Review: Catching Fire

Did I really just do that?...
So, I have never in my life stayed up all night to read a book...until last night. I was reading Catching Fire and knew there was no way I could put it down, so I read the entire thing. And didn't go to bed until 3 am. And you know what? I'm glad I did! It was soooooo good. I have yet to read a bad book by Suzanne Collins. Needless to say I've only read two of her books, but they were both so good! There is no way you could possibly understand until you read the books.

I read the first book, Hunger Games, a bit slow at first because the beginning seemed to drag. And I'll admit, so did the beginning of this one. But keep going because I promise it gets so much better! I'm finding through these books that I'm starting to love adventure novels a lot more than I used to. The setting of these books reminds me of the setting in The Uglies series. Woody, with forbidden borders-then big and futuristic. That may not make too much sense but it does in my mind.

Okay, so the main character, Katniss Everdeen, is now 15 and has survived the 74th Hunger Games. What are the Hunger Games you ask? Well, the U.S. has fallen to pieces and is now divided up into 12...or so, districts and a capitol. Each year, there is a ceremony called the Reaping where two names, the names of a boy and a girl in the adolescent stage, are drawn. The two names drawn represent the people that will have to go to the capitol to fight in a bloodbath called The Hunger Games. Each year, they are taken to an arena with an endless variety of atmospheres (ex. forests) to compete against not only the children from the other districts, but against their own teammates from their districts. Fight actually isn't the correct word...I believe kill is the word. Murder. Destroy. Literally. And the last one in wins and gets food and money for the rest of their lives. That's the thing about these districts in the nation of Panem...they have little to no food. The kids in the games are literally fighting to save their lives and the lives of their families. Hence the name HUNGER Games.

Anyway, in the first book, Katniss volunteered to take the place of her sister, Prim, who was originally chosen. Because this is a trilogy, obviously Katniss won. Sorry to ruin any surprises. So let's venture to the next book. Katniss has returned and lives in a fancy area with her family called The Victor's Village, where all of the previous winners of the games from her district live. Besides the winner(s) of the last Hunger Games, Haymitch is her only neighbor. Life seems to go on as usual, until after her victory tour through all of the districts. People of the districts finally begin fighting back against the Capitol for their freedom. Problem is, the Capitol often comes back showing its strength in these types of situations. So to turn a twist on the next year's Hunger Games, President Snow shows his power and turns away all ideas of hope and of a fight to get rid of the Capitol by bending some rules a bit. Every 25 years, the Hunger Games have what is called a Quarter Quell. During this time, the president can add a twist to the games. This year, he adds a little surprise that just might kill Katniss. Will she end up having to fight in the games again?...Dun dun dunnnnn.

This book had me turning the pages for hours on end to get to the next part of the story. It became like a roller coaster. Every time I thought things were back to normal for Katniss, there was another spin. I could not put it down and I highly suggest it for those looking for a great summer read!

Sweet Kauwela

The endless days that fall into purple skies and starry nights.
The constant buzz of lawn mowers as I sit on my back porch swing and read,
getting drenched in the sun's rays.
The sound of birds chirping outside my bedroom window.
The freedom that comes with waking up at noon and going to bed at 1 the next morning.
The drives through my little town, watching as people walk by with their dogs and their ice cream cones.
The beauty of nature as it blooms up through the ground.
The smell of the chlorine as I dive in so freely.
The sound of the char as it sizzles on the grill.
The memories made by my friends and I.

This is why I love this time of year.
Welcome back, summer. <3

Outraged

Have you ever been a part of something that changed your life? Something that you did that would stick with you forever? Well that's how middle school was for me. It forever shaped who I am and helped me to find out what I'm good at. Sure, a lot of it had to do with the teachers. Actually, all of it had to do with the teachers. My middle school was my safe haven, the place where I could go when I felt like the world hated me. Maybe I'm exxagerating, but a lot of other middle schoolers would tell you the same thing. In fact, I had a red face from crying in all the pictures from my eighth grade graduation that I was in. Why? Because it had so many ups and downs, so many moments, so many memories for me, that are a part of my past. I had a few teachers who deeply touched my life. The school impacted me in an emotional way I simply can't put into words.
But sometimes things change. The school announces that it's $30 million in debt, it fires teachers, lets go of award-winning programs, slowly falling apart. That's what's happened to my middle school. The school I once cherished and will love forever. I don't even think highschool has touched me in a way even the slightest bit close to that. I've seen my favorite teachers be let go. I've seen the faces of so many disappointed children. I've seen the fights and fueds it's caused between parents, families, and teachers. And I want it all to stop. I love the school. And going back to visit it. I went to do that today and was kicked out because "I didn't have an appointment with a teacher". What, like I'm going to sell the kids drugs or something? So I called a few teachers to "set up an appointment", and was rejected by every one of them for their fear of getting in trouble. So I turned around and went back to my car. The second I hit the seat, I cried. I couldn't stop crying, as teachers walked by, students walked by. I refused to stop. This school needs new leadership. And help. Fast. I feel terrible for the students there. What happened to looking forward to school? What happened to being able to be in a fun club? What happened to ACTUALLY LIKING SCHOOL?

Don't you think it's about time to stop screwing kids over? I think so.

I am thankful every day for the brand new chance at life that God has given me.

You're so fragile, and I hate to see the way I've treated you. I'm so sorry. I've hurt so many of you in ways that I never thought possible. And I don't mean to. I don't know what's wrong with me. It's killing me. To see myself do these things. I wish I'd never come into all of your lives. It'd do you guys good to not have someone like me bringing you down. I honestly don't mean to bring you down in the ways that I do. I'm sorry. From the bottom of my heart.

These feelings are diminishing so quickly.








But I don't want them to.

Gotta Love Stereotyping

Apparently, posting poetry online and having a blog makes you emo. Thank you Mr. Tom for those words of wisdom. Pathetic, idiotic, and completely arrogant words.

Friday Wrap-Up

So, I said I’d do this every Friday, and I failed. I also told myself I’d never start a post with the word so again, but I did. So deal with it. Hehe :)
Alrighty, so I haven’t been able to read many books in the last month. Below is a run-down of what I’ve read. After that, I’ll go deeper in depth about a few of them that needed some ranting.

~You Wish by Mandy Hubbard
~The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
~The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
~The Candymakers by Wendy Mass
~Paper Towns by John Green
~Take Me There by Susane Colasanti
~The Things they Carried by Tim O’Brien

I’ll start with The Catcher in the Rye. When I first started the book, I absolutely hated it. I’m sorry, but Holden bugged me with all of his random tangents about absolutely nothing. I later realized, however, that the character of Holden not only represented the youth of the 20th century, but it also almost perfectly portrayed the mind of many who grew up as teenagers when the book was written. The character is not supposed to represent a negative, miserable complaining high school kid, but rather a lonely, hurt, typical teenager. With the technology and communication advances that have occurred in the past 30 years, no teenager has truly been able to relate to the character of Holden. My English class had a very interesting discussion about it.

Next, I’ll talk about the Hunger Games. Oh, how this book astonished me. Maggie constantly obsessed over the book and told me it had such a “huge and deep impact in her”. What this meant, I wasn’t sure. But I knew I had to read it. So I did. I purchased the book months ago but never picked it up until a few weeks ago. And I just have to say, I was thoroughly surprised. I didn’t expect to actually be hooked to the book-mainly because I’ve never actually felt truly hooked to a book. I hope she never reads this because I’ll hear a big fat “I told you so!” but…this has now become my new favorite book. I had what seemed like this obsession with the character, engrossing myself in whatever could happen next. I absolutely loved the book, and I highly recommend it.

This post will be too long if I do any more book opinions, but let me know if you’d like to see a more in-depth review of the books I mentioned, or of the ones on the list I didn’t mention.

I originally said I’d talk about what’s been going on with me lately when I first did this post, but I’m not in the mood to write about it. So I’ll show you some pictures. Enjoy! :)

Easter :)

Taking a walk with Maggie

an art museum opening

my sister's college graduation! with my dad as the alumni board president at the school

Prom!

my church's passion play

Jumbled Up Thoughts

The way your smile can brighten up my entire day.
The way you hold me in your arms.
The way you really care about me.
The way we have the same dry sense of humor.
The way you genuinely want to know about my life.
The way you love what I believe.
The way we get along better than I can ever seem to get along with anyone.

These are the reasons I love you.

Reckless Romance

You know what's funny? I was just thinking this morning about how amazing my summer with you will be. My fantasies set me flying, send my head spinning with thoughts, reeling through reality. It's like a dream I can't get out of. And the thought of you turns me in a million directions. Funny thing is, I don't want it to stop.

America in a Nutshell

"From here, you can't see the rust or the cracked paint or whatever, but you can tell what the place really is. You see how fake it all is. It's not even hard enough to be made out of plastic. It's a paper town...look at all those cul-de-sacs, those streets that turn in on themselves, all the houses that were built to fall apart. All those paper people living in their paper houses, burning the future to stay warm. All the paper kids drinking beer some bum bought for them at the paper convenience store. Everyone demented with the mania of owning things. All the things paper-thin and paper-frail. And all the people, too...I have never once in my life come across anyone who cares about anything that matters."

from Paper Towns by John Green