I finished it!

Mockingjay is full of twists and turns from beginning to end as the story of Katniss Everdeen continues. The people from Districts 1 through 12 (including Katniss & Gale) along with the mysterious District 13 form "the rebels." They fight against the the capitol city of Panem for their freedom. This book is by far the bloodiest of the three books, and unfortunately there is little time for romance! Overall, Suzanne Collins does a great job of tying up loose ends while creating a whole new story where Katniss is still a token in a game she doesn't want to play but finds she must.

TRUE BLOOD on hold...

I've had to put True Blood by C. Harris on the bookshelf until I finish Mockingjay. Of course, I have to hurry so I can find out what happens to Sookie Stackhouse, the mind-reading waitress who has fallen in love with a vampire. SHOCKING! The story takes place in Bon Temps, Louisiana. Vampires (who basically have a virus) are fighting for equal rights amoung humans. Sounds reasonable, right? Of course, there are good vampires and bad...very bad ones. Sookie doesn't know if she should trust Vampire Bill because innocent girls in her small town are being found murdered!!! Of course, I know what happens (because I saw season I of the series on HBO) but I find the books are much better! I will everyone know when I get back to Sookie and Bill's story!

Mockingjay Came Out TODAY!!!

It's finally here... book three of the trilogy that started with The Hunger Games and followed up with Catching Fire. I for one was very excited to hit Barnes and Noble TODAY for my copy, but thanks to my good friend Kaye it didn't work out. Well, that might not be fair, but she did in fact send me a link for a 30% off coupon on the book that my printer refused to print. So, in a round about way it's all Kaye's fault that I'm not reading Mockingjay right now and preparing for our November book club party. I simply couldn't buy the book at regular price when the coupon was right there on my computer screen!!! Well, anyway, If you haven't read the first two books, then you simply MUST before you read Mockingjay. You'll be beyond lost if you don't read them in order. As for the books, they are smart, exciting, and unique. The story is simply a GREAT story! Don't be fooled like I was years ago thinking the books would be too graphic; you will know what I'm talking about when you read the description of The Hunger Games. I don't know how Suzanne Collins wrote such a story in a tasteful way, but she did. For anyone who thinks they can read the book by Tuesday, August 31st you might want to check out the online book club discussion at shelf-life.ew.com. I guess I will continue reading A Series of Unfortunate Events and Dead Until Dark until Frank can get home and print that coupon out. Bad Kaye, Bad!

August's Book Club Party

Our August Book Club Party was a success even with only 17 in attendance! We all just lead such exciting lives, it's hard to get our books finished! Becca Broome and Renee Biddy certainly deserve mention for going all out with their "monster attire." Really great job, guys! Also, I'd like to welcome William who came with the Gibson Family! We hope you'll come back in September.
We covered a little about character analysis and everyone was able to share why they choose a certain character from the book. Thanks goes out to Kaylie who when asked why she choose Fire as her character, she said, "because she's pretty." I'm so proud of my college bound teen! During the party, I was able to show off my brilliance with a character matching sheet (boy, there were too many characters in this book) and a crossword puzzle. There will be NO mutilation of worksheets next book club party! You guys should be taking these sheets home and studying them, and No, I'm not kidding!
Our meal consisted of MONSTER drinks and monster raptor meat which was pretty yummy, if I do say so myself. I was determined to find something for my vegan friend but failed totally! Thankfully Reba made Clara's carrot cake which was vegan friendly! Thanks, Reba. It was very tasty.
So, tell me what you thought of the party. I'm already working on our September party for A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning. It should be a fun one!