My First Failure

Yes, I am well aware that I have posted this before, however, this is a different case. A couple of weeks before I started classes at Brigham Young University Idaho, I started a book called 'The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook.' Most of my reviews lately have been Kindle e-books that I have downloaded via an app called OverDrive using my account from my hometown library. This was one such book.

Once I started this novel, a crazy chain of events unfolded. First, I left Colorado to go back to Ohio to help my mother clear out her home--my childhood home. This was a crazy and emotional undertaking that took up a lot of my free time. Along the way, I had the chance to stop by my childhood school district's administrative offices to retrieve my high school transcript to send to BYU Idaho. 

To clear my head and calm my nerves, I also took walks during the day when the occasion would permit itself. On these walks, I noticed that a lot of childhood landmarks that I remembered had either disappeared completely, or had closed and the building had been occupied by another business. 

Some of these I had remembered seeing before I left, such as the hole-in-the-wall video rental store being occupied by a prepaid cellular dealer, and my elementary school being reduced to a big, grassy lawn,  but in other cases, I was completely taken by surprise. 

For example, my neighborhood library had its final day of operation, and the United Dairy Farmers' convenience store that sat just a half-block or so from my elementary school had been replace by a Marathon-branded one. 

At any rate, because of my over-scheduled life, it is with deepest regret that I must announce that I am throwing in the towel on the "Facebook-book." Fortunately, I had already met my quota anyway.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay

The Hunger Games:
Mockingjay
Author: Suzanne Collins
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
ISBN: 978-0-545-66326-7

I started reading this book before I left Colorado to come to Ohio to help my mother close out her home and get her moved, so just given that information, this book took me much longer than I anticipated. This is the third and final book in the Hunger Games series. 

The book picks up where 'Catching Fire' left off, and then goes on to document an entire war that breaks out following the 75th Annual Hunger Games, which happens to be the third 'Quarter Quell.' 

This book did not do a very good job of holding my attention, and was the only book of the three to be guilty of this offense. On a different note, however, (and this may or may not be related) it was the only book of the three where I read the book before I saw the movie adaptations. 

Anyway, back to the plot: The book covers an entire war, and also mentions some other surprising discoveries, such as the reveal of the legendary 'District 13' that was mentioned at the beginning of the first novel. There are even major significant plot events, such as the deaths of major characters (i.e. Prim Everdeen, Katniss' sister--whose real name is Primrose), as well as different war propaganda strategies, especially those involving broadcasting over Panem's airwaves.

This was probably also the only one of the three that felt as if it was a different type of book than its predecessors. Now, I have never read a Tom Clancy novel or played a related game, or anything similar, but this particular book felt like something of that sort of franchise. In fact, during the entire book, my primary thought was something along the lines of "Ugh, just go through the 76th Annual Hunger Games already!"

Which brings me back to the question at hand: Would I read this book again? Honestly, seeing as how I finished it very late last night, my first inclination is to say without a doubt, no. However, that answer may change over the course of time after I watch both movie adaptions of it, depending on how good (or bad) they are. 

So at any rate, I can't really recommend this book as a good read. I'm honestly just glad to be done with it. Maybe my mind will change after I see the movies, but at least the ending was good. Sort of akin to the final Harry Potter. Can't say I saw it coming, though.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

The Hunger Games:
Catching Fire
Author: Suzanne Collins
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.

ISBN: 978-0-545-22724-7

For anyone about to read this review, I warn now, it is full of spoilers.

This was probably the most emotionally heavy book in the trilogy thus far (although the first was close behind it). It took me over a week to complete, and I was lucky that it only took that long. 

The book follows the 75th Hunger Games, which is referred to as a "quarter quell." Every 25 years, as a reminder of the uprising of the districts of Panem, the games are much harsher and there is generally a twist or two related to the reaping. 

In this particular book, the reaping was done by choosing tributes from the existing pool of winners in each district, both male and female. There were several other twists too, including the dynamic of the arena, which was a clock shape that had a different horror representing each hourly section of the arena. This was not picked up by everyone until Beatee, one of the elderly tributes kept making a "tick-tock" noise and either Katniss Everdeen or Peeta Mellark eventually picked up on what she was trying to tell everyone.

One by one, the tributes were gradually eliminated, and the games were definitely harsher. Different elements for each hour, such as poisonous fog, for example, awaited the tributes. Eventually, once Peeta figured out the gamemakers' plans, they decided to switch things up on them, just because they can. The book eventually ends with four tributes remaining and Katniss is strapped to medical equipment that is aboard a hovercraft, which carries them out of the arena. Peeta also mentions that District Twelve is no more. 

Would I read this book again? Perhaps during a season that is not Winter. It actually felt emotionally heavier than its predecessor, and it is pretty hard to top the description of the Tracker Jackers. That being said, I think I only saw the movie once, so it would be nice to watch that again to see what was eliminated from the book in the film adaptation.

So if you haven't picked this book up, do it. That is all. 

The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games
Author: Suzanne Collins
Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.
ISBN: 978-0-545-38720-0

This was a particularly interesting novel. It has been a while since I have seen its movie counterpart, but all in all, from what I remember, and from reading this book, the movie did a particularly good job at adapting the book for the silver screen. 

Initially, I decided to pick up the book from my relative's Amazon cloud drive after reading the first three books in the author's 'Underland Chronicles' series, which, if you look through my review archives, I can (probably with the exception of book one) highly recommend.

The way the story is told is also equally interesting. Rather than just explaining what happens, the book is instead told entirely from the narrative and perspective of the main character, Katniss Everdeen. I felt that this was a nice touch, because not every novel I have read has done this, especially with fiction. Typically, this writing style is only done in the autobiographical/memoir genre, with books such as 'Marley and Me,' so to see it in this novel was a nice "change of pace," so to speak.

Another thing that I would like to point out, is that I am technically reading the trilogy compilation version of this novel. I also read the 'Hitchhiker's Guide' series as one entire volume, and reviewed it the same way as well, however, in that instance I was reading the hardcover version, and given its humorous and complex method of storytelling, it seemed easiest to summarize in one review, whereas since I have seen at least two of the movies in 'The Hunger Games' series, it felt as though it would be cheating to review the trilogy compilation as one volume. Also the ISBNs for the reviews will reflect this as well.

While I was reading the book, I kept the movie in the back of my mind as sort of a "comparative perspective" to look out for anything that might have been omitted from the theatrical release of its movie counterpart. To the best of my knowledge, the only vibe I could get in this respect was that the scene intensity was higher in the book, practically to the point where the night before I started typing this review, the book almost gave me nightmares (yes, I am aware of my age, but Winter depression is hereditary for me). 

Which brings me back to the ultimate question. Would I read this book again? Well, I have an interesting answer: While I would probably consider it, if you're someone like me, I would probably hold off until the spring thaw in April or May (although I may pick up its sequels before then). One thing I noticed in this book that was also in 'The Underland Chronicles' series (same author, by the way) is the slow progression of storytelling during the camping scenes. Despite these flaws, I can say with confidence that my answer is a resounding "Yes."

So, in short, if you haven't read this book, do it. And may the odds be ever in your favor (That phrase is contagious for me!) 

The Underland Chronicles: Gregor the Overlander

The Underland Chronicles
Gregor the Overlander
Author: Suzanne Collins
Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.
ISBN: 978-0-545-31793-1

Now that I have finally got around to finishing the first book in this series, I'm going to come out and say it: The book was good, but not the strongest in the series thus far.

It did have some good moments though. There was a lot of character setup and development that I didn't get in 'The Prophecy of Bane,' including Ares' first bond that preceded Gregor, and the revelation that Gregor's sister, Boots' real legal name is Margaret.  

It also still managed to, for the most part, maintain the "eighties adventure movie" feel that I have felt thus far from its sequels.

Unfortunately, it was also very slow moving during the middle part of the book, and I had to struggle to stay awake while reading part of it. That seems to be a trend with this particular franchise, but all in all, it's forgivable. In fact, I would probably be having a different rant right now, but still a rant if there were too much action happening in the book as well, so I'll just pick my battles right now and call the book "a nice balance of story and adventure."

Would I read this book again? Perhaps I would consider it. Much like the other two sequels in the series, I kept longing for a movie adaptation in the style of the eighties/nineties-era adventure genre. To my knowledge thus far, however, I have unfortunately not heard either one way or the other as to if this will happen or not. That still does not mean that I can get my hopes up, though.

I mostly read this book to get some background information on the events talked about in book two, and in that respect, the book did its job. All in all, though, (and I hate to admit it) the book as a whole can most likely be skipped if you're a newcomer in terms of starting the series. In fact, most of the books have done a good job of keeping their own independent story while only hinting at the other stories, thus not intertwining them to sway away new audiences.

The Underland Chronicles: Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods

The Underland Chronicles:
Gregor and the Curse of the
Warmbloods
Author: Suzanne Collins
Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.
ISBN: 978-0-545-31797-9

This is the third book in the Underland Chronicles series. As I read it, it was actually almost as much of a downer as its predecessor, although I don't particularly remember crying at any point as compared to 'The Prophecy of Bane.' 

This one followed the development of a plague, the search for its cure, as well as the plague's cause and effect. Despite being a fantasy novel, the book felt as though it had a lot of biological warfare involved, especially with the tone its characters took in regards to finding a cure. 

This book also felt "movie-worthy" like its predecessor and there was a lot of detail, emotion, and adventure. I definitely felt the raw emotion that the characters depicted in this book and could definitely feel the empathy for all of the characters that contracted the plague and were helpless.

In all honesty, I can't say that I had a favorite/least favorite part of this book. I really appreciated the raw emotion the book had me feeling, especially with wondering if the infected plague victims would live or die. The fact that this book had some deaths of its major characters kept me riveted, albeit I was not in tears compared with Marley and Me--though I did come close to it at the end. 

Would I read this book again? I would definitely consider it. I am definitely interested in looking for the next book in the series, and I still have yet to read the very first one. When I am done with this franchise, I may even see if I can find a copy of 'The Hunger Games' for download via the OverDrive app on the Kindle Fire. That has been a life saver when it comes to finding books to read on the Kindle because I don't have to worry about spending any money on Amazon for content licenses, and it is also nice on a day where I am "snowed in" and cannot make it to an actual library.

All in all, this book kept a nice independent status by sticking to its own story and only hinting at other books in the franchise, making it a nice point to start at in case the person reading this review has not started a book in the series yet. 

The Underland Chronicles: Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane

The Underland Chronicles:
Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane
Author: Suzanne Collins
Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.
ISBN: 978-0-545-31796-2

I initially found this book by accident while looking on OverDrive for an eBook version of 'The Hunger Games,' and for the most part, it was a really good read. 

At first, I was skeptical of the premise and also nervous about skipping ahead one book in the series (this is book number two), but as I kept reading it, the book felt that it really stood out on its own, and only every once in a while when the book referenced an event that I hadn't heard of did I feel as though I missed out by not starting with the first novel.

The book covers the lives of Gregor, his family, as well as a bunch of different characters (known as "Underlanders" that live below the surface of the earth (the Underland--hence the term 'Underlander.')

I am going to spoil the big plot twist now, because I feel that it is crucial to reviewing the book. The title refers to a prophecy in which Gregor is, for lack of a better word, "foreordained" to slay a large underground sewer rat. Along the way, he learns a lot about himself, including the fact that he has a "raging" instinct, not unlike a bezerker orc, found in Dungeons and Dragons. Besides the natural instinct to fight a battle head on, he also finds out that this also means that he is naturally gifted in the art of sword fighting. 

At any rate, along the way, he meets several different underground creatures and humans, who both help and hinder him along his quest. There are also a few tragedies along the way, including a couple of members of Gregor's party that are apparently major characters.

During the course of reading the book, I had a few brief thoughts. The first was the speed of the story and initially how it wasn't able to hold my attention. However, as the book progressed, more started happening, and the book itself got better. By the end of the book, I was going through my mind regarding how it could be adapted into a movie, and who should be the one to do it. 

This story has a somewhat different feel to it than 'The Hunger Games,' and my first thought was if it had been printed a couple of decades earlier, we could have seen something else where Jim Henson could seriously have worked his creative genius. A lot of the Underland plot points reminded me of 'Labryinth' with David Bowie, and while I can't say that I would have cast him in this movie, the way the scenes in the book were described definitely had that kind of feel to it, with a little splash of 'Goonies' mixed in.

Would I read this book again? That is one thing that I have not quite decided on. Probably my next move after this review is done would be to see if I can snag a copy of its predecessor and start on it instead. I would definitely say that it is worth a look though, especially if 'Adventure' is your favorite movie genre.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever

Diary of a Wimpy Kid:
Cabin Fever
Author: Jeff Kinney
Publisher: Amulet Books

ISBN: 978-1-4197-0223-5

As with the other books in this series, this particular novel did not disappoint me. The setting, in particular, however was quite interesting because it did not cover Summer Vacation, as all of the other books have, per say.

Instead, we find Greg Heffley and his friend Rowley Jefferson being falsely accused of vandalism after an attempt to post fliers for a competing school carnival after he finds out that the school over-charges their customers for the book's version of chicken nuggets.

After posting their fliers, Greg Heffley is then placed in serious legal trouble because the fliers not only came unglued from the wall of the school, but they also left a nasty residue, because the poster board that he borrowed from his mother was of inferior quality. 

At one point, the police even show up to the Heffley home, which is when Greg is really concerned that he is done for. However, it turns out that they are not after Greg at all and were checking in on residents to get donations for the community's annual toy drive. There is even a side plot where during the blizzard that is taking place, Greg's dad is staying in a hotel to avoid the commute from work to home (and vice versa). During this side arc, the family almost runs out of food, but, aside from one joke about cannibalism, all is well that ends well. 

Would I read this book again? Definitely without question. It definitely continues the lightheartedness that has driven me to keep reading the series thus far. Plus, it was nice to have something to read along side 'The Underland Chronicles.'

Live Right and Find Happiness

Live Right and Find Happiness
Author: Dave Barry
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
ISBN: 978-1-101-63150-8

I can't honestly figure out why, but this book was part funny and part stressful, but that last part wasn't the book's fault. Some of my favorite moments were ones such as various trips to foreign countries, such as Russia, his experience with Google Glass, and his experience with home repair service workers.

There were even some pop culture-y references pushed in, such as how a cable news channel operates its broadcasting. All in all, I would have to say that this book was nicely well rounded.

The book even had some nice family moments, such as Dave Barry's letter to his first newborn grandson.

Would I read this book again? I would strongly consider it, but as I have stated before, because Dave Barry hides a lot of asterisk jokes in his writing, his books are one exception that I am willing to make for printed books as opposed to their digital counterparts.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days

Diary of a Wimpy Kid:
Dog Days
Author: Jeff Kinney
Publisher: Amulet Books
ISBN: 978-0-8109-8391-5

This was the fourth book in the series, and the third overall to get a movie transformation, of which I still have yet to see. As the title suggests, the book does not take place during an actual school year, but instead during summer vacation. 

The book follows Greg Heffley, his family, and friends, as they have different experiences. Mrs. Heffley feels that it is the perfect time for family-togetherness, while, quite frankly, everyone else would rather be off doing their own activities, except Greg's younger brother, Manny, who is mostly just "along for the ride."

Different activities unfold in this novel, all at varying degrees of "success" or "failure," depending on the perspective of the character the reader is focusing on. One of the early experiences is where Mrs. Heffley takes the family to a water park that she took Greg to when he was Manny's age. This does not exactly lift everyone's spirits, because everyone else sees the park as "immature." 

Another crazy antic unfolds when Greg and Rowley Jefferson try to take advantage of  Mr. Jefferson's country club membership, and run up a sky-high "bar tab" by ordering expensive non-alcoholic drinks and taking advantage of the club's other amenities. This eventually gets them thrown out, and the friend duo must start a summer job to pay back the amount owed on the tab to Rowley's father. Greg's idea to remedy this is to start a lawn care service, with him as the corporate big-wig, and Rowley as the lowly employee, even though Greg claims that both of them have "equal partnership" in the business venture. This plan, of course, fails and Greg ends up borrowing a lawn mower from a relative, and doing all of the work himself.

Summer vacation also means that Greg continues to work on his love life. He decides to pursue the older sister of a girl in his grade, who is working as a lifeguard down at the local swimming pool. His advances fail, of course, and despite being devastated, he doesn't stop trying. 

All in all, I would definitely say that I would read this book again. Since it is the third book to get a movie adaptation, as I probably stated in the beginning, I will probably watch it at some point, either on Amazon or from the Parker Library.

You Can Date Boys When you're Forty

You Can Date Boys When
You're Forty
Author: Dave Barry
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
ISBN: 978-1-101-63149-2

This particular Dave Barry compilation was an interesting one, but it was probably not the best one that I have read so far. There was a lot of parent-y advice, which, quite frankly, is out of my understanding, since I am not there yet.

However, that was mostly the middle of the book, and the beginning and the end were quite solid. There were a few references that I even understood, including Dave Barry's take on "Beiber Fever" and his opinions of 'Fifty Shades of Grey' and (I can't swear to this one) there might have been a brief mention of the Twilight series, but again, I might be thinking of 'I'll Mature When I'm Dead.' 

Possibly my favorite part of the book was towards the end, when he talked about his trip to the middle east, and all of the goings-on during the time he spent there. He talked in great detail about camel riding, the four different religious corners of Jerusalem, as well as other different expeditions through various biblical-historic sites.

One specific thing I noticed was that Dave Barry grew up as a W.A.S.P. Now, I have only heard this acronym once before, and that was during the movie 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding,' and they didn't exactly explain the acronym there, either. Well, naturally, I was curious to find out what the crap the acronym meant, and according to Wikipedia, the acronym means "White Anglo-Saxon Protestant."  

Having learned this, it was like a "DUH!" bulb went off in my head, because even though up to that point I hadn't known this piece of information, once I learned the full meaning behind the acronym, it made complete sense. 

Would I consider reading this book again? That's something I have mixed feelings on. While I will admit that I would be intrigued to read it again sometime, I probably would not read it on the Kindle. From the three I have read thus far (including this one), I have noticed the he puts a lot of asterisk jokes in his books, and finding those on the Kindle (at least with the Fire) requires the user to skip several hundred pages ahead just to see the joke that the asterisk is referring to.  

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw

Diary of a Wimpy Kid:
The Last Straw
Author: Jeff Kinney
Publisher: Amulet Books
ISBN:  978-0-8109-7068-7

This particular book in the series was pretty good. According to Wikipedia, it is number three in the series, and also quite funny. It chronicles yet another year of Greg Heffley's life, including a possible transfer to military school.

It also talks about various other humiliating events, including, but not limited to a family reunion/birthday party with recorded footage of humiliating moments that had some potential to be sent in to their fictional equivalent of 'America's Funniest Home Videos.'

The book also goes into nice details regarding Greg's potential relationship (or lack thereof!) with a girl in his grade level by the name of Holly Hills. By the end of the book, *spoiler* we learn that she really only likes Greg as a friend, and also that she is more interested in Gregory's on-again, off-again friend, Rowley.

Other hilarious antics ensue, such as a missing dictionary in an English class, which turns out to be the work of the class brainiac, Mrs. Heffley's sudden interest in personal fitness, as well as Gregory's multiple symptoms of middle child syndrome.

Another tale that is told in this novel also happens to be one that I can most definitely empathize with, and that is the concept of team sports. Greg is enrolled in a local recreational center soccer league, with little hope of success. Eventually, he ends up, with parental permission, quitting the team and doing boy scouts instead, also with hilarious results.

At any rate, before I give away too much more of the plot, I would like to close this review on a positive note by saying that so far, it is probably one of the funniest books in the series, and definitely worth picking up if you haven't done so already.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth

Diary of a Wimpy Kid:
The Ugly Truth
Author: Jeff Kinney
Publisher: Amulet Books
ISBN: 978-0-8109-8491-2

This book in the series was kind of an interesting one, to say the least. After reading the second in the series, I was planning on attempting books three and four, because those are what the third movie is based on, but according to the OverDrive app, it turns out that somebody else had the same idea, so I ended up skipping straight to this one, which stands in line at number five, in terms of continuity.

While I didn't feel like I missed too much by skipping ahead, there was still an initial feeling of guilt because I was no longer reading the books in order. Now, granted, I had initially planned to skip book three, because it did not get its own movie, so there may be some Karmic payback there, but at any rate, I'm getting off track a little here. Back to the task at hand:

The book itself was interesting, plot-wise. It told of Greg visiting his grandmother because of the occasion of the wedding of one of his uncles. Not only was this book quite funny in that respect, but it definitely kept the spirit of the book series, where funny and awkward antics ensue/unfold. At one point, Greg and Rowley wind up ending their friendship, and even that takes an interesting turn.

One of my favorite parts is actually towards the end, where Greg's grandmother wants to have a "talk" with him, which really unravels Greg. Thinking that they are going to discuss the awkward subject of "the facts of life," Greg approaches his grandmother expecting the worst. As it turns out, the discussion isn't what he was picturing at all, and there is definitely some relief when he realizes that both his uncle and his father did not photograph well when they were teenagers, and she was trying to prepare Greg for this "genetic effect." 

To say that I would definitely read this book again is kind of an understatement. In a way, I'm almost disappointed that this novel in the series did not get its own movie adaptation, because the story itself feels solid, and definitely worthy of the silver big screen. I am looking forward now to going back and reading books three and four in the franchise to see what I have missed.

An Uncommon History of Common Things

An Uncommon History of Common Things

Author(s): Bethanne Patrick

John Thompson

Henry Petrosski (Foreword)

Publisher: National Geographic Society

ISBN: 978-1-4262-0420-3 

This book was quite interesting, albeit at times, it was a pain in the butt to read. That's not to say that it wasn't interesting, because there were a lot of different facts that quite frankly, I had no idea (i.e. *spoiler* Silly Putty originating as a government experiment--just to name one). 

During the time I read this book, I couldn't help but feel that it could benefit from being split into a few smaller books. In fact, at one point, the thought that the volume was supposed to be several books in one entire compilation, much like my copy of 'Hitchhiker's Guide' consists of five individual novels, plus a short story. 

As I kept reading, and when I looked for a picture of the cover for this review, I soon came to realize that this was not the case. 

On another note, during the time I spent reading this book, the Christmas holiday season rolled around, and one of the items I got as a gift was an Amazon Kindle Fire. I then started reading books using the tablet, vie the OverDrive app, which was quite convenient, once I found out that my existing library card from Ohio was still valid. 

After I finished Roderick Rules, I then realized that I had to get back to the task at hand and finish this novel so that I could review it before my brother returned it to the Parker library. So today, I spent the morning cramming through it and finally got to the end. 

As it turns out, some of the stereotypes that I have seen in popular culture have a ring of truth to them. For example, Steve Martin's Saturday Night Live sketch titled 'Theodoric of York: Medieval Barber,' while technically being a fictional character--and also not necessarily relevant to this book (the book references the profession when describing the history of the barber pole), is technically correct in its depiction of how the profession was during that particular period of time. Turns out, barbers in the middle ages really did perform surgeries as well as provide haircuts.

Would I consider reading this book again? That is one question that in this particular case, I am still on the fence about. While it was definitely really interesting because of its facts, it also felt as though it went on for quite a while, and also felt more like a volume of an encyclopedia, as opposed to an actual novel. At least Hoax kept my attention and interest with its writing style, despite being very factual.

That's not to say that I wouldn't recommend this book, because it's definitely worth perusing, especially if there's a particular object that a person would like to find more information on. In all honesty, the best way to describe it would be a miniature encyclopedia.