Just started Wuthering Heights, should have got around to reading it long before now. Better late than never though.
Just started Wuthering Heights, should have got around to reading it long before now. Better late than never though.
OH THEY DO EXIST. SOMEONE WHO AGREES WITH ME.Originally Posted by Miriel
Read it and was intrigued with the premise at first and then got super annoyed with the book and how it didn't develop the story AT ALL. None of it makes any sense! How does their society even function, based on the crazy segregation? How in the world did that system not collapse within a month of being formed? Why the hell are the dauntless always training for tit, when it seems like they don't do much beyond patrolling the borders? From what? That question is never even answered.
I totally agree with you that it was such a total failure in execution. And I could hardly get through the "romantic" bits. Such a bore.
The writer needs to read The Giver and learn how to do a real YA dystopian novel. I have my share of criticisms of Hunger Games, but that series is in a whole different league compared to this pile of poo.
I have the exact same criticisms of it as you do. The society would not work in the slightest. You can't have all the selfless people running the government, you need brave people to take risks and the erudite to further research and knowledge. And you're right, the Dauntless are training for nothing. The factions have been at peace with each other for years and there is not a single mention of any outside threat. The romance was terrible. I could tell she was going to end up with him before he even had a name and (SPOILER)Four and Tris become pretty much the exact same character. Nothing even happens in the book until the last 80 pages.
I'm actually quite a fan of The Hunger Games (av and sig aren't giving that away enough) so I'm interested in hearing your critcisms on it. The world of Panem is so well built and the characters are engaging and the action is incredibly tense. None of these can be said about Divergent.
I would say that Hunger Games does have it's flaws but it is still an overall enjoyable experience. And I totally want Peeta for myself. (SPOILER)Katniss does not deserve him..
Currently taking a break from A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin and reading Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain. Very interesting read if you like anything relating to psychology, especially personality. She looks into both psychological and neurological research regarding introversion and speaks of the importance of introversion in a society, that according to her claims, values extroversion. It is insightful regardless of where you fall on the introversion-extroversion spectrum.
streme Wheelie
Recognized Member
I read The Hunger Games in anticipation for the movie.
I have a lot of issues with it, particularly the strange sort of future-present tense it was written in. Present tense would have sufficed to keep the tension and action, without switching it up. It was jarring for me, but I kept reading because the plot was actually rather gripping. I'm hoping they flesh out a little more of the backstory in the latter books because I don't feel like I understand how things came to be the way they are. Sure they can leave out exactly what the apocalyptic event was, as McCarthy did in The Road but I'm curious about other things.
The characters are well done though, and it's nice to see a teenage protagonist that isn't perfect in every way. Not enjoying the fact that love triangles seem to be the in thing, but the dynamic between Peeta and Katniss is very well done. The supporting cast are rather great too.
Good not great imo. Enjoyable but not technically stunning. I look forward to the movie, at the very least.
streme Wheelie
Recognized Member
aaaaand I read Catching Fire and Mockingjay. Had very similar feelings about them as I did the first. I felt the ending was very anticlimactic and not very representative of the characters or the series
Awww..... double post... I'm telling on you
I'm reading "The Art of Fielding" by Chad Harbach. I'm about halfway through. I love this book. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. It was recommended to me by my step-dad who knows that I'm a big fan of baseball. He said it was a great book even though he knows nothing about baseball. "What does he mean when he says he picked a one-hopper then turned a double play?"... I simply look at him with disappointment.
I adored the baseball action in the book but so far it has been the fantastic characterization that has stood out for me. Even the minor characters have plenty of charm. He's got a direct style of writing but in a way, that's what hooks you in as its also very intelligently written. Highly recommended
Currently reading Exile and the Kingdom by Albert Camus for the intellectually pretentious. It consists of several short stories. Also considering reading his play, Caligula since the film was...interesting.
Recently read:
The Heart of Darkness (based on Apocalypse Now) by Joseph Conrad - While different from the film, I actually liked it's focus on the perils of war and human behavior. Power dissolving man. Pretty dope! I still prefer the film over the novel though. The Kurtz in the book pales in comparison to Brando's portrayal imo.
Also The Giver is fantastic. That was my favorite book to read in Elementary School.
I loved the first two books, but the third was terrible in my opinion. I thought it was poorly written, the characters became ridiculous, and the ending just sucked. I wrote a brief review in the older book thread when Mockingjay first came out: http://home.eyesonff.com/lounge/1278...ml#post2904092
The biggest problem for me was Katniss. I hated how she kept blacking out for big chunks of the story. I understand that she went through hell, is traumatized, etc. But having such a sulky, whiny and indecisive main character did not make for a good read. I was hoping in Mockingjay she would really come into her own. But I don't think she did. And I guess that was supposed to be some sort of lesson? Like, hey look. Violence and war can smurf you up and people die. But I just thought it was hitting you over the head with it and made for a depressing, rushed, and unsatisfying end to the story. Plus, I just flat out thought the writing was way worse than it was for the first two books and I have no idea why.
I really really enjoyed the first part of The Art of Fielding. Which was a surprise since I find baseball incredibly boring. But the whole thing fell apart towards the end. The baseball aspect fell away to other things that I just didn't give a tit about. Especially the stuff with Owen and the President. Everything became to affected and over worked. I could barely force myself to finish the book.
I recently finished The Magicians by Lev Grossman. It is a truly terrible book. Quite awful.
i didn't expect her to be a super hero alluvasudden, i think the entire point of the third book was that national heroes are puppets in every way and war is just as much an entertainment/media frenzy as the games themselves were. i thought it made sense that she was leashed and frustrated for most of it.
and oh crap, i just ebayed the magicians for myself. it's on my shelf now. that sucks. i only bought it because i liked the first two pages in a store once hahaha.
currently reading Ender in Exile and re-reading the first Scott Pilgrim book because it's light and I need something light.
I'm sure you're probably aware, but this is the other way around.
I'm reading Pale Fire by Nabokov. It is absolutely hilarious, but it isn't gripping me like Lolita did the first time I read it. Though the very structure of the work is indicative of the fact that it requires multiple readings to get the "big picture".
I'm reading American Gods by Neil Gaiman. So far, I'm into it although I'm fairly sure I understand where the overall narrative is going but it is still an enjoyable read. Gaiman is a pretty good writer and it is a very nice, easy read after finishing Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson (which I would recommend to anyone who enjoys good fantasy).
Oh yeah you're right. I dunno why I keep saying it's based on Apocalypse Now. Probably subconscious because I prefer the film over the book. I still think Conrad is a great writer, but his tendency to over describe and backtrack became a little irritating.I'm sure you're probably aware, but this is the other way around.
I'm reading Pale Fire by Nabokov. It is absolutely hilarious, but it isn't gripping me like Lolita did the first time I read it. Though the very structure of the work is indicative of the fact that it requires multiple readings to get the "big picture".
Also yesterday I heard about a book called Richard Yates by some NYU alum. It's supposed to be funny and the book of our generation. I may give it a try.
I didn't expect or want Katniss to be a super hero. I just didn't care for a main character who was so defeated and nihilistic. She spent a lot of her time wallowing in her misery (not that this isn't understandable, or even realistic) or passed out in a hospital. It just didn't do anything for me. Here you have a book where there's a super evil government, a rebellion led by similarly corrupt individuals, one main love interest becoming hell bent on revenge at whatever the cost, another love interest who is psychotic for a bulk of the book, and a main character that's thoroughly traumatized and enough deaths to make your head spin.
I just didn't like it. I know others who did like it and thought it was powerful, realistic and guttural. I just thought it was heavy handed.
~
I read Heart of Darkness in high school and deemed it The Worst Book Ever.
A Storm of Swords - George R. R. Martin
Oh gods, why? ಥ_ಥ
I'm about to restart Hunger Games, as I just saw the movie, and have a lot of free time to kill at work this weekend.
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