Yeah, I'll get around to writing a review for it too soon. Be warned, it is much harsher and much more violent. And, to me anyway, much more moving and thought provoking as well. I think one edition is better than another, so I'll make note of that on the review.
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<![CDATA[Angie made a comment on Shauna's recommendation of From the Land of Green Ghosts: A Burmese Odyssey to Angie]]>
http://www.goodreads.com/book/recommendation/676152
Angie
made a comment on
Shauna's
recommendation of
From the Land of Green Ghosts: A Burmese Odyssey
to
Angie:
Sounds intense and depressing, but it also sounds like something I should read.
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<![CDATA[Angie added 'The Hunger Games']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/78548678
to: The Hunger Games (Hunger Games, #1)bySuzanne Collins
I'm not sure this book quite deserves four stars, but I did eat it up like candy. It had me all wrapped up, so I have to give it credit for that. I read it (and Catching Fire) awhile ago, but I wanted to hold off writing reviews until I read Battle Royale, which I'd read is similar and was written first (by Japanese novelist, Koushun Takami), so I wanted to see if The Hunger Games is just a rip off. I don't know if Suzanne Collins had even read Battle Royale before writing her own story about throwing teenagers into an arena to kill each other off until there is a single survivor. The basic concept is not entirely new anyway. We've seen its type in a couple of Stephen King's novels, and of course the Greek myth of Theseus, which Collins has mentioned being an inspiration; it even reminds me of Shirley Jackson's short story, The Lottery, and I'm sure the list goes on. The great concepts are often revisited, and that's a good thing. However, Battle Royale and Hunger Games are extremely similar. Both involve teenagers. Both involve future fascist dystopian governments. They are alike down to one of the leads coming into the game with a long held crush on the other and the need to get antibiotics for one of them. And yet . . . they remain two very different books. Collins' book has its own thing going. For one thing, it is much more appropriate for young readers. It's a whole lot less vicious (this isn't to say it isn't vicious too though). It also has a bit of a fantasy feel, which I didn't get in Battle Royale (in this case, I think that's part of why Battle Royale hit me harder). Hunger Games has more focus on giddiness and romance (I'm not knocking that; it's some of the tastiest candy), as well as more of the reality TV thing (which, I think, makes for a good critique of the current reality TV that does get disgusting and inhumane sometimes). I do not find The Hunger Games to be a mere copy. That being said, I find Battle Royale superior.
Sometimes the writing in Hunger Games feels a little teeny bopper (particularly when we have to sit through descriptions of Katniss's costuming and such), but still I found this book almost impossible to put down. Of course, the premise alone creates intensity, and I think Collins does a good job of keeping the intensity high. The dialogue's pretty good (there's even some decent humor). The characters are okay. The former Hunger Games winner and often drunk mentor, Haymitch, is actually fairly complex. Although she's a bit dense sometimes, the female lead at least doesn't annoy me too much, despite having a ridiculous name (by the way, where does someone named Katniss get off snickering at Glimmer's name?). I really like the male lead, Peeta. I buy his goodness, and he wins my affection the minute he doesn't even try not to cry and keep a tough front after saying goodbye to his family to go to the games. I think I'm supposed to care about Gale a lot more than I do, but his presence simply pales next to Peeta's; we only spend a couple of pages with Gale, and it's not enough to get me torn over which guy I'll root for in this love triangle. I gotta quote Stephen King's review here: "Further complicating her situation is her sorta-crush on her 18-year-old hunting partner, Gale. Gale isn't clueless; Gale is smoldering. Says so right on page 14." Maybe that sheds some light on what I mean about the writing sometimes feeling a tad immature and stilted. Also, there are things that seem a little too simplified, and Collins never has me thinking things won't turn out as they do (but I don't know if she even wants me to wonder). I don't quite buy that the government would go for Katniss's solution either. (I hope that wasn't too much of a spoiler.) I also feel like Collins doesn't quite manage to get in and explore what a situation like The Hunger Games would do to a person (though at least we get some struggle from Peeta), how it would bring out what's most horrible but also what's best in humanity. It's not that that these things aren't present in The Hunger Games, but they don't scream in my face the way it seems like they should (and did in Battle Royale), but then maybe that's just not the main thrust of The Hunger Games. All in all, I really like this book. I'd recommend it to anyone who's old enough for and not turned off by the premise.
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<![CDATA[Angie added 'The Colour of Magic']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/78226752
to: The Colour of Magic (Discworld, #1)byTerry Pratchett
After loving Good Omens (co-written with Neil Gaiman, who has yet to disappoint me), I decided I should check out some of Terry Pratchett's other stuff. In an attempt at orderliness, I decided to go with the first published of his abundant and popular Discworld books. The Colour of Magic is a pretty good bit of lovingly making fun of the fantasy genre, which is something I appreciate. I enjoyed reading it. It's clever. It's funny. I really like the tenacious luggage, which I think is my favorite character from the novel, though I'm also fond of the luggage's owner, Twoflower, yet character isn't a major strength of this book, but the creative, wacky ideas and the dry humor are quite good. However, I did not find myself having a difficult time putting this book down or eagerly waiting to pick it up again. I do think it probable that later Discworld novels are much better. After all, I already didn't take Erica's advice by starting with a Rincewind book, though I actually kinda like him in theory (the whole cowardly wizard who only knows one spell he doesn't dare use). Still, I was not enthralled with him or with the book. But I was amused.
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<![CDATA[Angie added 'The Bridge of San Luis Rey']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/77361851
to: The Bridge of San Luis Rey (Paperback)byThornton Wilder
Thought provoking. Concise but effective. Things tie together (other than Father Juniper, whose story leaves me going,"huh?" but I'm probably missing something there). It's strange, but the style of this book (set in Peru) reminds me of Marquez and the like, even though it never got as weird as the magical realism stuff.
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<![CDATA[Angie added 'The Sound and the Fury']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76609765
to: The Sound and the Fury (Paperback)byWilliam Faulkner
It's a funny thing. When I pick up another book after finishing something by Faulkner, the writing often feels clumsy and awkward in comparison (particularly if it happens to be teeny bopper romance, even really good teeny bopper romance, but bad shiny vampire romance becomes meretricious drivel). Really, for sheer elegance---for choosing structure and word with precision, Faulkner is hard to beat. I struggled with rating this one. I think it's a masterpiece. Artistic genius. Still, I rate Faulkner against himself and compare this to As I Lay Dying, and I just don't love this one as much. Maybe because reading The Sound and the Fury was more of a struggle for me (but then, that narrative style---though confusing---is part of its brilliance), maybe because there's no character in it I love as I do Cash, maybe because I enjoyed the humor more in As I Lay Dying (though S&F is not without some humor---poor Jason; it's mostly at his expense, but he deserves it). However, I don't think I read The Sound and the Fury properly. The stream of conscious/shifting time style takes a minute to get into, and I've been busy and was reading only pages a day for a while, so every time I started again I felt lost. I also tried too hard to figure out what was going on as I read---should have just read and let it come together. In fact, I should go back and read it again now to see what I catch now that I've connected the dots. I do think The Sound and the Fury is deserving of its stature for its innovation, for its use of symbols, for the moods it creates, for its penetrating portrayal of a decaying family and culture, for its construction, and for its title---seriously, it's an excellent title.
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<![CDATA[new comment from Angie]]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76547156
Aaron's review of
The Very Hungry Caterpillar byEric Carle