Book Time

I'm not the biggest reader but bought a Kindle earlier in the year to try to develop my literary capacities and possibly become a bit of a bookworm. That hasn't really happened as of yet...I read The Help a few months ago and really enjoyed that; the different characters' perspectives, changes in language style and dialect, and a slight history recap of the African American studies I did in school. It was the sort of novel that was easy to read, but impressive all the same; I'm definitely moving forward from my Shopaholic faze. In the last few weeks, even though I've been at home doing absolutely nothing (will somebody employ me please?), I had reached a bit of a dead end. Great Expectations and I got off to a good start after watching the BBC Christmas adaptation but I can't seem to get past the part I'm stuck in at the moment. Perseverance is needed, I know, but I wanted to read a page-turner and this is when my friends and I started a book club. Being a 19 year old is just riveting, isn't it? All these folks complaining about the state of youth culture when in reality, we're leaving the night clubs and setting up book clubs. 

The first suggestion on the list, well the Facebook wall seeing as we are still 21st century teenagers, was 50 Shades of Grey. Hmm, I wasn't too sure about this. I know everybody seems to be reading it and therefore it can't be too trashy, but I wasn't really convinced. My friend mentioned that she wanted to finish reading The Hunger Games trilogy first, an idea in which I was more interested. When I first heard about the movie adaptation of the novel, I thought we must have another Twilight on our hands. Does the world really need yet more teenagers obsessing over a seemingly average "literary series" - okay, I'm probably being a bit judgmental here seeing as I haven't actually read it, but I never will. Simple. Anyway, I started to hear that this trilogy actually had something to it and reviews were impressive so I'd be wanting to read it for a while. Though books are cheaper on the Kindle, I'm not the best at purchasing books over £2.50, but when I realised that's how much I pay for my Grande Cappuccino in Starbucks that lasts about 15 minutes, I went for the plunge and starting reading The Hunger Games at 1pm Thursday afternoon.

9pm: two parts through. Woah, this book is good. I haven't had that "can't put this book down" feeling since the last Harry Potter book - I had to fight the urge to just to go back and read those over the summer. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I was enjoying it. The premise itself was fantastic and different to anything I had read before: children fighting to the death. As thought-provoking as it is addictive, I had to know how it finished. By 11.30pm though, my eyes were getting tired and I knew that I wouldn't enjoy the rest if I carried on now. So, one quick episode of Sex and the City, well it was two and half in the end, and I woke up/got woken up my brother this morning and finished it in a flash. 

Though a few of the romantic parts between Katniss and Peeta (couldn't she just have spelt it "Peter" so I don't think of the animal rights organisation?) were a little cheesy and I probably would have preferred it if the heroine had been a little bit older, I would definitely recommend this book. Then again, I'm a bit slow on the up take so most people have probably already read it. A few moments may call to the younger readers among us, but all in all I think it's a well-rounded adventure story with its dark plot appealing to a wide audience.

 I'm very intrigued into discovering the fate of the characters in the next novel because I'm not entirely sure how the author is going to develop the plot over two more books. Well, if I read the next as quickly as I read the first, I'll be finding out the answers very soon.

Summer's book list: Catching Fire, Mockingjay, The Road and No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy and finally finish Great Expectations.