Reading challenge book eight: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Book eight in my challenge to read one book (I haven't read before) a fortnight in 2012 is Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins, the third book in The Hunger Games trilogy.

Like the two before it - The Hunger Games and Catching Fire - Mockingjay is told from Katniss's point of view. Although the first person narrative still works, this time I felt like I really needed to hear from other characters to get a full understanding of what was happening.

This is mostly because for a large part of the book Katniss is in District 13, recovering from her ordeal during the last Hunger Games she took part in, or from other injuries sustained during forays into the districts currently rebelling against President Snow and Panem.

It's good to hear from Katniss, and since characters including Gale and Haymitch are with her, we get to see what's going on with them as well. However, since Peeta is stuck in the capital, we don't have a full understanding of what's happening with him, and what's happening with him is pretty bad.

Even when Peeta is rescued from the Capitol and brought to District 13, he's still only seen through the eyes of Katniss. And to Katniss he's now a threat, having been programmed by the Capitol to want to kill Katniss on sight. Katniss is, understandably, focused on the killing part, but in doing so misses the fact that mostly Peeta is still the sweet, strong Peeta we saw in The Hunger Games and Catching Fire.

I definitely feel seeing things from Peeta's point of view would have been beneficial, particularly considering he spent the first half of the book in the Capitol, where the effects of much of the action in the districts is being most keenly felt.

There are other characters too, that I really wanted to get to know more, but couldn't because Katniss has limited interactions with them. Primarily, I wanted to spend more time with Finnick and Johanna. Although Katniss befriends them both, it's difficult to understand just how much pain they're in when it's only Katniss describing it, rather than us seeing it directly.

Mockingjay is not as action packed as the previous two books in The Hunger Games trilogy. For a start, because Katniss is in District 13 there is no direct hunt as there was in The Hunger Games and Catching Fire for a large chunk of the book. It's only when she goes to the Capitol with her band of followers (who sadly get killed off one by one), that we see Katniss back in an arena of sorts, and the action hots up.

Watching Katniss's group fight for her is inspiring, but also difficult, since most of them are doomed. Seeing some of my favourite characters perish was really tough, and I had to go back and read the scenes where they died over and over again to make sure they really had gone. And seeing how relationships broke down because of everything that happened was also pretty hard.

Still, tough as that was, it was much tougher to read the last few chapters of the book. Although the rebels triumph over President Snow and the Capitol, the book hardly has a happy ending. Scene after scene brings more heartache, and even though Katniss and Peeta both survive and grow to love one another, there's a bittersweet taste to everything.

I can't say I was surprised at the lack of a completely happy ending though. After all, The Hunger Games trilogy is based around the story of children being forced to kill each other, and how can a story like that have a happy ending without completely ignoring everything that came before. Collins does well to make sure that right up until the last page we're still aware of the horrific circumstances Katniss and Peeta, and numerous others, found themselves in.

While Mockingjay may initially seem like a weaker book than The Hunger Games and Catching Fire because of its slow burn and lack of action throughout, it's actually the one that's stayed with me the most. Having reread the ending a few times, while there is hope it's still pretty bleak, and even just thinking about the end brings back that twisty knot in my stomach from when I first read the last few chapters. That's a sign of a good book.

Film review: The Hunger Games

One of the most anticipated films of the year, it's easy to think The Hunger Games - based on the teen novel of the same name- is going to be two and a half hours of teen angsting and unrequited love, with a side order of fighting.

It's anything but. This film is dark, gloomy and tough on the emotions, and so, so good.

It follows, as the book does, the story of Katniss Everdeen, who volunteers to take part in the Hunger Games - a contest to the death - in place of her younger sister. Her fellow tribute from District 12, where she lives, is Peeta Mellark, who has been in love with the tough Katniss forever.

The book is told purely through Katniss's eyes, as she battles to stay alive - both outside the arena and once she gets into the Hunger Games. The film adaptation gives viewers the chance to see the world around Katniss through their own eyes, meaning we get a wealth of detail the books can't provide.

There are some chilling scenes with President Snow, the cruel ruler of Panem who has spent years suppressing those living in the outlying districts. And as opposed to just seeing what happens inside the arena when the 24 tributes are battling to the death, we also get to see the arena being created and decisions being taken as to what horror to inflict upon the children next, and how the privileged people of the Capitol bet on the contestants. All these scenes outside of what Katniss sees give the viewer a better understanding of the Hunger Games themselves, and make them even more horrifying than they already are.

Among the highlights which don't feature in the book is a chilling scene at the end featuring gamesmaker Seneca Crane, which will leave you so cold you'll need copious hot drinks, a wood-burning fire and three jumpers to warm up again.

The film is remarkably faithful to the book. There are a few changes made, and some extras included, but they all enhance the viewing experience. I can't imagine even the most avid fan of the books being displeased with the film.

Unlike the book, the film is not told completely chronologically but this, coupled with some scenes shot using handheld cameras, add to the story, make it easier to understand for those not familiar with the book, and saves a lot of boring exposition.

It's difficult to criticise The Hunger Games, but if I had to, I would say I wanted to see more of Haymitch, played by Woody Harrelson. He brings comedy and tragedy to the scenes he is in, with his manner and his speech. Should the next book be made into a film, and I have no doubt it will, I'd like him to feature more.

Like Harrelson as Haymitch, the other supporting roles are also filled well. I love Elizabeth Banks as the anything but ditzy (no matter how she looks) Effie, Liam Hemsworth is perfect as the hunky best friend Gale, who has a bigger role in the next two books in trilogy, while Lenny Kravitz is pretty good as Katniss's unlikely confidant and stylist Cinna.

So to our leads, Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss and Josh Hutcherson as Peeta.

Lawrence, while looking healthier than I imagined Katniss to look, embodied the character's tough, no-nonsense, cynical side well. Throughout the first book Katniss's aim is to stay alive for her family, and even after she has won she doesn't let anyone else in. Lawrence plays this well, and even in the final scene in which Katniss features, we can see that cynicism and hunger to stay safe, and keep her family safe, in her eyes.

Hutcherson is a perfect Peeta, a mix of sweet, shy, brave, clever and, of course, love-struck. Hutcherson's best scene is undoubtedly when he shares the stage with Caesar Flickerman (Stanley Tucci), the two riffing off each other before the talk turns more serious. Hutcherson goes from fun and flirty to mournful in the blink of an eye, and it all seems so real. I'm definitely Team Peeta. 

The Hunger Games, a bit like Katniss, was fearless, determined and hit you right where it hurt. I found myself laughing, tearing up, gasping in shock, jumping in fear (don't have any drinks in your hand towards the end otherwise they'll end up in your lap), and left wanting to see the next film straight away.

So, to end, there's only one appropriate quote to use from The Hunger Games: "May the odds be ever in your favour."

They certainly were when it came to this film.

Reading challenge book six: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Book six in my challenge to read one book (I haven't read before) a fortnight in 2012 is Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins, the second book in The Hunger Games trilogy.

Katniss Everdeen's story, started in The Hunger Games, continues in Catching Fire. Having overcome the Capitol once, Katniss is now faced with doing so again.

Back home and living the life of a victor, Katniss is unsatisfied, feeling trapped and fearful in the knowledge that President Snow is unhappy with her.

Rather than this just be a book about Katniss and her close friends and family, Catching Fire starts to spread out into the larger world of the Capitol and the 12 districts. As Katniss and Peeta - still pretending to be lovers, Peeta wanting it to be so and Katniss just unsure - make their victory tour round the districts, they discover all is not happy.

The districts are showing signs of rising up against the Capitol, and the Capitol knows only one way to punish Katniss for sparking the uprising - put her back in another Hunger Games.

It takes half of Catching Fire for us to get to the stage of another Hunger Games being announced, when it could have taken half the time. Still, when we get there it's worth the wait. The 75th Hunger Games, a Quarter Quell, feature previous victors as competitors. Here, we get to meet some new characters, and some really interesting ones. I particularly love Finnick, who I think has an interesting background, one I hope to find out more about.

Peeta continues to be a compelling character. He's so good, and that could be so boring, but it's actually refreshing to meet a character who always strives to do the best. In fact, his one fault is that he is too selfless.

There's something a bit strange going on in the Quarter Quell, and it takes Katniss much, much longer than it takes the reader to work out what it is. In fact, Katniss never works it out, it takes Haymitch telling her right at the end to make her see that she is the Mockingbird that is her symbol, that she is the spark for a total revolution, not just some small uprisings in the districts.

In a way, I find it difficult to believe that moody teenager Katniss is the inspiration for a revolution, but in another way it makes perfect sense. It's not Katniss who is the inspiration, it's everything she stands for - dissatisfaction, rebellion, an anger at the Capitol.

I found it a little difficult to picture the arena for this Hunger Games in my head, but once I'd read it again, I thought it was a really clever tool from Collins. Time is a powerful metaphor, and the tick tock of the clock becomes more ominous as the book continues because it refers not just to the arena, but to something much more important.

Catching Fire is not as good as The Hunger Games, and it's really one long build-up to the third book in the trilogy, Mockingbird. But it sets an interesting stage for book three, where the arena is no doubt about to get a lot bigger than those used in the Hunger Games.

Reading challenge book five: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Book five in my challenge to read one book (I haven't read before) a fortnight in 2012 is The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

It's no exaggeration for me to say that after reading the book I am now obsessed by The Hunger Games. Collins' story is brilliant, her characters fascinating if not always likeable, and her writing is pretty good.

The Hunger Games follows Katniss Everdeen, tribute for District 12 as she goes to the 74th annual Hunger Games.

Held every year, the Hunger Games are a show of power by the Capitol, reminding the 12 districts that make up what was once America of the Capitol's power. Each year one boy and one girl aged between 12 and 18 are picked from each of the 12 districts to take part in the Hunger Games -  a sporting and entertainment event in which the 24 participants must kill each other until the last one left alive is crowned the victor. 

The Hunger Games is a book written for teenagers, but its themes of life and death make it a good read for adults.

Katniss Everdeen is a three-dimensional character, and we see her flaws - occasional selfishness, single-mindedness, cynicism - as well as her good points - loyal to friends and family, a sense of what is right. Her flaws only make us like her more.

However, Katniss is not my favourite character. That honour goes to Peeta Mellark, the male tribute from District 12, who is kind and loving, but has a steely determination and a willingness to do whatever it takes to keep Katniss alive, even though she may not like it and she may not want him to.

Secondary characters are also well-formed - Cinna, Katniss' stylist who has a rebellious side; Haymitch, District 12's drunk mentor who can still be sharp as a pin; Gale, Katniss' best friend and the other romantic interest in her life; Rue, the sweet tribute from District 11.

Even the characters we only see briefly are written well by Collins. I particularly like Caesar Flickerman, the interviewer who presents the tributes to viewers every year.

The concept of the story is interesting, and Collins says she came up with it while channel surfing, flicking between reality television and scenes of war on the news. The Hunger Games themselves are a horrific idea, but fit perfectly with the new world order Collins has created, of a government so powerful it can order citizens to enjoy watching the death of its own children. It's a chilling idea, but that's what makes it so interesting.

Above everything else, The Hunger Games is just a brilliant story. It's dark (could children killing each other be anything but?) but it's a compelling tale. I really would recommend everyone go and read this, you will love it. Thank goodness there are sequels (and a film due soon), or otherwise I'd be left wanting more.