Tag Archives: Hunger Games

The Hunger Games!

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I finally got to see the movie. I missed it in theatres and the dvd was released on Saturday. After dinner I cozied in with the basset and was really excited to see the movie I’ve been waiting to see for a long time.

I loved it. It’s not perfect and some of the plot is altered but I can see where it is heading for the sequels. Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen is really good. She’s strong and gets the essence of Katniss (at least I think so). Liam Hemsworth as Gale is a choice I liked as well he has the right cockiness and strength. Josh Hutcherson as Peeta I wasn’t sure about before seeing the movie. I couldn’t picture him as Peeta. I know he tends to be the one people complain about but I actually really liked him as Peeta.

The other characters I really liked Rue was great, Seneca Crane (really liked Wes Bentley), Lenny Kravitz as Cinna was fantastic and Donald Sutherland as President Snow was just creepy enough. Stanley Tucci was great as Caesar Flickerman.

The sets were really good, district 12 was pretty close to how I imagined it. The Capital wasn’t really as I imagined it but still worked. The games themselves were done well. Implying violence without being too graphic, it definitely got the point across. It also moves at a good pace at over two hours it didn’t feel like it and they packed a lot into that time.

All in all a very enjoyable movie, so much so I watched it twice over the weekend. I can see as well how the sequels are being set up and I can’t wait to see the next one!

“Insurgent” by Veronica Roth

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Insurgent is the sequel to “Divergent”. Have you read “Divergent”?

If you have not read “Divergent” go away now, read “Divergent” and then come back.

“Insurgent” picks up where “Divergent” left off.

It is as fast paced and in a lot of ways even more brutal than “Divergent”. Tris is still struggling with discovering who she is and is also struggling with what she has done. Tobias is still with her and thankfully we don’t get a love triangle. We learn a lot more about the other factions and there are a lot of characters. I would often get confused about who is who but that could just be my memory going from age. Some characters are not as well drawn as Tris and sometimes I question their motivation. The answers seemed to simple sometimes, possibly to just keep the plot moving.

We learn more about the Divergent and who else is Divergent but some don’t seem as well rounded as others. Perhaps this will come out more in the third book. Yes there will be a third book and I will be WAITING impatiently for it to come out. Perhaps I shouldn’t have read this one so fast.

I still really like Tris. She’s a strong character and she makes bad choices. She is struggling  but also learning as she goes, about love, friendship, loyalty, truth. This book is a struggle between factions. Using what each one is good at for their purpose or against them. The book ends with a big revelation and I’m curious what the third book will bring. I think we will end up outside the fence.

There are a lot of similarities with “The Hunger Games” but it is different. Tris is not Katniss and the world they are fighting in is very different. I really enjoy Veronica Roth’s writing, she is really good at pacing and I do like her characters. If you’re looking for a good quick read I definitely recommend it but read “Divergent” first. Although she kinda covers back story I would have been really lost if I hadn’t read “Divergent”.

Also the book has been optioned for a movie, I will be really curious about who they cast and what look the movie will have.

Have you read it? Did you like it?

Lazy Days

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I had my dog, Kingsley this weekend. Coming into the weekend I had a to do list. For those who know me they know I love lists. I make lists for everything. With my list made I had a very productive weekend ahead of me.

Then the dog happened. Up early Saturday, out for a quick walk and I was about to start in on the list. Then I looked at the dog, who was settling in for his mid morning nap. He looked so cozy I thought, well I’ll just join the basset and read for a bit. I’m rereading “The Hunger Games” and was on the last one “Mockingjay”. Cup of tea and book in hand I joined the basset. Read for a bit and then dozed off. You can’t cozy in next to a basset and not fall asleep. They suck the energy right out of you and send you off to dream land.

We did get up for an afternoon walk then when we arrived back home I looked at my book, so close to being finished. The basset looked at me like “Go on, you know you want to” and then settled in for his afternoon nap. I joined him and finished my book. Kingsley is a bad influence and I love that about him.

By the time dinner rolled around I had accomplished nothing and knew I would have a busy day on Sunday. That was all right though, I hadn’t had a lazy Saturday like that in quite awhile and after dinner Kingsley and I watched a movie. Pretty much a perfect day.

Rambling….

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It was a chilly weekend in Calgary. Minus twenty yesterday and I had to go out. I took a two day travel writing course. It was good and met some really great people. Meeting other people and getting out of the house is part of why I take courses. If left to my own devices, especially on a cold day, I will stay in my jammies and just bum around my home all weekend.

Looks like I need to get good at writing query letters. HEY PICK MY STORY! Will be adding those to my growing list of things to do. As a result I didn’t get around to coming up with a post for today.

After the course I had to catch the bus, it took forever to come and it was dusk. The time when it really starts to get chilly. By the time I got home I was cold, in a week I’ll have adjusted to the cooler weather. All I wanted when I got home was a bath, it’s one of my favourite things. A long soak in a hot tub on a cold day, with a good book.

This is the main reason I haven’t switched to an ereader. For travel, convenience, being able to cart around many books in one compact format is so appealing. I have an ITouch and it works for this purpose but the screen is small. The problem with an ereader is I can’t take it in the bath. This is why I am resistant to get one.

One day I will make the leap but for now the ITouch does the job while travelling and I still have my hard copy for the tub.

Anybody out there read with the ereader in the bath? Is it okay? I suspect I would drop it.

Right now I’m reading “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins, again. I want it fresh in my mind before I see the movie in March. Have you read it? Have you seen the trailer for the movie? I’ve warmed up to Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss, not sure about Josh Hutcherson as Peeta but I think I’m gonna love Lenny Kravitz as Cinna. They seem to have gotten the tone of the movie right and I hope it’s good. I hope it’s really, really good because I loved the whole series.