add depth to the story.

I heartily agree with this sentiment written by Geraldine Brooks on the jacket cover.

"Beautifully researched and ardently imagined, Gunning's writing is so vivid you can taste the salt in the Cape Cod air . . . Her Satucket novels are destined to become classics."