The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

(The Hunger Games trilogy, book 1)
In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister’s place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before – and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

I was completely enthralled with this book and somehow managed to finish it in one sitting. I’ve heard several people say they think it started off too slow, but honestly the only pages that were mildly dull in my opinion were the first ten or so pages. You aren’t necessarily going to get action starting on page one, people! I digress.

The Hunger Games is an annual contest where one boy and one girl between the ages of 12-18 are picked from each district to fight to the death in a monitored, man-made arena. The Games were created in the wake of the districts attempt to rebel against the Capitol, and now serve as a yearly reminder that the districts are at the mercy of the Capitol. Katniss volunteers to take her younger sister’s place as tribute, and is sent into the Games alongside Peeta Mellark, the district 12 baker’s son. The tributes are whisked away to the Capitol where they are groomed to look flawless, and put through training to handle the arena. You get to learn more about some of the other tributes, mainly “The Careers”, which are tributes from districts 1 & 2 who start training for the games as soon as they can walk. It’s an honor to go in the arena for them, because most of the time, they end up with a victor. District 12 is the poorest district with many people not even able to afford food, let alone have the resources to athletically train for the arena. The always drunk Haymitch Abernathy, who is district 12’s only victor, serves as Katniss and Peeta’s mentor, and in an attempt to gain sponsors (who send gifts, food, etc. to tribute in the arena) advises the two of them play star-crossed lovers. I was rooting for the Katniss/Peeta romance from the very beginning, and it is extremely well written.

The action in the arena constantly keeps you on your toes, the alliances that are formed will touch you and shock you, and you’ll have your hopes lifted and dashed through a couple major game changers. Oh my gosh, and the ending…I don’t even know what to say! It’s just great. It does leave a bit unanswered, which didn’t surprise me considering it was only the first book in the trilogy.

I absolutely loved this book and would highly recommend it. The whole trilogy is spectacular and I look forward to reading more of Suzanne Collins’s work in the future.

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The Uninvited Guests by Sadie Jones

One late spring evening in 1912, in the kitchens at Sterne, preparations begin for an elegant supper party in honor of Emerald Torrington’s twentieth birthday. But only a few miles away, a dreadful accident propels a crowd of mysterious and not altogether savory survivors to seek shelter at the ramshackle manor – and the household is thrown into confusion and mischief.

The cook toils over mock turtle soup and a chocolate cake covered with green sugar roses, which the hungry band of visitors is not invited to taste. But nothing, it seems, will go according to plan. As the passengers wearily search for rest, the house undergoes a strange transformation. One of their number (who is most definitely not a gentleman) makes it his business to join the birthday revels.

Evening turns to stormy night, and a most unpleasant parlor game threatens to blow respectability to smithereens: Smudge Torrington, the wayward youngest daughter of the house, decides that this is the perfect moment for her Great Undertaking.

The Uninvited Guests is the bewitching new novel from the critically acclaimed Sadie Jones. The prizewinning author triumphs in this frightening yet delicious drama of dark surprises – where social code are uprooted and desire daringly trumps propriety – and all is alight with Edwardian wit and opulence.

I was a little nervous when I started reading this book. I was about 30 pages in and was just plain bored. It takes a lot for me to not finish a book I start reading, but I would be lying if I said it didn’t cross my mind the more I forced myself to keep turning the pages. That being said, once I hit the second chapter (page 44) things started to look up. I am really glad I stuck with it, because I ended up really enjoying this book.

The Torrington family, who live in the Sterne, are forced to take on passengers from a dreadful train crash a few miles from their residence. The house is thrown into chaos while they still try to put together the birthday dinner for Emerald, as well as try to decipher how to handle the uninvited guests. They manage to corral the guests into one room in hopes they will stay put until the Railway sends for them. Needless to say, things don’t go as planned. At all.

I feel like I really can’t say a lot without giving away too much, so I’ll try to be as vague as I can but still hopefully give away enough to encourage you to read this book. First of all, I fell in love with Imogen, or as everyone calls her, Smudge. I had a smile on my face constantly while I was reading any part of the book that involved that little girl. When I read the synopsis for the book and it mentioned her Great Undertaking, never in a million years would I have guessed what that actually meant. It is definitely out there, but it made my heart smile :)

Throughout the plot, Emerald continues to take notice that the number of passengers from the train seems to grow, which didn’t really make a lot of sense to me at first. The wheels finally started turning when Charlotte finds Charlie Traversham-Beechers in her room, when she’s fairly positive she locked her bedroom door. I had to go back and re-read certain parts because I’m not going to lie; I got a little bit confused! It wasn’t until the end when they confirmed my suspicions, and it all finally made sense.

The relationships were well written, albeit a little bit predictable. The character of Charlie Traversham-Beechers keeps you on your toes, and the game of Hinds and Hounds that he forced them to play after dinner made me realize that there just might be something off about this man. It made my heart ache a little bit while I was reading that part, especially for two particular characters. (Hey…I’m a girl and I’m allowed to get too emotional over character situations in books!)

Overall, I thought it was a quirky, bizarre, entertaining, quick read. I actually finished the book in one day, although it is only about 260 pages. If you decide to read the book and find the beginning a little brutal, I strongly urge you to power through it. I promise it gets much, much better. 

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Fifty Shades Freed by E L James

(Fifty Shades trilogy, book 3)
When unworldly student Anastasia Steele first encountered the driven and dazzling young entrepreneur Christian Grey it sparked a sensual affair that changed both of their lives irrevocably. Shocked, intrigued, and ultimately, repelled by Christian’s singular erotic tastes, Ana demands a deeper commitment. Determined to keep her, Christian agrees.

Now, Ana and Christian have it all – love, passion, intimacy, wealth, and a world of possibilities for their future. But Ana knows that loving her Fifty Shades will not be easy, and that being together will pose challenges that neither of them would anticipate. Ana must somehow learn to share Christian’s opulent lifestyle without sacrificing her own identity. And Christian must overcome his compulsion to control as he wrestles with the demons of a tormented past.

Just when it seems that their strength together will eclipse any obstacle, misfortune, malice, and fate conspire to make Ana’s deepest fears turn to reality.

WARNING: This book contains very graphic sexual situations, and frequent profanity.

I really wanted to love this book. I have been on the fence about this whole trilogy since I started reading the first book, and I can honestly say that I’m not really impressed. I think my favorite part of this book were the bonus chapters at the end where it takes you back to him meeting Ana during the interview, and visiting her at Clayton’s…only it’s narrated by him. Now THAT was enjoyable!  

You know, I think I just got annoyed with their whole relationship by the middle of this book. I know it was designed to be tumultuous and clearly they both have to find a middle ground if they want to make it work, but I found myself irritated. I got tired of watching Ana constantly run around trying to discern if he was angry with something she did. They are married, and yet she is walking on eggshells around him. Not only that, but when Ana did stand up for herself (which was incredibly rare) she never stood her ground. Christian would immediately resort to using sex in an effort to distract her from the argument, and he’d have her under his spell hook, line, and sinker. It just frustrated me. One of the most overused lines by Ana in this whole trilogy: “Please don’t be mad at me.” He says over and over he didn’t marry a submissive, but honestly…I think he kind of did. Ana didn’t bother me much in the first two books, but she wore on me in Freed. I got sick of hearing how absolutely, breathtakingly, beautiful Christian was. I get it...he’s smokin’. I already had the emblazoned in my mind after reading the first book, and yet I’m still constantly being reminded how she just can’t believe how gorgeous this man is. Once again…I get it. Oh, and the amount of times Ana cried in this book was about five too many.

I was never sold on Christian throughout the first two books, and Freed didn’t really do much to change my mind. His possessiveness and over-the-top controlling ways just grated on me to the point where I almost didn’t want to finish this book. The incident with the hickeys on their honeymoon, for example, pissed me off just reading about it! Oh, and the way he lost his marbles all because Ana went out for drinks with Kate while he was out of town. Are you kidding me?! I could go on and on, but I digress. The main reason I have never really rooted for Christian, is because I don’t care for guys that treat their wives like their property. He feels like his opinion should be the “end all, be all” and it doesn’t really matter what Ana thinks.  I didn’t even mind the controlling Christian when it was in regards to him being a dominant in the Red Room of Pain (those scenes were always pretty hot) but the way he feels the need to control every aspect of her life is just tiring.

A couple positives: The ending was good, the epilogue was fantastic, and the bonus chapters at the end with Christian as the narrator were great. I liked them because they are from Fifty Shades of Grey when he was still looking at Ana as a possible submissive, and it was fun to see the effect Ana had on him in his own words. Overall, the trilogy was alright but not as great as I expected and this book in particular was kind of a hot mess and almost exhausting to read.

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Good In Bed by Jennifer Weiner

For twenty-eight years, things have been tripping along nicely for Cannie Shapiro. Sure, her mother has come charging out of the closet, and her father has long since dropped out of her world. But she loves her friends, her rat terrier, Nifkin, and her job as pop culture reporter for The Philadelphia Examiner. She’s even made a tenuous peace with her plus-size body.

But the day she opens up a national women’s magazine and sees the words “Loving a Larger Woman” above her ex-boyfriend’s byline, Cannie is plunged into misery…and the most amazing year of her life. From Philadelphia to Hollywood and back home again, she charts a new course for herself: mourning her losses, facing her past, and figuring out who she is and who she can become.

It was absolute challenge to finish this book. I borrowed it from a friend who surprisingly spoke highly of it, and I’m almost wondering if she was saying that as a mean joke to get me to read it. I read a lot of books, and I can’t remember ever having such a hard time finishing a book.

One of my biggest pet peeves is people constantly portraying themselves as the victim; no matter what happens, nothing is ever their fault. Cannie is a constant victim. The entire book was her whining or pouting or crying because she decided to break up with her boyfriend and now she regrets it, and she’s fat and will never, ever find anyone to love her again. Give me a freaking break. First of all, if I remember correctly she is listed as 5’10, size 16, and size D boobs. Call me crazy, but I don’t think being a size 16 and almost 6 feet tall constitutes as ‘fat.’ I know the book was supposed to send out a positive message to plus-size women, but it upset me the way Cannie talked down about herself constantly and referred to herself as fat numerous times throughout the book. I’m not even a big girl and it upset me! I’m sure some women read this book and loved it, but to me it was actually kind of depressing. Jennifer Weiner tried to use sarcasm and wittiness to mask Cannie’s unhappiness, but I just didn’t buy it. Nor did I believe that a doctor who specializes in weight loss would be captivated by a patient who continually dogged herself for being ‘fat.’ I’m not a relationship expert, but I’m friends with enough guys to know that no guy wants to date a girl who continually talks bad about herself…even if it is in a joking fashion like Cannie tends to do.  

I also didn’t appreciate the way Cannie (and her siblings) acted towards her mother’s girlfriend. I don’t know what it’s like to have your mom go from straight to gay; I’m sure it’s not an easy transition, but I just found their actions towards her almost hateful. One example that comes to mind is when they all throw the items she made them for Christmas in the fire. Really nice, huh? I don’t understand why her extreme dislike for Tanya was relevant to the plot, and it actually made me dislike Cannie even more. 

The storyline wasn’t believable (nor was it very interesting) and the main character came off as a whiny, complaining teenager…except she’s not a teenager. She’s 28-years-old. This is one book that I really regret reading, yet as bad as it was, I had to finish it. I kept hoping it would get better. It didn’t. 

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The Descendants by Kaui Hart Hemmings

Fortunes have changed for the King family, descendants of Hawaiian royalty and one of the state’s largest landowners. Matthew King’s daughters – Scottie, a feisty ten-year-old, and Alex, a seventeen-year-old recovering drug addict – are out of control, and their charismatic, thrill-seeking mother, Joan, lies in a coma after a boat-racing accident. She will soon be taken off life support. As Matt gathers his wife’s friends and family to say their final goodbyes, a difficult situation is made worse by the sudden discovery that there’s one person who hasn’t been told: the man with whom Joanie had been having an affair. Forced to examine what they owe not only to the living but to the dead, Matt, Scottie, and Alex take to the road to find Joanie’s lover, on a memorable journey that leads to unforeseen humor, growth, and profound revelations.

I wasn’t aware that the movie was based off of a book, so I was kind of surprised when I stumbled across this book one day in Barnes and Noble. I hadn’t seen the movie yet, so I figured why not read the book first. (A little FYI: I hate reading a book after I’ve already seen the movie it’s based on). This is a beautifully written book that ultimately is about a man connecting with his children, and realizing what it takes to really be a father. The relationship Matt has with his daughters at the beginning of the book was almost cold, and didn’t exactly make me want to like this guy. Through his narration, you realize that his life revolves around his work, and has never had to assume the father figure that he has to now. You see his progress throughout the book to try and make his daughters respect him as an authority figure and really assume the father role, which is what warmed me up to this character. He really is trying, but he’s lost.

Scottie was a bit more “out there” than I imagined, but nonetheless, she provided most of the comedic moments throughout the book which I appreciated. Kaui Hart Hemmings tells a story about losing a loved one, and yet manages to do it in such a way that you’re not consistently thinking about the heartbreak of this situation. You focus on the relationship that Matt is building with his daughters and it shines a positive light on a bad situation.

The first 20 or so pages were a little on the slow side, but after that it picked up. It’s a pretty quick read, and is overall a good book. 

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The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy ‘til Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid, Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone.

Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken.

Minny, Aibileen’s best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody’s business, but she can’t mind her tongue, so she’s lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town to know her reputation. But her new boss has secrets of her own.

Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these women will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed.

I can’t remember the last time I read a book that touched me the way The Help did. I flew through his book, and finished it within two days if I remember right. Kathryn Stockett paints a vivid picture of life in deep Mississippi 1962, and it’s not exactly pretty. The lines of racial segregation are still in place and the African Americans are treated like second-class citizens…if that. Being that I’m only in my 20’s, the idea of racism to this extreme is just heartbreaking and at often times throughout the book, hard to grasp. Obviously I learned about it history class over the years, but our world is just so different now. I just can’t understand why anyone would degrade someone or treat them like a lower-class citizen based on their skin color.

My heart ached for these characters; I found my stomach in knots a few times simply because I was so worried about what could happen to these characters. I so much admired Skeeter’s courage, and I can’t imagine that feeling of knowing that your views on equality are so completely different from your family, and even your friends; knowing that you can’t tell anyone close to you about this book for fear of being ridiculed and looked down upon. It just made my heart happy seeing how much Aibileen and Minny came to adore Skeeter, and vice versa. They were willing to tell their stories, all the while knowing the consequences if anyone found out they were congregating with a white girl.

Overall, it was a beautifully written book that will stay with you. It’s an example of how change starts with just one person; one person willing to overlook the racial lines, one person willing to sacrifice their friends to stand up for what they believe in, one person that refuses to believe there  should be a barrier between races. I just absolutely loved this book, and would highly recommend it.  

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Assholes Finish First by Tucker Max

What do you do after you write a #1 bestselling book about your drunken sexual misadventures that makes you rich and famous? Celebrate by getting more drunk and having insane amounts of sex, obviously. And pretty soon you’ve got another bestselling book on your hands.

Stuffed full of ridiculous stories of bad decisions, debauchery, and sexual recklessness, Assholes Finish First starts where I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell left off, then proceeds to “some next level shit.”

WARNING: This book contains frequent profanity and sexual situations.

I read Tucker’s first book, I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell, because my friend read the book and he said it was the funniest book he had ever read. I heard about it from a few people, but never actually made the effort to go buy it, so when I was given the opportunity to borrow it, I figured I’d give it a whirl. After reading that book, I wanted nothing more than to read more about Tucker Max and his ridiculous, drunken shenanigans. Needless to say, I was not disappointed in Assholes Finish First.

Tucker Max is an asshole. He knows it and admits it. I mean, it says it right in the title of this book. He doesn’t care what anyone thinks or says about him, and as far as I can tell, doesn’t have much of a conscience to constitute him having regrets. He does what…or who…he wants and doesn’t think he has to provide any explanation. I enjoy going out with my friends and have had some wild nights in college, but it is not even anywhere close to the level that Tucker Max is on. One of the funniest stories in this book is actually the very first one, Tucker Goes to Campout, Owns Duke Nerds. It involves camping out at Duke to get basketball tickets and Tucker using a megaphone. If you’ve read any of his books, just hearing this would probably be enough to bring out a little chuckle. Sure, when you read it you think “wow…this dude is a huge asshole”, but he’s a funny asshole. With his friends in tow, they do things that everyone else would be scared to do. They do things that other people wouldn’t even consider doing, and somehow make it absolutely hilarious.

One of the chapters in the book, The TuckerFest Story, is one of the most outrageous stories I have ever read, heard of, whatever. I don’t want to ruin it for anyone who may be interested in reading the book, but I’ll just say it involves a bunch of white dudes driving around an RV and getting lost in Harlem. And actually, that doesn’t even cover half of the ridiculousness that happens in that chapter! Between that chapter, the Duke camping chapter, and a chapter that involves a Halloween Party in DC and a plastic parrot named Mr. Peepers, I was rolling…and that’s just three chapters out of the whole book!

One difference between this book and IHTSBIN is that you realize Tucker isn’t always a dick. He talks about how he has had serious girlfriends and is completely monogamous when he’s in a relationship, regardless of how many girls email him to proposition sex. He talks about wanting marriage, and kids…which actually surprised me. He talks about a 10 month relationship he had with a nurse and he conveys real emotion when he talks about how difficult it was to end that relationship. Couple that with the love he shows for his dog, Murph, and you realize this guy isn’t all bad.

Some women might find it odd that I didn’t find this book offensive, but in all honestly, I didn’t. He doesn’t generalize when referring to women; he may be an asshole to the girls he sleeps with, but if you’re going to proposition a guy for sex that is a known asshole, what do you really expect? Obviously this book isn’t appropriate for a younger audience, but I would highly recommend it to anyone old enough to handle the material…and anyone that has a good enough sense of humor to handle the material!

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