Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

This HAS to be the best series I have read ALL YEAR. I LOVE these books so much! I couldn't put it down. I really don't usually like this genre, but this book has definitely made it into my top 10 favorite books. The first book, The Hunger Games, was fantastic, and somehow, Collins has been able to not only keep up the amazing writing, but make it even better! This book was about the protagonist, Katniss Everdeen, after she won the Hunger Games in the last book. In the last book, Katniss and her friend (or boyfriend!?) Peeta find a way to beat the system of the Hunger Games: kill themselves. Being the only two left in the arena, and not wanting to kill each other, they were about to eat poison berries when they were both declared winners. In this book, the government is making sure that this act against the system does not cause a rebellion amongst the people. Katniss must be very careful about what she says or does as she embarks on a victory tour across the country. If she is the cause of a rebellion, she and her family will be tortured, or worse. The plot is extremely interesting in this book. Also, a character is being reintroduced. Gale was Katnisses friend before she entered the Hunger Games, but they grew apart. Now he is a bigger part in the book and a love triangle is beginning to form.... I don't really like this character. If he's so important, how can the author make him disappear for an entire book? Anyway, I would recommend this trilogy to ANYONE no matter what types of books they like. The third book comes out next year...I can't wait!

The Laramie Project Extra Credit

The Laramie Project was a great play. It's about a homosexual man, Matthew Shepard, who was tied to a fence and beaten to death as part of a hate crime in Laramie, Wyoming. The Laramie Project is a play that was produced by the techtonic theater company about Laramie's reaction to this crime. The actors in the play were all very good. There were a limited amount of actors, so the actors had to play more than one character each. It was very clear and they portrayed the personalities of the characters very well. The overall message of the play was portryed well also. The play was funny at times and very entertaining. I would highly reccomend anyone to watch it.

The Year of Secret Assignments by Jacelyn Moriarty

This was a great book. I picked this book to read because it is written entirely in the format of letters, diary entries, and emails. The author, Jacelyn Moriarty, is very successful at this writing style. Each of the six main characters have personalities that really stand out. I like this book a lot because the author was able to give the characters voice and personalities just by letters and written things, in which actions and event can not be shown. I also like her sense of humor. This book is about three girls, Lydia, Emily, and Cassie, who write anonymous letters to a neighboring school for a pen pal project. The letter's recipients, Sebastian, Charlie, and Matthew Dunlop, soon become very close with the girls. Soon after, though, Cassie finds out that there is no such person as Matthew Dunlop that goes to that high school, and the five friends set out on a mission to find him. Overall, this has been a very funny book, and I would definitely recommend it. I have read another book by this author, and it is in the same format.This author is very talented at really just giving her characters realistic personalities. I love this author in general and would recommend her also.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (to the end of the book)

I couldn't put this book down. It was amazing!!! I love the idea that this book takes place in the future. This kind of gives me something to connect with because obviously I live in the United States and the book takes place here. I just find it interesting that the author could make up such a future for America when it seems so absurd today. The author, Suzanne Collins, in this book, explores violence and war. In early in the book, we learn that the people of America rebelled against their government at one point in history. As punishment for this, they made the Hunger Games, in which children from ages 12 to 18 compete in annually. The government makes people watch on national television as their children kill each other. Collins puts specific emphasis on how okay the people are with this, as if it's something that just needs to be done. This just says something about human nature. Overall, this is my favorite book I've read so far this year and i would definitely recommend it.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (Pgs 0-139)

So far, I LOVE this book. It's a different genre than i usually read, but it was reccomended to me so i decided to read it and I am surprised at how good it is. The Hunger Games is about a girl named Katniss Everdeen who has to compete in a competition that could mean death. In this government-mandated competition, competitors are from ages 12 to 18 and must fight to the death. Out of 24 tributes that enter the competition, only one survives and is named winner, providing food and luxury for the entire usually starving district of the country that they live in. This book takes place in the future in America, which i find very interesting. Also, this book combines action, romance, and science fiction, so it appeals to a large crowd. From each area of the country, two tributes are randomly selected to fight in the competition. Katniss knows the other tribute that is chosen along with her. This creates a big conflict for Katniss because she is going to be fighting and potentially killing someone she knows and trusts. So far, it is obvious that both characters are trying to decide whether they should try and stay friends or drift apart from a friendship because they know it will have to end, and badly. The Hunger Games haven't started yet and the suspense is killing me.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (whole book)

The Alchemist was an okay book. It was a very simple story which made it a bit boring. The story is about a boy who goes on a journey to find his own personal legend. He sells his sheep, and set off on his quest, only to be robbed and lose everything he has. The boy starts a new life and finally, a year later, continues on his journey to find a treasure. One reason why i didn't like this book was that the main character wasn't developed enough. He didn't really have a personality. Another thing that added to this was the fact that he was always referred to by the author as "the boy". The protagonist's lack of persona makes it hard for the book to be very interesting, because it's hard to connect to him, but it also acts in a positive way. The lack of personality also allows the reader to focus more on the storyline. Overall, the book was not one that I would recommend.

Dry by Augusten Borroughs Pg 121-243

So far, not much has changed for the main character. He is still sober, working on his job, and so on. One of the minor characters, Greer, actually plays a bigger part than i thought in the book. Greer was the person who eventually made Augusten go to rehab in the first place. She is his partner in the advertising business. Greer, although she has a very cold personality, must actually care about Augusten. Although she made him go to rehab to save her own and his job, when he comes back, she is always checking on him and making sure he is okay. Greer keeps Augusten in check. These two characters are foil characters. Greer is hardworking, strict, and put-together, while Augusten is a slacker, and really has messed up his life. By putting these two characters together, Greer's sharpness is emphasized, and Augusten's sloppiness is also emphasized. This minor character adds a lot to the book.