BOOK REVIEW: The Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book, as well as the entire series. I thought it was a good, if somewhat predictable in some ways, ending to the series.  Please watch out below - SPOILERS APPEAR!! If you have not finished the series, then please proceed with caution.


Thank you.... remember, you have been warned....



Just one more SPOILER ALERT in case you have not finished the series and don't want it spoiled.....





Okay... keep scrolling, and it will be right here.....





I knew on some level that Katniss would see Coin for who she really was, as her character had already developed enough to catch onto that. I think she could have caught on more without so much input from Snow, but I give her character the benefit of the doubt in grieving her younger sister. That was an unexpected twist, although it made sense in the storyline. Since children had always been used as pawns by both sides, it should have been no surprise either one would have used the ultimate weapon - Prim.

The love triangle left me a bit conflicted. I personally love the fact that she ended up with Peeta. However, I am not as comfortable with his "rapid recovery" as it appeared in the book. It makes it sound like he was slowly recovering, then her kiss jump started the remainder which was then finalized by his fire experience. This left me with several questions. One, if Coin was using him to assassinate Katniss, then it would stand reason that she was not helping him recover but was instead reinforcing the idea Katniss was evil and needed to be destroyed. This would make it harder, and not easier, for Katniss to overcome the damage done. Unless we are to believe his love for her ran true and deep, to the point he was never thoroughly corrupted. Two, if Coin didn't feel she could actively do that (reinforce his attitudes towards Katniss), then I still find it difficult that he could overcome them that easily. The reader is led to believe the damage is deep and almost impossible to overcome. So how can they almost completely cure him in the short time span allowed in the book from when he joined the team? Three, what about her Commander? He left instructions for her to kill Peeta, abandon and not trust anyone on the team, and then kill Snow. So, what was that about? It appeared as they moved through the Capitol that she actually could trust the team. Again, I can understand if some of her actions led them to be more supportive of her role - it still isn't enough to completely turn them into an avid supporter and have them sacrifice their own lives for her agenda if they have been routinely trained for one mission and led to believe certain things about Katniss. Some of that just doesn't ring true.

I did find the development of Gale's character completely believable. Throughout the book he appeared to love Katniss more out of jealousy than an original love. It appears he was always spurred by some external event to realize his love. While that can happen to some people and be valid, many times it is not a true and lasting love. It is a reaction to an event, and once that event has passed they are left with at least some confusion. I do believe he loved her, but the romantic aspect was what was spurred by the external events. This is what made his character somewhat tragic, because it seemed he was not capable of fully giving himself to another person. You kind of realized he was not going to go on to another District and find love. It was Katniss or nothing, and quite honestly his love for her was not deep nor true enough (in my opinion) for her to settle just so he was not alone. He was a hunter, and hunters are often loners. While hunters can go together and certainly they can help one another as Katniss and Gale did, it is often much more lonely. Think of how silent you must be, or of the lone hunter sitting in a tree stand for hours on end. When they tracked, it was sometimes more like fellow soldiers than fellow hunters. I think this translated over time as they moved through missions, and it made perfect sense. Also, at crucial decision points in the story, Katniss chose Peeta even when she knew it would hurt Gale. While she obsessed over this like many teen girls do, and sometimes judged herself a bit too harshly, it was evident she was typically "picking" Peeta. It would have felt hollow and untrue had she chosen Gale as a life mate at the end of the series.

All in all, I liked the series and the book. I liked reading it from a literature standpoint, seeing the allegory and motifs. It was written far better than Twilight which was enjoyable as long as you channeled your inner 14-year-old. This book had more depth, which I enjoyed as a an adult reader. However, it was accessible when looked at through the eyes of my inner teenage girl.

I give this one four stars out of five, as I would have handled some of the last few chapters a bit differently. The entire series is a 4.5 out of 5, for keeping the tension, character development, and providing talking points with teenagers.

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I'm in iLust

I was in Atlanta (well, close enough) this past weekend visiting my mother-in-law. She's a delight, and we always get to shop while I am there. This time, DH went along and we hit the Best Buy (larger than the one closest to our home). I was meandering around the store while DH shopped with MIL. My teens were looking at cell phones and MP3 players (should I have guessed anything else?), so I took my four-year old (who was happy behind the wheel of her race-car shopping cart) and browsed around. Then I saw it.

The display.

A large table... a large gray board behind it. One white logo - an apple.

And on the table was my virtual playground - the iPad. I fell in lust immediately. For anyone that has just crawled from under a rock to read my blog - you can go here http://www.apple.com/ipad/ to learn more about it. Here's a nice little picture:

There were multiple iPads for customers to touch, feel, play, caress... oh I am getting carried away. Suffice it to say, after a few minutes whipping around that touch screen I was hooked.

Now, for most of you this could be "so what?". But you do not understand the full significance. The last time I touched an Apple was as an undergraduate (we won't specify just how long ago that was, but the comparison between a newly launched Windows and the Apple was the hot debate). When I say Windows, I mean a version prior to 3.1 - which itself was long before Vista. I had eschewed all things Apple and starting with an "i" before the name. I kept thinking how nothing is compatible with a Mac platform - I would never find programs, I wouldn't be compatible with any of my friends, and so on and so forth.Then there's the DH - a computer geek that has spent many an hour (even day) building and rebuilding all the computers in our house (do you know how frustrating it is to turn on your computer only to realize you must reload all your programs because your loving husband just upgraded your computer for the eighth time in one week?). Talk about having an iAttitude. I knew I had a greater chance of sailing with him on the Titanic than I did taking home an Apple. We all know the Titanic is a little less than seaworthy these days, so that should clue you in to my chances of success. So, compatibility with the DH would reach all-time low should I even consider an Apple.
After today's date with an iPad - I don't care who or what I am compatible with or what programs are available. I found plenty on that little device to keep me happy for a long time. And if I get bored? There are about a million more applications that I could download from iTunes.

I am a good little iSheep... I have been assimilated.

And that was before I found the grandbaby of them all. A nice 27" Mac... it had a gigantic screen. So glossy. So high-def. It was gorgeous... then I remembered. The screen is the hard drive and is the whole computer. No bulky box at my feet. And then there was that straight from the Enterprise deck keyboard and mouse - totally wireless, sleek metal gray. It was beautiful and bliss all packaged right up.

So I was still worrying about compatibility (the way I consoled myself since I was already reconciled to the fact I would not be driving away with one of these beauties).  DH was still wandering in other parts of the store but headed my way - so compatibility was definitely a concern. I still had a two-hour drive home with him in front of me. Like magic, there was the representative. And guess what he could mind read? You got it - and he erased all my concerns about compatibility.

Did you know today's Mac can run Windows programs?

Did you know it can even let you view Windows documents and spreadsheets and all that jazz?

Let me just put it out there, since there are some things you can't view.... Did you know it can even run Windows?

Yes, why yes it can. I am there. All I need is the Mac, the Mac Book and the iPad, and I am a happy little momma at home.

Fortunately, my DH loved the sleek design too. He said we would see what we could do for Christmas.

I love that man.