Week ? / 2017 - The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

So I just finished reading Catching Fire. I know it has taken me a while, but honestly im not a big reader, and sometimes it takes me a little while to finish books. Honestly its not the fault of Catching Fire for taking me so long to read it, it just falls under the same problems sequels always do they slow down. The first book had you hooked from the beginning. Everything from experiencing all these new "wonders" that Katniss discovers when she goes to the capital for the first time, to the intensity of her surviving in her first hunger games. It made for a pretty easy read for me (if you dont trust me, just go read my review). Unfortunately the second book starts off pretty slow, and we dont even get to the hunger games portion until the last chapters of the book.

  I have been thinking a lot about how to write these reviews. Mostly its been about how to review the book without giving too much detail away, or spoiling any of the big moments in the book. I thought that maybe deciding on some categories and using those categories to rate the book.

1 - Story:
The story is what you would expect from a young-adult book. Plenty of action and plenty of romance combine for a very interesting story. A lot of people like to compare the Hunger Games and the Divergent series, but to be honest they are nothing alike. The only thing they have in common is the young adult genre (that and a strong female lead character). I would say if you have not read this book or the series, then to definitely give them a read. They can be read relatively quickly (if you are not lazy), and the stories are generally pretty good. Definitely will not be dissapointed here.

2 - Characters:
Another strong point of the series is its characters. I dont think I have come across a character that I do not like in this series of books, besides any of the antagonists. As you read you learn new things about each characters personality and the way they think, and that is something I really enjoy that about this book series. You definitely get a deeper connection to the characters especially after the announcement of the quarter quell. You get to meet a few new faces, such as; Finnick Odair, Johanna Mason, Beete and Wiress, and Plutarch Havensbee just to name a few.

3 - Readability:
This is something that I take very seriously when it comes to books. I find that if a book is hard to read, no matter the story, it makes it unpleasant and I just dont want to read it. The beginning was a little hard to get through, but after I made it over the hump I really started to enjoy the story. I think that knowing at least somewhat what happens from watching the movies makes these earlier books a little more difficult to read, but still enjoy all the extra detail you get with the books. Overall I would say that just get through the first 10 chapters before deciding whether or not you want to continue reading.

4 - Action:
This series is most definitely know for is action. From killer fog, to trident throwing, to Katnisss' killer shot, there is plenty of action to go around. Seriously though, the beginning doesnt have a whole lot (beisdes a whipping), but the second half of the book will quench your action thirst.

Welp thats about all I could think of on categories. As an overall, I enjoyed the book but I probably wont ever read it again. I just unfortunately did not like the beginning of the book, even though the second half and end were really good. Give it a read and see if you like it.

As always,
Andrew

The 100 - CW Exclusive (Seaons 1 - 4)

What can I say about The 100. It was an amazing television show. It had drama, suspense, and some crazy math and engineering skills (best example is the Season 4 Finale). I had an absolute blast watching this TV show, so kick back and relax while I tell you about why you should watch it.

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*****POTENTIAL SPOILERS*******

  The show is simple in the beginning, it starts out with you on a space station with what most people consider the last of Humanity. This is what is called the Ark (it is also referenced as such in later episodes). Unfortunately the Ark is dying, so the council members decide to send 100 kids (prisoners) to the ground to see if it is inhabitable. After realizing that they can use the stations (12 of them connected to the Ark) they launch themselves to the ground. I dont want to go much further so I don't spoil the whole show for you.

  The show focuses on a main cast of characters (some supporting have big roles) throught the whole show. First we have your Natural Born leader and proclaimed Wanheada, or commander of death (she gets this title later in the show), Clarke. She tries to do what is best for her people, and throughout the show this leads her to some very tough decisions. I believe Clarke to be about 19-21 years old. Her mom is a Doctor aboard the Ark, and therefore Clarke has quite a bit of medical knowledge herself, becoming a sort of Doctor for the 100 sent to the ground.

  Next we have Bellamy, your fun loving, throw caution to the wind type character. Initially he is seen as the antagonist against Clarke in the beginning, but later you begin to understand why he is the way he is. He simply wants to protect his sister, sometimes at ALL costs.

  Next up we have his sister Octavia. She is shy and was kept hidden from the Ark due to the fact that she is the second born child to her mother, which it was forbidden to have 2 children on the Ark, and her mother was Floated (sent into space) for it. She comes out of her shell after meeting Lincoln who is a grounder that falls in love with Octavia when the 100 first make it to the ground. ****Spoiler Alert***** she later saves most of Skaikru and the other 12 Clans by winning a conclave. **spoiler Alert Over**. She has a very up and down character climb into the 4th season, but besides Clarke she may be my second favorite character. She doesn't give a fuck and loves the grounder way of living. I believe she is the only member of Skaikru besides Clarke to learn the Grounder Language fully.

  Next we have Monty. Hes your typical token asian character. Is very smart, and was studying engineering when he was on the Ark. He sneaks onto the Ark so that he can be with his best friend Jasper. Unfortunately there isnt much to say on Monty's character. He's the typical underdog nerd that manages to make it through the whole ordeal.

  As far as other characters go there are quite a lot of other characters on the show. Some are only with us for a brief moment, and others play big supporting roles on the show as the sidekicks of Skaikru (as the latter come to be called by the Grounders). There is a lot of depth and sad moments (happy sad) later in the show. I would definitely say that the show gets better as you watch it, and it will definitely throw you some curveballs on your way to watching all 4 seasons of it (which are all on Netflix right now). I would probably rate the show a solid 5/7, with terrific acting by many of the main characters, terrific story writing, and great character backgrounds. The show is amazing at getting the viewer to feel and understand why a character made the choice they made and the consequences of that action.

  I feel that if I have not grabbed your attention for this show at this point in time, then maybe it just isnt for you. If you are like me though and are looking for a good Sci-Fi tv show and want something new and original I would definitely give "The 100" a try. Give it until the end of season 1 before you make your decision on it.

--Yours Truly
ANDREW

Week 5 / 2017 - Harry Potter 4: The Goblet of Fire

Hey everyone and welcome to my first official review of the year. I actually read The Goblet of Fire before I had decided to start my book challenge this year. I always seem to have a lot of fun reading this particular book in the series even though it happens to be one of my least favorite movies from the series. Now one thing that I can definitely say about Rowling is that she seems to write some pretty interesting stories. I always find that I never seem to get bored of what I am reading. I know it sounds like I'm nerding out, but the worlds that are created through the tales of the Harry Potter books always seem to be so interesting.

Goblet of fire takes place during Harry's 4th year at Hogwarts and it just so happens that this year the Tri-Wizard Tournament is being held at ole' Hogwarts. Unfortunately the bad guys are up to their old hijinks again, and this time they have a fool proof plan to bring their lord and savior, Voldemort, back from the dead. Did none of the death eaters ever bother to just find a more powerful wizard and make him their leader? Seems like if would have taken less time. Anyways, some stuff happens, and bada bing bada boom before you know it Harry is seeing right before his very eye's lord Voldemort rising from the ashes. Some more stuff happens. Then there are some ghosts flying out of wands, and then you find out it was all Barty Crouch ..... Jr's fault. Yep you guessed it, not as if there were not enough hints to whom it was during the story (I mean the whole pensive section gave it away pretty easily). Never the less our hero lives to fight another day in the great land of Hogwarts, well except for Cedric.... He's Dead.

Im Participating 2017 / Beginning of the year Update

Hey guys, so I'm pretty late on the I'm participating challenge this year but hey better Lat than never. I unfortunately did not manage to read all the books that I had wanted to last year, but I read more than I had in a long time. I was actually really enjoying the challenge until I hit a wall by reading stardust. Don't get me wrong the story is really good but it's just not my kind of book.

This year I plan to try to at least read more books than I did last year. I managed across a really good deal for an iPad 2 which I have found to be a really good way to read books. It has a nice sized screen and is still pretty snappy for an older tablet. I am planning on reading the girl with the dragon tatto, and Catching Fire in the upcoming weeks as my first books of the year (I will have to read some extra books to cover up January's books.

Finally, I will be updating the HTML code that I have been using to show what books I have already read, and the links to the reviews.