Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Catching Fire is the second book in The Hunger Games series. As mentioned in a previous post, I couldn’t wait to read this book. The first book leaves the reader wondering what will happen to many of the characters and really does not provide any glimpse as to what the second book will revolve around. I can’t write much without giving it away. Part of the excitement of reading Catching Fire is not knowing what will happen next.

After the Hunger Games, the survivors return home to their families in their District, only to embark upon a victory tour. They see things in other Districts and how the Capitol controls the country. There is talk of uprisings in many of the Districts, but it’s unorganized due to the lack of communication available between Districts. What will Katniss do next? Run away from the controlled life she knows? Inspire and organize uprisings? Or could there be something completely unforeseen?

With so many twists and turns, the reader is left surprised at the turn of every page. You think you know where the story is heading and something unexpected happens. For the ending, Catching Fire could have left the reader hanging on the edge of their seat like the first book. Without giving too much away, I will say it doesn’t. You get a strong idea what the third book will be about.

My rating for Catching Fire: 4 stars out of 5. Get it here!

P.S. This was the hardest review to write without giving away any spoilers. Apologies if this post is vague. 

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

When I first heard about Randy Pausch’s story in 2007, I immediately watched it online. There are few lectures/movies/shows where you remember exactly where you were when you watched it. But I remember being in my living room and really learning about what life is about. Over the years, I have re-read the book time and time again, most recently a few weeks ago.

Randy Pausch was a professor at Carnegie Mellon University. The school ran a series of “Last Lectures”; if you had one last lecture to give before you died, what would you say? For Randy Pausch, this was his last lecture. He had recently been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and was given only a few months to live (he passed away shortly after the lecture). Randy decided to discuss “Achieving Your Childhood Dreams”.

In one way or another, all of his childhood dreams were realized. They were somewhat nerdy (look who’s talking). Being in zero gravity, writing an article for an encyclopedia, being a Disney Imagineer. Not typical childhood dreams. But the life lessons and brick walls overcome are the true messages of the book. 

It’s a quick read with a ton of memorable quotes and stories. Some are obvious, but we forget them in our busy, daily lives. What if you did have three months to live. What would you share? This is a book everyone should read at some point.

My rating for The Last Lecture: 4 stars out of 5. Get it here!

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

This book has been on best seller lists for a while. I always thought about reading it, but when I looked at the description I decided it wasn’t for me. Then I was persuaded to give it a chance. I’m glad I did. This is one of those books you pick up and can’t put down. (I finished it in a weekend.) The best part is The Hunger Games is part of a trilogy so I get two more books to read!

The Hunger Games takes place a few hundred years in the future, yet it seems set in the past. The country of Panem is dictatorship controlled by the Capitol. The surrounding 12 Districts support the Capitol, providing all their resources in order for the Capitol to live in a gluttonous manner. As a way to remind the Districts who’s in charge, the Capitol hosts an event in each where the Districts are forced to send one boy and one girl to compete in a game for survival that is televised across the country. The only way to win is to kill everyone else. If it sounds barbaric, it is. It kind of reminds me of the show Survivor, except these people are not being voted off; they are being killed off.

Katniss comes from the worst District with no hope of winning. But her upbringing secretly gives her an advantage over her foes. Who’s really her ally? Who’s her enemy? The competitors are faced with the challenge of balancing survival versus humanity. There’s suspense at every page as Katniss takes on her competitors and the elements in a struggle to make it to the end.

The author does a great job creating a world that is easy to understand. For the most part, it’s believable and you want to know more. There’s a bit of love intertwined throughout the story, but is it part of the game or true feelings? I think the author does a wonderful job of captivating the reader. This is one of my favorite books of the year. I cannot wait to read the next one, Catching Fire.

My rating for The Hunger Games: 5 stars out of 5. Get it here!

Anything You Want by Derek Sivers

Hard to blog when you don’t have power or internet. Hence the hiatus last week. This will be a short post because this was a terrible book. The story initially interested me, but I was left disappointed. Derek Sivers ran a music distribution platform online for independent artists (before the days of iTunes and even before PayPal existed). The book contains a lot of the history of his company, CD Baby. But almost all of it can be found on Wikipedia.

The other part of the book is Sivers saying how easy it is to become successful. I don’t like how easy he makes everything seem. It’s definitely misleading. I’m not sure what the point of the book is. It’s not inspiring in any way. It’s not a how to guide. Mostly it is a waste of time and money in my opinion.

My rating for Anything You Want: 0 stars out of 5. Don’t get it.

P.S. The cover is terrible.