The Awesome Books Club

Catching Fire (Book Review)

Mon, 04 Jul 2011 11:18:13 -0400

By: Justin

Favorite Chapter: Chapter 19

Favorite Character: Peeta

Favorite Moment: The moment Katniss ascends into the arena to find she is surrounded by water and as the members of their alliance form within Chapter 19.

Catching Fire… where to start? I am going to try and make this as brief as possible, as I don’t want to knock a thing you love by any means. The negative, while I thought book one was groundbreaking and pushed the boundaries of what I feel young adults novels to be, book two seemed to fall in every trap imaginable. The first two thirds of the book seemed to be about nothing else than this love triangle between three of our main characters. First off, I am not opposed to love stories, they can be the heart of the piece, but when the entire story suffers from focusing on it, instead of important things like the rebellion, I feel it takes a blow to the quality of the work. Again, this very much comes down to taste, so if this is your type of novel, then Catching Fire is definitely recommended. I did love the little sparks of rebellion they scattered about the first half or so, especially Katniss meeting the runaways and mentioning District 13 (Which I believe I called in book one! haha ;). Little moments like this did help me push through, but it was no easy task. Lets move on to the good stuff, because once Catching Fire hits its stride, it’s great! The arena… just WOW! Incredible use of imagery and it just felt like it opened up to new dangers at every turn for our contestants. The beach theme intertwined with the clock theory had to be the greatest revelation of the book and probably the best idea I could have imagined! From the initial starting point of Katniss ascending to the games, I was hooked. The forming of the alliance felt brilliant to me, hearing our main character really distrust everything about it, while all along there was a much greater plan set in motion. As in the first book, I thought they not only introduced solid, three-dimensional characters in the games, but also improved upon them. The dangers within the clock were very interesting, not to mention the head of the games helping our heroes out. I immediately assumed this post clock revelation, but it was still nice to see the fruition of their plans in the end.

Onto the characters, another problem I have with the book is that most of the time, I generally don’t respond to Katniss. I know I am a 25 year old guy, so it’s a bit difficult here as she internalizes this struggle between two boys, but as much as I try, she just doesn’t gel with me most of the time. What she has done (and is doing) for her family is great and in that aspect, as well as the Katniss we see during the games, I quite enjoy her, however, the other time we spend with her is a bit painful. There is so much going on around her and all she can do is complain about this struggle. Again, I’m sure the younger and predominantly female readers will take well to this, it is just not my favorite aspect to the character. Peeta again stands out as a favorite, I think mostly because he is positive and loyal and will do whatever it takes, not for himself, but for Katniss or the betterment of his district. I think he makes up for his lack of skill in the arena with these qualities. Gale is again, not featured tremendously so it’s hard to nail down his character, but I still have yet to have a problem with him. I like the idea of him working in the mines to save his family and the hope he has his younger siblings will never end up in the arena. Haymitch is his usual self, I quite enjoyed his toying with Katniss and Peeta in the games, knowing there was a much larger plan in place. The new games contestants were a nice touch as well, the sheer depth to Finnick in such a little time was astonishing, and I quite enjoyed the presence of Joanna as well. Oh and poor, poor Mags! So cute! I knew she would never make it, but I loved her every moment we got. The other, smaller characters throughout were nice additions as well.

All in all, Catching Fire was much better and much, much worse in some aspects compared to The Hunger Games. The end was done very nicely to make me want to move on with the third book, but I think I’ll wait a while.

Book Rating: 4/10

Book Three: Catching Fire - The Hunger Games Pt II...

Mon, 04 Jul 2011 10:33:00 -0400

Book Three: Catching Fire - The Hunger Games Pt II (Heather’s Pick)

Book Review: The Hunger Games

Sat, 18 Jun 2011 13:50:00 -0400

By: Heather

Favorite Chapter: 25

Favorite Moment: The moment Katniss defies the Capitol at the very end with the berries.

Favorite Characters: Gale, Cinna, Katniss

I was immediately drawn to this book. A dystopian novel where the government forces children to kill each other not only as a reminder of who’s in charge but also for the entertainment of their people? What kind of story that must be! I’m a big fan of not only Young Adult novels but also Dystopian Literature. When you really think about it, it’s not at all hard to picture this happening in the future. To think about just how much control the government can have on it’s people and how much the world can degress. And to think how much people love their reality shows. And at what point will we have taken that reality show obsession to far?

In this novel Katniss is everything a heroine should be. Independent, strong, smart, brave, self-sufficient, etc. To be honest in the first few pages I didn’t expect to like her much. Why? Because even though many of the books I have read contain a female narrator I am not always thrilled by them. I like them, of course, but they can annoy me much of the time, to be honest. But Katniss impressed me. That is not to say I didn’t want to kick her at points but all around she rocked as a main character. We need more Katniss Everdeen’s in not only YA but also other genres too. Also, she kicks butt with a bow and arrow, which I think is completely awesome. And never forgetting her sacrifice. She went into these games, believing she wouldn’t come out of them, so that her little sister would not have to. How amazing. What better gift can you give someone then the gift of life and love? Amazing!

This was my fourth or fifth re-read I believe and I never much cared for Peeta. Maybe it’s because I’ve had almost a year long break from this series and these characters, maybe because I’ve grown some, and/or maybe it’s because of you but I did like Peeta more this time around. Which is actually a relief. That’s not to say I will ever be Team Peeta because I won’t. I will say this though, he had some great lines. I always thought it was clever of him to hide in the mud and water when he was hurt. I found him a bit weak at certain points but you seeing as he and Gale had very different upbringings I shouldn’t compare, should I? I was drawn to Gale from the very moment he was introduced. I’m not even sure why. Maybe it’s his strength and his determination. I’m only sorry we don’t get more of him. Haymitch was a very interesting character. He comes across as this lazy, angry, drunk, rude man. But thinking about what he went through, can you blame him much? But man is he smart. I love how he didn’t give Katniss water because not only did he know she was close to water but because he knew she’d need something more important later on. Rue was another character that surprised me. You expected her to be this small, weak, little child. But she was smart, and resourceful. Her litheness worked in her favor with her ability to stay hidden in the trees. Her death was heartbreaking but I’m also really glad it didn’t come down to her and Katniss. Katniss could never have taken the life of someone so much like her baby sister, Prim.

Continuing with characters for a minute I always love when there is an air of mystery surrounding them. Like with Cinna. Is he just like the other Capital members or is he just there to do what he loves; create beautiful things. Or is he also there for a more rebellious reason? Does he agree with the Capital or doesn’t he? That’s what went on in my head when I met this fantastic character. Also, as you mentioned, what is Peeta’s deal? Is he really this sweet boy who’s desperately in love with Katniss? Is he deceitful and using her so that he can win. Was he placed in these games for a purpose? Who is Peeta really? Also, characters you think you’ve figured out can surprise you. Like Thresh sparing Katniss because of what she did for Rue. Even though Thresh and Rue came from the same district you would not expect him to care at all. But he did, and that really surprised me.

The games themselves were very interesting. The different landscapes and challenges each year. Katniss was very lucky her arena contained tress as she’s at an advantage with them. The Tracker Jackers were really neat with how they caused the victim to have hallucinations. But nothing was more haunting then the tribute mutations. I was horrified when they were introduced. I naturally assumed that they really did use the eyes & pieces of the tributes. But I also wonder if they did do that, how’d they send those bodies back to the families like that? I guess they didn’t care. How could the Capital do such a thing? You have to wonder how sick these people are. But then again they made the games, they enjoy watching this. What a deluded group of willing viewers to find this enjoyable. I guess they were raised that way. It’s awful how much the Capital manipulates the players, especially when announcing that players of the same district can win together and then taking that back. All for the entertainment of it’s people.

The ending was so awesome with Katniss defying the Capital. How clever she was to know they’d rather have two winners then no winner at all. And of course they were furious. So now, her life is further in danger. But she saved not only her own life but the life of the boy with the bread’s too. The boy she felt she owed since that day so long ago.

Book Rating: 9/10

Book Review: The Hunger Games

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 10:27:23 -0400

By: J. Marchant

Favorite Chapter: Chapter 7

Favorite Moment: Katniss (as well as myself) trying to figure Peeta out in the capitol before the games began

Favorite Character(s): Peeta

First off, as you know, I have wanted to read The Hunger Games series for quite some time. I had looked at the box set both online and in the store numerous times, but never made to plunge to actually buy and read. Thankfully you came along and kicked me into gear! As I said before, I am not a huge reader of young adult novels. When I was in my teens I enjoyed them very much, but grew out of the phase in my early twenties. Not that I think they are childish, just the writing doesn’t generally appeal to my taste anymore, but to be honest, a great story is a great story and that’s what The Hunger Games is. Though the players may be childen, the story felt very brutal. From the first sentences of the book, I knew nothing would be held back as far as detailing each kill or setting up the nature of the novel. Though geared for a young adult audience, the story layed out was far from “young.”

I’ll start with the negatives, then work my way to the good news. The writing of the first few chapters of the book felt very adolescent to me. I was honestly a bit perturbed in the beginning, thinking of how this story felt wasted on the poor writing. Again, it is what I would expect from a young adult novel, and at that it succeeded very well, it just didn’t feel strong enough for the incredible material Collins was presenting the reader. However as the book progressed, the writing progressed, and became much more adult oriented. The fears I immediately had upon reading were easily quelled as early as chapters 5 and 6. In fact, I quote chapter 7 as being my favorite and that is mostly for the character of Peeta. While I know you are not a fan, his characterization peaked my interest the most, even above Katniss. In the beginning he was hard to figure out, 95% percent of my brain told me he was a good guy, a little soft, but a stand up individual, while the other 5% fell victim to sinister thoughts of deception and hidden talents. Thankfully neither of these theories was completely wrong. He was a character with a good heart and solid talents in the arena, but he also was good at deception and charming people, which worked to his advantage throughout. This unknown if you willl easily soared him above the other characters of book one.

Katniss, our heroine, was a solid character. I didn’t like her all the time, to be honest she grated on me a bit, especially in the early chapters within the capital with Peeta. Her distrust of everyone she met and her lack of self-confidence really made it a challenge to put up with her at times. That’s not to say I dislike the character, because I do find her a strong, caring individual of whom I can’t wait to read more of, just a bit annoying here or there. I loved seeing her cleverness in the arena, shooting the burlap bag of apples effectively destroying the careers food supply or even her willingness to take such good care and risk her life for Peeta towards the end. All her life she had felt indebted to him, time and time again, but I think by the end common ground was laid, after all, there’s not much more you can do than save someones life.

Other characters of interest were Rue, Gale, and the Avox girl (not sure of her name). Rue was a nice ally for a short period of time, but I couldn’t help being worried for Katniss, getting too close and not being able to kill her new friend. I didn’t realize to the degree in which I cared for the character until her death was imminent. I was gutted as the spear found Rue lodged in a nearby net, as Katniss watched helplessly, but it was also in that moment I believe Katniss accepted her fate in the games, she must kill to survive. Gale was a fine character, to be honest the only reason I am mentioning him is because I know you love him. I can only assume the love triangle aspect will weigh heavy on the next two books, though I have no doubt Katniss choice will be Gale. I didn’t really get enough information here and can only hope he is expanded upon in books two and three. The Avox girl from Katniss past is another intriguing character. It was sad to see the flashbacks and hear the guilt felt by Katniss for not helping this girl, but also beautiful to see the selfless nature of the captive forgiving her. After all, Katniss is a character with a probably similar background and could face the same thing that happene to the Avox.

On the games, I really enjoyed the details of the various insects, creatures, and fellow contestants we got as Katniss was fighting for her life. None of them, even the smallest of characters, felt one dimensional. They were all distinct and felt very genuine to the story. I was highly shocked by the wolf like creatures at the end who resembled their fallen comrads and hope to learn more about this in the coming novels. The best parts of the games to me were the portions focusing on Katniss and Peeta. It was nice to see her let go at times, sure she was manipulating him for food, but there were genuine times I think she fell for Peeta and though he drove her crazy, I do think she has a love for him. I just hope he is not counted out once Gale re-enters the picture.

To sum it up, The Hunger Games is a hugely inventive story and pushes the boundaries of young adult novels, which I love. Though the writing at times was a bit generic and adolescent, the story was too brilliant to be put down. Can’t wait to read more!

Book Rating: 7/10

Second Book - The Hunger Games (Heather’s Pick)

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 03:18:21 -0400

Second Book - The Hunger Games (Heather’s Pick)

Book Review: The Fellowship of the Ring

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 11:15:16 -0400

By Heather

Favorite Chapter: The Bridge of Khazad-Dum

Favorite Characters: Aragorn, Merry, Pippin

Favorite Moment: When we found out who made up the Fellowship

Disclaimer: I relate everything to Harry Potter. It’s like a sickness. I can’t not do it. So, I’m sure there’ll be something in what’s to come!

I’ve been a big fan of the films since they were released on dvd years ago. Seeing as I love to read I immediately went out and bought this big book with all three books combined. And no, I never read it. Why? It’s a little intimidating with all the information and names & hard to pronounce words. I get distracted. I started. I stopped. I started. I stopped. But finally I have finished this book. I am am very happy I did!

The reason ‘The Bridge of Khazad-Dum’ is my favorite chapter is because of the labyrinthine feel it has to it. I have always been intrigued by labyrinths. I love the darkness, the twists and turns, the feeling of it being alive. Everything! I also loved The Chamber of Records. Such clever way to give the reader information, without bogging us down with information. And at the same time leaving a little mystery to what has happened.

I really liked how the Fellowship members choose to join versus being forced to join. It showed a lot about their inner character from the start that they would set out on this journey not knowing how it would end as well as knowing what dangers lie ahead of them.

There were times when I felt dumped with information. Places, names, events. Hard to keep track of. Tolkien definitely knew the world and characters he created well. Something that I love about JK Rowling & the Harry Potter Series is how much information she knew about the characters & the history. JRR Tolkien definitely filled in his own blanks. I can just imagine all the information he had that didn’t even make it into the novels. Which I find really cool. When I go to re-read I know I’ll absorb twice as much as I did the first time. I loved the use of description. There was a different way to describe everything. I usually hate reading description & hate writing it even more. But I liked it.

I love a book rich with characters. What I especially liked was the different species of characters. The story wasn’t just about humans or just about wizards on a journey together. You wouldn’t expect them to get a long as well as they did. Things obviously weren’t perfect but they could’ve been a lot worse. I love random characters. Characters who come into a story, disappear for a while & then randomly show up later or someone who you never see again.

What draws me to this story most is my being a big fan of ‘The Hero’s Journey.’ Characters starting out as weak and scared and also lost in every sense of the word. But them rising up and becoming strong and finding out so much about themselves that they didn’t know and couldn’t believe of themselves. I love it! Whether they fail or triumph in the end they still did it and that’s amazing.

Book Rating: 8.5/10 (half a point lost for too much poetry! haha sorry :)

Book Review: The Fellowship of the Ring

Mon, 13 Jun 2011 13:49:54 -0400

By: J. Marchant

Favorite Chapter: Farewell to Lorien

Favorite Characters: Aragorn, Merry, Galadriel, Legolas, and Boromir

Favorite Moment: The Fellowship receiving gifts in Farewell to Lorien

I’ll start by saying, it’s no secret how avid a fan I am of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, in both film and book format. If you were to watch the films, then try and read the Tolkein version of the story, the first thing you are going to notice is how much information is immediately thrown at you. In chapters such as Concerning Hobbits and Concerning Pipeweed, it almost feels like a dictionary for hobbits in the world of Middle Earth. It’s not exciting or busy in the strictess of senses, but engaged me none the less. The world Tolkein creates is so detailed and intricate, it’s hard not to imagine the world exactly as he creates it. Again, as you know, I am quite a fan of history and how things came to be what they are today, which is why the journey of The Lord of the Rings intrigues me. On first read, you won’t catch 75% of the information the author presents you, as there is a lot to intake, but you will get a sense of the magic within Middle Earth, not only the wizardry magic one might see from the character of Gandalf, but also the magic in each of the characters, their backgrounds, race, homes, how they live, what they live for, etc. It’s pure genius and always stays close to my heart. Another thing that could bog ones mind is the sheer amount of characters this book presents. Excluding the nine members of the Fellowship, characters come and go as our heroes travel this journey and though each one doesn’t get quite the treatment Frodo or Aragorn receive, their is beauty to be taken from the role in the book. Examples of this include Glorfindel in his courageous Flight to the Fjord or Haldir, proud elf of Lothlorien, even Arwen, of whom is barely mentioned in book one, yet is widely expanded through the tale of her anscestor Luthien. While some of the characters will be expanded on in both The Two Towers and The Return of the King (including its appendices), I enjoy hearing these small tales and revelling in these small characters who, though don’t inspire a great deal of reading time, play an integral part of our companions journey, and help our Fellowship both physically as well as shape the characters they are to become in the end.

Though I have rattled on about what some find as negatives of the book, let’s get into why this trilogy is a classic. Journey, journey, journey… There are so many physical and mental journeys that take place within The Lord of the Rings, it’s hard not to fall completely in love with one of our main troop. Frodo is a tricky character of whom I quite enjoy in the book, but really dislike in the film adaptations. The Frodo we come to know in the book is much more heroic and strong, while I agree with the decisions made in the film to give other characters (ie Arwen in Flight to the Fjord) a bigger or more pivotal role, it’s hard to see Frodo shown in a weaker light. In this, I have come to love both versions for what they are, two completely different mediums from two completely different peoples vision. Many have trouble with this, separating films and books, while I have been disappointed with retellings in the past, I was extremely pleased with both verisons. Sam is a character who I think the exact opposite of, in the film he shines as the friend, protector, and life force of Frodo, while the book one only slightly touches on these aspects of the character. Again, we will see much more from Sam in books two and three, but it’s still hard not to picture that courageous hobbit we all love from Peter Jackson. Merry and Pippin are more pivotal in the books, while remaining a bit of a comedic relief at times, mostly referring to Pippin. I love how proud and upright the character of Merry is in Fellowship, he seemed the most regal of the group, which really drew me to his character.

In getting to the human members of the fellowship, I really enjoyed both the characters of Aragorn and Boromir. The latter is especially exaggerated in the film as far as his treachorous nature. While I know this makes for a much more exciting story, it’s hard to see his character fall suit to one bad aspect. I love Sean Bean and his character in the film, he played the vulnerability and intensity quite well, I just love the nobility in his character. Aragorn is as steadfast in the films as he is in the original material. He is strong, proud, yet unwilling to accept his destiny. I really enjoy his journey most of all, to see someone struggle and fight tooth and nail (figuritively speaking) to remain no more than what he is, a ranger in love with an elf, yet completely dive into this fellowship when Middle Earth needs him most of all. His songs of Arwen’s anscestors fortelling their fate, should she choose it, I find consistently beautiful. This idea that someone would give up everything, their family, their immortality, for one thing.. love, it’s epic in every sense of the word. I was extremely excited to see this aspect of the story expanded upon in the Jackson’s Fellowship.

That leaves us with the wizard, the elf, and a very proud dwarf. Gandalf is just that, Gandalf. He is the driving force of the story and literally gives all for the destruction of the ring. It killed me to see him fall in Khazad-dum, but was equally as heartfelt to see his return in book two. Legolas to me is intriguing and stands out because he is the elf in which we delve the deepest. We again don’t go far into his history or his motivations for helping Frodo, but it’s those elvish qualities that keep me interested. He is again a very noble and strong character, to see him walk across the misty mountains as the rest of the fellowship have been drenched in snow is extremely fascinating. His eye sight, speed, nimble qualities, immortality all peak my interest and really help me pay close attention to his characters information. It does have a lot to do with the race I find intriguing, but also his unlikely friendship with Gimli. Two characters, sans the ring, would have went on hating one another for centuries. This is their journey, to realize that no one race or species is better than another, each has their good qualities as well as their flaws, it is people who make themselves good or bad. I love Gimli blindfolded in the Lorien and his one request to Galadriel. A dwarf, who would ask not for treasure, but for one strand of hair from the woman he believes to be the fairest of Middle Earth. I think it’s great to see the hints at their relationship beyond the book. It mentions them riding together or going off alone quite a bit towards the end, though it doesn’t go into detail on what is said or done, the readers are offered enough information to gather their own thoughts.

Last, but certainly not least, is my man Tom Bombadil, stealth bad ass as I like to call him. I completely agree with this character being left out of the movies, frankly he had no place and would have slowed down the story of an already long movie, BUT I have to admit I love his portions of the book.

As chapters go, while I really enjoy the early stuff with the hobbits I think once we hit Bree and get into a Knife in the Dark and Flight to the Fjord the story really takes off. The Council of Elrond and Many Meetings are two absolute favorites and truly show how epic the story of this series is. I mean the sheer amount of important characters met in these two chapters is astonishing! Of course the chapters with the fellowship confined in Moria are heart wrenching and captivating, fighting goblins, losing Gandalf, just another set of impeccably written chapters. For some reason though, the chapters of Lothlorien to Farewell are my absolute favorite, something about these characters really settling into themselves and pushing to this safe haven really captivate my attention. The character of Galadriel is important, though not hugely talked about throughout the books and I feel one of the weakest of the film. CATE BLANCHETT as the most beautiful woman of Middle Earth??? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? BUT anywhoo, I really enjoy the characters and stories within these chapters, there is something safe about them, for the characters and myself as I read this journey and I always come back to them. Farewell to Lorien is probably my absolute one favorite chapter and to see it in the extended edition of the film is just another reason why that version of Fellowship is my absolute favorite of the film series. The final two chapters serve as a nice set up for book 2 and I can’t wait for you to read it!

Alright, alright, I have babbled more than enough. I love it!

Book Rating: 9.5/10

First Book - The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring...

Wed, 08 Jun 2011 16:31:00 -0400

First Book - The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Justin’s Pick)

Welcome to The Awesome Books Club!

Wed, 08 Jun 2011 15:54:00 -0400

Welcome to The Awesome Books Club!