BOOK: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins, 389 pages

It's the End of the World as We Know It; RIP V; Young Adult Challenge

So, who thought she was being smart, pre-ordering Mockingjay in July? Who didn't realize that Chapters would not even begin to mail it to them until the evening of the day it was released after I had already complained that I didn't have it yet? And who is never going to pre-order a book from Chapters again? Who placed her next little book order from Amazon? Yeah, I was bitter before I started this book.

It was good, a quick read with everything that should have happened. I liked how Collins wrapped up the story although lots of violence and death with the war and all. I read it as fast as I could, with the twelve year old son pushing me along. I have not much to add to this. I eventually went back to read some reviews, but everyone has been very careful about not giving anything away. So nothing interesting from me.

BOOK: Z for Zachariah by Robert C O'Brien

Z for Zachariah by Robert C O'Brien, 249 pages

YA Dystopian Challenge

Imagine if the worst happened - an atomic bomb that essentially destroys the earth were detonated. If for some reason, the sheltered valley you lived in were spared, and you ended up possibly the last person on earth. How would you live? Could you survive? Ann Burden, sixteen, is in this situation. She is surviving on the family farm, when a person arrives in her valley. Originally leery of the stranger, then hopeful, Ann tells her story in diary form.

This was the last book written by O'Brien, who also wrote Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. He died before it was completed, in 1974, and his daughter finished writing the book, based on his notes. This book was full of suspense as Ann deals with the stranger, Mr Loomis, and it kept me reading and worrying about what would happen. With only two characters to read about, I became attached to Ann quite quickly. She was a smart, resourceful girl, who thought carefully about the situation she was in, and about the motives and behaviours of Mr Loomis.

The imbalance of the relationship was very frustrating. He was the adult, and male, and he tried to take advantage of the situation. Ann stayed pretty level headed, and was braver and fairer to the situation than I thought she needed to be. It would be interesting to read the same story from Mr Loomis' point of view. If you are interested in post-apocalyptic fiction, this is an intense, suspenseful read, with a wonderful narrator and a story to keep you up at night. I'm putting it in my son's pile to read.

BOOK: How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff

How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff, 194 pages

Book Awards III Challenge: Printz Award 2005; YA Dystopian

I don't get nearly enough credit in life for the things I manage not to say. page 77

This book just broke my heart. Daisy had such a strong, unique voice, with an ability to tell much without details. It's about a girl with anorexia, but she never really talked about it, but it drove the plot in some ways, without being at all obvious, or an important book about anorexia. It's about family and love and how you don't get to chose who you love or what makes a family. It's also about the heartbreak of war, and how it tears people and countries apart.

We couldn't go on. We went on. Staying alive is what we did to pass the time. page 155

I really liked the style of writing. Daisy used Random Capitals, like a modern day Emily Dickison, to highlight Important Ideas. She also rambles on and on, but then throws in some important little observation. I like her cousins, with their weird connectedness, and how Daisy felt like she had come home the minute she set foot in the house. There is an inappropriate relationship with Daisy and her cousin, that may be unsettling for some readers, but it happened, and I didn't have a problem with it and it isn't graphicly described. They had an instant connection (not like on The Bachelor, a real one) and while she knew it wasn't quite right, the lack of parents around after the vague war broke out made decision making among the teenagers suspect.

I was thinking of approaching my old school next time I was in New York and telling them to replace the unit on Media Communications with one on How to Survive Half Dead in the Wild Without Much in the Way of Hope. page 155

There is war, and an occupation, but not many details were ever given about who or why, and it never really matters, because when it affects the life of the citizens, why they don't have food, or who killed the neighbours doesn't really matter. In the end, it was all about love and belonging for Daisy.

also reviewed at:
nymeth at things mean a lot
tanabata at in spring it is the dawn
3m at 1morechapter.com
terri at tip of the iceberg
jenny at jennysbooks

BOOK: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins, 391 pages

YA Dystopian Challenge

Second book in a trilogy.
Excellent.
Almost as good as the first.
Cliffhanger of an ending!
Great characters.
Young Adult Dystopian.
Brutal and violent but less than the first.
Not the love triangle I thought it would take.
Can't wait for the next book.

CHALLENGE: YA Dystopian Reading Challenge

Challenges seem to be on the way out in blogger land - too many people are taking on too many commitments in reading so they are starting to cut back. I say, I understand the rationale behind it, but the buttons, and the list are too compelling. I can't stop. Especially for dystopian novels, and if you make it Young Adult novels? Well then, that is right up my alley. If I have to pick between 1 and 4 books to read between now and the end of the year, I can easily find that number of books to hope to read. And reading challenges are all about hopes to read. (And list, don't forget the beautiful lists!)

So thanks to Bart for hosting a challenge and keeping us book bloggers true to our roots.

Here's the list of books around the house these days that I have to pick from:
1. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
2. How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff
3. Z is for Zachariah by Robert O'Brien
4. The Prophet of Yonwood by Jeanne Dupre
5. The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer
6. The House of Power by Patrick Carman

Let's say I hope to read at least 2 of these before the end of the year.