"Mockingjay" Has Flown The Coop!!!!!!!

I rarely take the time to spend a quiet moment at home with a good book. I'm usually on the go--on the train or on the bus or as a passenger in the car. Today was one of those rare "home" moments. I finished my journey through "Mockingjay," the final book in Suzanne Collins' "Hunger Games" trilogy. What a ride! Katniss Everdeen led the other districts in a plot to overthrow and kill President Snow!!!!!!!!! Of course, there were other casualties along the way, but the saddest casualty of all for me was Primrose Everdeen, Katniss' younger sister. Ironically, it was her desire to protect Prim that prompted Katniss to get involved in the Hunger Games in the first place!!!!!!! I liked the fact that Katniss found herself in a love triangle between Gale (her friend & hunting partner) and Peeta (her fellow tribute & victor in the Hunger Games). After all is said and done, and order is once again restored to Panem, Katniss does choose one of them......but which prince will live happily ever after with the rebellious Mockingjay???? A sci-fi twist in injected into the fairy tale recipe, and I thoroughly enjoyed the mixture!!!!!!!! Now that I'm done with the "Hunger Games" trilogy, I can't wait to get started on "Michael Vey" by Richard Paul Evans! And his latest book, "Lost December," is due out in about a week!!!!! I've got a lot of reading to finish before the end of 2011!!!!!!!!!

The "Fire" Is About To Be Extinguished!!!!!!!!

I am almost done burning my way through "Catching Fire (The Second Book of the Hunger Games)!" Suzanne Collins has created another page-turning sensation of a novel. For some reason, be it time management or a burning desire to know what happens next, I found myself getting through Book 2 faster than I did its preceding novel! Forced the relive the horrors of the Hunger Games, Peeta, Katniss, and some of the tributes from the other districts decide to form a shaky alliance in order to play up the romance between Peeta & Katniss, hoping to keep one of them alive. Poisonous, hallucination-inducing gas is just one of the dangers all of the tributes will endure during the Quarter Quell. Even a simple hairdresser is not safe from the brutality of the Peacekeepers. Cinna, who created the costume that transformed Katniss from the "girl on fire" into the beautiful bird known as a mockingjay , is punished for what is seen as an act of defiance, fueling the fire of the rebellion that Peeta and Katniss inadvertantly may have had a hand in starting. How it will end and who will make it out alive is something I have yet to discover, but hope to by the end of tomorrow. I am most eager to get started on my journey through "Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, Book 3)"

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she's made it out of the bloody arena alive, she's still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what's worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss's family, not her friends, not the people of District 12. Powerful and haunting, this thrilling final installment of Suzanne Collins's groundbreaking The Hunger Games trilogy promises to be one of the most talked about books of the year.

I am hoping to get through "Catching Fire," "Mockingjay," and also two more books ("Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25" and "Lost December," both by Richard Paul Evans) before then end of 2011. I guess I'd better get back to my "Journey!"

"Catching Fire" Is HOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I admit to getting 2011 off to a slow literary start. However, I think I have more than made up for it recently! I am already done with the first part (Chapters 1-9) of "Catching Fire," the sequel to the thriller that started off my literary year, "The Hunger Games." Both of Suzanne Collins' novels have proven to be epic, action-packed page-turners!!!!!!!! "Catching Fire" picks up where "The Hunger Games" left off. Katniss, her mother, and Prim have moved into their new house in the Victor's Village. Katniss is preparing to join Peeta and the other tributes on the "Victory Tour," which is "the Capitol's way of keeping the horror [of the Hunger Games] fresh and immediate." Katniss hates it, but she knows she has to once again play up her romance with Peeta in order to stay alive. However, her act doesn't fool the Capitol rulers, and Gale, friend & hunting partner of Katniss, ends up being publicly whipped in the square. (He survives!) Will Katniss take her family,along with the families of Peeta and Gale, and run away??????? Only time will tell, so I guess I'd better get started on Part 2 of "Catching Fire!"

I "Hunger" to Go The "Miles"!

After damn near half a year, I have FINALLY finished with Suzanne Collins' thrilling novel, The Hunger Games, and (I hate to admit this) my cousin LaTisa was right! (You hear me, Cuz? I guess there's a first time for everything! LOL!) I truly enjoyed Katniss, Peeta, Cinna, and the rest of the participants in "The Hunger Games!" I especially liked the twist at the end, though I won't spoil it for those who have yet to read the book! What's next on my reading list? Well, since I don't have "Catching Fire (The Second Book of the Hunger Games), I will content myself by taking a walk with "Miles To Go: The Second Journal of The Walk Series" by Richard Paul Evans. I can't wait to start!!!!!!!!! (I do believe that "The Walk" was the last book I read before starting this blog!)

Alan Christoffersen, a once-successful advertising executive, wakes one morning to find himself injured, alone, and confined to a hospital bed in Spokane, Washington. Sixteen days earlier, reeling from the sudden loss of his wife, his home, and his business, Alan left everything he knew behind and set off on an extraordinary cross-country journey. Carrying only a backpack, he planned to walk to Key West, the farthest destination on his map. But a vicious roadside stabbing has interrupted Alan’s trek and robbed him of his one source of solace: the ability to walk.Homeless and facing months of difficult recovery, Alan has nowhere to turn—until a mysterious woman enters his life and invites him into her home. Generous and kind, Angel seems almost too good to be true, but all is not as it appears. Alan soon realizes that before he can return to his own journey, he must first help Angel with hers.From one of America’s most beloved and bestselling storytellers comes an astonishing tale of life and death, love and second chances, and why sometimes the best way to heal your own suffering is by helping to heal someone else’s.Inspiring, moving, and full of wisdom, Miles to Go picks up where the bestseller The Walk left off, continuing the unforgettable series about one man’s unrelenting search for hope.

"Hunger" Thriller!!!!!!!!!!

Though I've gotten the year off to a slow start with Suzanne Collins' "The Hunger Games," I am proud to say that I am almost done with this thriller! What a fantastic mix of action, romance, suspense, and more!!!!! I love Katniss and Peeta, as do the rulers in the Capitol, so much so that they decide to change the rules of the Hunger Games, deciding that "both tributes from the same district will be declared winners if they are the last two alive." This, of course, makes the heroine Katniss happy, as it means Peeta's blood won't be on her hands. After all, his bread helped keep her, her sister Prim, and her mother from complete starvation! Sadly, though Katniss appears to survive (I won't know if she does until I finish the book!), it seems that she loses her hearing in one ear due to an accident during the deadly game of survival!!!!!!

"Hunger" Heats Up!

I have just finished reading Part 1 of the first book of Suzanne Collins' "The Hunger Games" trilogy. After saving her sister, Prim, from the dangers of the Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen is whisked off to the Capitol to begin training for the battle of her life! She is given advice on how and when to interact with Peeta Mellark-- her partner in the Hunger Games, how to dress, and how to make the best impression on both the judges and the audience. I can't wait to see what happens when the Games actually start! I guess I'd better get started on Part 2 of the book ASAP!!!!

I "Hunger" For More!!!!!!!!!!!

My journey through "The Hunger Games" has gotten off to a slow start for the year. It doesn't help that my hairdresser up and changed professions on me, forcing me to cut out the "under-the-dryer" reading time. To date, I have read 5 chapters. So far, I like Katniss Everdeen, the 16-year-old heroine, determined to protect her mother and younger sister from starvation and the dangers of the Hunger Games, a fight to the death played out on live TV. Stephen King dubbed the novel "A violent, jarring, speed-rap of a novel that generates nearly constant suspense." I haven't gotten to an intensely suspenseful scenario yet, but I will say that author Suzanne Collins is very descriptive when talking about food. From her description of "a perfect little goat cheese wrapped in basil leaves" to the "hot, sweet, creamy liquid" known as hot chocolate, Collins makes it impossible not to hunger for more of "The Hunger Games!"