Top Ten Tuesday topic is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Today’s topic is the Top Ten Books I Wouldn’t Mind Santa Bringing Me. Even though there are certainly more than five books I’d like for Santa to bring me, I decided to just mention the top 5. I only asked for the first two so that’s probably all I’ll get, but you know, just in case Santa is reading this. 🙂
Top Ten Tuesday topic is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Today’s topic is Top Ten New-To-Me Authors I Read In 2013, and the list is in order from least likely to seek out a new book by this author to most likely, based mostly on their writing style and the subjects/stories they choose, and not taking into account sequels I am anticipating.
10. Jenny B. Jones, There You’ll Find Me
9. Maggie Stiefvater, The Scorpio Races
8. Laura Hillenbrand, Unbroken
7. Jay Asher, Thirteen Reasons Why
6. Orson Scott Card, Ender’s Game
5. Markus Zusak, The Book Thief
4. Diana Peterfreund, For Darkness Shows the Stars
In case you haven’t noticed, and for the majority of you who read this blog and keep with YA books you probably have, the growing trend in YA now seems to be science fiction. And just coming off Sci-Fi Month in November, some books I heard about during the month are fresh on my mind!
A very small sampling of YA sci-fi released in the last two years
While there have been YA titles dealing with space or aliens (Across the Universe trilogy, The 5th Wave), most of these sci-fi books seem to be dealing with time travel (like Time Between Us and All Our Yesterdays) and alternate realities (Reativity and Dissonance) or technology (Elusion and Free to Fall).
I’m not sure what started this trend, other than perhaps it seems like a natural progression to come from the dystopia genre (which is also still going fairly strong, and of course sci-fi and dystopia often go hand in hand), which might explain why more of these stories seemed focused on what I consider “earth-bound” science fiction, rather than focusing on what’s in space. And personally, there are several reasons I am excited to see this trend grow…
Sci-fi arouses our curiosity. I think one of the best things about science fiction is all the “what if” questions it poses. I recently started watching the new Fox show Almost Human, which raises the question: What if android (“synthetic”) cops were paired with human cops?
If you like thinking about the possibilities of the future, you should watch this show. And Karl Urban and Michael Ealy are fantastic in it.
Or with a YA book I read this year, Pivot Point, what if one could see the different futures that await her when she has a decision to make? Really, the what-if questions we could ask in science fiction are endless!
It awakens creativity and scientific interest at the same time. I have to admit, I have never been interested in science. Ever. It’s always been my weakest subject and I have never cared to understand it. But in college I suddenly developed an interest in learning about genetic engineering. So while I will probably never have an interest in all sciences, there are now at least a couple of areas that I do find interesting, I think largely thanks to science fiction. It also really awakens my creative juices as I think through all those “what-if” scenarios. And I think both creativity and science are important!
It can be a gateway into more science fiction! Let’s face it, I’m sure the actual sci-fi content in most of these YA books is pretty light. I personally don’t have a problem with that, in fact it can be helpful when you’re as science-deficit as I am, but others might see this new trend as just watered-down science fiction. And there’s probably some truth to that, as the dystopia genre has been watered down, but lighter science fiction can be a gateway that leads to Ender’s Game, Star Trek, or more hardcore stuff that I myself have not checked out yet! Presenting a story with some science fiction, even if it also has a contemporary feel or a romantic subplot, can be just what some people need to get their feet wet and realize just how much they might enjoy other science fiction!
What do you think about the rising trend of science fiction in YA literature? Do you have a favorite sci-fi YA book?
Jasmine over at Flip that Page created this fun Hunger Games inspired survey in honor of the recent release of the Catching Fire movie! Questions are based on the districts from the world of The Hunger Games as well as the tributes. Feel free to join in on the fun on your own blog!
Panem Regions
District 1 Industry: Luxury Items
Favorite book involving royalty:The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. They become kings and queens at the end! How awesome is that?!
District 2 Industry: Masonry and Weapons
Favorite book on war: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.Feels!
District 3 Industry: Electronics and Technology
Favorite science fiction book: Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card. It does exactly as sci-fi should: causes you to reflect on humanity.
District 4 Industry: Fishing
Favorite beach read (however you define one!): The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater, because it takes place on a beach and I think would be a good beach read.
District 5 Industry: Power
Favorite book involving superhuman/supernatural characters: Pivot Point by Kasie West is the closest I have gotten to reading about superhumans, so there you go.
District 6 Industry: Transportation and Healing
Favorite road-trip/self-discovery book: Finding Alice by Melody Carlson. It involves a mini road trip and a LOT of self-discovery.
District 7 Industry: Lumber and Wood
Favorite book with a wilderness/dystopian setting: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Duh.
District 8 Industry: Fabrics and Textiles
Favorite book cover: I think I have to agree with Jasmine’s choice of The One by Kiera Cass because OMG! Look at it!
And a runner-up (because I love me some covers):
District 9 Industry: Grain
Favorite under-hyped book: I think What’s Left of Me by Kat Zhang is a little under-hyped in the YA world so I’ll go with that.
District 10 Industry: Livestock
Favorite book involving animals: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe again. Centaurs! Talking lions and beavers and all sorts of things!
District 11 Industry: Farming and Agriculture
Favorite fictional setting: Narnia from the Chronicles of Narnia.
District 12 Industry: Coal Mining
Rock solid favorite (from concluded series): The Hunger Games.
The Capitol Central seat of government
Favorite book with a political agenda: So I don’t say THG again (at least for now), I’ll go with Divergent by Veronica Roth.
Notable Characters
District 1: Cashmere and Gloss
Favorite fictional siblings: Valentine and Ender in Ender’s Game. I enjoyed the movie but it really didn’t do their relationship justice.
District 2: Cato
Favorite bad-boy character: Captain Thorne from Scarlet, because he’s snarky and hilarious.
District 3: Beetee and Wiress
Favorite genius/geeky character: Why can’t I think of someone who fits this bill other Beetee?! There must be someone! I’ll just say Beetee I guess.
District 4: Finnick Odair
Favorite swoon-worthy hero: Is Prince Kai in Cinder a hero? I think he will be. I’ll go with him.
District 5: Foxface
Favorite mysterious character: I’m going to say The Giver from The Giver. He’s pretty mysterious.
Favorite female character: I can’t decide between Cinder from Cinder and Elliot from For Darkness Shows the Stars! They’re both strong-willed ladies who stand up for themselves but aren’t too rough around the edges either.
District 11: Rue
Favorite fictional kid: Rudy from The Book Thief. *cries*
District 12: Peeta Mellark and Katniss Everdeen
Favorite fictional couple: Peeta and Katniss?! Sorry that’s unoriginal, but it’s true!
Catching Fire was one of my anticipated movies of 2013. And it really delivered for me. Before I fangirl on (and give just a few small complaints) let me warn that this review is filled with spoilers for the book and for the differences between the book and the movie.
Overall, I felt that Catching Fire was a better adaptation in being true to the book, and just a better movie overall than The Hunger Games. I think what director Francis Lawrence and the screenwriters, Simon Beaufoy Michael Arndt, who were all new to the franchise, did with the material in Catching Fire was truly highlight its best elements and magnified them in this visual adaptation of the story. And if nothing else, the recasting of Buttercup was spot on…
I kid… sort of… kind of… not really. Come on Gary Ross, you couldn’t find an orange cat?!
But I digress…
The story starts off much like the book, with Katniss before the start of the Victory tour, though in order to help consolidate the storyline, they also make this the time that Gale kisses Katniss saying that he had to do “at least once.” Somehow President Snow knows about the kiss approximately 5-10 minutes later, but I guess we has spies and cameras everywhere so I am willing to let it go. Katniss and Peeta are cold towards each other but when the cameras turn on, they turn on the charm. Like the book, Peeta does slip on the ice and Katniss tumbles over him and kisses him. Peeta says Katniss does a good job faking it… that it almost felt like a real kiss. Which leads me to…
I forgot how frustrating this was in the book! Instantly I want to yell at Katniss, “Just love him! He’s the sweetest person you’ll ever know! LOVE HIM!!!!!” Which leads me to my biggest pet peeve of the movie…
GALE.
First off, let me say that Liam Hemsworth did like 10,000 times better as Gale in this movie, meaning that he actually came off as likable instead of dopey. I credit this to Hemsworth, the writers, and the director. THANK YOU ALL.
Hunger Games Gale = lame Gale.
Second off, it’s not really Gale I have a problem with, it’s Katniss AND Gale. For some reason, they decided to make Katniss like Gale as more than a friend instead of being truly confused about it all.
Catching Fire Gale = better Gale. But back off of Katniss!
Book quote:
His voice drops to a whisper. “I love you.”
…I never see these things coming. They happen too fast. One second you’re proposing an escape plan and the next… you’re expected to deal with something like this. I come up with must be the worst possible response. “I know.”
Movie quote:
“Do you love me?”
“Gale, you know how I feel about you.”
No Katniss, he doesn’t, neither do we, neither do you! I was almost willing to accept this, but then they decided to add an extra scene where right before the reaping, Katniss kisses Gale just because. Not because he kissed her first, and not because he just got whipped nearly to death, the two kisses that happened in the book and I completely accept, but an extra one where she acts like it’s because they’re dating.
NO. NO. NO.
WRONG. WRONG. WRONG.
Save those dang kisses for Mockinjay where they belong. But thankfully, the kissing with Peeta in this movie was also WAY better in this movie than in The Hunger Games.
I promise I care about more than the kissing and will move on in a minute…
Catching Fire is a critical point in the Peeta and Katniss’ love story. In all the time they spend together and Peeta is nothing but genuine and loving towards Katniss, she starts to feel a little something. And when she thinks she’s lost him forever in the arena, Jennifer did such a great job portraying how much Katniss suddenly cared in that moment. And then when they’re on the beach, and she tells him she needs him, and kisses him for real. That was great. I wish we could have gotten just a little more of them before they went back to the arena (like my fave scene in the book – the rooftop!), but still, it was all still way better in this movie than the cave stuff in the last one.
Something else I loved in this movie: Johanna Mason.
As far as I’m concerned, when it came to the other tributes, Jena Malone as Johanna stole the show. She was angry, she was vengeful, but she also stuck with the plan. The way she cursed President Snow, her sly looks as took off her outfit in the elevator (Jennifer Lawrence deserves an Oscar just for her face in that scene – priceless!), and her whole attitude was spot-on for me. I wanted more of her. I can’t wait to see more of her!
And then there was Finnick…
My one complaint with Finnick is that in the book, he comes off way creepy and I had to warm up to him like Katniss had to. But just the same, I enjoyed him in the movie and how Sam Clafin portrayed him.
Other minor characters who I felt really shone: Caesar of course (Stanley Tucci does him so perfectly – I just love it!), Effie, and Haymitch. All fabulous and even better in this movie than the last (and they were all great in the last one too)! You can see how much Haymitch and especially Effie have grown since the last movie. And President Snow was as chilling as ever.
But let’s talk about Plutarch. Phillip Seymour Hoffman is a great actor who can be way creepy (see: Mission Impossible 3), and I felt like he was extremely under-utilized in this movie. One detail from the book that I wish they would have left in the movie (and that literally would have taken five seconds) was Plutarch showing Katniss his Mockingjay watch. As it was, his conversation with her at the Capitol party felt so flat and no where near as impactful as it was in the book, which just seemed crazy with Phillip and Jennifer both being so talented. I blame the writing, which again, was usually spot on, but something about that moment in that scene just didn’t do a lot for the story to me. Though I will say Plutarch’s interactions with Snow were pretty good, even more dynamic than the interactions between Seneca and Snow in the last movie.
Beetee… jury’s still out. I like Jeffrey Wright in Source Code, and I thought he did fine here. I guess I wanted more but at the same time, the arena stuff in the movie couldn’t play out as much as it did in the book, and he didn’t have a lot to do anyway. Hopefully we’ll see really good things from him in the Mockingjay movies.
And Cinna? There wasn’t enough! And then when they beat him…
*cries*
Let’s move on…
More things I love: Prim’s go-get-em attitude, Peeta telling everyone about “the baby” (and Haymitch’s reaction, amazing, but sad they left out Finnick’s line about hormones!), did I mention Effie and Caesar?, and the AMAZING wedding dress turned Mockingjay dress…
Overall, Catching Fire delivered all the feelings I wanted and expected. It delivered a lot more lines from the book. It delivered all the tension and danger of the forthcoming revolution (District 11 scene *cries*). It delivered Katniss’ struggle with PTSD and resistance to being a symbol. It was filled with amazing moments that left satisfied and ready for Mockinjay! Though Mockingjay was my least favorite book of the trilogy I believe that if we have the same team working on it as Catching Fire, those two movies can really be powerful and awesome. For being quite possibly my favorite 2013 release, and for being an amazing adaptation, but with points knocked off for the extra Gale kiss (boo) and a couple of other nitpicky things, Catching Fire gets 4.5 stars from me.
