Movie Review: The Hunger Games

I didn’t get around to seeing The Hunger Games movie until this afternoon. I read the book last November after a recommendation from a work acquaintance. First off, I should admit I really liked the book. Secondly, I’m not a film critic, so I am more or less evaluating the movie compared to the book. Most of what I have to say is very nit-picky.

I thought the movie did a good job following the book. Some background and history was missing. I know this kinda stuff is hard to bring to the screen. Gale was probably forgotten by most movie-watchers. I thought they could have gone back to the districts a bit more during the games, considering they were watching it all on TV. There were a few moments in the actual game where it seemed to move slowly. The Capitol correlated well to the book, but I did not think the people did. Way more color than I visualized. Cinna was definitely one of my favorite characters in the movie.

I saw the movie with my brother (who if you know him obviously did not read the book). I wanted to share some of his thoughts because he's less biased than I am. He complained about the booms not going off all the time, and not being able to keep track of how many people were still alive. He also thought each kids’ skill level was too good. Aka how many 18 year olds can throw knives at a specific target? He was also disappointed in the action scenes and how you didn’t get to see much. His final review of the movie was that it was good, and he would definitely see the next one. I agree with all of this.

In closing, I really did like the movie. I'd give it 3 stars (movie scale is out of 4). I would recommend the movie even to those who did not read the book. The movie was good, but the book was better. Isn’t that how it always is?

P.S. If you saw the movie and/or read the book, let me know. I'd love to discuss!

P.S.S. Third largest opening weekend ever for any movie ($152.5 million). Wow.

The One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson

This is an old book. As in 30 years old. I’ve probably read it 8 or 9 times now. I think the first time I read it was when my dad gave it to me when I first started working. It’s a quick read, something you can easily accomplish in one sitting. The book is very straightforward, almost entirely dialogue.

The story is told by a young man who wants to learn about effective management. He finally stumbles across a manager who has three simple steps: one minute goals, one minute praisings, and one minute reprimands. The young man spends time with members of the manager’s team to better understand these three phases. It’s pretty much exactly how it sounds: writing down a goal that can be read in one minute, taking one minute to offer someone praise when they do something good, and limiting reprimands to one minute. The end of the book provides reasoning and examples as to why these methods of management work. They are spot on.

What’s impressive is the lasting influence of this book. Considering it was written 30 years ago, the three one minute steps still hold true today. The book has been read by managers from Fortune 500 companies, colleges, the military; the list goes on and on. For me, I always get a different impression each time I read it. Over the years, I've been able to relate many things in the book to my own experiences. I think this is a great book not only for managers but also employees. 

My rating for The One Minute Manager: 4 stars out of 5. Get it here!

Little Bee by Chris Cleave

You’re not supposed to know what this book is about. Really. Direct quotes from the back of the book: “We don’t want to tell you what happens in this book,” and “…please don’t tell them (your friends) what happens.” At first I was a bit perturbed by this, and I probably would not have read it, but it was recommended by a good friend who has recommended good books in the past.

I think it’s okay to give you a little more detail about the book. What I say here will in no way ruin it. The story starts with a young woman named Little Bee who is a refugee from Nigeria. She is in an England detention center, where she’s been for the last two years. Little Bee is on a journey to find a husband and wife whom she met in her home country while they were vacation. Turns out the wife, Sarah, has been having an affair, and the husband recently committed suicide. Their lives are forever linked by what happened that fateful day in Nigeria.

If I had known these were the descriptions of the two main characters, I probably would have skipped the book (even with the recommendation – sorry!). A refugee, an unfaithful wife, more suicide (seems that’s all I’ve been reading lately), not my cup of tea. The beginning of the book makes it a struggle to keep going. I guess the only reason I kept reading was I wanted to know what could’ve been so dramatic to tie these two women together. I’m not going to give it away, but you’ll understand once you’ve read it.

The book is written from Little Bee and Sarah's perspective. Little Bee learned the Queen’s English and therefore speaks elegantly. The only dialects come from other refugees, and it’s minor at that. The chapters go back and forth between Little Bee and the wife. For me, Little Bee’s chapters are what make the book. The things she says make you think about everything you take for granted. Lastly, I should warn you a majority of the book is sad and tragic (in case you weren't getting that feeling).

My rating for Little Bee: 3 stars out of 5. Get it here!

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

The Paris Wife is a work of historical fiction – it’s fiction, but based on true people, places, and events. Right off the bat that caught my attention as a reason I wanted to read this. Also, I don’t really know much about the 1920s or Ernest Hemmingway, but it's something that interests me.

The Paris Wife is written from the perspective of Hemmingway’s first wife, Hadley. The story chronicles their history together, from the first time they met until the end of their marriage. Hadley is along for the journey, always in the shadow of her husband’s spotlight. He is the artist, while she is the wife. The book constantly gives us Hadley’s thoughts and struggles. I'm guessing most people know how the book will end, but it left me surprised, speechless, and somewhat sad.

While a lot does happen in the book, there are times when it seems nothing is happening. You can read for pages without anything of relevance occurring. There’s more about Hadley’s day-to-day life than I care to read. Another thing I struggle with is the historical fiction. It’s really cool, but given I don’t know hardly anything about Hemmingway, I wonder how much is true and how much is not. A work like this can leave you with a good (or bad) impression. I will have to wikipedia Hemmingway to get his full story.

The writing is very eloquent. The style and vocabulary capture the time period perfectly. I really do like it. Truthfully, that may be my favorite part of the book. I’m not usually one to be overly impressed by the style of writing, but this may be the lone exception. I found myself wanting to read more because the writing was enjoyable.

My rating for The Paris Wife: 3 stars out of 5. Get it here!

My First Experience With The Nook

I’ve internally debated e-readers for a long time. The story that swayed me towards books was one day in an elevator a lady had a book in her purse. A random rider asked her about the book because she could see the cover. I thought to myself, that would never happen if an e-reader was sticking out of her purse. That was the final straw the made me choose books over e-readers.

Many friends have tried to persuade me to use an e-reader. I finally caved when a work acquaintance lent me her Nook. I read a few chapters of The Paris Wife on it. I’ll go over what I thought the goods and bads were from the Nook.

The Goods: Maybe it was mental, but I swear I read faster on the Nook. The reading flowed easier for my eyes. It’s easy to turn on and get right to the page. It’s convenient to carry around. The screen looks just like a book (it’s NOT hard on the eyes). The bright menu screen goes dark when reading too. I learned after that I could change the pages with a swipe of the screen. I think I would like that. 

The Bads: I wasn’t sure how to hold it. It’s weird. I ended up sitting it on my lap for the most part. When I laid down, it was a slightly easier to read than a book. I found I sometimes had to push a bit harder on the button to turn the pages. I’m not sure if I’m supposed to leave my finger on the button or constantly take it on and off. I dislike the blackness of the screen when changing pages. When starting a new chapter, I wasn’t sure how many pages were in the chapter (for instance, if I was reading before bed, I wouldn’t want to start a chapter that was 30 pages long).

Obviously that's a short list, but those are the things I noticed when reading. I know there are way more benefits of an e-reader, such as being able to buy a book right away versus driving to the store or waiting for shipping to arrive. My final verdict is I wouldn’t get an e-reader just yet. I still like old-fashioned books. I like the feel, I like flipping through the pages. Maybe I just need some more time getting used to an e-reader. 

Bad Books

I didn’t finish reading any books this week. I’m in the middle of a few books now. It’s a bad habit, I know. I should read one at a time. But, I think I have a fairly interesting post for today…books that are so bad I didn’t finish them. You see, I have an Amazon box next to my bookshelf full of books I either want to sell back or give away. Here’s what’s in the box:

• The Picture of Dorian Gray: Required reading from high school…I think I only read the first 30 pages since a bookmark is still on that page.
• Anything You Want: The story of CD Baby and Derek Sivers. See my blog post on this book. I gave it 0 stars.
• Cutting for Stone: I’ve heard this is really good, I just couldn’t get into it. I struggled at the beginning (reading a few pages put me to sleep multiple times) and never went back to it.
• Coming Back Stronger: A memoir by Saints’ quarterback Drew Brees. I received this as a Christmas gift and I did read it because I'm a Saints fan. It was okay. I dislike when people write about themselves in the middle of their careers though.
• Linchpin: Once again, see my post on this one. I will say that I do like Seth Godin’s blog way better than his books.
• Reefer Madness: Required reading in college. This looked at many social issues in the U.S. marketplace. It was actually very good. The only reason it’s in the box is because the book is really beat up.
• The Profession: Only made it to page 23 (that's where the book flap is). It’s a futuristic military strategy story. Not sure what I was thinking with this one.

Maybe all these books aren’t bad (clearly someone thought they were good enough to be published), I just had a hard time getting into the story / didn’t like the story.

P.S. If you want any of these books, let me know. I'd give them away for free.