Tag Archives: unsettled

Mockingjay

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Book: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Pages: 390 (Hardcover)

Mockingjay is the final book in the Hunger Games trilogy.  I wasn’t sure what to expect, since a few reviews I saw for The Hunger Games and Catching Fire said that Mockingjay was a big letdown.

I didn’t find that at all.  It is a lot different than the other 2 books, especially since Katniss and several other characters from the 1st two books are now living in District 13.  Katniss is very different than she was in the first 2 books.  She definitely seemed to be more reflective, and things seemed to weigh more heavily on her, at least a little, and mostly towards the end.  It’s much more emotional, because we see the things that have been set in motion come to fruition.

I knew there wasn’t going to be a traditional happy ending.  How could there be, when the trilogy has been about the government knowing how fragile they really are, and sending kids to fight each other to the death to keep the entire country in line?  There is definitely a lot to think about, not just with this book, but with the entire series.  I think Mockingjay, more than either of the previous books, has a lot of questions to be answered.  Where do you draw the line in war?  It’s can be an awfully thin line between justice and vengeance.  Do you give back what you received?  Do you show mercy to people who you know wouldn’t return the favor?  Do you kill innocent people on the other side because those leaders killed innocent people on your side?

It is a heavy book, but I thought it was a fitting end to the trilogy.  The death of certain characters, like Prim and Finnick, were sad.  Katniss didn’t dwell on those 2 particular deaths, but maybe she shouldn’t at the time.  Death is hard, especially when you feel like it was your fault that they died.  There was a little happiness at the very end, but then again, this series isn’t meant to be a happy one.

In the end, I’m glad Peeta and Katniss ended up together.  I’m certainly glad there were only hints of romance in the series, and in the end, I think it was always supposed to be Katniss and Peeta.  Who else could understand what the other went through since the start of The Hunger Games?

All in all, it gets a 5 out of 5.  The Hunger Games is a great trilogy, and Mockingjay was a great ending to a great series.

Wintergirls

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Book: Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Pages: 278 (Hardcover)

What Did I Think? I’ve been a fan of Laurie Halse Anderson ever since I read Speak in high school. 

Wintergirls is about 18 year-old Lia, who is struggling to overcome anorexia.  Her best friend Cassie dies in a motel room, alone, after her esophagus erupts. 

I’ve never struggled with anorexia (or bulimia), but I have struggled with my weight since middle school, and I knew exactly what Lia was going through.  Anderson captures it so well, and I felt like I was experiencing what Lia was going through.  This is what I love about Anderson- her books are so realistic that I feel like I know what the characters are going through even though I’ve never experienced it myself.

It was really haunting, and I found myself unable to put it down.  I loved the way it was written- text was run together, certain things were italicized, certain things were repeated and the blank pages…it definitely gave a lot of insight into Lia’s mind, and what she was going through.  At certain times during the book, I felt like I was Lia. 

There were a couple paragraphs I had trouble reading- Lia takes a knife, and cuts herself from her neck to her ribcage.  The detail…it was definitely disturbing, but at the same time, I knew exactly how Lia felt. 

Are you tired of hearing that?  Really, though, that’s how realistic this book is.  Yes, it’s slightly creepy, and a little disturbing, but very compelling.

Rating: 5 out of 5!  It’s that good, and Wintergirls is definitely up there with Speak.

Staring At A Blank Page

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I’ve been staring at this post for a while, and I have no clue what to write.  I thought about not doing a post, but I wanted to write about something.  I still have no clue what that is. 

I didn’t do any writing yesterday…I still don’t want to think about yesterday, and I can’t get it out of mind.  A good chunk of the day…I just want to forget about it, and unfortunately, I can’t forget about it.  And I don’t think I will for some time.  I’m trying to take the high road, but it’s something I’m really struggling with right now. 

Hopefully, my writing will be a good distraction for me today, because that’s something I really need right now.  I think that wraps up today’s post, so have a great week.

Unsettled

Posted in Camp NaNo, General by

Yesterday, I had this really unsettling dream.  It started off with me in backyard, and I was a very young child.  There was also a young boy, and then we were magically at a church, and we were in this small room watching tv.  There was this report of this girl who had gone missing a couple years earlier, and what she might look like now.  Then the reporters were talking about a girl who died because she went missing and they couldn’t find her in time.  It turned out they checked some area, and she was in on of the crates, which were conveniently not checked.  The guy who checked that particular area felt guilty because if he looked in the crates, she would have been alive.  I distinctly remember picking out a couple books and some jelly beans being knocked over.

The most unsettling part was when I woke up feeling like I was both of the girls who had gone missing.  I definitely got the impression that the case of the 2 different girls going missing were not related.  I’m not sure what it all means, because sometimes a dream is just dream.  Still, it was really unsettling, and I couldn’t get it out of my mind.

So: for something that’s not weird, Camp is going pretty well, and I’m not behind, but I’m not ridiculously ahead or anthing either.  Still doing some non-Camp writing, but no planning for November stuff.  I’m debating whether I should do it this month or next month.  We’ll see, though.  I really have been saying that a lot lately, haven’t I?  I’m just not really in the mood to do any planning, even though I know I should.

My current wordcount is 10,009.  Week 2 is upon us, and I’m not a big fan of week 2.  Still, I always manage to get through it, which is always amazing.  I’m also anxiously awaiting my pottermore welcome email, and I’m kind of-sort of checking my email obsessively to see if it’s there, even though I know it won’t be here this early.  I suppose it could be, but it would be a big surprise if it were.  They weren’t kidding when they said the clues would get easier over the course of a week.

I think that’s it, so have an amazing day everyone!