Why I Love The Hunger Games By Sherre of Beckoned By Books

As much as I like to rant about The Hunger Games, it's pretty clear that I love the entire franchise to death. I talk about it incessantly and try to force persuade others to read it so I can talk about it some more. Suffice to say I am out of control excited about the movie. I thought I was a truly hardcore fan until I put out the call for guest post for The Hunger Games Tribute month and Sherre answered with this gem of a post:

I’m so glad to be doing a guest post for Lan’s blog. I stalk her blog often as she’s probably figured out already. Guess what? The Hunger games movie will be out this month and I am beyond super excited. I’ve already purchased tickets to the 12:01 movie show time, and now I’m just bouncing up and down, watching the calendar, and the clock to figure out how much time is left. The boyfriend told me I was an idiot who needs to do something else with my time, so I thought the best way would be for me to let you all know how I began my fan girl obsessive lust for all things Hunger Games. (That’s probably not what he meant when he told me to do something else, but whatever)

       It began after my high from reading Twilight for the third time in a row. I needed something good. Something that made the world around me disappear and the adrenaline rush in my veins. Something that made my heart quicken and my emotions go into overdrive. I picked up a few books at Borders (May you Rest in Peace my Beloved Borders Books) and they all sucked. Like all of them. At this point I was giving The Hunger Games series the cold shoulder. Yeah, I read the synopsis, but I couldn’t bring myself to read the book. It looked too boring, to young, too depressing. Besides, there could never be a book that will make me feel as alive as Twilight, I was sure of it. Then, something happened.

          I was surfing the internet acting like a total Twilight groupie when I came upon a Hunger Games review. “Let’s see if the book sucks as much as I think it should,” I said to myself. I read the review that discussed the awesomeness that was THG and thought, well maybe she’s biased. There’s no way this book can actually be that good. So I read another review and more and finally I got literally upset! These people have no idea what they’re talking about. The Hunger Games has to suck. Look at that cover. It’s so boring. That stupid bird in a circle, what’s that supposed to mean? They’re spending time going bird hunting or something?  Oh and let’s not get started on the synopsis. Kid’s fighting to the death on TV? Talk about depressing! Maybe they’re all getting paid to do the reviews. Yea, that’s probably it. I’ll just go out and buy the book and read the horribleness and THEN I’ll be able to tell everyone that they’re total liars and the book sucks.

          It just so happened that it was December of 2010 so Christmas was coming up. I told my mom to buy the whole series for me along with some other books and she painstakingly obliged (she made the mistake of telling me as a child that as long as I read, she would buy me as many books as I want….talk about a bad idea. You should see my stacks of books) Any who, when I got it, I started reading………..and reading………..and reading……………………………..and was finished the entire book in 9 hours straight. No food, no cellphone interruptions, no breaks of any kind. People came and talked AT me, I think. I never paid attention.

         I remember walking around with my book when I heard the doorbell ring, opening it, and letting someone in. It was a family member, I think. It could have been a stranger though, I’d have never known. The book was amazing. SUPER, FANTASTIC, SUPERB, EXCITING, OH MY #(*^@&! GOSH HOW ON EARTH DID I LIVE WITHOUT YOU SO LONG, I LOVE YOU SO MUCH, PLEASE NEVER LEAVE ME, I LOVE YOU, WILL YOU MARRY ME, ID FOLLOW YOU ANYWHERE OH MY GOODNESS OH MY GOODNESS OH MY GOODNESS AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! 

         It gave me the feelings I wanted and more, but, like an obsessive junkie, I wanted more!!!! I needed more!!! So then I got the audio books. I listened to them in the car, and in my iPod over and over. (Everyone hated riding in the car with me) I started to tell random people about the awesomeness that was THG. I started incorporating random HG lingo into my daily life – “I want to show them that they don’t own me. If I’m going to go to work, I want it to be on my terms. I want to show them that I’m just not another employee in their company,” “Remember boyfriend, we’re madly in love, so it’s ok to kiss me whenever you want,” “Do well on your test little sister, and may the odds be ever in your favor.” (That’s my favorite one, because she tended to look at me and roll her eyes as if I was crazy)The rest is history. I began consuming more and more books, but Twilight, and Hunger Games will always be my favorites (not necessarily in that order). A few other books have joined their ranks in my mind, Telesa, The Mortal Instruments Series and a few others, but Twilight and the Hunger Games have, and always will hold a very special, lust-filled, obsessive place in my heart.

 ~ Thank you so much Sherre for taking the time to write up this post. Obsession really does love company because I found myself nodding to so many of the things you said. I remember not wanting to read The Hunger Games because of all the hype and because so many people were saying how graphic the killing is. I'm glad (and also a bit disturbed) that the violence didn't phase me because I would have missed out of one of the best book I've ever read. 


On that note, I'd like to invite all you guys to share your stories about when and how you decided to read The Hunger Games. Was it on your WoW lists? Or did you just stumble upon it? I came into the phenomenon very late so I wasn't around for the original hoopla. Would love to recapture that now!

Insecure Writers Support Group #1: Licence To Kill

Insecure Writer's Support Group is a blog hop hosted by Alex J. Cavanaugh where us totally insecure writers can get together and share the things that are making us go argh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
       Hmm...where to even start this month. I suppose that given this is meant to be my The Hunger Games appreciation month, I'll talk about a theme that has been bugging me on my writing journey for a while now. The concept of YA books (in my case YA dystopian more specifically) and killing people/things.
       You all know I worship the genius that  is Katniss Everdeen (I choose to ignore everything that happened in Mockingjay) but sometimes, when I have my super critical book reviewer pants on, I start to wonder about how unrealistic it is that Katniss doesn't ever go on the offensive unless she's given no choice. Kathy from Read This Instead and I had a brief discussion about this and it's got me wondering whether or not readers would be much less sympathetic to a character if they dispensed with the goody two-shoes and went out for blood.
       Even Peeta and Gale could be considered plot devices to support this idea (Peeta being Mr Con and Gale being Mr Pro). And readers seem to have responded in a way which suggests that they'd rather not have their heroes taking out the bad guys Terminator style.Everywhere I look, it's Team Peeta all the way.
      Sadly, I am not in this majority reader group and I'm worried that this will trickle down to my own characters and they'll end up being hated for their offensiveness. Maybe it's because I'm much more A than YA these days. Maybe I've been brainwashed by the insane amount of action movies I watch and I'm desensitized to violence. Perhaps as a second generation child of war, I just don't buy the whole stand up for yourself but don't get your hands bloody stance.
       Then there's the whole confusing grey area that is YA paranormal where it's okay to have the heroes kill as many vampires/werewolves/angels as possible but as soon as they harm a human (no matter how badly the human deserves it) it's all "you shouldn't have done that."
      So help me out guys. Which camp do you belong to? Does it disturb you when an MC takes matters into their own hands? Or do you prefer to keep it clean?

Writer's Corner: Totally Psyched Out

 

Despite my better judgement, I'm going to throw this one out there and see where it goes. It was Lunar New Year on Monday and as I'm Asian we celebrated with heaps of food and stuff (normally I would go into detail but it's not really the point of this post. Sigh!) So anyway, I opened up my fortune cookie and guess what it said?:

"THE KEY TO HAPPINESS IS TO ADMIRE WITHOUT DESIRE"

I don't know you about you guys but I happen to believe in karma and all that jazz. So it felt like the universe was trying to tell me something. Two days later, I started reading Angelfall by Susan Ee and the whole thing started to make sense. Clearly, I am suffering from a huge huge dose of writer's envy and the universe saw fit to give me a heads up. 

       Do you guys ever read a book and go "Sonofabi@ch. I wish I'd written that?!?" It happens to me all the time. Angelfall is just the latest in a long line of books which are so totally out of control awesome, that they kind of make me take a look at my MS and get so psyched out that I consider not writing anymore.You should have seen me after The Hunger Games. That was a long writing dry spell! I don't begrudge any of these authors their success. I'm just having a huge case of the green eyed monster. (I swear, I'm working on this. Seriously)

      I've been chatting to Cathy from Abnormally Paranormal Reviews and have come up with only one possibly solution and that is to read other books which are hugely popular, but aren't exactly my thing so I might not get to riled up. Any ideas? So far I've got the following as backup pick me up books: 

Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon

Fallen  by Lauren Kate

Evermore  by Alyson Noel

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Any recommendations?

 

Mockingjay, I Can't Even Review It ...

       

I have no words. For a writer/blogger, that's got to say something. OK, maybe I'm over exaggerating. I do have words. I'd just prefer to keep this blog PG. This is the fifth draft of a review post I've tried to write in the last couple of days. Yes, I know that sounds crazily obsessive but to be fair the word obsession is in the name of my blog so I feel I can take some liberties. In the end, I decided I couldn't do it. This is not a review. It is merely a list of things I think/FEEL after finishing Mockingjay (CLICK AWAY NOW if you haven't finished reading the series):

1.  Suzanne Collins is, if nothing else, an author who knows to to make her readers question everything.
2.  I cannot stand the thing Katniss has become.
3. F-bomb to Finnick, Boggs, Prim and everyone elses pointless death.
4. Gale is neither cold nor heartless and I have stockpiled dozens of quotes to prove it, but I think I'd be walking the path into dangerous crazy territory if I open that trapdoor.

I will however allow myself this one concession:

'I wonder how she'll make up her mind.'

'Oh, that I do know.' I can just catch Gale's last words through the layer of fur. 'Katniss will pick whoever she thinks she can't survive without.'

Yes, Katniss certainly did make her choice based on survival. I don't mind that she ended up with Peeta. I really like Peeta. If anything, I think Peeta is too good for her. What burns me is Gale's character assassination when all he has ever been is supportive of her. I wish she would have taken the purple pill. ARGH! Massive case of the the biggest pot in the world calling the kettle black.

I am now going to go and blog stalk Forever Young Adult because they seem to be the only salve I can find to soothe my outrage.

Follow Friday (6) - Author Brain Picking!

Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkie and Alison. It's a really fun way to get to know other bloggers and pick up a few new followers on the way.





This weeks question is: Name 3 authors that you would love to sit down and spend an hour or a meal with just talking about either their books or get advice on writing from?

This is a pretty tough question. I would love to sit down with ANY published author and be able to pick their brain so being able to choose is a bit of a treat.  OK, here goes:


1. Jane Austen. Jane (if I could call her that, and I assume I can because I've wrestled her from beyond the grave) is one of the most amazing writers I have ever read. Her stories are timeless and her characters unforgettable. I'm sure that just being in her presence would give me inspiration. Talent by osmosis if you will.

2. Isobelle Carmody. I'm not sure if I can use this as a harassment session and ask/plead with her to finish the next book in the Obernewtyn series. I love them so much. I've been waiting 10 years for closure and it's not surprising that I've gone a bit nuts in the meantime.

3. Suzanne Collins. I am a little (lot!) Hunger Games Trilogy crazy right now, so the thought of being able to meet Suzanne Collins is sending me into a frenzy. What would I grill her about? WHAT HAPPENED TO GALE?????

Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

The Story:

Set in dystopian Chicago, Divergent tells the story of sixteen-year-old Beatrice or Tris as she later renames herself. Tris' world is divided into five factions, each embodying one particular virtue- Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent).  
        Once a year, every sixteen-year-old is tested on their aptitude for each faction and is given a choice as to which faction they wish to join. For Tris the tests only confirm her fears that she is different. Divergent.
        Torn between her Abnegation upbringing which tells her to be selfless and her natural instincts which want her to be brave, Tris risks everything and chooses to become Dauntless. During the following weeks of initiation, everything Tris knows about herself is put to the test and somewhere along she discovers that she is more than just the sum of her faction.

My Thoughts:

Let me dispel all the comparisons floating around the blogosphere right now and just say that for me, Divergent was nothing like The Hunger Games. Aside from the obvious dystopian theme and a strong female heroine, I thought the worlds were completely different. Tris' world seems less bleak to me despite the obvious oppressiveness of some of the faction's rules. The explanation of each faction is extremely vivid and I felt that for a while I was actually living in the darkness of the Dauntless compound training to be a Dauntless initiate. 
         Which brings me to my next point. Try not to be eating whilst reading this book because there is a lot of violence. I thought this aspect was very brave of the author. Normally in YA the fight scenes are semi-romanticized, but in Divergent it's all there page after page. And our heroine has a lot of it directed at her. 
        I'll be honest and say that I didn't know what to make of Tris to begin with. For the first half of the book, I found her to be dull to the point where I was kind of hoping that she was secretly some sort of cyborg. As the book progressed, Tris began to grow on me and I started to think that maybe her grey personality was a throwback from her upbringing in Abnegation. Slowly but surely, her reactions to the situations that she found herself in became surer and by the end of the book I was really rooting for her. I love a strong woman who will stick to her convictions and isn't always 'nice'. 
       I think the turning point in my dislike of Tris mostly happened because of her emerging feelings for her trainer Four. Four is without a doubt one of the most kick ass male characters in any book that I've read. Start running Mr Dimitri Belikov because you've got competition on your heels. It was so refreshing to read  about a romantic interest who has confidence in the heroine and believes in her ability. Four exhibits just the right amount of protectiveness without being overbearing and there is a depth to his character that speaks beyond his outwardly cold persona. The best thing about Tris and Four's budding romance is that there isn't another person getting in the way (read: I am over YA love triangles).
       Overall, I really enjoyed reading Divergent and am curious to see where the author will lead us in the next book.

Rating:

8/10

What the?/Cover your eyes: Spoiler Alert

1. Did anyone else wonder where the trains came and went to?

2. I didn't understand some of the character's reactions sometimes. One minute Tris' dad is giving her a lecture about shooting people and the next he goes all commando....
3. I still have no idea what Divergent is exactly...

My image of Four:

Imagine Wentworth Miller minus 15 years and if you still can't see it, meh, it's Wentworth Miller! Sheesh.

Hunger Games Obsessiveness and My Handicap

OK, so one day into my new found writing challenge and the bearable dull pain in my right pointer finger becomes...well...unbearable. I realise I've been doing a lot of blog stalking lately, but do the writing gods really have to punish me with this infliction?

On a side note, I've run into a bit of a conundrum over the writing competition I entered. I was originally thinking I should write a 25,000 word monstrosity only to learn that last years winner had a total word count of 1000 words. What to do?

Without being able to write, I turned to obsessing over the Hunger Games instead and came upon this hilarious thread by Forever Young Adult. For anyone who is remotely interested in the great Peeta vs Gale debate, this is a must read.

I haven't finished Mockingjay yet, but I get the feeling that whatever happens (yes I have read every spoiler known to man) I will always remain:

Top 5 Supporting Characters

So I've been thinking a lot lately about some of the supporting characters in the novels I've been reading and how they are completely kick-ass awesome but tend to get left out of the limelight a little. This is my tribute to those characters who left a big impression despite their smaller roles (BEWARE- may contain spoilers).

1. EDDIE CASTILE - VAMPIRE ACADEMY/BLOODLINES
I first thought of this post just after reading Last Sacrifice and it seems a little redundant now that Eddie is going to be a part of Bloodlines, but at the time I was seething. As much as I love Rose (my number 1 heroine), I couldn't for the life of me understand how the author could let her be OK with the fact that Eddie was thrown in jail. And hello Queen Lissa, try not to be so useless for once and get him the heck out! (as you can see I'm still holding on to some residual anger).
      Eddie is to me a mini Dimitri, minus the Russian accent and Strigoi experience. He's got it all. Dedication, loyalty, badass fighting skills, quiet thoughtfulness and a dead best friend he's guilty about not being able to save to give him the extra edge. I only hope that Bloodlines will cut poor Eddie some slack.

Image by Mellow Strawberry

2. NEVILLE LONGBOTTOM - HARRY POTTER
Poor little Neville. I loved you from the start and while I agree with the Luna love that seems to have swept Harry Potter fans, you will remain my favourite. At first, I liked Neville because of his penchant for herbology as I'm a bit of an avid gardener and florist. But the more the books continued the more Neville came into his own. I had to suppress a little fit on the train when Neville joined Dumbledore's Army and by the end of Deathly Hallows there is no arguing with the fact that Neville is nothing short of a hero.
       Harry might be the famous Boy Who Lived but Neville had a tough time growing up as well. And he had to do it without the best friends and extra support.

3. MATTHEW - OBERNEWTYN CHRONICLES
It doesn't bode well for a character when the author doesn't give them a last name. You can probably tell by now that I have a bit of a weak spot for underdogs. Mathew was the first misfit to reach out to Elspeth when she arrived at Obernewtyn. Matthew can only be described as a hopeless optimist and a fiercely loyal friend. I was so looking forward to seeing his character develop and then rip! the author had him captured by slavers only to reappear as snippets of Elspeth's dreams.
           Disappointment couldn't accurately describe how I felt when this happened. Especially since his name wasn't even part of the character glossary in my copy of the fourth book in the series, though I'm hoping this was an error of some kind. Some internet sources have even started to speculate that Matthew is the Destroyer that Elspeth is fated to encounter in her search for the beforetime weapons. I refuse to believe this could be true. He will always be the little misfit boy with a lilting accent and a slight limp to me.

4. THRESH - THE HUNGER GAMES
I don't know what it was about him but Thresh really hit a nerve with me. I was sad when the other tributes (even Cato and Clove) died but something about Thresh's death seemed so hollow. He received so little page time but every mention of his name spoke volumes for his character. District 11 had already given their thanks to Katniss for trying to save Rue and she told him so, but Thresh spared her life anyway.
      There was a bit of a Boo Radley feeling about Thresh and I like to think that his actions played a major part in Katniss' survival. I'll say this for the author, she sure knows how to pack a powerful character in a few pages. R.I.P Thresh. We will always remember your sacrifice.

5. JENNA - HEX HALL
OK. This last one is more me being wishful than anything else because Jenna has the potential to be absolutely rockin'. Instead, the author has her tailgating vibrant and sarcastic Sophie without having any of it rub off on her. I mean, come on lady! You are a freakin' vampire. Less of the pining and more of the fangs. PLEEEAASE! Jenna needs a big dose of WWBD (What Would Buffy Do?)
         I thought the trip to England would be a good backdrop for Jenna to really come into her own. Instead she just played house and made nice with another vampire. Huh? Huh? *tears hair out*
         Come on Jenna. I am expecting big things from you in the next installment. Please don't let me down.

So that's my list. Feel free to drop by and let me know which supporting characters get you going.

Over and Out.