I Just Have One Thing to Say Today

 

GO COLTS!!

The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins, is a captivating, futuristic young adult (YA) read.  Not only will this appeal to kids (and probably even those who don't tend to like to read much), but it will appeal to adults as well.

America is gone, destroyed in a revolution that created the new country of Panem, which consists of 12 districts and the Capitol.  The districts are kept poor and separated, and each year two "tributes," a boy and a girl between the ages of 12 and 18, are randomly selected from each district to participate in the Hunger Games.  These are only "games" to the people living in the Capitol, however; to the districts they're a terrible reminder of the strength of the Capitol, and what could happen to them all if they try to revolt again.  The tributes, 24 in all, are required to meet in the "arena," a landscape of the Capitol's choosing, and then hunt each other down until there is only one tribute remaining.

I thought the very beginning of the book was just a little slow, due to the necessary fact of introducing the heroine (Katniss Everdeen) and the circumstances of her life.  But as soon as the games began, I was hooked.  I didn't want to put the book down, and I finished it quickly (I actually want to read it again already).  Collins put in just enough detail to bring the disturbing circumstances to life, but not too much that it would be too gruesome for the YA audience.  This is the first in a series, and I can't wait to read the sequel, Catching Fire, as soon as it comes to me through the hold list at the library.

4 out of 5 stars.  This was very, very good, but I felt there was a little room for improvement (the slow start and the lack of any plot twists I couldn't see coming).  I have high hopes for the sequel!

The Year of Living Biblically

The Year of Living Biblically, by A. J. Jacobs, was exactly what I expected.  Jacobs, an agnostic of Jewish descent, decided he would try to live out the laws of the Bible as literally as possible.  To do this, he enlisted the help of many religious scholars, rabbis, and friends.  Jacobs really did his research; not only did he completely read the Bible, but he read many books on the interpretation of the Bible, and learned how the laws of several millenia ago pertains to life today.

The book is split up by months, and within that section a Bible verse is listed before the particular day that verse played a part in Jacobs' life.  This made it very easy to follow and easy to find a place to stop.  However, it didn't necessarily lend itself to swift reading.  This was a book I took my time with and, while I was never bored with it, sometimes I had had enough Bible laws for the day.

One thing I didn't care for was the way Jacobs' wife, Julie, was presented.  She just didn't seem very supportive and Jacobs only seemed to relate the instances where he was particularly annoying her.  Of course, that made it funnier, but it just didn't seem very nice.

I learned a lot through this book.  For example, I did not know that ultra-Orthodox Jews and ultrafundamentalist Christians both need the Third Temple in Jerusalem to be built; the Jews need it so their Messiah will come, and the Christians need it because they see the Jewish Messiah as the false Messiah, or antichrist, which will cause the true Christ to begin the apocalyptic battle and begin the thousand-year reign of peace on earth.  And how does all of that start?  With a red cow.

I also learned that Spock's famous "live long and prosper" split-fingered salute is also a sacred hand position used by the Jewish priestly class.

Jacobs' wrote a book that is chock full of information I never would have learned even if I had read the entire Bible, as well as funny anecdotes that can only occur when one is trying to live as a Bible literalist in the 21st century.  Overall, I'd give this 3 out of 5 stars.  It kept me interested, but it didn't keep me hooked.

Quick Update

Just a quick hello!  Keith and I are back from our trip to the Pro Bowl (don't worry, I'll fill you in on the details and have pictures soon!) and now we're just waiting for March to arrive!  I have two book reviews lined up for you within the next few days, and my problem with having too many books at once is still ongoing (although really I can't consider that a "problem").

Also, my mom sent me a link to this article, which reports that a school district in California banned the tenth edition of the Merriam-Webster dictionary.  Check it out, and then tell me what you think.  Personally, I think it brings up a great opportunity to talk to your kids, rather than try to keep information from them and everyone else.

Cleaving: A Story of Marriage, Meat, and Obsession

Cleaving is Julie Powell's followup to her bestselling memoir Julia and Julia.  It is not, however, a followup in the sense that it's just as good.  It's simply a memoir of the years following the publishing of her first book and let me tell you, she took one huge wrong turn.

It turns out Julie's life became complicated after her first book was published, and not because she was suddenly a recognizable face on the street.  No, an old flame re-entered her life.  Here's the way she puts it: "I was starry-eyed and vaguely discontented and had too much time on my hands.  It was exactly the wrong time for the phone call I got that summer of 2004..."

And here, I'll admit, I started judging.  If there is one thing I hate, it's adultery.  I cannot understand how you can promise to be faithful, to love and support, to care for another person for the rest of your life, and then throw it out the window.  If you fall out of love with your spouse and in love with someone else, then fine, get a divorce and move on with your life.  But under no circumstances do I see why you should deceive and cheat on your spouse and then whine about it.  And that's exactly what Julie did in this book.

Sure, she comes up with some interesting metaphors as to how her new passion, butchery, is a lot like her life and how it's been torn apart.  But really, the only reason I kept reading was because I wanted to know if she would grow up by the end of it.  I'll save you the trouble: she didn't.  Instead of growing a pair and filing for divorce, she bitched and moaned about how much she loved her husband, but also how much she loved her lover, and how she couldn't let go of either one of them, even if she was hurting them both.  Instead, she had to dive into a butchery apprenticeship and then take a solo trip around the world.  True, by the end of the trip she had grown confidence in herself and was no longer a crying, whiny mess.  Instead, she and her husband came to an agreement to just "see" where life would take them.  No divorce, but also no commitment to stop seeing their lovers (yes, her husband started his own affair after he learned about hers; payback is one thing, but come on!).

I have nothing good to say about this memoir, and now I have nothing good to say about Julie Powell.  I really liked Julie and Julia; I could understand how someone turning 30 in a dead-end job would need to reach out for some crazy goal, and I was impressed that she was able to turn that into a book deal, and I even liked how real and uncensored she seemed.  And I think I'll still like that book for what it was.  But this was something that not only was the opposite of what I expected, but made me angry and left me mystified.  If she had done something, anything, showing that she had grown up and moved on, I could respect that.  Not condone it, but at least respect that she did the right thing.  I will never understand how someone can cheat on the one person they claim to love so much, and I have no respect for someone that can't realize their mistakes and make it right.

1 star out of 5.  I had originally scored this as a 2, but after discussing it with my husband, I realized that I was scoring it based on my own personal need to see if Julie changed her ways, not whether or not the book was worth it.  While I needed to see it to the end, I cannot recommend that you do the same.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

I'm still not completely finished with any of my books, but I'm making some headway.  Here's an abbreviated list of what I'm reading right now.


Cleaving, by Julie Powell (the same woman who wrote Julie and Julia), followed up her bestselling memoir with another that takes place a couple of years after the first one ended.  I'll save my comments for the review, but suffice it to say this is nowhere close to endearing.

The Year of Living Biblically, by A.J. Jacobs is proving to be both informative and funny.  More informative and soul-searching than funny, but there are some great moments.

The National Association of Realtors Guide to Home Buying is, obviously, more of a reference tool than something I'm reading cover-to-cover.  But I'm getting a lot of good tips as Keith and I start our search for our first house.

And finally, The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins.  I'm jumping on this bandwagon late (as usual) and I'm going pretty slowly at this point because I have so many books on my plate right now.  But I can tell this is one that's going to pick up quickly and I'm not going to want to put it down, so I better finish everything else by its library due date so I can focus on this YA futuristic thriller.


So those are four of the books currently on my list.  What are you reading?

*This weekly meme is hosted by J. Kaye's Book Blog.

Go Colts!

We're going to the Super Bowl!!

A-Buck-A-Book Challenge

I found another challenge!  This one is hosted by DelGal and it's called A-Buck-A-Book Challenge.  The premise is to pay yourself a dollar for every book you read, and at the end of the year go do something fun with the money you saved!  No paying bills or anything boring like that; you have to spend your money on something fun for you.  I love this idea, and it's a great way for me to consciously set aside money (I see a potential plan for future children....).

Anyway, I'm starting retroactively, so I already owe myself a dollar.  And hopefully, if I reach my goal this year, I'll have 50 bucks saved up by the end of the year!  If you'd like to join us, head on over to DelGal's post on the challenge and leave a comment for her!

*Found through A Novel Challenge.