Book Review - Catching Fire

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


(technically this is another re-read, first finished in 2010)

When you get to the middle of serial fiction - most especially trilogies, but it can happen in other types of series as well - you sometimes reach a point where you feel like the book you're trying to get into is only there to knit together two disparate storylines with no cohesive plot of it's own.

I'm happy to report, that this is most definitely NOT the case with Catching Fire, book two of the Hunger Games saga by Suzanne Collins. Katniss Everdeen, the intrepid heroine of the first novel in the series is doing her best to adjust to life in the Victor's Village back home in District 12. She has all the money she could want, a huge house to share with her mother and her sister Prim, and the freedom to do as she pleases with her days.

What she pleases, most usually, is heading out to hunt in the woods. But life in District 12 has moved on without Katniss, and her hunting partner Gale is now spending his own days working in the mines to help support his own family. Things have been awkward with Peeta since their return, and Haymitch is little help balancing out the lonely days. A little lost, a little forlorn, it almost seems like Katniss is feeling a little sorry for herself, until the announcement of the Quarter Quell - the 75th annual Hunger Games, where Katniss thought she would be a mentor for one of the children of her district. Instead, she discovers that the mystery of who is headed back into the arena hits more chillingly close to home.

Catching Fire isn't short on action, and it isn't short on the threesome dilemma of Katniss, Gale and Peeta that began in the first novel. While the characters and the history carry through, the plot arc is complete in it's own right, a refreshing change from a lot of books of this type. While some of the urgency that the first book had as we all know that Katniss is now the protagonist of the entire series and not just someone to fall for in one book (in fantasy fiction it's hard to say - your protagonist often dies suddenly and is replaced in a sequel by a different person. Not like Darren in Bewitched, I mean a whole other character - it's just usually best not to get too attached in fantasy fic) it's easy to open your heart to her a little more, especially as she struggles with her relationships and shows a bit more of her humanity.

Catching Fire is a solid book, with plenty of intrigue and suspense, and an excellent follow-up to the first in the series, bringing it in as one of my top ten YA reads of all time.



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Book Review - The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


(technically this is a re-read, though I wasn't active on the site when I read this in 2010)

After recently seeing the Hunger Games movie, I had a strong inclination to plow through the series again. They are fast reads, even for me, and I knew that even with other books bouncing around being read that I could polish these off.

And I wanted to see if the movie was really missing the important details I was remembering, or if I was filling things in that the later books in the series actually contained. Turned out I was right; if you haven't read this book, then much of the movie isn't going to be that compelling. The characters will likely seem shallow, and the action difficult to understand. The backstory that gives the world of the Hunger Games such a rich tapestry in the books is sadly lacking in the movie, and there are several details in the book that I think were significant enough to be introduced.

Tessarae: This is never explained in the movie at all, but is a major factor in the book. Tessarae is a small allowance of extra grain and oil rations that can be signed up for by entering a name more often in the Hunger Games drawing. It is discussed in at least a half dozen places in the book, and becomes an important element in understanding the characters of Gale, Katniss, Madge, Peeta and others.

Madge: This small character, the mayor's daughter, who gifts the mockingjay pin to Katniss is eliminated completely from the movie. The contrast between their lives growing up and the fact that they became somewhat friends despite their different statuses is an imporant part of understanding Katniss, and may be why some people who only saw the movie thought her character fell a bit flat.

The Capitol: I wasn't wrong; the books clearly make out the people in the Capitol to be a bunch of freaks. And I mean that in the most affectionate way possible. These people work hard to dehumanize themselves, partially in a well designed metaphor - to distinguish themselves from those in the districts and the games. In the movie, while there is some odd fashion and the strange hair color here and there, there is little sign of the surgical alteration in the books. This is even more profound when you consider that at the end of the games, Katniss is altered surgically to erase everything that was done to her in the arena, every scar buffed away, every sign of her delicate humanity and the precarious line she walked to survive erased, to hide from the viewing audiences the reality of what goes on.

Rue: I love Rue so much in the books, but the movie? While she is adorable and exactly as I pictured her, too much of the relationship between Katniss and Rue is eliminated or glossed over, as is all of the talk of District 11, how it works, and the history there.

Katniss' Father: Where are the tales of the Mockingjays? Where are the stories about his music, how his father almost wed Katniss' mother? This important part of Katniss' life and character development are again eliminated.

Mockingjay: Need I say more?

Overall, I was renewed in my memory that these are fantastic books, charming, well written, and excellent examples of YA literature that can appeal to all ages.



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Book Review - Parenting the Hurt Child

Parenting the Hurt Child: Helping Adoptive Families Heal and Grow by Gregory Keck

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


During our long training sessions in preparation to complete a special-needs adoption, social workers recommended this particular book over and over again. I started to wonder what all the fuss was about, so I did a quick search on the library website, and found there was only one copy floating around. Yikes! I requested it right away.

It wasn't far into the book before I understood what was going on. Ah, I see. Our course of learning how to parent special needs kids? Yeah, it almost felt lifted from this book :)

That's not a criticism of either the book or the class, it just notes that everything that the social workers thought we needed to learn about parenting kids with issues was covered in this book, only to a far more in-depth degree than could possibly be covered in a class full of people asking questions.

This book is written more for parents who are already parenting these children and facing issues from the abuse, neglect, and other circumstances the kids have endured in the past, and so is chock-full of helpful suggestions for activities and conversations, ways to work around traditional parenting advice that can be awful for these kids, and ways to wrap your head around techniques that may seem counterintuitive to even the most willing parent. There are pages and pages I needed to xerox so I could be sure to have them on hand in the future, and additional pages and pages in the back of further resources that I would have copied... but discovered they were already a part of our big parenting handbook from the province.

If you are dealing with common issues such as attachment problems, lying, or control issues which crop up in many adopted kids, there are lots of coping strategies and advice to keep you from pulling your hair out. The book also touches on some of the more extreme cases, and gives great, real-world accounts written by both parents and kids who have been there of the real life techniques they used to make it through the hard times.

If you are still preparing to bring your kids home, as we are, this book is a way to get a great leg-up on knowing more details of things you can expect, so that you are already prepared when the stormclouds blow in. Kind of like stocking up your storm shelter for tornado season, but putting those supplies in your emotional bank instead.

I recommend this book highly to adoptive and prospective adoptive parents. The writing is approachable and not as academic and offputting as many books on this subject matter can be. It's a great conversational read, and while it isn't a light book by any means, it also isn't one you'll struggle to find your way through.



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What's For Dinner? BBQ Chicken Pita Pizzas

Ommomnom... Who could say no to such yumminess?

Everyone ends up with leftover chicken. I don't care if your household has two people or a dozen, eventually you're going to end up with leftover chicken, whether it's from a formal Sunday dinner or from that rotisserie birdie you picked up at Costco because it smelled so good when you went by.

FYI? This is particularly excellent for that second scenario!

Leftovers can be boring, but this particular use for leftover chicken is never, ever boring. My husband loves it, and will request it even when there are no leftovers in the offing. (In that case, those frozen bags of grilled chicken breast strips can be a great substitute, or even the occasional can of cooked chicken!)  What's most important is to use a sauce that you really love, because it plays a big part in this dish.  I'd recommend more of a hickory type sauce rather than the sweeter barbecues, as it plays off of the pizza angle of the dish a bit better.

Ingredients:

Cooking spray
Whole wheat pitas
Your favourite BBQ sauce
Shredded, cooked chicken
Red or purple onions
Zucchini
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Dried parsley
Dried chives
Salt and pepper


Preheat your oven to 425.

Line a cookie sheet with foil and spray with non-stick spray.  Or just spray the cookie sheet, but be aware that non-stick spray can create a nasty residue on your cookware.  It's safer with foil.

Lay out your pitas and drizzle with BBQ sauce.  Use the back of a spoon to spread the sauce evenly across each pita.

Quarter and thinly slice the zucchini, and thinly slice the onion before separating into rings. These don't spend a long time in the oven, so very thin slicing is essential to create tender-crisp veggies in your pita pizzas.

Top your pitas with zucchini and onion.  Be generous.  Add other veggies if you like, but this is a perfect combination as far as I'm concerned.

 Follow up with chicken, and shredded cheese.  It doesn't get any easier than that!

 Sprinkle each pita with a teaspoon each of dried chives and dried parsley.  Use about twice the volume if you're using fresh herbs instead of dried.

Add salt and pepper to taste.  Depending on your BBQ sauce, you likely don't need very much!

 MMMMmmmmm.... ready for the oven.

Bake for 15 - 20 minutes.  The cheese will turn everything into a delicious, melty and creamy goodness and the pita will crisp nicely on the bottom.

The whole dish can be completed in under 30 minutes, which makes it excellent for weeknights or even lunchtime!

Book Review - Seriously, I'm Kidding

Seriously...I'm Kidding by Ellen DeGeneres

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I was disappointed in how short this book was, mainly because it was making me laugh. A lot. And so I felt a little cheated that there wasn't more of it.

Some of the humour in this book borders on the absurd, but I think those were the moments that tickled me the most. Beware of reading this in public; people look at you funny when you start randomly gigglesnorting in quiet waiting rooms. This book is like a little peek into the inside of Ellen's head. You get odd lists of things, random thoughts that seem disconnected from everything that came before, anecdotes from life as a talk show host and from her marriage, and snippets of dialouge from a very funny life.

There isn't a lot of substance here. If you're looking for a hearty memoir about how to break into show business or be a successful Hollywood lesbian or get paid to dance up and down aisles, this is not it. It isn't a biography, nor is it chock full of behind-the-scenes gossip. It's jsut funny. And that's enough.



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Book Review - Sandman Slim

Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This is a strange little story about a guy who returns from hell to avenge his girlfriend's death. This would sound like a rewrite of "The Crow" if it weren't for the fact that the guy in hell was never dead, just a magician who got tricked into becoming some kind of Ultimate Fighter in hell. There are all kinds of odd creatures and a mix of fantasy and legend in this book, which is the start of a series where it sounds like Sandman Slim - the main charachter - is going to become some kind of freelance agent who works for both angels and Lucifer.

I'm not sure yet if I'll read the rest. This may be a little too "out there" even for me. The characters test the bounds of my ability to suspend disbelief, though the writing is good. I'm just not sure if I care whether he works for good or evil, and even though the main character reads as a typical D and D chaotic nuetral character, he just isn't that interesting to me. And I always think chaotic nuetral is at least interesting, even if I don't usually want to deal with them.

If you're not a geek, and are wondering what I'm talking about, I mean that I kind of like/admire characters who just go with their gut even if it makes them seem insane to everyone else in the world. But while I like that aspect of the character, I just don't care about him. Even if he claims to be spending all his energy searching out the killer of his girlfriend, he's also distracted by every pretty girl he sees, which makes me doubt his sincerity. He's a strange one, and I have to really like the main character(s) to get into serial fiction. I just don't get that connection here.



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Book Review - Married With Zombies

Married With Zombies by Jesse Petersen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Imagine Zombieland, but with a couple in a rocky marriage leading the way. I seriously laughed my way through this whole book. It is written with a terrific, sharp wit and dialouge that is almost disarmingly real.

Sarah and David arrive at the office of their marriage counselor one day, prepared to slog through another session to try to repair their falling-apart marriage. To their shock, they find their counselor happily munching away on her previous patients. Yowch.

After a narrow escape, Sarah and David are on their way through a series of mishaps, adventures, trials and triumphs as they meet characters ranging from a teenage ninja who lives above a Chinese restaurant to ne'er do well prosthetyzing Christians to the Jeff Foxworthy-esque hillbilly romancing David's sister.

Married With Zombies is the first in what is intended to be a post-apocolyptic series, and I thought it might fill in a gap in my reading list while I wait for the next Mira Grant novel to come out. It was a great pick. Completely different from the Feed series, this book is light and irreverent, but still skillfully written and an absolute delight to read.





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