CATCHING FIRE

There have been a great number of books that have given me sleepless nights.  The very first that I can remember was way back in high school when I first read the Amityville book; and that because of the horror that my vivid imagination gave me.  After that, there have been an innumerable string of titles that I can barely remember the titles of, simply because I could not put them down as soon as I started reading.  But then, I can remember reading something that I had to pause in between chapters and think about what I have just read - that is, not until the second book in the Hunger Games series; Catching Fire.

After i virtually devoured the first of the series, I was totally prepared to be taken into the whirlwind of Panem after Katniss' and Peeta's victory.  As expected, the book delivered the twists and turns that though some have been forming at the back of my mind while reading the first book, others have totally unnerved me, but, totally in a good way.  If I though I was addicted in the first book, i'm totally much worst here in the second staging of the Hunger Games.

Katniss as always is the girl on fire.  The other cast of characters have been totally hard to hate and its hard to root for the main characters when some of the other tributes are equally as appealing.  Finnick, Johanna and the rest have given me stunned minutes as I imagine how they might look like.  The ending is as always a bomb!

I still can't wait to see the first of the titles on screen as Hunger Games open in theaters March 23, 2012 but now I have something else to watch out for, Catching Fire, out in theaters November of 2013.

Now I'm on fire as I am immersed in the third and final installment.

a compass & a knife

back in 2007, i got pretty interested in a movie called The Golden Compass.  not because i knew at the time that it was from a book, but because of Nicole Kidman whom I am forever in love with.  the movie was about a world that was like our own but entirely different.  for one, all the people there had a daemon, or an animal spirit that stays with them and is much like a conscience or a soul is to us.  I thought the story was different, interesting but different.  And since it had the right amount of fantasy and effects that made it a good watch, i considered it a success.

since then, i found out that the Golden Compass is the first book in a trilogy written by Phillip Pullman.  An award winner and bestseller, it has since then been completed with the next two books which I have only recently acquired.  in fact, I have only read the first one a couple of months ago.

however I liked the movie, I found the novel way better and totally satisfied my expectations and more.  not really meant as a standalone, it proved to be an effective introduction to the characters that will propel the story forward into places and ideas that you would not have thought possible in a YA book.  the main character, Lyra Belacroix is a young girl much too strong willed to be anything but a heroine.  the action, the suspense and her journey across what would be the Europe of another world will leave you breathless and asking for more.  the movie, in comparison is child's play.

its a totally great thing that I decided to read this series after I finally completed the three books in the collection.  after the last page of Golden Compass, all I needed was a few books as to debrief and I was back on Lyra's tail/tale (pun totally intended).

if the Golden Compass happened in a world much like ours but different, then the Subtle Knife happens in our very own world and a few others.  taking off right where the previous book left off, its a seamless adventure that introduces new characters and give old ones a lot more solid personalities.

from the very first pages, it will take you through twists, turns and unpredictabilities that one cant help but read it in one seating.  but then again, it also gives rise to a lot of questions.

i grew up in a christian country.  now, as the story of the Dark Materials become clearer, it shows a direct link to beliefs and religious ideas that I have found disturbing.  maybe because it questions a lot about things that might have reached my mind back then, or it could be a whisper of what i must have felt subconsciously.  

the thoughts are neither bad nor good.  in fact, it leaves a vague feeling that things are not what they should be.  maybe, an author's trick to read on to the next book.  

for all its worth, i truly enjoyed the book and would probably read it again soon.  too bad, the fate of the second film is still in question.  recommend the book? probably! but only to minds that are quick to judge what is fiction and what could be a voice that should have stayed hidden.

*The Subtle Knife is book 13 on the 100 books in 2011 challenge

witch and wizard

i totally love james patterson.  years before, i read some of his more mature works.  what initially got me interested were the titles that were borrowed from children's rhymes or stories.  those earlier works were full of mystery, action and suspense that stirred my adrenaline as if i was one of the heroes within the novels.

years after knowing his works, i found maximum ride and like his adult novels, i was hooked to his YA titles.

yesterday, i was fated to have a copy of his WITCH & WIZARD series.  and excited as i was with a new book and an opportunity to once more savor a world that patterson has designed, i read it like there was no tomorrow.  finishing the whole hardbound copy almost straight from page one to the last page.

the story is great.  a pseudo x-files, sorcerer's apprentice come xmen type of story where a brother and sister were taken from the comfort of home and sentenced to die only to find out that they have powers beyond their understanding.  it grabs the interest.  but i believe it only stops there.

the chapters shift from both the character's point of view.  the only problem was i failed to distinguish one from the other.  i believe the personalities of both were not truly developed as to be distinct.  in fact, i find myself flipping back to the beginning of the thankfully short chapters to find out which was one speaking.  also, some of the situations were comical if not downright silly.  predictable in some places, absurd in some.  

but you truly can never take anything away from patterson.  maybe because he wrote this for the younger ones; but then again, there was something totally absorbing with the max ride books that i failed to see here.

all in all, the WITCH & WIZARD book was a respite.  a rest from the more slowly paced epic-fantasy that i have been known to get addicted to time and again.  the descriptions are good enough, the characters are there if a little 2 dimensional.  it all feels like an invitation to read further, like an introduction of sorts.  

for sure I'll get a copy of the next book in the series.  as usual, a good story needs to be given another chance to grow.

cheap spell

the afternoon was boring. without much thought i just suddenly decided to visit the mall and finally reserve the upcoming fourth Mortal Instrument book that will be available in April. that done, i decided to browse through the titles available on the shelves that i still do not have and would catch my fancy. true enough i finally found myself debating against myself if i truly wanted James Patterson's YA novel Witch and Wizard & its sequel, Gift. as always i was attracted by the cover. i couldn't decide since i've yet to finish the enormously funny leven thumps book 2. hmmmm, undecided i decided to stroll around the mall to ponder on things.

such a fortunate thing that was. as fate would have it, i chanced upon a local thrift bookshop and lo and behold there it was.

a hardbound copy of the very book i almost bought for 400 was available for the measly amount of 47.00. talk about cheap and its a hardbound copy still in its plastic cover. wow.

now, i did not even think twice but grabbed the pristine book, paid for it and left without a backward glance.

God, i love thrift bookshops.

young at heart

theres something very captivating about the idea of reliving one's youth that makes YOUNG ADULT (YA) fiction very popular to readers.  i'd guess that there is a certain part of our childhood that stays with each of us until our adult years that somehow a glimpse of those slices of wonder and discovery drives us to escape into these windows of innocence.

YA fiction is a branch of fiction whose story revolves around young characters, usually in situations that would bring them to greatness amidst insurmountable odds.  in my quest to bulk up my cache of books in my collection, i have accumulated quite a number of them; attracted with the quick wit, action, drama and the fantasy that is still all too real from the eyes of these youthful characters.  most often than not, it is their naivete that lends them the strength to succeed.

LEVEN THUMPS by OBERT SKYE

im currently absorbed in this hilarious adventure of a 14 year old orphan boy who turns out to be an important character to a dreamland called FOO.  the pacing is fast, the words are witty and the situations are totally out of this world although a lot of the scenes are in our very own dimension. together with a thirteen year old girl who can control and create ice, a cute furry cat-like creature and a king who temporarily is a sliver of wood.  the formula of the story is new and totally entertaining...hahahaha... who can resist a strong, powerful and tall king who unfortunately is currently a toothpick.  priceless!

PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS by RICK RIODAN

adventure and action is what makes the percy jackson series tick.  from book to book (five in total) the unpredictability of the plot twists guides the characters into a situations weird and weirder.  a son of the sea god, POSEIDON, percy faces monsters and TITANS with a daughter of ATHENA, a CYCLOP halfbrother and a faun whose favorite food is an aluminum soda can.  one thing good about this series is it has reintroduced me to the gods and goddesses of greek mythology.  tsk tsk tsk, now, if only my literature class was this interesting.

SHIVER (and the rest of the series) by MAGGIE STIEFVATER

now, what made these book really popular was the earlier titles that introduced the genre to the public.  who among us would not recognize HARRY POTTER and the TWILIGHT series.  these two are undeniably the forerunners of the popularity of YA books.  not only were they made into movies (the current trend is transforming the books into blockbusters: currently playing I AM NUMBER FOUR, BEASTLY (March), MORTAL INSTRUMENTS (2012), etc.) but they paved the way for the genre to be read by adults as well.  one of the driving force of the interest is the emotions that pushes the characters into reality - foremost would be love.

what the twilight series did to vampires, SHIVER will do to WEREWOLVES.  the books not only  delivers the emotion, the pain of wanting to belong, the love that will bridge all odds.  watch out for the movie now in pre-production.

i love books, whatever genre, whatever age.  i might not be one of the characters in these youthful books but then again, as i read from page to page somehow i feel the age that i will forever be in.  young at heart!