Mockingjay (Hunger Games Trilogy, bk 3)

Oh my goodness. If you have not read Hunger Games, Catching Fire or Mockingjay... then you have not read one of the best series out there. I finished Mockingjay this past weekend and it had me absolutely on the edge of my seat! I even got Dale to read the first few pages, and he's going to dig into the series as well.

What do I like about it? Well, the characters are real, they're not perfect and they're prone to stupid decisions. They are flawed but not so flawed that we can't identify with them. There's sweeping bravery, dramatic tension (although **semi-spolier** I have to admit I suspected that Katniss would still be around at the start of book 3, otherwise how would you HAVE a book three?) and really good action. There are characters who we want to hate but can't. There are characters we hate but turns out we probably shouldn't have. And we don't feel bad about hating them because they hate themselves sometimes too. When they redeem themselves, it's cathartic for everyone.

There's sentiment and cold pragmatism. There's love. There's adventure. There's a bit of the sci-fi/fantasy feel to portions of the Capitol, but mostly these are humans with no special or extra-ordinary abilities. It's close enough to possible to be disconcerting but far enough from reality to be looming in our future.

Go. Read it. Pass it on. May the odds be ever in your favor!

Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter

I read this one on Playaway - borrowed from another library because we only had it in print. And since I commute in a car with only a radio, I needed something I could plug into the radio transmitter. But I digress...

The book takes the premise that Abraham Lincoln was one of the world's leading vampire hunters and that vampires were intricately involved in the war between the States. It's a fascinating alternate view of history - even if you don't believe in vampires. The author, Seth Grahame-Smith, did a lot of research to get the details right. Places Lincoln lived, real people and actual events are woven into the imaginary world to lend an air of authenticity. He starts with Lincoln's childhood and takes you through his early years as a shopkeeper, lawyer and politician- all the way through his time in the White House. The assassination theory put forth here is really well done too.

I'd give it an A. Maybe an A+, for holding my attention through the drive to and from and making me want to listen at home too!

--Laura

Mad, Bad, and Blonde ~ Cathie Linz

I discovered Cathie Linz after I'd run out of reading material from one of my favorite authors, Debbie Macomber. The library has a great resource available called Novelist and through that program, we can search for what are called "read-a-likes." I searched some Macomber titles and discovered Linz as a suggestion. I read a couple of her previous books, then moved on to her newest release, Mad, Bad, and Blonde. It was an easy read and I enjoyed the main characters and their roles in the story and the secondary characters have enough personality to further develop in future stories as well. I read that the series will continue with Luck Be A Lady in October, 2010, and I'm looking forward to reading that one as well.

About Mad, Bad, and Blonde...
After being jilted on her wedding day, via text message no less, Faith West decides she is not going to go into seclusion to lick her wounds. Instead, she takes what was supposed to be her dream vacation/honeymoon trip to Italy alone. While there, she meets Caine Hunter, hunky ex-Marine and unbeknownst to Faith, a private investigator working for her father's biggest rival and sent to watch her. He becomes Faith's rebound relationship at first, but they soon fall into bed and into love. To complicate things, Caine has his own private agenda where the West family is concerned which is laid out during the course of the book. Faith and Caine become unlikely partners to investigate a case and work through all the obstacles they face as they discover more about themselves and each other.

I think Novelist did a good job of matching these two authors as read-a-likes.

The Vanishing of Katharina Linden

It sounds like a mystery...and it is, but much more, its a modern day type of fairy tale. There is a happy ending but it is not "happily every after" by any means. There are no supernatural creatures except in the stories one of the main charaters tells to the children in the story. It is set in Germany in the late 1990's and there are quite a few German words in the text. Amazingly enough that did not make it more difficult to read but added to the reader's experience. Again this was a quick read for me, it was easy to care about the characters and I truly wanted to find out the ending.

Lucy

I read the book Laura had recomended...Lucy. I enjoyed it. The only thing I think I would have for more of in the story was to create a more in depth character for the oppostition of Lucy's existance. I found the "government" to be very one dimensional. It was a good story though with some food for thought and I would reomend it.

Ghost Riders

I just finished this book by Sharyn McCrumb. Wow, it's been a long time since I've read a book in one sitting but this was just that good. It's about a husband and wife in the Civil War who fight together for the Union side of the Army in the N. Carolina mountains. The book is of course historical fiction...the main characters did exist and their pictures are featured in the front of the book. Some of the descriptive scenes about the atrocities of the guerrilla type fighting that went on in the Appalacians was unsettling. I highly recomend this to anyone who is interested in historical fiction, war stories, stories about the South.

Hunger Games, the MOVIE

I'm quite sure I will like the book better, because I am a librarian. But they're making a movie of The Hunger Games, and it appears as though Suzanne Collins wrote the first version of the screenplay!! Much speculation about who will play Katniss Everdeen, with serious spin given to Chloe Moretz from the movie Kick-A** and Kristen Stewart from the Twilight saga. Directors are lining up too!
For more about the movie, which goes into production next year, here are a couple of articles.
From USA Today
From EarlyWord, the publisher|librarian connection

Sizzling Sixteen - Janet Evanovich

Being an avid Stephanie Plum fan, I couldn't wait for the newest release in the Stephanie Plum series, Sizzling Sixteen. After reading it, I felt it was more like fizzling sixteen. The story line was quirky and entertaining as always, but the tendency to backtrack over so much of the history has gotten old for me. There has been no real character or plot development over the last several books now. It's the same old Stephanie...bumbling bounty hunter, blowing up cars, getting new ones mysteriously delivered from Ranger, getting covered in some sort of goo or another, etc. You can only read so much about feeding Rex, going to a fast food place to feed Lula's seemingly insatiable appetite, being torn between Ranger and Morelli and rescuing Grandma Mazur from another botched funeral home viewing before your eyes glaze over and you lose interest.
Stephanie and the gang have become to me like long-lost friends that you remember when you see them, but aren't exactly joyous at their appearance. I think it's time for Janet to decide to thicken the plots and add some character to her characters or end this series alltogether. I'd hate to see them go, but I can't make myself look forward to semi-good seventeen.

Shift by Tim Kring and Dale Peck

I just finished Shift, by Tim Kring and Dale Peck. This was a new book that was recommended in July's Bookpage, that we have here in the library. Tim Kring is the creator of Heroes, the television show, and I thought I would give it a try.
The idea is that through CIA experiments with LSD, a sort of super-human is created that, after being injected with large doses of LSD, has the ability to read minds, project thoughts and images, and all sorts of ESP. Not only has he gained mental abilities, but he is changed physically also, with the ability to react quicker, and therefore is super soldier.
That's the premise, but then you set it in the 60's, added JFK and Cuba, a nuclear bomb, a rogue CIA operative, KGB, FBI, Timothy Leary, the mob, and every cliche associated with each of those, and it becomes complicated. There is also the love story, where the reluctant super soldier is only trying to reunite with his true love, the backstory of characters, and the assassination of JFK.

Given all that is going on, the authors do a fairly good job of weaving this story, but some things didn't work. The attempt to throw facts in seemed out of place. They are shown as to come from a case file from the FBI, make them seem like they were attempting to wrap up loose ends without putting any effort into it. The pacing does lack in spots and found it hard to muddle through. But I would give it a B-.

The main problem I did have with it being that this is the first of a series, and I wasn't expecting that. So the ending is very open and unresolved. I can definitely see this continuing through out the major points in history and recreating them as this character tries to find his true love, and how he is manipulated into causing some of the major events that have happened in the past fifty years with his powers.

I decided to try a play away this weekend and listened to Meg Cabot's book Insatiable while mowing and then while on the back of my husband's motorcycle. Not only is it a good listen but I am a play away enthusiast now!:) thought this would be appropriate with our new lanyard give away.
Nancy

The Tale of Hill Top Farm: The Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter

The Tale of Hill Top Farm:  The Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter

by Susan Wittig Albert

I am a cozy mystery reader, and I tend to prefer my cozies set in England.  Though I do have a couple series that I read that are set elsewhere.  This series of books is based up on the character of Beatrix Potter; from the time she purchases Hill Top Farm in the Lake District to the time of her marriage to William Heelis, her solicitor in Sweary. 

Basically the plot of this book involves a mystery, but it's also an introduction to the series, and to the Potter character, as well as other villagers.  Potter has agreed to purchase Hill Top Farm, and comes to Sweary to learn about the locals, and to learn about the farm. Also in tow are all her beloved animals that have been included in the previous published works of hers that she did with her fiance Norman Warne.  While in the village, she is currently working on the drawings for her next book, about a frog, Jeremy Fisher. But she also stumbles upon on a mystery, and turns out to be quite the, if you pardon my pun, Jane Marple, she has a natural ability to solve crimes.  While this book is not heavy reading, and quite a quick read it is enjoyable, and does a good job of setting up the series.  There are lots of characters and it only adds to the feel of being in a small English village in the country side.  One nice surprise, at least for me was the author, Susan Wittig Albert, also gives the animals voices, which is a nice touch, considering we are dealing with the world of Beatrix Potter!

We do have this book at the library.  Click here to go to the catalog and request the title.

Hey adults, check out the children's bins!

I'm just sitting here looking at some GORGEOUS new books from the children's department. They're the 'Ology' books....fascinating hands-on books that are really works of art! Since they are 'hands on', check them out early....they're bound to get a lot of wear right away. The subjects are intriguing..Wizardology, Pirateology, Mythology, Monsterology, etc. I think they appeal to adults as much as children.....I'm definitely no 'kid', but they attracted me!