Her Book Self

I'm sure after my rave review and giveaway of The Hunger Games, there's nothing too startling about me also reviewing Mockingjay. Although nothing in my review is particularly spoiler-ish, if you have not yet read The Hunger Games and Catching Fire, you may want to bypass reading this post. Close your eyes briefly and scroll down;to read something else I posted this week, or just come back tomorrow for something different. If you have read Collins's series, or if you're one of those who has no desire to read the books and just wants to know what all the fuss is about, read on:

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins might just be the most eagerly anticipated book of 2010, and as it brings to close the Hunger Games saga, it surprisingly lives up to the great expectations cast before it. Katniss Everdeen, Panem's ultimate survivor finds herself unwittingly cast as the people's hero - the symbol of the revolution that will destroy the Capitol's tenuous hold over the Districts. Still torn romantically between Peeta, her fellow survivor, and Gale, her childhood best friend; Katniss must face the reality that all of them have changed from the children they once were, and none of them are guaranteed to survive the current war. Dealing with her own battle scars, both physical and emotional, Katniss walks the precipice between the need for survival and her thirst for revenge. Where once she killed only to live, now she looks to destroy those who ruined her life and turned her into their Mockingjay.

Collins crafts another highly suspenseful and emotional novel in this conclusion to her bestselling trilogy. Maintaining the gritty violence prevalent in The Hunger Games and Catching Fire, Mockingjay takes an even darker tone, as Katniss has fully shed the sliver of innocence that made her so charming as the heroine of Book One. At first, I was displeased with her transformation, but Collins takes the step toward believability by altering the protagonist and allowing her to grow up. The maturity in her character acts as the new thread connecting Katniss to readers, and Collins assures that with every turn of the page, fans are carried along on the emotional roller coaster.

I can't say that there is any good way for this series to end. The simple fact that Mockingjay represents the final adventure is, in itself, a bit disappointing. And yet, rather than dragging the series out to less enjoyable books, Mockingjay was a satisfying conclusion in every way possible. Rather than fizzling out, The Hunger Games trilogy ends on a high note, and those that followed Katniss every step of the way will be left with a fully resolved ending - until future rereads start the adventures all over again!

So what are your thoughts on Mockingjay?  Was it all you hoped it would be?  Are you sad that it's all over?  Did you remain Team Peeta or Team Gale after finishing the trilogy, or were your loyalties switched around?  Team Katniss, perhaps?  (And if you must know, Gale never got enough page time for me to really connect with him - I was Team Peeta from the very start but I can definitely rally behind the Team Katniss folks.)  It's no surprise to me that these books have the pop culture status that they have gained.  The stories are captivating and the writing is really well done.  I'd like to read more of Collins's work and am really intrigued by her Gregor the Overlander series.  I'm interested to see how she handles a traditional fantasy setting as opposed to her dystopian world of Panem.  If anyone has thoughts or recommendations on those books, I'd love to hear them too!

L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is one of those precious novels that has almost been eclipsed in fame by the movie based on it. I must admit that more than once when picking up this book, I mentally sung to myself, "I'm off to read the wizard, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz". And yet, as fond as I am of the classic musical, I somehow went through childhood never having read the original text. Berating myself over this, I eagerly downloaded the novel to my Kindle (for free!) and joyfully read the simple story rather rapidly.

Baum really did create a wonderful fantasy story for children with this book. The prose is straightforward but beautifully descriptive and the adventures are quite numerous for such a short story. I was pleased to find that the movie had done justice to the book, but there were also some rather startling discoveries such as Dorothy's not-so-ruby slippers: the magical, iconic Hollywood footwear were originally written to be silver shoes. The book also covers much more of the various people and places in Oz, including the Winkies and the Quadlings, and another surprise was that the winged monkeys were not entirely evil.

Would these be the world's most expensive shoes if they were silver?

I really enjoyed experiencing this book as an adult, but I'm rather sure I would have loved it even more as a child. Baum's imagination is extensive and I think Dorothy's adventures have a distinctive bedtime story feel to them. The classic characters of the Lion, Tin Woodsman, and Scarecrow, and even the spunky little dog Toto, make this a story about friendship and love as much as about fantasy and fun. Knowing that no matter how far one travels it is good to be safe and at home again, this story seems to end perfectly with the sighing words, "good night".

Congratulations to Ashley, winner of The Hunger Games giveaway! 

On why she was entering the contest Ashley plain and simply stated,
Enjoy the book, Ashley, and I hope you find, as I did, that it really does live up to all of its positive press!  And thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway.  I really wish I had unlimited funds and could buy and send you all a copy of this book.  If you have the chance, check it out from your local library, borrow it from a friend, or make the splurge and purchase it for yourself!  It really is an exciting and interesting book!

Thanks to everyone who joined and followed this blog because of this contest.  I'm thrilled to reach 100 followers in just five months of blogging!  And also, remember that for all giveaways on Her Book Self, I include a reader loyalty bonus in which all regular commenters receive an extra entry!  Keep following, keep commenting, and stay tuned for future giveaways!

Welcome to my first participation in Fairy Tale Fridays, a meme hosted by Tif of Tif Talks Books!  Each week bloggers read a fairy tale and post their thoughts on it, linking back to Tif's post and sharing in what others thought of the story as well.  This week's tale is The Bremen Town Musicians by The Brothers (Jacob and Wilhelm) Grimm.  (Click on the title to read the story.)

Though I've read plenty of Grimm's Fairy Tales, this was the first I had heard of The Bremen Town Musicians.  I liked that the "musicians" of the title were animals, each having been cast off or slated for death by their owners and reinventing themselves on a journey to Bremen for musical fame.  I think there's a hardy lesson of utility to be learned here.  Where as the humans in the story think nothing of the old animals, to each other, they have talents and usefulness aplenty.

I also love the moral about teamwork and cooperation.  Each animal plays a part in scaring off the robbers by playing their own role and doing what each one does best.  The rooster does not try to be the cat.  The donkey does not try to take the dog's place.  There is a theme that each is exactly where they belong, and that is why, as a team, they succeed. It's a model that works in a fairy tale but is equally potent in business, friendships, family, and multiple other aspects of everyday life.

What are your thoughts on The Bremen Town Musicians?  Which theme resonates more with you - seeing usefulness in those abandoned by others or each individual using unique talents for the best of a team?  Or perhaps there's another moral or theme that I haven't mentioned?  Leave a comment here or check out Tif's blog and join in Fairy Tale Fridays (FTF) for yourself.  Next week's tale is The Invisible One and The Rough-Faced Girl (A Native American Tale)!

As my favorite month of the year draws to a close, I suppose it's time to officially wrap up Series in September! I had fun spotlighting The Southern Vampire Mysteries, The Walsh Sisters, The Dresden Files, Antsy Bonano, The Maggy Thorsen Mysteries, The Hunger Games, The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, The Seekers, Anna Pigeon, and The Looking Glass Wars.  There's a host of other authors (Naomi Novik, Heather Webber, Diana Gabaldon, Wendy Lynn Watson, Tony Hillerman, James Dashner, Cornelia Funke, Cinda Williams Chima, Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child) that I could have featured this month as well and I think I'm finally realizing just how many series I'm currently reading! Expect many of those authors to be blogged about in the near future though as they are all still very much TBR.  

    
This month also marked my first venture into digital reading - and I'll have an update on that and a Kindle review, which many have asked for, next month.  And of course, there was the awesomeness of Book Blogger Appreciation Week.  I really enjoyed connecting to other blogs throughout the week and here's a special welcome to those that first visited Her Book Self during that time!  I can't promise that this level of high velocity blogging will spill over to the rest of the year, but it has been a wonderful September and I thank you all for your comments and participation!  Thanks for following along for my most prolific book blogging month to date!  
Don't forget, too, there is still time to enter The Hunger Games giveaway!

Book: Seeing Redd by Frank Beddor

Series: The Looking Glass Wars

Book Order: The Looking Glass Wars*  (1), Seeing Redd* (2), Arch Enemy (3), Plus The Looking Glass Wars Graphic Novels: Hatter M, Mad With Wonder, The Nature of Wonder
* indicates a book I have read

Welcome to Frank Beddor's fantasy series centered around an alternate version of Lewis Carroll's classic Alice in Wonderland. Alice Liddell - the young girl who became the inspiration for Carrol's writing - is really Princess Alyss Heart of Wonderland, a magical realm of invention and imagination.  Young Alyss escaped to Earth after her evil Aunt Redd murdered Alyss's parents and stole the Queendom.  Wonderland fell to chaos and it was up to the milliner bodyguard Hatter Madigan to find Alice in London and return her to her real home to defeat Redd and reclaim the throne.

I love the world that Beddor created in The Looking Glass Wars and I was thrilled to return to his universe in Seeing Redd.  In this sequel, Alyss is adjusting to her life as Queen of Wonderland.   The threat of Redd (and her assassin The Cat) is far from over and the suit families still vie for power.  Of course, danger from outside Wonderland is equally potent as Arch, king of Boarderland, constructs a plot against Alyss involving her own bodyguard Homburg Molly.

This book is a great mix of fantasy, action, and political intrigue. At times, the inspirations from the classic text shine through beautifully but The Looking Glass Wars series remains a darker sort of tribute to Carroll's work.  Beddor's characters are delightful and those who are unique creations (Alyss's friend Dodge, milliner Homburg Molly) mingle seamlessly with those altered from Carroll's books (The Cat, Hatter Madigan, the albino Bibwit Harte, and of course, the card soldiers).  In this version of Wonderland, imagination is the fuel for magic and Beddor proves to be quite the powerful wizard. 

 Do you have a favorite book that pays homage to a classic work?  Or perhaps a favorite retelling of a well-known story?

Book: Track of the Cat by Nevada Barr

Series: Anna Pigeon Mysteries

Book Order: Track of the Cat* (1), A Superior Death (2), Ill Wind (3), Firestorm (4), Endangered Species (5), Blind Descent (6), Liberty Falling (7), Deep South (8), Blood Lure (9), Hunting Season (10),  Flashback (11), High Country (12), Hard Truth (13), Winter Study (14), Borderline (15), Burn (16) 
* indicates a book I have read

A few months ago mystery author Amanda Flower mentioned the name Nevada Barr to me as an author that inspired and influenced her writing.  Having never heard of Barr, I inquired further and Ms. Flower recommended the book Blind Descent to me, which I since found out was number six is Barr's Anna Pigeon Mysteries series.  Wanting to start at the beginning (for once), I decided to pick up Track of the Cat. 

This book begins with National Park Ranger Anna Pigeon searching for signs of a mountain lion when she discovers the dead body of one of her fellow rangers instead.  The authorities want to blame the death on a large cat, but Anna is convinced that the evidence supports a more sinister situation.  As she seeks to uncover the clues and motives behind what appears to be a murder, she uncovers a truth more dangerous and deadly than the predatory cats being blamed in the first place. 

Set in west Texas at Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Nevada Barr does a great job describing the gorgeous locations in this novel.  Barr weaves the scenery and wildlife into the plot so that reading the book is akin to mentally traveling to the park.  Pigeon is a strong and capable heroine too.  She is intelligent and independent and I look forward to seeing her character grow and more of her back story to be revealed in further novels.  Though this is the only book in the series I have read so far, I'm very interested in pursuing the rest as each one takes place in a different National Park.  With sixteen books written so far, it looks to be quite the tour of American history and heritage.  

What book have you loved for having a great sense of place?  What books have taken you on mental vacations?