A Book Review - The Hunger Games

First of all, let me tell you that my preference of books is fiction. When I read something I want it to be an escape. I love mysteries, thrillers, fantasy, and crime novels. Some of my favorites are the Scarpetta series by Patricia Cornwell, the Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis, anything by Jane Austen, the Soulless books by Gail Carriger, the Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris, and yes, I also enjoyed reading the Twilight books (sorry).

I have heard a lot about the Hunger Games recently and when I saw that they started production on a movie it really peaked my interest. I decided to give them a try..

Here is Suzanne Collins' (the author) summary of the first book:
In a not-too-distant future, North America has collapsed, weakened by drought, fire, famine, and war, to be replaced by Panem, a country divided into the Capitol and 12 districts. Each year, two young representatives from each district (a boy and a girl, aged 12-18) are selected by lottery to participate in The Hunger Games. Part entertainment, part brutal intimidation of the subjugated districts, the televised games are broadcasted throughout Panem as the 24 participants are forced to eliminate their competitors, literally, with all citizens required to watch. When 16-year-old Katniss' young sister, Prim, is selected as the mining district's female representative, Katniss volunteers to take her place. She and her male counterpart, Peeta, the son of the town baker who seems to have all the fighting skills of a lump of bread dough, will be pitted against bigger, stronger representatives who have trained for this their whole lives.

I just completed the final book in the Hunger Games trilogy. This is one of those series that I absolutely could not put down. I read the Hunger Games over 2 days while I was in jury duty, I read Catching Fire and Mockingjay each in a day (I read all of them in less than a week).

All of that being said, these books are a MUST READ. I literally couldn't put them down. I cried a little, I laughed, I even got a headache because it was so tense and I had absolutely no idea where they were going. Collins had me guessing until the very end, and the ending wasn't even close to what I had predicted. I don't want to go into detail so I don't spoil anything.. These books are definitely not just for the "young adult" group. Even after I finished reading these, I just sat there thinking about them for a long time. I was still thinking about them when I went to bed last night! I'm ready to re-read them already!

I cannot wait to see how they portray everything in the movie version, set to come out sometime next year. Here is the picture of the actress set to play Katniss from Entertainment Weekly:

Overall, the Hunger Games trilogy has everything in it. They're just awesome. I suggest buying all three at the same time so that you can go straight into the next one!

Best Season Finale EVER - Bones

Can I just say, squeeeeee!!!!!

MAJOR SPOILER ALERTS for any Bones fans!

First of all, let me just say that anytime Booth and Bones go undercover, it is absolutely hilarious. Booth and Bones went undercover as two redneck bowlers.. Booth had a mullet, Brennan had a poodle perm.

At the same time, Angela has gone into labor. It was so funny to see Hodgins calm for about 5 seconds until Angela yelled at him to get the keys. She decided to opt for a natural birth, so we got to see all of the funny parts of that, including Angela grabbing Hodgins' chest hair during one of her contractions. When the baby was finally born, we waited on bated breath to find out if he was blind or not. He turned out to be perfectly healthy. We then see Hodgins bring the baby out to show everyone and his name is Michael Staccato Vincent Hodgins. I teared up a bit at "Vincent" since it was a nod to the intern who was killed off in last weeks' episode.

And now for the SQUEEE part..
The last 2 minutes of the episode were just amazing. We see Booth and Brennan walking down a street, Brennan voicing her concerns about how much Angela and Hodgins' lives are now changed with the birth of their baby.. Booth reassures her and tells her it's the happiest day of their lives..
Now watch this:

Here is the link to that video since it's cut off a bit..


OH. MY. STINKING. HECK. 
WHAT?!!!! I was literally breathless at this ending. I mean, they got together?! And she's PREGNANT?! This is one of the reasons I love Bones. NO ONE saw this coming.
And can I just say, Booth's face when he started to smile made me tear up and I'm pretty sure I kept a smile on my face for at least an hour after the episode ended. I mean, I'm still smiling.

In conclusion, Bones is pretty much my favorite show on television. I have watched it since the beginning and will be a loyal follower until the very last episode. This season has been perfect. Thank you, writers, for such awesomeness.

My Favorite Shows...and I hate season finales.

Let me start out by saying that I absolutely hate season finales. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm SO glad that the shows will be picked up for another season, but do they really have to end the season on such horrible cliffhangers? Ugh.

Smallville.

 Can I just say that I am so so sad that Smallville is over. I have watched this show since it started 10 years ago. I was 15 and have stuck with it until the end. The finale was pretty epic but it left me wanting more. I so wish they would make the next Superman movie with all of the actors from the Smallville series. And I totally cried during the series finale. I have gotten really emotional lately..

And on that note, I've also decided that Superman is my favorite superhero. And I am a nerd.. Proud of it, most days. ;)

Bones.

If you don't know what this show is about, here's a short blurb from IMDB:
"A forensic anthropologist and a cocky FBI agent build a team to investigate death causes. And quite often, there isn't more to examine than rotten flesh or mere bones."

Here is an excellent review of the show.
The cast of this show probably has some of the best chemistry with each other that I have ever seen on a television show. I love every single character.

This Thursday night is the season finale of Bones and part of me doesn't even want to watch it because last week's episode was so traumatic. They killed off a character and it was SOOO sad. I cried for like 15 minutes after it was over because I was so upset. And I REALLY REALLY want Booth and Bones to get together. It's not even funny anymore.

I really need to stop getting so emotionally involved in these TV shows. It's getting kind of ridiculous.

I have also started re-watching all of the previous seasons of this show because I love it so much and needed to watch some happy times.

I'll maybe post an update after I see this episode..

Castle.

Here's the IMDB blurb:
"After a serial killer imitates the plots of his novels, successful mystery novelist Richard "Rick" Castle gets permission from the Mayor of New York City to tag along with an NYPD homicide investigation team for research purposes. A "guy's guy", he proves popular with the male team members, but immediately offends the sensibilities of the team leader, Detective Kate Beckett. Though she'll never admit it, he slowly wins her over with his innovative approach to crime solving. He brings to the table skills the others don't have: contacts in Manhattan high society, free-form creative thinking, and years of developing believable fictional characters that have inadvertently molded him into a natural criminal profiler."

WHAT?! Worst season finale of my life. UGH. I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but WHY are my favorite shows killing people off?! How long until it starts back up again?


What are some of your favorite shows? How were their season (or series) finales?

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

My goodness there are a lot of changes going on in my life..

First off, I got a job!! Yay! I am the Events / Marketing Coordinator for a non-profit, pro-life Women's Resource Center. I'm so excited about the work that they are doing. It's such a good company and I'm already loving it.

Secondly, one of my very best friends is moving to Taiwan. Indefinitely. She has known she would be moving to work with the Chinese people as a missionary since she was eleven, so it's not a surprise.. It's actually quite amazing how it has all worked out. But I cannot tell you how much I will miss having her close by to confide in, laugh with, and cry with.. I am already planning a trip to Taiwan, hopefully to be made within the next year. We had her going away party this weekend and it was such a happy (but sad) time with her. I will cherish her friendship and she will definitely be standing by me when I get married someday.

Thirdly, all of my friends are getting married, having babies, or in serious relationships. I'm pretty much the last single standing. *sigh* Let's just say, I am incredibly bored on the weekends.

Fourthly, my "baby" brothers turned 17 this weekend. They will be seniors in high school this fall. This makes me sad.

Happy Monday, all! Have a wonderful week! And have a listen to Changes by David Bowie.