Day #1 #AYearAThon

Day one...

So the first day of the 'yearathon' is almost over; and guess what... I have completed the 'Hunger Games'.

I started this book from the beginning again this morning; with the introduction of Katniss Everdeen who is flung very quickly into a death competition and a terrible love story. I have read many reviews of this book... the poor writing quality... the lack of emotions... elements of the story...

Well what I found was quite different; the writing seems to be delivered in a rather blatant manner and in a story that has so much brutality and so much death... how could you read it with the floaty beautiful words? Could you imagine reading Rue's death where they talk about every tiny little detail... it would have taken the shock and bluntness out of the whole scene. The lack of details is very symbolic of how horrific and numbing an experience like that would be... how the shock would knock the details out of focus and having those details in the book would have taken something very unique from the moment.

The question of the lack of emotion... the story didn't express as many emotions as I would have thought... even the second time reading it... even with the anticipation of the different deaths and the fear of losing Peeta... there were moments that tugged at the heart strings but these seem to orientate towards the end of the book. The beginning of the book when Katniss is volunteering for her sister, mourning her father and the 'fear' of losing her mother again and again...  I didn't feel it... I associated it but it didn't make me gasp or cry or even want to hold them.

The elements of the story... how many people could pull off a book about children killing children for sports? True some of the elements were considered to be over the top... but maybe that attack of the senses is what is needed to make a person remember the savagery of human behaviour... to demonstrate how in any person can be put into a situation where they will do what they must to survive. However there is great balance in this book... fear... anger and love all mushed into one... fear of losing the one they love... the willingness to do anything to keep them safe... the pure fundamentals of human behaviour.

Overall I would give this a definite four out of five (****) however maybe a four-point-five if there were minor changes....

What do you think????? Have you read The Hunger Games?? What did you think?? What would you change if you could spend a day in Suzanne Collins' shoes???

Looking forward to reading your replies.... don't be shy

Helen x

My First Review.....

So when your choosing your first review how do you chose it?

 

I mean there are millions of books out there that could get you off to an amazing start but what to choose... the most popular?... the newest?... a classic?.... how about something that has captivated generations of people with both the books and the film adaptations?

Of course the only place for me to start is with The Harry Potter Series... I can honestly say that this book has been with me through so much and has guided me in ways that only book lovers could understand.

Now I know there are thousands of reviews of the Harry Potter Series and I know this is my first review but I must admit that I found myself closer to Ron and Hermione than Harry for nearly the entirety of the series; Harry was an amazing character but there was something about the way J. K. Rowling developed Ron and Hermione that made me relate more.

Of course I was going to relate, the first book was released when I was 11 and each year I received another book as it was released, literally growing up with these characters that have become so real to so many people. I found myself more attached to Ron and Hermione for many reasons; mainly that you could see them develop at a different pace to Harry, Harry has known hard work and hard times and therefore little adaption was needed... he had more of a 'just do it' attitude whereas Ron and Hermione seemed to develop. They learnt to be more independent and rebellious; of course this started pretty early but you could see Ron and Hermione becoming stronger and weaker together.

The love for this series runs deep in so many of the reading world; there are not many out there that would openly admit to not liking this series, I mean what's not to like about three 'children' growing up in a world full of danger and mystery and staying the closest of friends; even when anger and fear drive them apart but love brings them back together.

Personally my favourite element to this whole series is two fold; firstly the loneliness of Harry is portrayed so well, the total loss of everything, the gain and then more loss... poor Harry never gets a lucky break. But in consideration of this, without this loss Harry wouldn't have formed such deep relationships with his friends and their families; he wouldn't have been so desperate to be so close to Dumbledore for a father figure, he wouldn't have risked everything to save a member of his family he only just met? Why do I think this is portrayed so well... because Harry is desperate yes but at the same time he uses it to his advantage, he finds strength in his loss and uses it to eventually defeat Voldemort.

The second element to this is that it doesn't follow the 'usual' process for a story following this kind of line; for once the main male character didn't get the main female character, Harry's love for Ginny is deep and unnerving for those simply glancing into their relationship. However the true magic is when Ron discovers his love for Hermione; how all the teasing and arguments grow into a fierce fierce love for each other... how all the stereotypes of the 'nerd' and the 'ginger' are broken after years of hiding their emotions?

Okay... so any good review will have to talk about the world development; who wouldn't want to live in the wizarding world? Like really come on... J. K. Rowling thought of everything; some books only give you a snippet of the world and she created an entire holistic view. Now if I have to pick my favourite element of Her world development I would say it was extremely difficult; it could be the invention of a whole new sport, or the modes of transport or even the way that people who haven't even completed school (not to mention banned from magic) could become a professor in the best Wizarding School in the world. But alas no... my favourite and I mean absolute favourite element is the concept that none of the wizarding world could relate or even comprehend any of the Muggle world... especially the clothes... I mean pure genius and had me in fits of laughter with the images coursing through my mind.

Now flaws with this series....

In all honesty I find it difficult to find some of these flaws; the only concern is the lack of some answers towards the end... why characters suddenly change from 'bad' to 'good'... why things happened in the order that they did? However you could throw flaw after flaw at this series and no one would bat an eyelid at it!!!!!

This series is one of the most loved, most respected and the most cherished accomplishments of modern British writers. J. K. Rowling didn't just inspire a generation of readers but also challenged every generation of writers since to top her. Which I think is yet to be accomplished. 

So what are your thoughts on this... what would you change about the story if you could have stepped into J. K. Rowling's shoes for the day? Leave your comments below.

Many thanks,

Helen Marsh

I'm in for the Bout-of-Books 10.0

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 12th and runs through Sunday, May 18th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. 

 

For all Bout of Books 10 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog.

 - From the Bout of Books team

So the Bout of Books is only a few days away and I am at the beginning of another read-a-thon; so the question is... will I participate?????

The answer is HELL YES!!!!!!!!!

I love these read-a-thons and wish there was one running each week all year however that would make them a little less special and lets face it... nothing else would ever happen in life.

So what will I be reading... this totally depends on how much I get read this week.

If I don't reach my target of finishing the Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins this will be the starting point for the read-a-thon... however if I do finish them the fun begins... (hoping some of these arrive from the store) x

I will update on my TBR for this the night before the start.

Helen x

#YEARATHON May TBR

Well it is the first day of the #YEARATHON and this weeks challenge is to complete a series.

I generally marathon a series however there are a few on my bookshelf which have been left for various reasons... so this week I have decided to tackle the Hunger Games Trilogy... Now I started this series a while ago but I never got past the first book... Sigh...

So my aim for this week (alongside my University Exam Prep) is to complete this trilogy starting from the beginning.


*The Hunger Games
*Catching Fire
*Mocking Jay

If I do complete these before the end of the read-a-thon then I shall most likely pick up a Percy Jackson book or a House of Night book.

I will be *hopefully* putting up daily updates of my progress x

This read-a-thon leads straight into the next which is the Bout-of-book 10.0 read-a-thon; my final exam is dead smack in the centre of this read-a-thon and therefore most of my reading will happen from the Friday on... however I do plan on completing a book (yet to be decided) before the Thursday.

Good reading everyone... and my the odds be ever in your favour x

Welcome my little booksworms...

So I have delved into the world of blogs and what better to blog about than books; books make me feel alive. I have had a passion for reading for as long as I remember but in the last three or four years my bookshelf seems to have exploded with amazing and loving books.

So you may ask what I plan on talking about... BOOKS... der...

You'll enjoy my monthly TBR update and wrap-ups as well as a host of reviews and challenges. I am aiming to have at least one post a week; whether this is a review or an update. I am aiming to read at least one book a week for the rest of the year (but hopefully more in the holidays).

So let me introduce myself x

My name is Helen and yes I am addicted to reading; but its more than that... I love finding new worlds and new people... people ask why I buy the books and not go to the library? Well its simple I like to be able to walk up to my bookshelf and see all the wonderful places I have visited through the eyes of others. I like to be able to pick up and of the books and sit and read without worrying there will be deadlines for when I have to return it.

As most readers know; it is hard to read so many books without creating some of your own little worlds full of characters and creatures you have designed. So of course there will be the occasional update of how my writing is going. I am in the process of preparing for NaNoWriMo in November as it is my first official attempt at reaching the 50,000 words.

So I'm going to welcome you into my little world x