Title: The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games #1) Author: Suzanne Collins Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian Publisher: Scholastic Press Source: Library Format: Ebook Release Date: September 14, 2008 Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
Could you survive on your own, in the wild, with everyone out to make sure you don’t live to see the morning?
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 is forced to represent her district 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.
New York Times bestselling author Suzanne Collins delivers equal parts suspense and philosophy, adventure and romance, in this searing novel set in a future with unsettling parallels to our present.
Review:
I’ve finally read this book, eleven years after it was published! I wanted to catch up on the series so I can read the upcoming book next year.
This is one of the few books that I’ve read the book AFTER watching the movie. I usually read the book first, so I get so much more out of the movie. I wish I had read this book first. Since this book is told in first person perspective from Katniss’s point of view, there are lots of her thoughts that can’t be portrayed in a movie. I understood a lot more of what happened in the movie after reading the book.
I’m curious to see what happens in the next book! I don’t remember what happened in the second movie, so it will be a bit of a surprise.
What to read next:
Catching Fire (The Hunger Games #2) by Suzanne Collins
Shatter Me (Shatter Me #1) by Tahereh Mafi
Have you read The Hunger Games? What did you think of it?
This is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga’s Reviews and Reading Reality. Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!
I was approved for a book on NetGalley from Penguin Random House Canada:
Recipe for a Perfect Wife by Karma Brown
Thank you Penguin Random House Canada for this book!
Title: Rising Star (Cross Ups #3) Author: Sylv Chiang Genre: Middle Grade, Contemporary Publisher: Annick Press Source: Publisher via NetGalley Format: Ebook Release Date: October 8, 2019 Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
The continuing adventures of Jaden, Cali, and the Cross Ups crew.
When Jaden gets a call inviting him to Comicon to test out a new version of his favorite game, Cross Ups, he is thrilled . . . sort of. He’ll get to go with his best friend, Cali, they’ll be in New York City, and best of all, he’ll meet his idol and the greatest gamer of all time, Yuudai Sato. But he’s got no time to practice, and worse, his signature moves no longer work. His trip starts to feel less and less exciting, and more and more like one big problem. Jaden has to come up with some solutions—fast. He looks to some older gamers for guidance, but is JStar willing to change who he is for the sake of a game? With its sharp dialogue and relatable characters, Rising Star, the third book in the Cross Ups series, chronicles the ups and downs of middle school with a relevant, contemporary twist.
Review:
This is another great book in the Cross-Ups series.
The kids go to New York Comic Con in this story. It was timely, since it just happened a couple of weeks ago. Comic Con is the biggest event for gaming and pop culture, so it was so cool to see Jaden and Cali living out this dream. I went to BookCon a couple of years ago, which is held at the same convention centre as Comic Con, so I could relate to that part of the story.
A great part about this series is that there are both a boy and a girl main character. Jaden narrates the story but his best female friend, Cali, plays a lead role in the story. Though video games are typically thought of as a “boy’s” activity, girls play video games too. I’m glad that girl gamers are represented in this series.
I really enjoyed this story!
Thank you Annick Press for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What to read next:
Fan the Fame by Anna Priemaza
In Real Life by Cory Doctorow, Jen Wang
Have you read Rising Star? What did you think of it?
This is a weekly meme hosted by Wandering Words, where you give the first few lines of a book to hook your readers before introducing the book.
Here are my first lines:
“When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold. My fingers stretch out, seeking Prim’s warmth but finding only the rough canvas cover of the mattress. She must have had bad dreams and climbed in with our mother. Of course, she did. This is the day of the reaping.”
Do you recognize these first lines?
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And the book is… The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.
Goodreads synopsis:
Could you survive on your own, in the wild, with everyone out to make sure you don’t live to see the morning?
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 is forced to represent her district 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.
New York Times bestselling author Suzanne Collins delivers equal parts suspense and philosophy, adventure and romance, in this searing novel set in a future with unsettling parallels to our present.
Have you read The Hunger Games? What did you think of it?
Title: The Last Seed (The Forbidden #0.5) Author: Moud Adel Genre: Fantasy, Science Fiction Publisher: Masteroperia Source: Author Format: Ebook Release Date: September 21, 2019 Rating: ★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
Orantine is the best spy in her faction, the one they go to for impossible missions. But her next target is like nothing she has faced before, a high ranking official in a faction whose members can see the future.
Orantine has never failed before, but this time, she isn’t sure success is possible.
Armed with her faction’s genetic mutation, and the latest technology the world has to offer. Orantine believes she has found the perfect plan.
Nothing comes without a price, however, and this mission will push her to the edge, and further.
How far will she go to ensure success? And how far is she willing to go to prove she is the greatest in her world?
Review:
This is a great novella!
The world building was very well done. I felt like I knew the world so well in just a few pages. This can be difficult to do in a short book. In this world, people have different seeds that connect to their bodies to control things such as emotions or memories. I think this is a realistic future development.
Most of this story is being told by the main character to an officer so that she can return to her homeland. It became a little confusing when there were flashbacks in her narrative, because I wasn’t sure what was happening in the present and what was in the past. The transitions between these parts could have been a little clearer.
I really enjoyed this story. I’ll definitely have to look for more stories set in this world.
Thank you Breakeven Books for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
TBR Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly Faye Reads, where you post a title from your shelf or e-reader and find out what others think about it.
My pick this week is The Nanny by Gilly Macmillan.
Goodreads Synopsis:
The New York Times bestselling author of What She Knewconjures a dark and unpredictable tale of family secrets that explores the lengths people will go to hurt one another.
When her beloved nanny, Hannah, left without a trace in the summer of 1988, seven-year-old Jocelyn Holt was devastated. Haunted by the loss, Jo grew up bitter and distant, and eventually left her parents and Lake Hall, their faded aristocratic home, behind.
Thirty years later, Jo returns to the house and is forced to confront her troubled relationship with her mother. But when human remains are accidentally uncovered in a lake on the estate, Jo begins to question everything she thought she knew.
Then an unexpected visitor knocks on the door and Jo’s world is destroyed again. Desperate to piece together the gaping holes in her memory, Jo must uncover who her nanny really was, why she left, and if she can trust her own mother…
In this compulsively readable tale of secrets, lies, and deception, Gilly Macmillan explores the darkest impulses and desires of the human heart. Diabolically clever, The Nanny reminds us that sometimes the truth hurts so much you’d rather hear the lie.
Have you read this book? What did you think of it?
Title: Bury the Lede Author: Gaby Dunn, Claire Roe Genre: Graphic Novel, Mystery, LGBT Publisher: BOOM! Studios Source: Publisher via NetGalley Format: Ebook Release Date: October, 8, 2019 Rating: ★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
Twenty-one-year-old Madison T. Jackson is already the star of the Emerson College student newspaper when she nabs a coveted night internship at Boston’s premiere newspaper, The Boston Lede. The job’s simple: do whatever the senior reporters tell you to do, from fetching coffee to getting a quote from a grieving parent. It’s grueling work, so when the murder of a prominent Boston businessman comes up on the police scanner, Madison races to the scene of the grisly crime. There, Madison meets the woman who will change her life forever: prominent socialite Dahlia Kennedy, who is covered in gore and being arrested for the murder of her family. The newspapers put everyone they can in front of her with no results until, with nothing to lose, Madison gets a chance – and unexpectedly barrels headfirst into danger she never anticipated.
Review:
This graphic novel follows a reporter investigating a high profile murder in Boston. Dahlia Kennedy is suspected of killing her husband and kidnapping her son. For some reason, Dahlia would only speak to Madison, the intern for a newspaper. Madison springs to fame with her reporting on the murder, but it comes at a cost to her personal life.
This was an exciting story. There was a lot of depth to the story. There were many different aspects of Madison’s life that were shown, including her work and her family life. It often conflicted because her brother was a politician. The murder story was complicated, which kept me guessing until the end.
I really enjoyed this graphic novel.
Thank you BOOM! Studios for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What to read next:
I Hate Everyone But You by Gaby Dunn, Allison Raskin
Have you read Bury the Lede? What did you think of it?
This is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine. In this post we highlight a book that’s highly anticipated.
The book that I’m waiting on this Wednesday is The Toll (Arc of a Scythe #3) by Neal Shusterman. The expected publication date is November 5, 2019.
Goodreads Synopsis:
From New York Times bestselling author Neal Shusterman comes the thrilling conclusion to the Printz Honor–winning series Arc of a Scythe.
It’s been three years since Rowan and Citra disappeared; since Scythe Goddard came into power; since the Thunderhead closed itself off to everyone but Grayson Tolliver.
In this pulse-pounding conclusion to New York Times bestselling author Neal Shusterman’s Arc of a Scythe trilogy, constitutions are tested and old friends are brought back from the dead.
Title: Naked Mole Rat Saves the World Author: Karen Rivers Genre: Middle Grade Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers Source: Publisher via NetGalley Format: Ebook Release Date: October 15, 2019 Rating: ★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
Can Kit’s super-weird superpower save her world?
Kit-with-a-small-k is navigating middle school with a really big, really strange secret: When she’s stressed, she turns into a naked mole rat.
It first happened after kit watched her best friend, Clem, fall and get hurt during an acrobatic performance on TV. Since then, the transformations keep happening—whether kit wants them to or not. Kit can’t tell Clem about it, because after the fall, Clem just hasn’t been herself. She’s sad and mad and gloomy, and keeping a secret of her own: the real reason she fell.
A year after the accident, kit and Clem still haven’t figured out how to deal with all the ways they have transformed—both inside and out. When their secrets come between them, the best friends get into a big fight. Somehow, kit has to save the day, but she doesn’t believe she can be that kind of hero. Turning into a naked mole rat isn’t really a superpower. Or is it?
Review:
This book had a lot of mental health representation that isn’t common in children’s books. Kit’s mom has anxiety and doesn’t like to leave the house. Clem is depressed as a result of an injury in a talent show. Kit has alopecia universalis, which means that she doesn’t have any hair. I would have liked to see kit’s bald head accurately represented on the book cover, because that was an important part of her character.
There were some strange magical realism aspects to the story. When kit would get upset, she would turn into a naked mole rat. It was unclear whether this would actually happen or if it was the result her hallucinating during a panic attack. I found those parts a little confusing because I didn’t know if it was actually happening or not.
This is a good story for young readers to see different kinds of representation.
Thank you Algonquin Young Readers for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What to Read Next:
A Possibility of Whales by Karen Rivers
The Benefits of Being an Octopus by Ann Braden
Thank you to Algonquin Young Readers for letting me participate in this blog tour.
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