Hosted at Book Journey.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman – This is the first of his YA books that I’ve read. It is the story of Nobody Owens who wanders into a graveyard as a toddler. A man murdered his family and was planning on murdering him but he left the front door open and the toddler wandered away. He was taken in by the ghosts of the graveyard and raised by them and his mysterious vampire guardian, Silas. Nobody is given the powers of the graveyard so he can interact just like a ghost. As he grows up he wants to learn more and more about the living world. That is not without trouble for a boy being raised by ghosts from many centuries.

I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron – I listened to this series of essays in the car. I wasn’t crazy about all the essays but some were really good. There is one about falling in love with the world of a book you are reading and not wanting to leave it.

If you are following the meme this week you are probably going to see lots about these next books. It is a total coincidence that I read them this week. I’ve been on the library waiting list for a while for The Hunger Games after seeing it talked about on blogs but it became available on Tuesday for me.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins – This book reminds me of a cross of The Running Man movie and The Long Walk (Stephen King writing as Richard Bachman)*. In a dystopic future, citizens of the 12 outlying districts of Panem are forced to send a teen boy and girl chosen by lottery to the Capitol to fight to the death. This happens every year. The book explores the contrast between the starving masses in the districts and the opulent and frivolous lifestyles of the citizens of the Capitol. District 12’s female contestant Katniss inadvertently sets off a spark of rebellion that races through the districts.

Catching Fire is book two of The Hunger Games trilogy. The rebellion set off in book one is spreading. In an attempt to kill of Katniss, who is the symbol of the rebellion, the Capitol declares that this year’s Hunger Games will consist of winners of the previous years. Katniss meets people who have been promised fame and fortune for surviving the Games but found that their lives are not what they were lead to believe they were going to be. Together they work to undermine the propaganda of the Capitol.

Mockingjay is book three. Now there is all out war but after the trauma of two Hunger Games back to back Katniss is not mentally able to be the symbol everyone wants her to be.

I started book 1 on Tuesday afternoon and finished at lunch on Wednesday. Then I decided to download two and three since I wanted to know what was going to happen and wouldn’t be able to get them from the library for a long time. I read book 2 on Wednesday night and book 3 on Thursday morning. They were incredible! I did get all weepy during the last one when there is a scene with a cat. Let all the people die and I’m fine but the cat (who was not harmed in the making of this book) got to me.

*The Long Walk is the only book that I ever purposely did violence to. The theme is the same. Dystopic future – teen boys chosen by lottery to walk. Fall below 4 mph twice and get shot. Last one walking wins. The whole book is conversations between the boys while walking. Since this is a Stephen King novella it is longer than most books. It went on and on and you think by the end something big is going to happen. It doesn’t. The book just ends. I even still remember the last line because it upset me so much that nothing happened. I threw the book against the wall of my brother’s bedroom. This was over 20 years ago and it still makes me mad. But, I remember the book vividly. I glad to say that stuff happens in the Hunger Games so I didn’t have to throw them!