Monthly Archives: July 2011

Book Review: The Hunger Games

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The Hunger Games

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Rating: 5 out of 5

I know that I may be late on the bandwagon, given that Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games was published in 2008, but since the film isn’t going to be released until March 23, 2012, I figured better late than never, right?

And boy, I was not disappointed. Usually, I can sense a bestseller right away: I read the Twilight saga over four years ago after hearing all the buzz, and I recommended it to my friends way before the first movie came out. Now, I’m not here to compare the two series in depth, because I haven’t read Collins’ sequels yet, but looking at the first novels of each series, I would say that The Hunger Games trumps Twilight in terms of writing prowess and originality, but Twilight still wins in the romance department (since Gale wasn’t physically present in The Hunger Games to make a true love triangle). But unless the next two books, Catching Fire and Mockingjay, suck as hard as Breaking Dawn, I tentatively award The Hunger Games trilogy the winner of recent YA bestsellers.

But enough of vampires and werewolves. Time to talk about Panem, the post-apocalyptic North America that is broken up into 12 districts (the 13th being completely destroyed during a past uprising). In order to keep the common folk down, the Capitol has created the Hunger Games, an annual event which requires a boy and girl (ages 12-18) from each of the 12 districts to fight to the death on live television. The protagonist, 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen, volunteers to take her 12-year-old sister Prim’s place as the tribute from District 12. The baker’s son Peeta Mellark is also chosen, and the novel follows their struggle to stay alive in an arena where if the other children don’t kill you, starvation, killer wasps, and other surprises will.

Greek myth lovers will notice the resemblance to the story of Theseus and the Minotaur, which inspired Collins–as well as the author’s channel-surfing between a reality competition and footage of the Iraq War. Both inspirations are highlighted, as fantasy, rivalry, and violence merge. I was as grossly captivated by the Games as the citizens of Panem were, and I felt the same mixed feelings of victory and guilt as Katniss did whenever another tribute died. The writing is suspenseful, the scenes action-packed, and the message powerful and haunting.

I have very few complaints, other than the pacing was slow at times and some of the tributes’ deaths were anti-climatic. Overall, though, it was an excellent read and worthy of all its fame. Now I’m like every other fan and putting a lot of faith in the movie, which as of now, the cast and alleged PG-13 rating are making me nervous. The kids were dirty and emaciated, and the fights were brutal, and I would hate it if a bunch of Hollywood heart-throbs watered down this gritty story.

It's called the "Hunger Games" for a reason, guys! (IMAGE CREDIT: JEFF RIEDEL AND EW)

I’d love to start reading Catching Fire right now, but I have to pack for a much-needed beach vacation! I won’t be blogging over the weekend, but if you’ve read The Hunger Games, let me know what you thought of it, and you haven’t jumped on the bandwagon yet, it’s not too late! With Harry Potter finished and Twilight coming to an end, this series will be the next big thing–trust me!

Reasons Why You Need to Read

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Read the Rainbow…

Now chances are, if you read my blog, you like to read. So I know I’m probably preaching to the choir, but I just finished teaching a summer SAT prep class today, and the #1 thing I tell my students is to READ. If you don’t read, start, and if you do read, do it more! Nothing makes me sadder than when I ask people, “What’s your favorite book?” and they say, “I don’t know.” Not in a “I don’t know, because there’s so many to choose from!” kind of way, but in a “I don’t know, because the last things I read were the headlines of TMZ and the nutritional facts on my Cheerios box” kind of way.

So if you’re not equally as depressed as I am by the lack of bookworms in our world, here’s some reasons why you should read the good stuff:

  1. You learn new words. Do you know what a coquette is? How about a misanthropist? Has anyone called you bonny, ignoble, lachrymose, or sanguine? If you think I’m just making words up right now, then your vocab could use some work. I learned all these terms while reading Wuthering Heights a few years ago–and yes, before you ask, I kept a running list of all the words I didn’t know and looked them up in the dictionary. The document is still on my computer, ready whenever I need a quick review. Nerdy? Yes, but you’re just jaundiced.
  2. You learn about history. I never remember historical events like I remember the authors who wrote about them. Ancient Greece? Sophocles, Aeschylus, and Euripides. Victorian England? Dickins. 1920s? Hemingway and Fitzgerald. I wouldn’t understand the Renaissance or the World Wars nearly as much if it wasn’t for my connection to the stories representing them.
  3. You learn about true emotion. If you think “The Bachelor” is an accurate representation of true love, then you are a pitiful human being. The literary classics are classic precisely because their themes are just as important now as they were back then. I’m a big crybaby, and no star-crossed lovers can match Catherine and Heathcliff, or Newland and Countess Olenska. No pain is more heart-wrenching than in Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go. You can’t even say you know what a woman scorned looks like until you read Medea. So if you’re one of those people who gets their drama fix from Jerry Springer, this blog is not for you.

Naturally, there are dozens more reasons out there, but it’s getting late, and I’d rather just let you add to the list! What did I leave out?

Oh, and if you thought I’d give you the definitions of those words, sorry! That would take all the fun out of it! Now get off your butt, grab a book, and READ!!!

Worst Sentences of the Year!

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It’s that time again! The Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest! Named after the British author who penned the infamous opening sentence, “It was a dark and stormy night,” the annual contest asks writers to send in the worst lines imaginable. There are many different categories, but the grand prize winner was Sue Fondrie, a professor at the University of Wisconsin.

Here’s her 26 word fiasco:

Cheryl’s mind turned like the vanes of a wind-powered turbine, chopping her sparrow-like thoughts into bloody pieces that fell onto a growing pile of forgotten memories.

Ugh! Nothing says gross like chopped-up metaphorical sparrows!

I also got a kick out of these entries in the fantasy and romance categories:

Within the smoking ruins of Keister Castle, Princess Gwendolyn stared in horror at the limp form of the loyal Centaur who died defending her very honor; “You may force me to wed,” she cried at the leering and victorious Goblin King, “but you’ll never be half the man he was,” Terri Daniel from Seattle, WA

As the dark and mysterious stranger approached, Angela bit her lip anxiously, hoping with every nerve, cell, and fiber of her being that this would be the one man who would understand—who would take her away from all this—and who would not just squeeze her boob and make a loud honking noise, as all the others had, Ali Kawashima from Greensboro, NC

Now you won’t find these sentences in any books at your local bookstore, but that doesn’t mean what gets published is any better. What’s my pick for worst writing of 2011? A Shore Thing, “written” by Jersey Shore reality show “star” Snooki.

Just check out this tidbit of literary genius:

 Gia danced around a little, shaking her peaches for show. She shook it hard. Too hard. In the middle of a shimmy, her stomach cramped. A fart slipped out. A loud one. And stinky.

Wow, move aside To Kill a Mockingbird, I think I just found The Great American Novel.

So who else deserves to win the Bulwer-Lytton award? Send me the best of the worst!

Masterpiece Monday: The Age of Innocence

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Film poster for The Age of Innocence (film) - ...

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Rating: 5 out of 5

Earlier this month I borrowed Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence from my local library. I’ve said before that I read her novel Ethan Frome in high school, which I didn’t enjoy, partly because the tone was so dreary, but also because I believe that it takes maturity to fully appreciate Wharton’s work.

The Age of Innocence takes place in New York during the 1870s and opens with protagonist Newland Archer at an opera with his very wealthy, elite relatives and friends. He admires his fiance May Welland for her youth and purity.

However, May’s cousin, Countess Ellen Olenksa, comes to town, bringing with her a scandalous reputation. Rumor has it that she has fled from her horrendous husband in Europe into the hands of his secretary. Now she wishes to gain her family’s support as she attempts to divorce her husband and live independently.

Of course, Ellen’s mysteriousness and refusal to live according to social norms makes her irresistible to Newland, who is growing bored with Old New York society and its thirst for controversy and gossip. The two quickly fall in love, and the novel follows their forbidden relationship. Will Newland and Ellen choose passion over propriety?

There’s many reasons why The Age of Innocence won the 1921 Pulitzer Prize (the first Pulitzer given to a woman, by the way). Wharton obviously knows what it’s like to live in a prestigious family, since the saying “keeping up with the Joneses” allegedly refers to her maiden name. The details that she uses to describe all the people and places immerses you within the story. The emotions are real and heartbreaking, the characters moving and unforgettable. Although very different in style compared to Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, they share the same majestic sentiment.

I highly recommend this novel, not only because it’s one of the best of all time, but also because its themes are timeless. I also recommend the 1993 movie adaptation by Martin Scorsese starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Winona Ryder: the dialogue is word-for-word, the actors fit the characters perfectly (other than the women’s hair color), and the story is just as beautiful. Overall, The Age of Innocence is both an exquisite read and watch.

Favorite Quote: “He simply felt that if he could carry away the vision of the spot of earth she walked on, and the way the sky and sea enclosed it, the rest of the world might seem less empty.”

Poetry: Rhymes of a Nomad

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I was cleaning out my closet yesterday when I came across a book of poetry written by my great-grandfather. He was an intriguing man who traveled the world: He was a civilian POW in the Philippines during World War II, and rumor has it, he was also the first man to walk across Australia.

His book is called Rhymes of a Nomad, and I’m pretty sure I inherited some of my writing talent from him. Anyways, I thought I’d share some of my favorites:

“Rare”
Rarer than rich vintage, fortune or fame, 
Is the friend who knows all my faults,
But likes me just the same.

“Home”
We kick against it–run away
and wander to and fro.
We have our fling, try everything; 
but always we return someday,
when nowhere else to go.

“The Way You Carry It”
Square your shoulders to the world.
It is easy to give in.
Lift your chin a little higher, 
you were made to win.
Grit your teeth, smile, don’t frown;
we must all bear our bit.
It’s not the load that burdens us down,
it’s the way we carry it.

Philip Pullman Fights For Libraries

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Philip Pullman signing a copy of Lyra's Oxford...

Philip Pullman signing a copy of Lyra’s Oxford…Image via Wikipedia

The Telegraph today discussed the fight to save the Kensal Rise Library in north-west London. If the High Court chooses to save it, Philip Pullman, author of my favorite series of all time–the His Dark Materials trilogy,will visit the library tonight and hold a fund-raiser. He’ll also read from his latest bestseller, The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ.

Pullman stated:

Closing libraries is the behaviour of a debased culture. Libraries are not just a source of books. Many of us feel that they symbolise something more, that Britain is a civilised place. And when part of our civilisation is being destroyed, we have to stand up against the barbarians.

Libraries have been at risk of being closed in every country faced with budget cuts. Although I normally buy my books due to the lack of selection at my local libraries, whenever I’m looking for something new to read, I try to find it at the library first. This summer I borrowed Brave New World and The Age of Innocence, and now I would love to add them to my own book collection by purchasing them.

However, I know that many people don’t have the means to buy books, movies, or their own internet connection, and libraries are the perfect outlet for those in need. The digital divide has widened the rich-poor gap, and we need libraries to combat this issue. I donate the books I don’t read anymore to libraries, so someone else might have the opportunity to read them too.

To show you how important libraries are, the book I’m currently reading–The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins–was on the library wait-list over 100 people long! I decided to purchase the trilogy and give up my spot on the wait-list, so another person who might need it more could read it for free.

I’ve always loved Pullman’s passion and honesty, and I applaud his actions to save British libraries. I hope American authors will do the same here!

Is Young Adult Fiction Too “Adult?”

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The Hunger Games

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On June 4, 2011, Meghan Cox Gurdon from the Wall Street Journal wrote “Darkness Too Visible,” in which she bemoaned that young adult fiction was chock-full of vampires, self-harm, drugs, and violence. She blames the 1960s, and S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders (1967) in particular,  as what unleashed the downward spiral. Now the shelves are lined with such books “immersed in ugliness” as Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games and Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.

She ends with this:

So it may be that the book industry’s ever-more-appalling offerings for adolescent readers spring from a desperate desire to keep books relevant for the young. Still, everyone does not share the same objectives. The book business exists to sell books; parents exist to rear children, and oughtn’t be daunted by cries of censorship. No family is obliged to acquiesce when publishers use the vehicle of fundamental free-expression principles to try to bulldoze coarseness or misery into their children’s lives.

Unsurprisingly, this kind of melodramatic, “mommy on a mission” journalism never goes over well with readers. In fact, 89% of voters who answered the WSJ’s poll thought that dark themes in YA fiction were actually helpful, not harmful, to teenagers.

Chris Crutcher of The Huffington Post responded yesterday with “Young Adult Fiction: Let Teens Choose,” which I thought hit the nail on the head:

I went to my local Barnes and Noble and stood in the teen section, as purportedly did Amy Freeman, 46-year-old mother of three. And guess what? I saw a lot of the same “dark” literature Amy saw. And I saw a boatload of literature that was not dark, and a boatload more for which it was impossible to tell standing there staring. She would have had to open some books. I’m guessing Amy Freeman, 46-year-old mother of three, wasn’t as interested in finding her daughter a book as she was in making a statement that fit her philosophy.

So here’s what I’d add to the whole YA is dark and dangerous debate:

  1. Yes, there’s some serious stuff in some YA novels. But guess what? There’s some serious stuff in life. Drugs, sex, and violence are real, and most teenagers have not only seen them, but experienced them as well. Adults don’t give teens enough credit: they’re smart, and reading about mature themes allows them to form their own opinions and become mature human beings.
  2. When I was a teen and I felt uncomfortable with a book’s subject material, I stopped reading the book. I’ll admit that I used to be enthralled with Lois Duncan’s YA suspense novels, such as I Know What You Did Last Summer. Once I started having nightmares, I knew that I was too much of a scaredy-cat, and moved on to other books. Reading what I didn’t like made me realize what I did like. And no, I wasn’t traumatized, and I didn’t grow up to be a serial killer–imagine that!
  3. Some parents are straight-up wrong about books. The uber-religious want to ban the Harry Potter series for containing witchcraft. Even my mom didn’t want me reading them when I was 11. HP didn’t teach me dark magic, but it did teach me about friendship, bravery, and equality. And you know what other stories have witchcraft and other no-no’s in them? The literary classics, including Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Euripides’ Medea, which–omigoodness clutch your pearls–I read in high school. Crazy, right?
So, yes, be involved in what your child reads, but never judge a YA book by its poorly designed, emo-looking cover. There’s some great YA books out there, dark or not, and they should all be valued for getting teens interested in reading. Books generate discussion, so parents should get off their high horses and join the conversation.
PS: I finally jumped on The Hunger Games band-wagon yesterday, and I’m loving it! Nothing like child gladiators to spice up your summer!

Book Review: Overbite

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Rating: 2 out of 5

I just finished Overbite, Meg Cabot’s sequel to Insatiable, in which she attempts to bring originality to the vampire romance world. I always imagine the two books as a direct response to the Twilight saga by Stephenie Meyer, but both suffer from weak female protagonists emotionally chained to their overly-possessive vampire lovers.

The plot of Overbite is pretty simple: Meena Harper knows when people are going to die and has fallen in love with Lucien Antonescu, the vampire son of Dracula. However, in order to save her fellow New Yorkers, she’s teamed up with the demon-hunting Palatine Guard and her other love interest, vampire hunter Alaric Wulf. She’s torn in this triangle as tourists are mysteriously going missing and an old ex-boyfriend-turned vampire-attacks her. The Palatine suspect that Lucien’s behind these events, but if it’s not him, who is it?

I’ve read almost every single one of Cabot’s books, both adult and YA, and although Insatiable contained some sex, this one didn’t and seemed no different from her YA series. Cabot fans will complain that Overbite does not have enough romance and drags on to get to the action. The so-called plot twists were predictable, but usually I forgive Cabot for that because her writing is so entertaining. However, Overbite felt stale and melodramatic: how many times did I need to be reminded that Lucien–Lucien Antonescu–was a vampire, the prince of darkness, and the most powerful demon in the whole wide world?

We get it, he’s strong…but that doesn’t make the guy impressive. Unlike Twilight, in which you forgive Edward for being such a jealous, stubborn boyfriend, Lucien is petty and cruel. If you weren’t rooting for Alaric before, you definitely will now. The ending of Overbite almost makes up for a lackluster beginning and middle, as well as gives the impression that there won’t be other sequels–the first time I thought, “Good, because I really wouldn’t want this to continue.”

Overall, I absolutely love Cabot’s other work (including The Princess Diaries, Queen of Babble series, Runaway series, and her newest YA novel Abandon). I know that she can do better than Insatiable, and much, much better than Overbite, so I’ll keep buying her stuff. I recommend Cabot, but unless you’re obsessed with vampires, try something else of hers.

Calling All Fictional Sugar Daddies!

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The Lost Boy (Gossip Girl)

Ed Westwick as Chuck Bass

So I’m going to a local casino with a friend this weekend, and that got me thinking about Forbes’ Fictional 15: the richest people who never existed. Those with literary origins include Carlisle Cullen from the Twilight saga by Stephenie Meyer, Artemis Fowl from his namesake series by Eoin Colfer, Smaug the dragon from The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, and Chuck Bass from the Gossip Girl series by Cecily von Ziegesar.

So who would be the best gambling buddy? Smaug would never actually share its wealth and most likely burn everyone to a crisp. Carlisle could be very persuasive in getting my competition to lose, but a sparkly vampire would probably be more of a distraction to others. Chuck Bass is certainly rich, but if he looks anything like his TV counterpart Ed Westwick (*swoon*), he would be a major distraction to me.

Therefore, the winner: Artemis Fowl! Not only is he loaded with gold, both human and fairy, he is also a teenage genius.  A world-champion chess player would have no problem with a little blackjack, making him the perfect wing-man.

But alas! Their fortunes will only exist on the page, and I will have to fend for myself…it’s just fun to fantasize, right?

Know of any other sugar daddies or dragons that Forbes forgot? Who would you want by your side at the high-rollers’ tables?

Overrated Classics?

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Cover of The Catcher in the Rye 1985 edition

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Today The Huffington Post released this short list of classic novels which it considers overrated:

  1. Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett
  2. Moby Dick by Herman Melville
  3. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
  4. The Stranger by Albert Camus
  5. Ulysses by James Joyce
         Personally, I have read 3 and 4, and highly disagree with their reasoning. The Catcher in the Rye is an exquisite read at any age, and to oversimplify it as “whiney” is insulting. The Stranger is one of my favorite novels, precisely because it’s difficult “for the reader to feel a connection to the character.” As the epitome of French existentialism, you’re not supposed to understand Mersault, because the point of the novel is that sometimes, life just doesn’t make sense. It’s beautifully written and engaging, not bland and glacial.
         Now I haven’t read the others, but I have read Melville’s “Bartleby the Scrivener,” and 2 is the only one I would probably agree with, since I found his writing rather boring. But after hating Wharton’s Ethan Frome and loving The Age of Innocence, I try to never judge an author’s novel based on other work of his/hers that I’ve read previously. You never know, right?
          So do you think HuffPost’s spot-on, or did it totally miss the mark?