Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Twelfth Night by Shakespeare
Obviously Shakespeare is awesome.
I thought the play was really good probably because I had to read it for a class and we analyzed it together and that class is awesome x10000.
The cool thing about this play is that it's a comedy and I feel that sometimes comedies explore the human condition with more depth than tragedies or other more serious forms of literature. It can do it and it can make the commentary that it does because it's funny. It's hard to get mad or offended when you're laughing.
The most interesting aspect of this play (for me) was the fact that everyone was wearing a sort of mask. They were playing a part - because they felt that they had to or because that's the role that society cast them. It's like one of those inception type things where they're playing a role in a play and in the role that they're playing, they take on the role of playing a role. Sort of.
Anyway, it's an interesting exploration because if one looks into why Olivia chooses to use the death of her brother and father as a tool to distance herself from men, namely Orsino (Why does she do that? She very clearly isn't in mourning.) and then why Viola, much in the same type of situation (recently lost her brother in a very traumatic shipwreck) takes the situation completely differently, the play suddenly contains that much more depth. Then there's the whole thing with who Viola can tell the truth because she's under the guise of Cesario while everyone else is caught up in intrigue (playing a joke on Malvolio) or other types of lies to buffer their current situation.
It's kind of how in our every day lives, in order to protect ourselves from the consequences of our actions, we veil the truth and in many ways, veil our true selves. We cannot be honest with each other (especially and ironically to the people closest to us) precisely because we don't want to injure others or face the consequences of our honesty. This also goes into an exploration of what it means to have true friends with whom one can be truly be themselves around. This is something that does not happen very often in life. Even if it does, some odd little thing called life happens and suddenly the relationship changes, people move, people change and life moves on.
Then there's the whole thing on love. How the heck does Orsino and Sebastian fall in love so quickly? I mean Orsino's kind of understandable, but Sebastian literally just follows Olivia to the chapel and they're married (without any kind of courting or anything).
So there's an exploration of love that one could do.
There's also the idea of class differences that one could explore, the role of the fool (Feste - interesting guy - made me realize that one must be pretty smart to be funny - and in this case, one must ironically be pretty clever to play the fool), Malvolio's character, Sir Toby's character, etc., etc.
And it's funny to boot. There's the classic misunderstandings because two people look alike, different things happen, the whole situational irony (where the audience and other characters know something that one character does not), and so forth.
As with Shakespeare, I'd hesitate to recommend the play to the average reader simply because Shakespeare isn't an easy read. There were tons of footnotes and little definitions in the version I read (from the Norton Anthology of English Literature, 8th edition) and it was a little cumbersome to read (though those notes were very helpful and at times essential to understanding the text). However, knowing the value of Shakespeare, if a person was interested, I would encourage them to read it.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
English Restart: Advanced 2 by A. Richards and Christine Gibson
Although this book is tailored towards second language learners, I was recommended this book for its organization and what not.
As a book for English learners, I definitely feel that some of the sentence structures were too hard and some of the ways that the authors tried to simplify some of the concepts caused the sentences and the concepts to seem like they were harder than they actually were. Towards the end of the book, I found that the editing and the focus started to wane a little. However, the conclusion started to coherently wrap things together.
With that said, I think that conceptually, the book was well written and well thought out. The plot meanders in and out of its main point and even the main point is a little fuzzy. It has this philosophical take of "who are we? why are we here?" but sometimes it makes me wonder whether or not it was appropriate for a book whose purpose is to get the reader reacquainted with the English language.
Eh, overall, I wouldn't recommend it to most readers. It does make things interesting for second language learners but I think it gets too hard too quickly and it may discourage, rather than encourage readers. The philosophical aspects of it are interesting, but those points may be lost on an English-language learner because grammar becomes so essential to understanding.
As a book for English learners, I definitely feel that some of the sentence structures were too hard and some of the ways that the authors tried to simplify some of the concepts caused the sentences and the concepts to seem like they were harder than they actually were. Towards the end of the book, I found that the editing and the focus started to wane a little. However, the conclusion started to coherently wrap things together.
With that said, I think that conceptually, the book was well written and well thought out. The plot meanders in and out of its main point and even the main point is a little fuzzy. It has this philosophical take of "who are we? why are we here?" but sometimes it makes me wonder whether or not it was appropriate for a book whose purpose is to get the reader reacquainted with the English language.
Eh, overall, I wouldn't recommend it to most readers. It does make things interesting for second language learners but I think it gets too hard too quickly and it may discourage, rather than encourage readers. The philosophical aspects of it are interesting, but those points may be lost on an English-language learner because grammar becomes so essential to understanding.
Beowulf by Unknown Author, translated by Seamus Heaney
I really liked this epic poem. The translation was really good and the story is far more interesting than I had expected it to be. It could also be because when I read it for class, the discussion that came out of it was really really good. We looked at the inevitability of Beowulf's decision to fight the dragon (when he knew he was going to die, leaving his country vulnerable to attacks - the only reason there was peace was because of him), the various social conventions that guided the warriors' decision to fight and seek adventure/glory and the poet's commentary on such societal conventions.
There's an interesting idea of pride/humility with the various leaders that are mentioned throughout the poem. One thing to look at was whether or not Beowulf had pride. I would argue that he didn't until later because if he had any kind of hubris, the epic poem convention would have it so that he would have to fall to learn some kind of lesson - this never happened. I think he had pride when he went to go fight the dragon, which makes me wonder if the poet was saying something about how experiences brings about pride (which I think is true even today).
I think one of the coolest things about this poem is that you could relate it to today, if you wanted to. Some of the social conventions obviously don't apply (like it isn't a social norm to exact revenge on the killer of your brother/kinsman or to receive some kind of blood money so that you won't avenge the deceased - the poet has some interesting commentary on that). Like the idea of selflessness is something that I think is implied even today. It is glorified in a way because so few people act on it. Interestingly enough, it was expected at the time, but I think because again, so few people actually lived it, that those who did act selflessly (or in the interest of their country rather than their own), it becomes a heroic quality. Well, I suppose if we were to talk about the loyalty of one's country and sacrifice, that's expected of our soldiers. I wonder if it really exists in the pure form that was expected of warriors in Beowulf's time.
Anyway, these kinds of works are generally pretty inaccessible to the general audience because people don't like to sit through poems and it's old. However since a modern translation exists and it was artfully done (not just some bland word for word translation that makes one feel like they're chewing on the remnants of something that was once good), I would recommend the poem to people. The story is actually pretty good. There's a lot that could be derived from it. I remember we had to read Grendel by John Gardner in high school and I think it would be interesting to read again since reading the original poem in translation.
There's an interesting idea of pride/humility with the various leaders that are mentioned throughout the poem. One thing to look at was whether or not Beowulf had pride. I would argue that he didn't until later because if he had any kind of hubris, the epic poem convention would have it so that he would have to fall to learn some kind of lesson - this never happened. I think he had pride when he went to go fight the dragon, which makes me wonder if the poet was saying something about how experiences brings about pride (which I think is true even today).
I think one of the coolest things about this poem is that you could relate it to today, if you wanted to. Some of the social conventions obviously don't apply (like it isn't a social norm to exact revenge on the killer of your brother/kinsman or to receive some kind of blood money so that you won't avenge the deceased - the poet has some interesting commentary on that). Like the idea of selflessness is something that I think is implied even today. It is glorified in a way because so few people act on it. Interestingly enough, it was expected at the time, but I think because again, so few people actually lived it, that those who did act selflessly (or in the interest of their country rather than their own), it becomes a heroic quality. Well, I suppose if we were to talk about the loyalty of one's country and sacrifice, that's expected of our soldiers. I wonder if it really exists in the pure form that was expected of warriors in Beowulf's time.
Anyway, these kinds of works are generally pretty inaccessible to the general audience because people don't like to sit through poems and it's old. However since a modern translation exists and it was artfully done (not just some bland word for word translation that makes one feel like they're chewing on the remnants of something that was once good), I would recommend the poem to people. The story is actually pretty good. There's a lot that could be derived from it. I remember we had to read Grendel by John Gardner in high school and I think it would be interesting to read again since reading the original poem in translation.
Saturday, October 6, 2012
The Importance of Being Ernest by Oscar Wilde
I liked this play. It's interesting how the humor of this play, written decades ago, still translates to today. I think the most difficult thing for me to do was read it imagining that all the characters were saying each line in complete seriousness. I couldn't do it for some of the lines because they were so ridiculous. Yet, that was Wilde's expectation in the production of the play.
I wonder if it's because of society today that takes nothing seriously and everything is in some way or another ironic that I couldn't read the play seriously.
At any rate, I really enjoyed it. I liked how Lady Bracknell said everything contrary to what was expected of her, yet those ironies were poignant because those things are often implied by high-class society but never explicitly stated. Wilde makes a scathing commentary on the upperclasses but he mixes it in with such ridiculous humor that it's easily missed. It's one of those things where if he were a comedian, he would pause while everyone would go "Ooh, burn!" However, in the play, the flow of the conversation doesn't allow for such reaction and the moment passes.
Brilliant in it's own way and when taking it apart as literature, it becomes even more interesting.
Rather than recommending this play to people though, I'd rather see the production. That's how plays are meant to be enjoyed and I would take a friend or recommend a friend to see the play.
I wonder if it's because of society today that takes nothing seriously and everything is in some way or another ironic that I couldn't read the play seriously.
At any rate, I really enjoyed it. I liked how Lady Bracknell said everything contrary to what was expected of her, yet those ironies were poignant because those things are often implied by high-class society but never explicitly stated. Wilde makes a scathing commentary on the upperclasses but he mixes it in with such ridiculous humor that it's easily missed. It's one of those things where if he were a comedian, he would pause while everyone would go "Ooh, burn!" However, in the play, the flow of the conversation doesn't allow for such reaction and the moment passes.
Brilliant in it's own way and when taking it apart as literature, it becomes even more interesting.
Rather than recommending this play to people though, I'd rather see the production. That's how plays are meant to be enjoyed and I would take a friend or recommend a friend to see the play.
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Fifty Shades of Grey series by E L James
I can see why this book is a best seller. It has a compelling plot, deep characters and it appeals to a pretty wide audience, especially with all of the sex (so it also appeals to the people who like romance novels). Seriously. The first book did not need that many in-depth encounters, in my opinion. I suppose it could be justified because of Christian's background but eh. It felt unnecessary when I was reading it.
The writing itself was pretty bad. It was raw in an irritating way. A counterexample of raw in a good way would be S.E. Hintion's Outsiders. That's a good piece of fiction. Here, it's the bad kind of writing where the editors sucked both at grammatical editing (small small details, but I picked up on it, which means that someone didn't do their job properly) and just overall plot editing. I hate reading a book where I feel like I can do a better job than the editors. This is the first time I've ever felt this way, which means it was pretty bad (one error, here or there is fine - it happens and I understand that, but there were several glaring errors). I don't know though, honestly, I got the books as a pdf from a friend and it kind of makes me wonder if the lack of quality is because it was some sort of pre-release version. I suppose I could buy or borrow the book and double-check, but I've decided I don't want to re-read this series.
James was also lacking in many ways but I think that she could've been salvaged by a good editor - hm, perhaps there's more to it than just her lack of experience in writing. Eh. I mean it takes writers time to get used to the story they've created and get used to the voice of their characters and understandably so. I think that's why it sometimes takes me some time to warm up to the writer - I know I've mentioned that with some writers. However, I think that here, the discomfort was a little too apparent - the choice in wording (or lack thereof - it gets better by the last book), certain types of grammatical structures (who the heck says "I've not"? Perhaps it's from a region in the States that I've never been to - I know it's used in England.. but it just struck me as an atypical sentence structure. If it was one of the characters that consistently used it, that'd be one thing, but all the freaking characters used it. That annoyed me.) and the flow of conversation was at times awkward. Very awkward. When a friend said she got a headache reading the first five chapters, I understand why.
That said, overall, I think James had a really good plot idea and one that sells. By the second book, I started to see why James inserted so many sexual encounters. It was one of the things that Christian needed to work out and the way it tied into Christian's emotional and mental state was a nice touch. I still think that the first book had too many. I suppose I'd have to reread it to analyze the necessity of all the sex scenes, but as I said before, I don't think I want to subject myself to the series, much less the first book again.
What I liked about the book though, is how the problems were resolved. There were a lot of emotional scenes that James was able to convey pretty well. As the series continued, the writing became simpler and more poignant. I also liked that all the characters were beautiful. The likelihood of that actually happening is pretty rare, but it helped work the imagination a little. :) And, as I said before, it appeals to the masses.
Overall, I'd have to say it was an easy read but lacking in any other kind of substance than the obvious. I think I'd recommend the book to women (womenfolk always love these kinds of stories) but I'd warn general readers of the explicit content.
The writing itself was pretty bad. It was raw in an irritating way. A counterexample of raw in a good way would be S.E. Hintion's Outsiders. That's a good piece of fiction. Here, it's the bad kind of writing where the editors sucked both at grammatical editing (small small details, but I picked up on it, which means that someone didn't do their job properly) and just overall plot editing. I hate reading a book where I feel like I can do a better job than the editors. This is the first time I've ever felt this way, which means it was pretty bad (one error, here or there is fine - it happens and I understand that, but there were several glaring errors). I don't know though, honestly, I got the books as a pdf from a friend and it kind of makes me wonder if the lack of quality is because it was some sort of pre-release version. I suppose I could buy or borrow the book and double-check, but I've decided I don't want to re-read this series.
James was also lacking in many ways but I think that she could've been salvaged by a good editor - hm, perhaps there's more to it than just her lack of experience in writing. Eh. I mean it takes writers time to get used to the story they've created and get used to the voice of their characters and understandably so. I think that's why it sometimes takes me some time to warm up to the writer - I know I've mentioned that with some writers. However, I think that here, the discomfort was a little too apparent - the choice in wording (or lack thereof - it gets better by the last book), certain types of grammatical structures (who the heck says "I've not"? Perhaps it's from a region in the States that I've never been to - I know it's used in England.. but it just struck me as an atypical sentence structure. If it was one of the characters that consistently used it, that'd be one thing, but all the freaking characters used it. That annoyed me.) and the flow of conversation was at times awkward. Very awkward. When a friend said she got a headache reading the first five chapters, I understand why.
That said, overall, I think James had a really good plot idea and one that sells. By the second book, I started to see why James inserted so many sexual encounters. It was one of the things that Christian needed to work out and the way it tied into Christian's emotional and mental state was a nice touch. I still think that the first book had too many. I suppose I'd have to reread it to analyze the necessity of all the sex scenes, but as I said before, I don't think I want to subject myself to the series, much less the first book again.
What I liked about the book though, is how the problems were resolved. There were a lot of emotional scenes that James was able to convey pretty well. As the series continued, the writing became simpler and more poignant. I also liked that all the characters were beautiful. The likelihood of that actually happening is pretty rare, but it helped work the imagination a little. :) And, as I said before, it appeals to the masses.
Overall, I'd have to say it was an easy read but lacking in any other kind of substance than the obvious. I think I'd recommend the book to women (womenfolk always love these kinds of stories) but I'd warn general readers of the explicit content.
Monday, July 2, 2012
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
I really liked this book. To be more specific, I really liked the ending. There were times when the book was slow and parts where I felt like I was slogging through it because it was heavy reading (for me at least). It's pretty depressing throughout and I never like depressing books.
However, towards the end, the pace picked up and I really like the turn that Dostoevsky makes with how Raskolnikov changes. I feel like there were so many allusions to Christianity that it makes me wonder if this book is some kind of allegory to it or if it has some strong parallels to it.
In terms of the writing style, as with any author, I found it difficult to get into Dostoevsky but the way he creates flow is pretty interesting. He really gets into some details but I think it was well done and necessarily so. He portrayed Raskolnikov's mental state pretty well and the ideologies of each of the characters was well executed.
As I mentioned before, the movement of the plot was slow (especially by the standards of popular novels nowadays) and sometimes I felt like it completely stagnated but perhaps Dostoevsky was trying to portray the stagnation of Raskolnikov's mind so it worked out in its own way.
Overall a decent read. It was heavy reading and I can see why high schoolers complain about how reading the book is "crime and punishment" (har har) but I also see the academic value in it. I want to come back to this novel some time but I would hesitate to recommend it to others because it isn't as accessible as a lot of other novels.
However, towards the end, the pace picked up and I really like the turn that Dostoevsky makes with how Raskolnikov changes. I feel like there were so many allusions to Christianity that it makes me wonder if this book is some kind of allegory to it or if it has some strong parallels to it.
In terms of the writing style, as with any author, I found it difficult to get into Dostoevsky but the way he creates flow is pretty interesting. He really gets into some details but I think it was well done and necessarily so. He portrayed Raskolnikov's mental state pretty well and the ideologies of each of the characters was well executed.
As I mentioned before, the movement of the plot was slow (especially by the standards of popular novels nowadays) and sometimes I felt like it completely stagnated but perhaps Dostoevsky was trying to portray the stagnation of Raskolnikov's mind so it worked out in its own way.
Overall a decent read. It was heavy reading and I can see why high schoolers complain about how reading the book is "crime and punishment" (har har) but I also see the academic value in it. I want to come back to this novel some time but I would hesitate to recommend it to others because it isn't as accessible as a lot of other novels.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris
I didn't like this volume as much as his other ones. There was a running theme of death which I feel he treated pretty well (comically almost, but tastefully so). I think there was another book of his that had something similar or I might be thinking of this book. I had started reading it and had put it down and forgot it for a while.
It definitely had a darker aspect than his other books. Eh.
It definitely had a darker aspect than his other books. Eh.
Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes
Got some really good recipes and ideas for recipes. Desultory style. Relaxing read but too slow-paced and plotless for my tastes.
Apparently, she has another book out. Not sure if I want to follow up.
Made me want to visit Italy.
Apparently, she has another book out. Not sure if I want to follow up.
Made me want to visit Italy.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Sappho's Leap by Erica Jong
I can't tell if this book was supposed to be a romance or historical fiction. I thought it was historical fiction when I first bought it.
Not bad, but I wouldn't read it again or recommend it to others. It just wasn't all that good.
Not bad, but I wouldn't read it again or recommend it to others. It just wasn't all that good.
The Winner Stands Alone by Paulo Coelho
Liked it. Depressing. Good twists. I liked the insight into the background of Hollywood.
Better update later.
Better update later.
Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho
Good book. Depressing. Not predictable, which I like even though the ending should've been predictable.
As always, Coelho is an excellent writer.
More later.
As always, Coelho is an excellent writer.
More later.
The Hunger Games, Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Best one yet - didn't have that ridiculous suspense device on whether or not Katniss will survive.
Ending kind of cliche.
Don't like her writing really. Too two-dimensional. Good plot and plot idea though.
Better update later.
Ending kind of cliche.
Don't like her writing really. Too two-dimensional. Good plot and plot idea though.
Better update later.
The Hunger Games, Catching Fire By Suzanne Collins
Read it. Still didn't like the suspense device she tries to use with whether or not Katniss will survive.
Will update more later.
Will update more later.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Not For Sale by David Batstone
This is another nonfiction book that was recommended to me at a conference.
To be honest I didn't like it because it made me face a lot of things that I feel are much further away. That a lot of people from first world countries feel are far away. Human trafficking. Sex slavery. Child slavery. Forced labor.
It was depressing. There were some heartbreaking stories.
However, I'd have to say that in the end, it was a good book to read for the sake of awareness. What I liked the most about this book is that it always had this message of hope - things can be done. Things are being done. And the best part was that even someone normal like me could do something - whether it has to do with the kind of chocolate, coffee or shoes I buy to simply bring awareness to the people I know.
I think everyone should read this book to be aware of the things that go on in this world, to know how many products are made by someone else's sweat, tears and pain. When it's put in that way, it made me realize that I didn't want to be a part of that.
Anyway, I highly recommend this book to everyone. And for more info, visit their website.
To be honest I didn't like it because it made me face a lot of things that I feel are much further away. That a lot of people from first world countries feel are far away. Human trafficking. Sex slavery. Child slavery. Forced labor.
It was depressing. There were some heartbreaking stories.
However, I'd have to say that in the end, it was a good book to read for the sake of awareness. What I liked the most about this book is that it always had this message of hope - things can be done. Things are being done. And the best part was that even someone normal like me could do something - whether it has to do with the kind of chocolate, coffee or shoes I buy to simply bring awareness to the people I know.
I think everyone should read this book to be aware of the things that go on in this world, to know how many products are made by someone else's sweat, tears and pain. When it's put in that way, it made me realize that I didn't want to be a part of that.
Anyway, I highly recommend this book to everyone. And for more info, visit their website.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Prayers for Sale by Sandra Dallas
I think that perhaps it's me, but the book took a bit of a slow start and I didn't like the beginning. I generally don't like mining books because they're hard to relate to (never lived in a mountain before) but this one was really good. In a way, it's a glorified collection of short stories but the way it was weaved together made it much better than that.
I really enjoyed this book. It was a really quick read and it really appealed to one's emotions. The book dealt with a lot of hardship and pain but it didn't overplay it or make it seem like such a terrible thing. I mean it is a terrible thing, but it didn't use it for emotional ammo like some other books would. It was pretty upfront about it and I think that's what appealed to me about it.
I liked the narrative style because it was pretty circular (old stories taking a part in the beginning, etc.) and not all the stories had a happy ending, which created a sense of realism. It was all the more interesting because some of the people were still living and took part in the present-day narrative form of it (like Martha and Charlie Grove). I thought that this book could be a movie but I don't think it'd make a good one, honestly. The stories themselves are interesting, but to see it play out at a movie theater is less interesting. But that's simply because I prefer movies with more action.
The style was simple enough to be an easy read but it was also descriptive so that you'd be able to imagine what the place looked like and the actions of the characters.
Overall a very good read. I'm not too sure of the academic qualities of it (perhaps motifs of prayer and story-telling?) but in the end it was really good. Definitely would recommend to others.
I really enjoyed this book. It was a really quick read and it really appealed to one's emotions. The book dealt with a lot of hardship and pain but it didn't overplay it or make it seem like such a terrible thing. I mean it is a terrible thing, but it didn't use it for emotional ammo like some other books would. It was pretty upfront about it and I think that's what appealed to me about it.
I liked the narrative style because it was pretty circular (old stories taking a part in the beginning, etc.) and not all the stories had a happy ending, which created a sense of realism. It was all the more interesting because some of the people were still living and took part in the present-day narrative form of it (like Martha and Charlie Grove). I thought that this book could be a movie but I don't think it'd make a good one, honestly. The stories themselves are interesting, but to see it play out at a movie theater is less interesting. But that's simply because I prefer movies with more action.
The style was simple enough to be an easy read but it was also descriptive so that you'd be able to imagine what the place looked like and the actions of the characters.
Overall a very good read. I'm not too sure of the academic qualities of it (perhaps motifs of prayer and story-telling?) but in the end it was really good. Definitely would recommend to others.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
I didn't like the writing style of this book at first. I'm not sure what it was but I felt like there was something off about how certain things were written. It was almost as if Collins as a writer was getting used to Katniss's way of thinking and talking. It's kind of felt like she was trying to break in a new pair of shoes or jeans.
Otherwise, I'd have to say that the plot was riveting. There were some obvious things that she foreshadowed and I was for some reason irritated by the fact whether or not Katniss would survive was played up a bit. Given it's popularity and the fact that there's a third volume of the series, there was virtually no way that Collins would kill Katniss off.
I kept doubting myself though, hoping in one way or another that Collins would be different but I mean I think I would've been just as upset if Katniss didn't make it. She was a pretty realistic character and more than that, she kind of put a lot of things into perspective (about society and its abundance). I liked the fact that the huge disparity between the rich and the poor were juxtaposed because even if we see it in our daily lives, I feel like the reality of it doesn't really hit. It made me want not want to waste my food.
Overall a really good read. I think it'd be interesting to explore this book on an academic level though I'm not really sure how much "meat" there really is beyond the obvious (poverty vs. wealth. love, humanity, etc.). I think I'd read this book again. I can't decide if it would list among my favorites but it was definitely a really good read.
On a completely different note, I somehow managed to keep the number of posts on this blog the same for the past three years without consciously trying. Interesting.
Otherwise, I'd have to say that the plot was riveting. There were some obvious things that she foreshadowed and I was for some reason irritated by the fact whether or not Katniss would survive was played up a bit. Given it's popularity and the fact that there's a third volume of the series, there was virtually no way that Collins would kill Katniss off.
I kept doubting myself though, hoping in one way or another that Collins would be different but I mean I think I would've been just as upset if Katniss didn't make it. She was a pretty realistic character and more than that, she kind of put a lot of things into perspective (about society and its abundance). I liked the fact that the huge disparity between the rich and the poor were juxtaposed because even if we see it in our daily lives, I feel like the reality of it doesn't really hit. It made me want not want to waste my food.
Overall a really good read. I think it'd be interesting to explore this book on an academic level though I'm not really sure how much "meat" there really is beyond the obvious (poverty vs. wealth. love, humanity, etc.). I think I'd read this book again. I can't decide if it would list among my favorites but it was definitely a really good read.
On a completely different note, I somehow managed to keep the number of posts on this blog the same for the past three years without consciously trying. Interesting.
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