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Mockingjay
By Suzanne Collins
Scholastic, Inc.
August 2010
400pp

The Short of It:

Although I enjoyed the series as a whole, this last book was a total letdown.

The Rest of It:

I imagine that the pressure to write a satisfying third installment to this series was great, but from the get-go the book sort of limps along with poor pacing and writing that was so forced in places that it actually made me wince.  I  mean really, what happened here?

In my opinion, I feel as if the author did not event attempt to deliver with this one. Why bother? People will buy it, good or bad just because of the popularity of the series itself. I am so angry over this book that I would have thrown it across the room had it not been on my Kindle.

Things that contributed to my dislike of the book:

-Katniss. I never got the “girl on fire” thing. To me, that title belongs to a heroine that blazes a path to victory. Katniss is SO not that. The constant self-deprecating, the wide-eyed innocence, etc. Girl!! Get a grip. Get it together and kick some ass!

-Gale. What happened to my lovely Gale? Bitterness! Although a lot of you may think differently, this is the only character that I feel was true in the end. Yeah, he was a bit more violent in this book and seemed to have a blatant disregard for human life, but I could see where he was coming from. His eyes were on the prize, so to speak and that prize was not Katniss. I can’t fault him for that. I  mean, how many times can a guy be turned down? My issue with him is that if he really wanted to end up with Katniss, he should have fought for it as he did for everything else.

-Peeta. Good lord. What the hell happened to Peeta? I know he was brainwashed but come on, even before the brainwashing he was…meh. He always seemed so juvenile to me and not as mature as some of the other characters. Supposedly he was a good-looking hunk with curls but it seemed as if he was sort of vacuous in my book.

-The suicide pill. So much mention of the pill yet no one took it. I sure wish some of them had.

-The entire book had this detached quality to it. Big things would happen but there would only be a little bit of description about it. Usually a startling image to send it home instead of a paragraph or two and then the chapter would predictably end with a shocking sentence like “…and then his legs blew off.”  Ugh.

-The pomp and circumstance. The costumes and make-up and base zero beauty were all too much for me. Perhaps if I thought they were going on a true hero I’d think differently, but for Katniss? Seemed like a waste of good lip gloss to me.

-Prim. Killing off Prim in a one-liner seemed like a pot shot to me. She was one of the few characters that seemed to have her act together.

-Finnick. Sort of the same feeling here. No future for the good ones I guess.

-Katniss deciding to have kids just because Peeta wanted them. What? So now you are breeding weak-minded, ambiguous little darlings to boot?

Overall, I found myself cringing throughout the book. The story itself, the plot to destroy the Capitol had promise but with such a weak crew carrying out the orders, it’s no wonder it fell apart.

When they put that crack-pot team of snipers into one special unit I couldn’t help but think they were leading the lambs to slaughter. I suppose at the end they succeeded in taking down the Capitol and that could be interpreted as success but I would have preferred a true battle of the wits instead of them putting on wigs and going undercover.

Source: Purchased for Duckie (my Kindle).

Right now, we are discussing several short stories from More Stories We Tell, which is an absolutely fabulous collection of short fiction written by women. Some of the stories are only a few pages long but so powerful and thought-provoking. I just finished a story titled Love, Forever by Joyce Carol Oates and I am speechless over it.

I’ve always loved reading, but this class has reminded me how much I love the written word. I am sucking it all up like a sponge, reading and writing up a storm. It’s work, but fun work.

In between homework assignments I am reading five other books! All of them good too. I don’t know how bloggers who are also full-time students manage it.

Sigh. I love the weekend. I mean, who doesn’t? I started the day off meeting a book club friend for breakfast. Eggs Benedict is the most perfect food in the world. Seriously.

Later on we’re hitting a friend’s house for pizza and swimming. The hot weather from last week has left us though, so we went from 111 degrees to a cool 72 which may not be warm enough to swim.

As for reading, I am reading a lot of books right now. Yes, Mockingjay is one of them. I’ll save my initial thoughts for the review though. Reading several books at once has its advantages but it certainly has its disadvantages too. For one, I always feel as if I am reading the same thing because so little progress is made in any one book. BUT, at the same time it feels as if I am dipping my hand into many pots which sort of satisfies me number wise.

Only true readers understand this. Anyone else,  just thinks I’m nuts.

Oh, and I just remembered that I haven’t done my homework yet for my lit class that meets tomorrow. Guess I know what I’ll be doing in the immediate future.

What are you doing today?

Invisible
By Paul Auster
Picador
June 2010
320pp

The Short of It:

Thoughtfully structured, Invisible is just the kind of brain candy that a true reader craves.

The Rest of It:

The story itself is simple. Adam Walker is dying. Before doing so, he decides to share his life story with an acquaintance from his years at Columbia. Jim, who has agreed to read the story and provide feedback where needed, is given the story in parts.

The first part is innocent enough. It’s where Adam meets Rudolf Barn and Rudolf’s mysterious girlfriend, Margot. The couple takes an immediate liking to Adam. The relationship is complicated in that Rudolf has offered Adam a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity…to start-up a magazine. This is an offer that Adam cannot refuse, but wait… there is an attraction to Margot. That’s where it gets complicated.

As Adam’s story is delivered in parts, Jim is not sure what to think. The story centers around a violent act, incest and these rather eccentric characters. What at first appears to be Adam’s life story, sort of morphs into what Jim thinks might be fiction or fantasy, but he can’t be sure, so he does a bit of his own research to find out.

Invisible is complicated in structure…there are multiple narrators, passages told in flashbacks, etc. However, it’s not a difficult read. In fact, it’s quite short for a novel and goes quite quickly, but there’s something about it that piques the senses. Auster’s use of language is admirable, but his ability to keep you slightly on the edge of your seat is what I enjoyed the most. This is not a mystery or thriller by any means but when he touches on incest I was like, “What? Did he just go there?” Yes, he goes there and gives you just enough to be utterly creeped out and disturbed and then pulls back to allow you a moment of reprieve.

It’s that delicate use of tension that pulls you in. I found myself hanging on every word. At times, it reminded me of The Talented Mr. Ripley. There’s the larger than life Born, the sexual tension, the lure of adventure. It’s packed with ambiguity, yet when you finish the novel, you somehow know how things turn out. When I finished it, I immediately wanted to read it again. Not because things were not clear, but because it’s just that kind of novel. It’s multi-layered and complex but in the best possible way.

You should know that there are some sex scenes that could be considered graphic. However, it’s the incest that will most likely disturb you the most, if you happen to be sensitive to that sort of thing. I am usually not, but there was one point where I remember squirming a bit in my seat. That said, I quickly got over it and felt that Auster’s handling of that particular scene was quite well done. If you enjoy sophisticated fiction and complex structure, you will definitely enjoy Invisible. It is one of my favorites for 2010.

My book club meets in September to discuss this book, but I won’t be able to attend due to back-to-school night. I think it is going to be a lively discussion as there is a lot to discuss.

If you’d like to know more about the book or the author, check out this BookBrowse review of Invisible. It includes an interview with Paul Auster from Granta magazine, which I found fascinating. I received Auster’s new book Sunset Park (Nov 2010)  a couple of weeks ago and can’t wait to read it.

Source: Purchased for Duckie (my Kindle).

Planning is my thing but somehow, I neglected to plan properly for this day. Yes, today is the day that Mockingjay hits the shelves and in this case, my Kindle. I pre-ordered it and when I woke this morning, it was happily sitting there, waiting for me to read it. BUT, I am working today and it’s the first week of classes here so I won’t be able to sneak a page in here and there, like I had hoped. I feel as if everyone left for the party and I am still sitting at home in my bathrobe.

The funny thing is…I didn’t think the first two books were written well but I did get caught up in the story and the hype and team this and that. BTW, what team do you think I’m on? Anyway, I think most of the excitement over these books comes from the fact that people everywhere are reading them. There is just something so wonderful about groups of people reading the same book, at the same time.

So, as my busy day unfolds, I will think fondly of all of you out there, who planned properly for this day. I won’t be able to settle down with it until around 9pm tonight. Sigh.