The Hunger Games – Catching Fire
27 Feb 2012 Leave a Comment
Catching Fire is the second volume in The Hunger Games trilogy.
Katniss Everdeen can’t seem to escape The Hunger Games. As a former victor she now has to take on the role of mentor for the participants from this year. And even though life is easier for her mother and Prim over the last year, life in Panem seems to be becoming harsher. Also, Katniss is still very confused about her feelings for Peeta – whom she must pretend to love after the Games, and her feelings for Gale, her best friend for many years.
A surprise visit from the President leaves her with a deadly threat hanging over her head – make the ordinary citizens of the 12 districts believe she and Peeta are in love (thus explaining their attempts to thwart the Games last year) or else.
When Katniss fails to perform, she and Peeta are called into the arena once more when the president decides that only former victors will play The Hunger Games this year.
But the game has changed – many of the players seem to want to work with her and are instrumental in saving Peeta’s life. Although Katniss has sworn not the leave the arena this time, the Games may just be being played for many more than those in the field.
Another interesting installment, although lacking the originality and urgency of the first novel. I’ve already started the third and final chapter.
The Night Circus
23 Feb 2012 Leave a Comment
Who knew what would happen when Prospero the Enchanter is delivered a young girl – his daughter – to raise one fateful evening? Although he does not relish the prospect of fatherhood, Prospero finds in Celia a keen mind and a natural talent for the real magic he disguises in his shows as petty illusions.
Made proud by the girl’s speedy progress, Prospero commits the ultimate betrayal and challenges a rival magician – whose bent is to keep magic hidden and quiet – to a duel. Alexander must choose and train his own student to face Celia in the challenge. However, what neither Celia nor her rival Marco know, is that the challenge to which they find themselves inextricably bound, is to the death.
Years pass, and a site for the challenge is chosen – A Night Circus designed to wonder and amaze. Celia is immediately recognised by Marco as his rival, as the illusions she creates as the show’s enchanter are so real. In the shadows, Marco disguises himself as a humble clerk for the proprietor. The each design more dazzling spectacles for the circus, each amazed and admiring of the work of the other. Without really knowing each other, already they are beginning to fall a little bit in love.
As time passes, they each recognise in each other a kindred lonely spirit looking for love. And as their love deepens, they realise how firmly ensnared they are in their battle and how impossible it would be to live without the other.
There are a variety of other colourful characters caught up in this utterly magical tale. Twins who read the future and the past. A contortionist who has played the game before. A clockmaker who starts a circus cult following. A tarot card reader who wants Marco for herself. A boy who cannot imagine any future other than one at the circus. This beloved cast of characters soon makes the circus a home to both Celia and Marco, one that is to be protected at all costs. Soon, the challenge becomes how to end the challenge without death or damage to the circus.
Erin Morgenstern has created an epic story set at the turn of the century, that kept me spellbound as I listened to it on audiobook. A must for lovers of fantasy.
Twitterature
21 Feb 2012 Leave a Comment
At the risk of being somewhat unpopular, I did not enjoy this. I will also admit that I did not read all of it, just the stories that interested me.
Twitterature selects classic novels such as The Iliad, Pride and Prejudice, Moby Dick and more, and explores the plot and characters through a series of tweets. An encouraging idea merging two of my favourite things – literature and Twitter. However, the tone of each of the tweets is utterly ridiculous. Why are all of the novels reduced to the lowest common denominator and most trashy aspects? And why do all of the characters sound like petulant teenagers? is this what they think Twitter is – a sounding board for utterly immature and vapid meanderings around life’s most infantile obsessions?
I am almost offended by this complete load of rubbish.
The Ghost of Miss Annabel Spoon
20 Feb 2012 Leave a Comment
This is a lovely picture storybook by Aaron Blabey. It uses a lyrical and charming rhyming scheme and fosters good feelings about friendship and embracing those who appear different to you. I read it at our library’s launch for the National Year of Reading and could find a million ways to use it even in the Senior classroom. Just a gem.
IQ84
19 Feb 2012 Leave a Comment
This was a bit of a monster, in that it took me so long to get through it.And while Haruki Murakami is pretty much a total genius, this one was a little bit of a slog.
The plot is his usual brilliance – two young Japanese people are drawn into a parallel world where the “Little People” create many “Air Chrysalis” for some strange agenda. Chapters are told alternatively from each of the perspectives of Tengo, a young mathematician and aspiring writer who agrees to ghost write a disjointed but fascinating novel detailing the work of the “Little People” mentioned above, and Aomame, a personal trainer and assassin who went to school with Tengo and was drawn to him as a fellow outsider. While nothing more than a brief clasp of each other’s hand occurs in school, they remember each other as adults and secretly yearn to see the other again. But it is only in the parallel world, a different form of the 1984 the novel is set in (which Aomame dubs ‘IQ84′) to bring them together. Realising their need to find each other and discover a way out takes up much of the novel – although there are long periods whereby Murakami could have sped this process up which frustrated me a little. But this is simply not his style. he takes his time, exploring all recesses of his characters minds, and even demonstrating them doing the minute day-t0-day activities he seems to love so so much.
The mystery of what is going on will keep you going after a confusing start, and it is (as always) worth pursuing the narrative through to the end. Don’t expect any hard and fast answers – this isn’t Hollywood after all. Just enjoy the ride into a very strange but beautiful mind.
The Hunger Games
04 Feb 2012 3 Comments
I’ve been meaning to read this for a while, and downloaded a digital copy from the school library. Then I sat and read it that day. Collins has done a terrific job here in creating the latest big thing in Young Adult Fiction. I was spellbound.
Katniss Everdeen is our heroine – tough but deeply devoted to those she loves. She lives in a dystopian futuristic world where rebellions against ‘The Capital’ have resulted in the yearly ‘Hunger Games’, where one boy and one girl from each district is chosen to battle it out to the death in a game of survival that is televised across the country.
When her young and gentle little sister is chosen against tremendous odds, Katniss volunteers in her place and is prepared to enter the arena. But Katniss is a survivor, and slowly through her skills and building relationships, she starts to understand how to play the game.
With such a brutal storyline, Collins has to be careful to preserve the audience’s respect for Katniss, who manages to fight for her life without becoming a cold-blooded murderer. There’s even a love story thrown into the mix, as she develops complicated feelings for the other contestant from her District, which in turn must affect her approach to surviving the games.
Engrossing and beautifully visualised, the series is worthy of all its success. Glad I read the book before the film comes out.
