Amanda's comments (member since May 21, 2008)

Amanda's comments from the YA Book Club group.

I don't mind the sex in Graceling other than it got to be a little too bodice-ripping-romancy for my tastes. I think it distracted a bit from the main quest. And good for Katsa not feeling she has to get married just because she has sex with Po! If every girl married her first, we'd all be in a lot of trouble.

I think the idea of sponsors points to our society and it values. We value beauty and personality. Why do you think Elisabeth Hasselbeck is still on TV long after her Survivor season ended? When was the last time you saw an unattractive person winning American Idol? Shows like the Swan (which mercifully is not on TV anymore), the Biggest Loser, ANTM, and Extreme Makover (the people, not homes, version) are all based on encouraging and rewarding people to be more beautiful in the conventional sense. That is what draws in viewers, which in turn draws in money.

I think Hunger Games exposes looks and charm as current day survival tactics, particularly for those in the public eye. Collins points to the brutality and unfairness of both the expectation for everyone to be good looking as well as the rewarding or advancement of a person with those attributes over other, perhaps more deserving, individuals.

On the other hand, I wouldn't stop Cinna from being my stylist!

Advanced copies of Catching Fire came out at Book Expo America last week. I have a friend who went to the expo and was lucky enough to secure one. So jealous! Hopefully I'll get my hands on his copy when he is done reading it. He says it is fantastic so far.

She should try the series by Louise Rennison that starts with Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging. It's a sort of slice-of-life story of a British teenage girl written in diary format, which I am usually not a fan of but like in this case. It may cross over into the chick lit category but I would give it a try.
Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging Confessions of Georgia Nicolson