Book Review: The Hunger Games Trilogy

Seven words I typically dread: You have GOT to read this book!!! For the most part the only one who really seems to know what I like is my mom. That's right, my sweet mama. I also have this odd habit of not wanting to read what's really popular at the time. Well, except when the Harry Potter books came out. I was all over that magic train.

The last time I listened to those words I got sucked into the world of Twilight. To be honest, I didn't care for the books that much. I couldn't stand Bella, I hated Jacob. I'm married to a man I think of as my Edward. Don't even get me started on the vampire genre. Let's just say, it's not my thing.

Fast forward to a few months ago when all the talk was of a trio of books about some big game where kids have to kill each other. Uh, no thank you. So I pushed it off. And off. And off. Then I did something weird and bought the books. Maybe my hubby would like to read them. He did. The next thing I know my husband is among the ranks of individuals telling me I HAVE to read these books. Suddenly there's a movie coming out and I am informed I will be taking him.

Monday evening, at long last, as I'd just finished reading one book and was on the prowl for another to sink my teeth into, my eyes settled on 'The Hunger Games'. I sighed, picked it up, and barely 24 hours later finished the trilogy. It is now Friday night and I still can't get the books out of my head.

Let me start off by saying this is not a story about kids killing each other. I can hardly wrap my head around everything these books are about, and cannot do them justice without giving up important details. I can tell you what you will find if you choose to read; we see the effects of oppression, hypocrisy, love, hate, jealousy, forgiveness, a need for change, to run away or stand and fight, being weak, being strong, standing alone or together, trust, deceit, acceptance, rejection, fear, and in keeping with today's obsession with reality TV - what limits must be drawn for the entertainment of the masses.

So far as book reviews go this is definitely lame, but I do that on purpose. I don't want to sit here and give away details of the trilogy. I want you to experience them for yourself, as I did. I don't want to tell you what lessons you are supposed to glean from the pages, I want to see you discover your own lessons. I don't want to make you see the characters, the society, nor the complicated relationships as I perceive them, but would much rather allow you the opportunity to figure out what they mean to you personally.

If you want to see what the books are about you can read the back of each book or find some other review that will go into details. If you want to KNOW what the books are about, pick them up and read. I promise they will leave you with a lot to think about. I highly recommend this trilogy.

P.S. I will be taking my hubby to see the movie, but it'll have to wait until the crowds die down a little. SIGH!

Book Reviews: Science Fair

I was rummaging through the Walmart Bargain Book table when I came across a book front with a giant frog on the front. Add to that the name Dave Barry and immediately picked it up. Scanning down the inside book jacket I saw one sentence that clinched the sale: "He made the mistake of selling his dad's priceless original Star Wars blaster to a lunatic who thinks he's Darth Vader and travels with a large, hairy sidekick known as the Wookiee."

GOLDEN!!! This book was right up my boys' alley. For a whopping four dollars I became the proud owner of this completely awesome book.

I really do mean awesome. The authors are actually Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, both of whom have (apparently) put together a whole other series of books. This particular book, however, is absolute genius.

We start off in the land of Krpsht, where there are very few vowels and a whole lot of crazy. The leader of Krpsht is planning the destruction of America due to a grave insult to their country, one that simply cannot be overlooked. Their plot revolves around the science fair held at Hubble Middle School, where an insider is working to make their horrible vision a reality.

Here enters Toby Harbinger, your average, run-of-the-mill middle schooler who wants nothing more than to get through one day without being made fun of by the ME kids (you'll have to read the book if you want to know what that stands for!). Little does he realize his entire world is about to fall apart as a series of events takes him into the world of weird science, a lunatic man who uses a voice changer to make him sound like Darth Vader and wants Toby to help him steal more of his parents' Star Wars collection, a plot so twisted, so deeply hidden he becomes involved with the FBI in a desperate attempt to make ANYONE believe his claims something is wrong at the science fair, and - perhaps most disturbing of all - the Wienermobile. Every time you think to yourself, "This can't possibly get any worse for Toby," oh yeah, it does.

It may take a few chapters to keep your attention glued, but this book is entirely worth the read. I'd lend you my copy, but...uh...I'm already lending it out to just about everyone I know!

Book Reviews: The "Emily" Trilogy

I first fell in love with Lucy Maud Montgomery's books as a tween. My mother would bring home a new book every so often, and I could hardly wait for her to finish it so I could gobble them up. Fortunately for me, my mother is a fast reader.

Most known for her Anne of Green Gables series, L.M. Montgomery has actually written over 20 books. Aside from Anne, my favorites are the Emily of New Moon trilogy.

We're introduced to our heroine in book 1, Emily of New Moon. At the tender age of eleven Emily - who's all ready lost a mother she can barely remember - experiences the death of a most loved father, which rips her world apart. Suddenly she's faced with leaving the home she loves and being forced to go live with family members she never knew existed. Yet her new life offers more friendship, love and opportunities to love and grow than she'd ever had before. Her greatest success comes from helping her best friend Ilse, and Ilse's father, discover one another in a most unusual way. Add to their friendship those of artistic Teddy Kent of the Tansy Patch, and Perry Miller of the "lowborn Stovepipe Town" who has high hopes and ambitions (one including Emily), and a better and more lively group of friends you could rarely meet. Little Emily also begins to realize her love of writing could turn out to be something more than just a hobby, even if Aunt Elizabeth doesn't truly understand.

In book 2, Emily Climbs, Emily dearly wants to go to high school in Shrewsberry, but Aunt Elizabeth doesn't approve. What need does a girl of New Moon have of furthering an education when her real goal should be to improve herself enough to catch a husband? Fortune favors young Emily, however, and off to Shrewsberry she goes - but not without a few thorns. There she is to board with her detested Aunt Ruth, a most formidable woman who feels it is merely her "duty" to allow Emily to stay there for the next three years.

Emily's life is certainly not dull during these three years. She meets a girl with whom she feels immediate enmity - reciprocated, of course. Then come the many rejections, and acceptances, of her writing in various magazines, which leads her aunts and uncles to wonder if this "writing nonsense" might not be such a bad thing after all. During her escapades she and Ilse meet the woman who spanked the king, not to mention Emily's peculiar gift helps saves the life of a little boy. Of course no book about a teenage heroine is complete without just a little romance. Emily finds herself trying to keep off the attentions of one boy (the very one who Aunt Ruth catches trying to kiss her niece in the living room in the middle of the night!), while glowing under the attentions of another (what 14 year-old girl doesn't want to be told she's the sweetest girl in the world?). But none of this compares to meeting an idol who offers Emily the chance of a lifetime.

At last we come to book 3, Emily's Quest, where we watch Emily go through the high's and low's of professional writing, friendship, and love. Emily has chosen to stay home at New Moon where she determines her writing will not grow stagnant. Her aunts and uncles finally begin recognizing her gift as being worthy of the time Emily puts in to her scribbling. All the writing in the world doesn't help dull the pang of watching as her three best friends go haring off around the world, furthering their own work and educations. Just when Emily begins to think she might have a chance to gain her heart's desire, tragedy strikes, taking more than just her ability to walk (for a while), but her gift for writing. During this darkest time Emily matures more than her mere 18 years, and someone who has been waiting in the wings suddenly finds Emily might not be so against their huge age difference. Has he at last gained his greatest dream? Will the true love of Emily's heart ever be hers? Will true happiness come to these four friends? In this last book we come to a fulfilling ending, even in seeing Emily's first book published and a few mysteries solved.

Books Recommendation: Summer Bridge Series

Yeah, sure, no kid wants to do homework while being off for the summer, but neither does any parent want their child to completely forget everything before heading into a higher - and harder - grade.

Last year my hubbs and I found a series of books that are PERFECT for helping your kids have fun keeping up, and maybe even getting a little ahead. They're called the Summer Bridge Activities, and they're fantastic!

Beginning as early as Pre-K (and going up through 8th), these books help kids learn/keep up on basic skills they began in their previous grade, and helps them to transition into a few things they'll need heading into the new grade. They're split up into 3 sections: Days 1-15 is section 1, then 1-20 for section 2, and one last section with 15 days. Each of these sections will take your children through math, reading, writing, language arts, and science.

The Summer Bridge Activities site (the link provided above) has some fun online activities for the kids to play and read, but trust me when I tell you the books are far more worth having, for the simple reason that YOU get to work with your child. YOU will be able to see where your child's strengths and weaknesses are. YOU will be able to give praise as well as help where necessary.

I highly recommend these series of books. You should have no problem in finding them in local bookstores, on Amazon.com, or from the original site itself. Trust me when I tell you, they're worth the money you put into them.

Book Review: Why I Believe the Book of Mormon

This book caught my eye one morning as I did my weekly grocery shopping at Walmart. I didn't recognize the name of the author, Tony Decker, but thought it might be worth looking at.

He claimed to have over 300 evidences of the validity of the Book of Mormon, classifying these into internal, expternal, and spiritual categories. After a short preface indicating these categories he goes right into things he's termed as evidence.

He starts at the beginning, 1 Nephi, and prints certain scriptures that mean something to him, then gives little comments underneath. There are no chapters, nor does he follow any sequence of events other than the timeline of the Book of Mormon. Early on I knew if I were going to make any semblance of the scattered evidences, I'd need to find a system of my own.

So I did. Grabbing my trusty Post-Its tags I began placing them on pages where I felt there were viable evidences, ones that those who'd never read the book before would have a hard time explaining away.

By the time I finished the book I almost had 40. Out of "more than 300."

I realize these are all external evidences. I focused mainly on these because this is where my own studies are taking me right now.

This is not to demean Mr. Decker's other evidences. After reading through most of his book I came to realize if one all ready has a testimony of the Book of Mormon, most of what he'd given would only help to strengthen one's testimony if studied and pondered with the influence of the Holy Spirit. They could and even would come to be internal and spiritual evidences, just as he indicated.

I did find his occasional references to what Joseph Smith could have possibly known or not known to become a bit tiresome. The flow of his book would have run smoother without his obviously biased opinions in some points. After all, though these evidences were a strong witness to him, as can be seen by his enthusiasm, it would not be to someone else. Especially if they had never read the Book of Mormon themselves.

I also wished he'd given more references to where he'd found some of his external evidences. While he did give references to some (such as John A. Tvedtnes,'s "Book of Mormon Names Attested In Ancient Hebrew Inscriptions," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies), and others are easy to research online (like Chiasmus, a form of Hebrew poetry), most of his external evidences were left without the sources of the information he obtained.

About 1/4 into the book I began to wonder who this man was. Did he teach religion at a university? Was he a member of the Quorum of the Seventy? Is there anything beyond being an avid supporter of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon that qualifies him to write this book? I still don't have an answer to that, but perhaps it doesn't really matter.

There are some genuinely concrete evidences in there, ones which I've marked and plan to study up on. Beyond that if would I recommend the book? Perhaps. If one all ready has a testimony of the truth of the Book of Mormon, loves to read, and wants to see what another member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints feels about the book. Otherwise I'd say, save your money for something a bit more organized and referenced.