January Reads

This month, I have read:

The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins

Smokin’ Seventeen - Janet Evanovich

Wicked Appetite - Janet Evanovich

The Sibling Effect: What the Bonds Among Brothers and Sisters Reveal About Us - Jeffrey Kluger

The Slayer Chronicles: First Kill - Heather Brewer

Wow. 7 books in 27 days. That’s pretty nutso. Then again, I went so long without reading that is stands to reason I’d go nutso now. I have a lot to say about each of these very different books, so if you're interested in my thoughts...

The Hunger Games
Catching Fire
Mockingjay
~ Suzanne Collins

I mean….wiggity whoa. I have heard other people discussing this series over the past year or so, and certainly more lately since the movie adaptation of the first book will hit the big screen in March, but I hadn’t really given the books much thought. I mean, when they were first coming out, I was finishing college plus working full time. I had my hands full! Anyway, this series saved me from my slump…

I may not have said so before, but, until this series… I had not read a book in months! Sometime in late September/early October I read my last book for a while. I most definitely recall my summer reading list and can only assume I read one or two more afterwards. Even so, for all of October, November, and December I did not read One. Single. Thing. Not even the back of the cereal box. [[Okay, maybe I did read that, I’m sure.]]

And that’s just sad. It’s not because I was so busy. It’s not because I was suddenly interested in other hobbies. For some reason, I had a complete lack of desire to pick up a book and read. Just read. Reading, at times, is like breathing to me. And it had been too long and I was gasping.

….Anyone else notice the obvious ADD so far in this post?

Anyway, The Hunger Games. In Book 1, we are introduced to our main character, Katniss Everdeen. Katniss lives in Panem and is approximately 16 years old. Panem is our North America…only, many years [possibly hundreds] into the future. Panem is “controlled” by the Capitol, which is described later in the series I believe as being in our Rockies. Katniss lives in District 12 of Panem, or, North America’s Appalachian area. Each District serves the Capitol (and, if lucky, themselves) with a specific service or good. District 12, for example, supplies the Capitol with coal. There was once a working mine for coal, but it exploded two years ago, killing Katniss’ father, a miner. It also put a lot of residents of District 12 out of jobs and the whole town including Katniss has to resort to extreme measures to keep themselves family alive, even illegal things, like hunting the woods for food.

See, the Capitol is super strict. They outlaw just about everything. They control everything. They are mostly to be feared. Hunting for food is punishable by death.

In Book 1, we are also introduced to the concept of The Reaping. Basically, as punishment for a long ago war started by the Districts against the Capitol, and as a reminder of how big of a no-no such an uprising would be, the Capitol puts on The Hunger Games. Every year, two names are drawn from a bowl. One boy and one girl from each District, who have previously submitted their names into said bowl, are sent into the arena to battle to the death. 24 kids between the ages of 12 and 18 go in, only one comes out alive. And it's all for the entertainment of the people who live in the Capitol.

This book was totally disturbing, really, but amazingly addictive and awesomely written. WHAT an IDEA, man! So naturally I read books 2 and 3 within the same weekend. Yep, I had my reading groove back. And I think I will refrain from describing books 2 and 3. I would hate to give away surprises, so just know that you won’t be able to put these down once you start them. Get them, and be prepared. If you're like me, you will feel every emotion possible while reading: admiration, love, compassion, hatred, anger, fear, desperation, fascination, eagerness, panic, excitement, astonishment, omg I could go on forever. I adored Katniss and everything she stands for. Her determination and survival skills are incredible. Basically, if you can get past the concept that this is a very dark book about people killing each other...children killing children... then you can really enjoy the creativity and passion behind the story and the characters.

When I finished this delectable series, I was understandably super bummed. So, I found the fluffiest, goofiest, fun book I could find to cheer my mood. I turned to one of my favorite characters, Stephanie Plum. Stephanie is a character that, if made into real life, you would constantly want to pat her on the head and say "It will be okay..." [Haha, funny that Katherine Heigl will play her in the film for the first book in the series One For The Money.]

Smokin’ Seventeen
~ Janet Evanovich

Stephanie is a bail bondsWOMAN for her uncle. She lives and works in New Jersey in a town that has its good characters, bad characters, and just plain wacky people. There are [obviously] 17 books in this series… actually, 18 now, but I’m not there yet…and she gets into all sorts of weird scrapes while seeking out her FTAs [people who failed to show up to court]. She is regularly accompanied by her ex-ho [yes, I typed ‘ho’] sidekick of sorts, Lula. Lula is hysterical.

Stephanie also has quite the love life, dividing her romantic time between Joe Morelli, a lifelong friend-now-cop who can’t commit, and Ranger, a super sexy, mysterious, commitment-phobic security company owner who has an endless supply of amazing sports cars. The books never get raunchy. They are totally PG-13. The love triangle is really a hoot at times, and Stephanie always gets herself in a jam, adding to the hilarity.

In book 17 she is desperately trying to solve a double murder, while avoiding being killed herself, while still hunting down those darn FTAs! She is also, as per usual, confused about her relationships with Ranger and Morelli…and now Dave, a weird, unemployed blind date that never leaves but can cook really, really well. Not a love triangle anymore… a love square?

I like this series because it's fun. It's simple. The stories keep my attention and, though the writing is certainly not award winning, it's evidently entertaining enough to be made into a movie! Ah! Typing about Stephanie Plum reminded me I read another Evanovich book this month. She has other books that are not part of the Plum series.

Wicked Appetite
~ Janet Evanovich

This book is told from the point of view of Lizzie, a cupcake baker in Salem, Mass. She lives in a house given to her by a late Aunt and has a very normal life…that is, until Diesel and Wulf, two gifted cousins who greatly dislike one another, appear in her life. Turns out, Lizzie has a gift too, and her gift will lead her to something that people want, especially Wulf.

Wulf has his sights on the Seven Stones of Power that represent the Seven Deadly Sins. In this book, he is searching for three objects that, when combined, represent gluttony. The keepers of each object fall victim to the powers of their object exhibiting extreme symptoms of gluttony. Wulf wants the objects for bad reasons and wants to use Lizzie to get them. Again, only she can identify the object as special because, again, of her special gift. Diesel is around to protect her and collect the objects for good reasons.

Oh yeah. Diesel is a hottie.

This book involves mystery, magic, a monkey named Carl, a one-eyed cat named Cat 7143, and a whole lot of yummy cupcakes. It was a fun read.

Let’s see. Just two more. [Are you bored yet?]

The Sibling Effect: What the Bonds Among Brothers and Sisters Reveal About Us
~ Jeffrey Kluger

I read this book for something different. It caught my eye at the library. I’m a “big sister” and I love to read about other sibling relationships because mine is awesome. I read with the hope that I can find stories of other great sib sets. Unfortunately, this book fell short of my hopes. The book was a bit dry at times and I found myself enjoying the facts and information about siblings that the author collected and included more than his personal anecdotes, and even the information was not all that revealing in my opinion. Let’s just say I didn’t find certain places humorous that I think were meant to be so. Bummer. I ended up skimming the last few chapters, sadly, which is always a waste of a book. Maybe it was just not the right time?

AND FINALLY, I ended the month of January with another new book in what seems to be a promising series.

The Slayer Chronicles: First Kill
~ Heather Brewer

Joss is ten when the book starts. He is a very lonely child, except for his relationship with his younger sister Cecile. One night, horrifically, Cecile is killed by a man that Joss sees. He walks in on the murder and later swears the man had fangs. He is haunted by the smell of her blood. No one believes him…until he meets his Uncle Abraham at the funeral.

Abraham tells him he is a Slayer descended from a long line of Slayers, dedicated to hunting and killing vamps. It was a vamp who killed his sister, and Joss vows to commit to the cause. He will avenge her death.

Three years later, at 13, he is called to begin his training. In a remote area in the Catskill Mountains, he joins his Uncle and several other Slayers in their secret group to train and hunt for a hive of vamps in the area.

[[Interjection: I LOVE VAMPIRE BOOKS!]]

Whew. Anyway, Joss quickly figures out that training…is….brutal. Man, the things they put this kid through. However, he is strong, agile, and made for this. Things go crazy, calm down, get crazier, and seem to explode all to a great ending that promises to lead into future books in the series. Loved! Sure, it’s likely for much younger audiences but I enjoy any book involving the supernatural!