Jayson’s Reviews > Mockingjay > Status Update
Jayson
is 99% done
Notes:
(1) I'll take a bit of a break after this. I've been doing daily audiobook updates for two years and, frankly, I don't drive much because of lockdown, which was my main listening time.
(2) As for what's next, I have options. I could do a run of Neil Gaiman books (Neverwhere, Stardust, Coraline) or the James Bond novels. There's no natural successor like there's been.
— Jan 30, 2021 11:50PM
Notes:
(1) I'll take a bit of a break after this. I've been doing daily audiobook updates for two years and, frankly, I don't drive much because of lockdown, which was my main listening time.
(2) As for what's next, I have options. I could do a run of Neil Gaiman books (Neverwhere, Stardust, Coraline) or the James Bond novels. There's no natural successor like there's been.
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Jayson’s Previous Updates
Jayson
is 96% done
Notes:
(1) More executioners should wear eyeliner.
(2) Great! As if the book wasn't grim enough, we get a whole chapter about suicide, night terrors, drug withdrawal and trauma.
(3) "Flame envelops the rose and devours it. Fire beats roses again."
- One last fire metaphor.
(4) "I have to remind myself that Gale's in 2 ... probably kissing another pair of lips."
- Seriously?
— Jan 29, 2021 11:40PM
Notes:
(1) More executioners should wear eyeliner.
(2) Great! As if the book wasn't grim enough, we get a whole chapter about suicide, night terrors, drug withdrawal and trauma.
(3) "Flame envelops the rose and devours it. Fire beats roses again."
- One last fire metaphor.
(4) "I have to remind myself that Gale's in 2 ... probably kissing another pair of lips."
- Seriously?
Jayson
is 94% done
Notes:
(1) "I dump the pitcher of water in his face. [Haymitch] comes to with a gasp, slashing blindly with his knife."
- A nice callback to the start of the second book. Haymitch will always be Haymitch, war or not. He's the one constant.
(2) "Nothing has changed. Nothing will ever change now."
- And thus, we have the thesis statement for this book. How utterly nihilistic.
— Jan 28, 2021 11:50PM
Notes:
(1) "I dump the pitcher of water in his face. [Haymitch] comes to with a gasp, slashing blindly with his knife."
- A nice callback to the start of the second book. Haymitch will always be Haymitch, war or not. He's the one constant.
(2) "Nothing has changed. Nothing will ever change now."
- And thus, we have the thesis statement for this book. How utterly nihilistic.
Jayson
is 91% done
Notes:
(1) "I am on fire. The balls of flame that erupted from the parachutes shot over the barricades, through the snowy air."
- Enough with the fire metaphors! No, my mistake, she's actually on fire.
(2) Snow: "I wasn't watching Coin. I was watching you, Mockingjay. And you were watching me."
- Isn't that a line from ABBA? No, my mistake, that's "Knowing Me, Knowing You."
— Jan 27, 2021 11:50PM
Notes:
(1) "I am on fire. The balls of flame that erupted from the parachutes shot over the barricades, through the snowy air."
- Enough with the fire metaphors! No, my mistake, she's actually on fire.
(2) Snow: "I wasn't watching Coin. I was watching you, Mockingjay. And you were watching me."
- Isn't that a line from ABBA? No, my mistake, that's "Knowing Me, Knowing You."
Jayson
is 88% done
Notes:
(1) "The main thing I absorb is that fur underwear is a valuable trading item at the moment. Especially for people who left their homes underdressed."
- When it comes down to it, people will protect their loins at all costs.
(2) I've reached the point where THE death happens. You know, THE death that changes the entire series and renders it expressly nihilistic. Ugh!
— Jan 26, 2021 11:50PM
Notes:
(1) "The main thing I absorb is that fur underwear is a valuable trading item at the moment. Especially for people who left their homes underdressed."
- When it comes down to it, people will protect their loins at all costs.
(2) I've reached the point where THE death happens. You know, THE death that changes the entire series and renders it expressly nihilistic. Ugh!
Jayson
is 83% done
Notes:
(1) "I'm running on hate. When the energy for that ebbs, I'll be worthless."
- I feel the same way when I'm out of coffee.
(2) "We hastily help one another apply thick layers of makeup, pull on wigs and sunglasses."
- Sounds like a slumber party.
(3) "The fire inside me has flickered out, and with it my strength."
- Okay, Girl on Fire. Enough with the fire metaphors.
— Jan 25, 2021 11:50PM
Notes:
(1) "I'm running on hate. When the energy for that ebbs, I'll be worthless."
- I feel the same way when I'm out of coffee.
(2) "We hastily help one another apply thick layers of makeup, pull on wigs and sunglasses."
- Sounds like a slumber party.
(3) "The fire inside me has flickered out, and with it my strength."
- Okay, Girl on Fire. Enough with the fire metaphors.
Jayson
is 80% done
Notes:
(1) "It's a long shot, it's suicide maybe, but I do the only thing I can think of. I lean in and kiss Peeta full on the mouth. His whole body starts shuddering, but I keep my lips pressed to his until I have to come up for air."
- The "only thing" she can think of? Apparently, kissing's her default solution in any emergency.
(2) Of all people, why's Gale still alive?
— Jan 24, 2021 11:40PM
Notes:
(1) "It's a long shot, it's suicide maybe, but I do the only thing I can think of. I lean in and kiss Peeta full on the mouth. His whole body starts shuddering, but I keep my lips pressed to his until I have to come up for air."
- The "only thing" she can think of? Apparently, kissing's her default solution in any emergency.
(2) Of all people, why's Gale still alive?
Jayson
is 77% done
Notes:
(1) Peeta: "You're still trying to protect me. Real or not real."
Katniss: "Real ... Because that's what you and I do. Protect each other."
- Well, except those times those two tried to kill each other.
(2) "I think [Snow] might have recently had more work done ... his prep team really needs to use a lighter hand with his blush."
- Katniss Everdeen, cosmetics expert.
— Jan 23, 2021 11:50PM
Notes:
(1) Peeta: "You're still trying to protect me. Real or not real."
Katniss: "Real ... Because that's what you and I do. Protect each other."
- Well, except those times those two tried to kill each other.
(2) "I think [Snow] might have recently had more work done ... his prep team really needs to use a lighter hand with his blush."
- Katniss Everdeen, cosmetics expert.
Jayson
is 73% done
Notes:
(1) "A painted window shatters, revealing the ugly world behind it. Laughter changes to screams, blood stains pastel stones."
- That's some real teen angst poetry there. Katniss' totally emo.
(2) "I sprint across the intersections, holding up a hand for the others to wait while I look for trouble."
- If there's something Katniss is great at, it's looking for trouble.
— Jan 22, 2021 11:55PM
Notes:
(1) "A painted window shatters, revealing the ugly world behind it. Laughter changes to screams, blood stains pastel stones."
- That's some real teen angst poetry there. Katniss' totally emo.
(2) "I sprint across the intersections, holding up a hand for the others to wait while I look for trouble."
- If there's something Katniss is great at, it's looking for trouble.
Jayson
is 70% done
Notes:
(1) "Squad 451 and the television crew collect dinner from the canteen and gather in a tense circle to eat. At first I think that Peeta is the cause of the unease, but by the end of the meal, I realize more than a few unfriendly looks have been directed my way."
- Even compromised and dangerous, everyone still enjoys Peeta's company over Katniss... well, except Gale.
— Jan 21, 2021 11:50PM
Notes:
(1) "Squad 451 and the television crew collect dinner from the canteen and gather in a tense circle to eat. At first I think that Peeta is the cause of the unease, but by the end of the meal, I realize more than a few unfriendly looks have been directed my way."
- Even compromised and dangerous, everyone still enjoys Peeta's company over Katniss... well, except Gale.
Jayson
is 67% done
Notes:
(1) 'Only a victor would see what I see so immediately. The arena. Laced with pods controlled by Gamemakers. Finnick's fingers caress a steady red glow over a doorway. "Ladies and gentlemen..."
His voice is quiet, but mine rings through the room. "Let the Seventy-sixth Hunger Games begin!"'
- Three years in a row? Rough. Guess the odds weren't ever in Katniss' favor.
— Jan 20, 2021 11:50PM
Notes:
(1) 'Only a victor would see what I see so immediately. The arena. Laced with pods controlled by Gamemakers. Finnick's fingers caress a steady red glow over a doorway. "Ladies and gentlemen..."
His voice is quiet, but mine rings through the room. "Let the Seventy-sixth Hunger Games begin!"'
- Three years in a row? Rough. Guess the odds weren't ever in Katniss' favor.
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Maja
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Jan 31, 2021 12:23AM
Oh, please do Gaiman's books!
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I would love to see you read Neil Gaiman's books! I haven't read any of his works before, but I'm really interested in them
Maja wrote: "Oh, please do Gaiman's books!"Glad you're interested in that. I'll probably do it next then 😁👍
Roel ✿ wrote: "I would love to see you read Neil Gaiman's books! I haven't read any of his works before, but I'm really interested in them"Happy to hear that, Roel. Honestly, I didn't know if it'd be something people would want, but you've got me encouraged about it. The books I mentioned have the benefit of being adapted to screen, so there'll be plenty of opportunity for gifs :)
Jayson wrote: "Maja wrote: "Oh, please do Gaiman's books!"Glad you're interested in that. I'll probably do it next then 😁👍"
Ofc I'd be interested, Neil is one of my favourite authors 😁
Maja wrote: "Ofc I'd be interested, Neil is one of my favourite authors 😁"He's one of mine too. I'll read anything Neil Gaiman :)
I vote for Gaiman too 😉😊 it would be great to see your updates and refresh my mind
Soňa wrote: "I vote for Gaiman too 😉😊 it would be great to see your updates and refresh my mind"I guess it's settled then! I'll see about getting those audiobooks. Too bad the American Gods TV show hasn't completed the book yet, or else I would have added that to the mix as well.
Mrunal wrote: "Read The Good Omens by Neil Gaiman.... It would be great... I assure you that......(it's on my to read list)"Oh yeah, I forgot that it'd been adapted. I can see about that as well :)
TMR wrote: "Good luck."Thanks! 😁👍
Interested to see what you end up reading next. Could be cool to see your thoughts on Neil Gaiman books but I have no preference between him or James Bond seeing as I've read neither.It's been awesome seeing your updates for this trilogy, it's kind of like I reread the books through you! Awesome work as always👏🏻
Kadi wrote: "Interested to see what you end up reading next. Could be cool to see your thoughts on Neil Gaiman books but I have no preference between him or James Bond seeing as I've read neither.It's been aw..."
Thanks, glad you enjoyed that. Originally, I'd planned to do the Galbraith Cormoran Strike novels, but that idea ended up being more controversial than I'd originally planned. I try not to court drama when I can help it. Neil Gaiman books seem to have enough interest from everyone. There aren't all that many books that I've already read, that I can reread in audiobook, that have also been adapted to screen.
Kaylee wrote: "I’m gonna miss reading your daily updates- interested to see what you decide to read next"Thanks, Kaylee! I appreciate it. There will still be daily updates, just not on The Hunger Games... actually there will be once I get to The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, so that's something to keep an eye out for :)
Wait-- have you listened to The Ballad of songbirds and snakes' audiobook yet? Because you replied to my comment before that it was bad
Patricia wrote: "Wait-- have you listened to The Ballad of songbirds and snakes' audiobook yet? Because you replied to my comment before that it was bad"I can't find your original comment, but every time it's been mentioned, I've replied that I haven't read it yet.
09/18/2020, 10/30/2020, 11/20/2020, 11/20/2020, 12/07/2020, 01/05/2021, 01/30/2021
The closest I've said was that I've read both good and bad reviews for it.
percy jackson? Keepers of the Lost Cities?
@Christina I couldn’t ever see Jay reading Keeper of the Lost Cities😂 as someone who literally read the first book a few days ago I’d be lowkey embarrassed for my main genre middle grade if Jay read it. I enjoyed it because it’s not bad but if you’re a non-mg reader and that’s the one mg series you’re going to read, I would honestly say don’t and there are so many better middle grade series out there!Of course it’s not for me to decide! Whatever Jay decides to read will be cool and I look forward to hearing his thoughts on it👏🏻
what do you mean my main genre middle grade?KOTLC is great! there's really few better series
✝✝ Christina ✝✝✝ wrote: "percy jackson? Keepers of the Lost Cities?"I've read Percy Jackson, and did daily updates on the whole series already. The only reason to do it again would be for a slower audiobook commentary on it with gif and such. The problem is that the movies never covered the entire series, and don't necessarily match the books adequately enough to follow along with. Also, whatever new series they're planning for Disney+ won't be finished for a number of years.
I've not read or heard of Keepers of the Lost Cities, and I only listen to audiobooks of novels I've already read, because I like my first reading of things to be in print.
Kadi wrote: "@Christina I couldn’t ever see Jay reading Keeper of the Lost Cities😂 as someone who literally read the first book a few days ago I’d be lowkey embarrassed for my main genre middle grade if Jay rea..."Thanks for the very nuanced overview of the book. It might be something I'd explore one day in print, but for the sake of these very elaborate status updates, not something that fits the criteria of what I'm looking for. Maybe one day if they made a movie of it. 🤷♂️ I'm really, looking for something with the widest appeal, and highest chance for conversation. Books turned into movies or TV shows have at the very least name recognition and general interest.
@Christina sorry that probably sounded confusing😂🤦🏻♀️ I mean the main genre that I read is middle grade so I’m very familiar with it.I can’t say whether the entire series of KotLC is great because I’ve only read the first book so far which I did enjoy but it’s not well written, it’s unsophisticated and a lot like fan fiction. For those reasons I’d definitely say there are better mg books/series out there. Of course that’s just my opinion!
i would suggest artemis fowl even though you already did it, but the movie is inaccurate and rather crappy
@Jay it’s funny you say that because Disney are making a movie of it! Directed by Ben Affleck of all people! Who knows how it’ll be but that should be interesting to see in the future
✝✝ Christina ✝✝✝ wrote: "what do you mean my main genre middle grade?KOTLC is great! there's really few better series"
She means the main genre she personally reads is middle grade.
@Kadi it really doesn't sound like a fan fic... it sounds lke a real book... I can say the entire series is great for you LOL
Waiting for your other updates on new books!! Although...gonna miss ur updates for the hunger games and all those fire metaphors thingy :D
Kadi wrote: "@Christina sorry that probably sounded confusing😂🤦🏻♀️ I mean the main genre that I read is middle grade so I’m very familiar with it.I can’t say whether the entire series of KotLC is great becaus..."
Definitely room for those sorts of books, and I'm not necessarily opposed to reading something like it myself, but for these purposes, it's not the best idea. I mean, if I haven't heard of it, then probably not many people would be interested if I went all-in on covering it.
✝✝ Christina ✝✝✝ wrote: "i would suggest artemis fowl even though you already did it, but the movie is inaccurate and rather crappy"Exactly my reasoning :)
Kadi wrote: "@Jay it’s funny you say that because Disney are making a movie of it! Directed by Ben Affleck of all people! Who knows how it’ll be but that should be interesting to see in the future"Affleck's a quality director. I just don't know whether this sort of series is in his wheelhouse. 🤷♂️
✝✝ Christina ✝✝✝ wrote: "@Kadi it really doesn't sound like a fan fic... it sounds lke a real book... I can say the entire series is great for you LOL"
Glad to hear you're such a fan 😁👍
Lavender Mystique wrote: "Waiting for your other updates on new books!! Although...gonna miss ur updates for the hunger games and all those fire metaphors thingy :D"Thanks! I'm happy to hear that. I'm sure there'll be other running gags and repeated references for future books as well. Maybe not quite the same as kissing and fire metaphors, but there'll always be something. I've very good at spotting patterns 😁👍
Good Omens would be a good one to do, the tv show was amazingly accurate and the few parts that were added enhanced it, IMO. Also, the casting was spot on!
Jenny wrote: "Good Omens would be a good one to do, the tv show was amazingly accurate and the few parts that were added enhanced it, IMO. Also, the casting was spot on!"That will probably be my first one. I'm going to see if I can do the books in chronological order. I've actually not seen the TV show, so it'll be interesting to do a direct comparison of the two :)
Hi! Can I ask a question? How do you add a gif in a review?
Sofia wrote: "Hi! Can I ask a question? How do you add a gif in a review?"Same way you add a picture in a review. Just find a web url that ends in the file extension ".gif" and paste it into the image html template. You can find html templates in the "formatting tips" link above the review box. In comment sections, you can find them in the "some html is okay" link. Also, always make sure to preview your review before posting it, so you can see if you made any mistakes in the code. Let me know if you have any more questions.
Jayson wrote: "Jenny wrote: "Good Omens would be a good one to do, the tv show was amazingly accurate and the few parts that were added enhanced it, IMO. Also, the casting was spot on!"That will probably be my ..."
Good Omens is just one book, and the show is 6 episodes. Both are great.
Linda ~ they got the mustard out! ~ wrote: "Good Omens is just one book, and the show is 6 episodes. Both are great."I assumed as much 😁👍
your updates were so fun Jayson! I haven't read Neil Gaiman books but looking forward to your updates, whatever you end up reading!
Sakshi wrote: "your updates were so fun Jayson! I haven't read Neil Gaiman books but looking forward to your updates, whatever you end up reading!"Thanks, Sakshi! I appreciate it :)
Jayson wrote: "Sofia wrote: "Hi! Can I ask a question? How do you add a gif in a review?"Same way you add a picture in a review. Just find a web url that ends in the file extension ".gif" and paste it into the ..."
Thank you, Jayson!
Sofia wrote: "Thank you, Jayson!"😁👍