Review of Catching Fire and MockingJay by Suzanne Collins and WoWO Meeting

The lovely ladies of the WoWOs met at the Franklinville Inn on March 4th for our Book Club Meeting. This month we did something a little different and decided to read the last two books in the Hunger Game series and discuss them at the meeting.

left to right: Faith(me), Lori, Tricia, Peggy, Myrta, Linda, Louise, Karen and Colleen

We discussed the books individually then the series as a whole. First up, Catching Fire:

• Pub. Date: September 2009
• Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.
• Format: Hardcover , 400pp
• Age Range: Young Adult
• Series: Hunger Games Series , #2
• ISBN-13: 9780439023498

WoWO Rating: 3.67 / 5 Stars

My Rating: 4.5 Stars

Continuing in the hunger game series from the last WoWO meeting, Katniss and Peeta have won the 74th annual Hunger Games and returned home to district 12. As they go on the victory tour they hear and see things that make them realize that there may be a rebellion in the works. In the meantime, President Snow continues to threaten Katniss and scare her into submission to do his bidding on tour by threatening her family. But Katniss is found to have more power and fire than either Katniss or Snow ever imagined. With the announcement of the Quarter Quell (75th hunger games) the Capitol is trying to show that no one is safe and this year they announce that the tributes will be chosen from among the victors of previous Hunger Games.

In our discussion of the book we noted that Katniss was confused by her feelings for Gale, which were never clearly defined before leaving, because she actually fell for Peeta during the Hunger Games. Peeta stirs up a lot of emotion and confusion in Katniss. She cares for him and also feels the need to protect him and she also owes him for giving her bread that day long past and all he did to save her in the Games. Peeta pretty much stirs up all her emotions, so this confuses her.

When President Snow visits her home he says "... you have provided a spark which left unattended may grow into an inferno..." this is really the first that Katniss is hearing anything about this and doesn't really understand what he means but over the course of the book we realize that the spark is the rebellion and he is trying to scare and control her. The berries in the Hunger games were the initial spark of rebellion and it did in fact grow into an inferno in the book.

During the tour Katniss and Peeta begin to see the signs of the rebellion and Katniss realizes she is stuck with Peeta and can never truly decide what she wants for her future because of Snow. We all agreed that the 75th reaping procedure was custom made to get Katniss back into the Games. When Plutarch Heavensbee shows Katniss the hidden mockingjay image on his watch it was to show several things: 1) he was a rebel 2) hint of the clock in the Games to come... but at the time Katniss didn't realize the significance of the MockingJay. Which we all agreed was the perfect sign of hope for the people. Besides Katniss having the pin with her in the first games it was also the weapon used against the Capital in past rebellion.

We all agreed that the emotional trauma of hearing the jabberjays in the Games were worse than any of the physical trauma they endured (fog and rain of fire).

All in all we felt like the book was sort of an in between for the other two books. There were important things in this one but they probably could have just been split up and put in the other two books and made them bigger.

Next up is our MockingJay discussion:

• Pub. Date: August 2010
• Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.
  
• Format: Hardcover , 390pp
• Age Range: Young Adult
• Series: Hunger Games Series , #3
• ISBN-13: 9780439023511

WoWO Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

My Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

After Katniss is rescued from the 75th Hunger Games, she recovers from her trauma to find that Peeta has been taken prisoner by Snow. She is determined to save him at any cost, especially her own life. She learns that District 13 does exist and is leading the rebellion. She also learns that her life in District 12 no longer exists, it was destroyed by the Capital. She tries to adjust to life underground in District 13, not very successfully. In order to save Peeta she agrees to become the face of the rebellion with several conditions, one of them is being able to kill President Snow. New characters were introduce in this book and they were all pretty well developed for being just introduced in the final book of the series.

As with the other two books we agreed on many aspects but there are a few that we differed on. For example, The question came up if Katniss ever loved Gale the way he wants her to love him? and Does he truly love her. We all agreed that Katniss never loved Gale fully the way he wanted but we differed on whether Gale truly loved Katniss. Many of us said Yes but a few said No, thinking that it was more of a childhood crush thing and not true love for him.

We all agreed that the treatment of Peeta at the end of the story was sad and almost unnecessary. The author made him a different person at the end of the story, and it was more permanent of a change than we would have liked to see. We all believed it was the rebels who killed the children with the exploding parachutes, and we also did not feel that the ends justified the means in this case. We were confused by Katniss' choice to vote for another Hunger Games, it didn't seem like she would really do it for revenge for Prim, it seemed more like she was testing Coin for worthiness of the presidential role. To see if things had really changed, that's the way we like to see it anyway.

We all agreed that she loved Gale and Peeta but she chooses Peeta because she needs to be needed. That and the fact that she could never forgive Gale for the death of Prim and Gale can't even forgive himself.

Some of us thought that Gale would end up with Katniss and Peeta would be president or that Katniss herself would be president. I don't think any of us could have called the true ending. All of us were disappointed in the way Snow died... it seemed anti-climatic and Katniss should have been able to kill him.

Now for the Entire Series as a whole, we rated it a 4/5 Stars, I personally loved the storyline and the characters and gave the series a 5/5 Stars as a whole trilogy. It was highly entertaining and I cared about all of the characters.

Some of the things that we agreed got better as the books went on was that the mother's character development was helpful to making you care for her. The first book made her an unlikeable character and as you learned of her life's journey you began to feel for her and then at the end she really steps up to be an amazing character. Prim was also a character that developed really well and we all felt the loss of her character in the end was not necessary.

The favorite book in the serious, unanimously was : THE HUNGER GAMES

Next up for the WoWO's is A Thousand Spendid Suns by Khaled Hossieni on March 23rd. So Check Back!

Also if you haven't seen our write up on Author Dianna Love's website please check it out here.

See ya next time!

The WoWO's have made the big time!!!

I am so excited I am about to burst at the seems. The WoWO's are a featured Quaantum book club for Dianna Love's new Website!


As you've heard me mention on my blog many a time, Author Dianna Love has a wonderful website for book clubs (called Quaantum readers). She gives away copies of books that authors, like herself, offer up to book clubs to read and discuss. The WoWO's have had an amazing experience with the authors that we've been given books of: See the WoWO reviews for Wild Heart by Lori Brighton (click here to see the review) and The Education of Mrs. Brimley by Donna MacMeans (click here to see the review).

Recently the Dianna Love website has been revamped and the WoWOs were asked to become a featured Quaantum Book Club for the launch of the new site. I got to deal with Cassondra, Dianna Love's assistant and she's really a great person to deal with. I'm proud to announce that the website is up and its fabulous.


See the WOWO's Quaantum Book Club feature write up here or click the Quaantum Readers image above. You can also see all the other wonderful features of Dianna Love's new website. Enjoy!

Once you get to the link you need to scroll down about halfway and you'll see the write up of the WoWO book club.

Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure: Philadelphia 2011

Ok.. I've done something really exciting and crazy. I've signed up to support my niece in the 3-Day for the Cure Susan G. Komen Walk: That is walking 60 miles in 3 days in October. I am so excited to be able to support my niece who was diagnosed with Breast Cancer last fall at 24 years old. She's been an amazing inspiration to me and I want to do this to walk by her side and support her every step of the way. Our Team name is Race for Rach's Rack and we are excited to jump in and start training getting ready for October.

This said, I have to raise $2300 Dollars in order to walk on the team by October. So, If you feel it in your heart to support such a cause, any donation - no matter how small - would be appreciated. You can click the link below and it will take you to my donation page.


If you can't give a donation, I hope that you will support my journey to the 3-day/60 mile walk and send me love and encouragement during my training.

Thank you so much for your support!

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins review and WoWO Meeting

Personal Rating: 5 Stars

BookClub Rating: 4.8 Stars

• Pub. Date: October 2008
• Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.
• Format: Hardcover , 374pp
• Age Range: Young Adult
• Series: Hunger Games Series , #1
• ISBN-13: 9780439023481

The story of the Hunger Games is an amazing tale. The time is sometime in the distant future, the place is Panem, what we now call North America but is no more. This is the story of Katniss Everdeen and the people who surround her and become a part of her life. In first person, we dive into the thoughts of this 16 year old girl and we are not disappointed. The Hunger games happen once a year where each of the 12 districts of Panem hold a lottery to choose one girl and one boy to fight for food and provisions for their poor district. The games are televised and the basis of the games is reminiscent of the Running Man (where the players are children).

This book is labeled a young adult science fiction novel but it is so much more than this. I can't imagine one person I know who would not enjoy this book, it was amazing. I found myself anxious while reading; not being able to wait for what is to come. I would dream about it at night and be utterly absorbed in thoughts of it during the days while not reading it. I picked up this novel for WoWO book club read and The Ladies of the WoWO met to discuss the hunger games this month with great success!

We had a Hunger Games themed dinner with the discussion and then played our own WoWO Games. As usually this synopsis of the discussion contains spoilers:

We felt that having the book written in first person, present tense from Katniss' perspective made it more exciting and we really liked it as a group. We felt that Katniss was well prepared to be a contestant in the hunger games because she is already a hunter, provider and a survivor, so these things make her more resilient in the games. This survivor instinct also helps her face adversity throughout all of Panem, knowing she'll get in trouble if she speaks out against the country in any way.

We discussed how the tributes see the games verses the others and how the careers are treating the games as fame and glory "when they win" versus the others who go in thinking they will die and just try to survive as long as possible. Although Katniss was given advice from Haymitch to stay out of the cornucopia, she decides to rush in because she is enticed by the bow and arrows. We all felt that she couldn't ignore trying to get it no matter how dangerous it may have been and at least she was able to get the backpack.

We all felt that her survival instinct and her knowledge of nature were her most important skills in the hunger games. She is highly intelligent and intuitive, very street smart and she knew what to do to get what they needed (from the wild or from the sponsors). We all felt a great respect for Peeta. He had integrity and he didn't want the games to change him and turn him into a monster, like they have done to others in the past. he was determined to stay true to himself, and he managed to do that and did not have to kill anyone in the games.

We all agreed that Peeta joined with the careers to protect Katniss. The Careers wanted to use Peeta to get information on Katniss, so for a while it seemed like they could use each other for survival as long as they don't find out the Peeta is only there to protect Katniss, not help the careers. I have to admit I was shocked at first when I saw Peeta with them and wondered what his game was and was glad to see that he was just protecting her.

We all loved the relationship between Katniss and Rue. Besides companionship they did a lot to protect each other. Rue saved Katniss fr om the careers by warning her and showing her the tracker jacker nest. Katniss may have owed her from that point but it was a deeper connection than that for Katniss and Rue.

We all felt that Katniss started to fall for Peeta by the end of the book... even though she was confused about her feelings, there was something there for her. We all agreed that for Katniss to act in love with Peeta was the right thing to do because surviving is key. Even though there ended up being consequences, they are alive at the end of the book and that was the point to it all. A tribute never really wins the hunger games because they have to live with what they did to survive and from seeing how the experience affected Haymitch, its not easy to live with.

Some of our favorite scenes were:

• When Katniss volunteered to go to the games instead of Prim.
• When Rue helped Katniss with the tracker jackers
• When Katniss covered Rue with flowers and then District 11 sent the bread to her.
• When Foxface was hiding in the cornucopia and already knew of the land minds.
• When Peeta announced that he loved Katniss and then the chapter ended, adding to the suspence of it all.
• In the end with the berries, when the capital was tricked.

Some of our favorite quotes were:

• Peeta's Quote: "...I w ant to die as myself.. I don't want them to change me in there. Turn me into some kind of monster that I'm not."
• The song of the Mockingjay.

Some of the characters we related to were:

• Rue
• Peeta
• Katniss' mother

However it was a landslide on the favorite character: Katniss by far (there was one vote for Rue).

In future books we would like to see Katniss' mother be a more developed character and we want Katniss to choose between Gale or Peeta. We have 4 members of team Peeta and 3 for Team Gale and 1 for both Peeta and Gale. (I'm definitely on team G ALE!)

Now on to the pictures of our Feast:

We had a food representing every district in Panem and the Hunger Games:

District 1 is luxury its so we had candy watches and Rings as well as our drink to toast the beginning of the games.


District 2 is weaponry so we had Pretzel balls for bullets.
District 3 is electronics but they have square bite sized rolls as well, so we had the rolls.
District 4 is fishing, so we had fish shaped crackers and snacks.
District 5, 6 and 9's industry is unknown so we had a special bread representing these districts.
District 7 is lumber so we had pretzel rods as logs
District 8 is textiles, so the tablecloth represented this district
District 10 is livestock so we had a nice beef stew
District 11 is agriculture so we had an apple cake to represent this district:


District 12 is coal, and we had candy coal to represent District 12
District 13 is said to be destroyed so we had an empty plate for 13

We also had Goosling Legs and Nuts and Berries to represent the wild of the Hunger Games:

(Lori Eating a Gooseling leg)

Here is a group of the girls eating the feast:

(Colleen, Louise, Linda, Myrta)

Let the games begin, May the odds be ever in your favor:


We played a few games, they were all timed and the one who gets the furthest in 60 seconds was the winner:

Don't blow the joker:

(Lori testing out Blow the joker) - it was a dud and we decided not to play it.

Pencil catch:

(Tricia scaring us all with her crazy grab!)

Apple Stack:

(Linda stacking apples)

(Louise - the applestack winner with 5 apples stacked)

Cup stack:

(Peggy Stacking her cups with confidence)

(Myrta restacking after a tumble)

(Colleen a stacking fool)

The WoWos all together:
(Louise, Lori, Linda, Colleen, Myrta, Faith (me), Peggy and Tricia)

As stated above our final rating was a 4.8 for the group and we decided as a group to have our next meeting be the continuation of the series. Both Catching Fire and Mockingjay will be discussed at the next book club meeting on May 4th, so make sure you check back for the review.

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

Rating: 2/5 Stars

• Pub. Date: March 1998
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publisher
• Format: Mass Market Paperback , 304p
• Age Range: Young Adult
• ISBN: 0380729407

A carnival comes into town late one evening in October and two local boys, Jim and Will, are pulled into the mysterious nature of this carnival and they end up deeper into the mysteries then they ever thought they would go.

I loved the premise of the story and had such high hopes for this classic but it just fell a bit short for me. I didn't care much for the writing style so I think that's what really made me not enjoy it as much. It just didn't live up to the hype for me.

This book fits the following Challenges for me:

• Hogwarts Reading Challenge 2011
• A-Z 2011 Alphabet Challenge
• What's in a Name Challenge
• New Author Challenge
• PBT February Category : Science Fiction

New Author Challenge - 2011

Yes, I know ... ANOTHER CHALLENGE! It really is some sort of disease I have that I have to keep signing myself up for challenges.

The New Author Challenge in the I love Reading Challenges book group on Shelfari hosted by Tenia:

Here are the details:

1. The challenge will run from January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2011.

2. Since this is an author challenge, there is no restriction on choosing your novels. They can definitely be from other challenges. However, the authors must be new to you and, preferably from novels. Anthologies are a great way to try someone new, but only a third of your new authors can be from anthologies.
3. I want this to be an easy challenge, so you can pick to do either 15, 25 or 50 new authors. It all depends on how fast you read and how adventurous you want to be. For me, I’m trying another 50 new authors. If you reach your goal halfway through the year, don’t stop.
4. After reading your new author, Make sure you include your name and the author, but adding the title is completely up to you.
5. New Author Challenge 2010Bloggers or Non-Bloggers alike are welcome

I will try for 20 -- here it goes:

1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - Jan 09
2. Bankok 8 by John Burdett - Jan 16

3. Something wicked this way comes by Ray Bradbury - Feb 06

What's in a Name Challenge 2011

Another Challenge Hosted by Laurie W on Shelfari's I Love Reading Challenges Group
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What's in a Name 4: Information and Sign-Up
Welcome to the fourth What's in a Name Challenge! This challenge was originated by a young blogger named Annie, who hosted it for two years. When she decided to give up on being the host, I took over the challenge.

I credit this challenge with being one of the prime reasons for my becoming a blogger, so I am thrilled to be its new host.

Here's How It Works

Between January 1 and December 31, 2011, read one book in each of the following categories:

A book with a number in the title: First to Die, Seven Up, Thirteen Reasons Why
A book with jewelry or a gem in the title: Diamond Ruby, Girl with a Pearl Earring, The Opal Deception
A book with a size in the title: Wide Sargasso Sea, Small Wars, Little Bee
A book with travel or movement in the title: Dead Witch Walking, Crawling with Zombies, Time Traveler's Wife
A book with evil in the title: Bad Marie, Fallen, Wicked Lovely
A book with a life stage in the title: No Country for Old Men, Brideshead Revisited, Bog Child

The book titles are just suggestions, you can read whatever book you want to fit the category.

Other Things to Know
Books may be any form (audio, print, e-book).
Books may overlap other challenges.
Books may not overlap categories; you need a different book for each category.
Creativity for matching the categories is not only allowed but encouraged.
You do not have to make a list of books before hand.
You do not have to read through the categories in any particular order.
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My Results:

A book with a number in the title: Bangkok 8 by John Burdett - Jan 09
A book with jewelry or a gem in the title:
A book with a size in the title:
A book with travel or movement in the title:
A book with evil in the title: Something Wicked this way Comes by Ray Bradbury - Feb 06
A book with a life stage in the title:

Pick a Year Challenge - 2011

I know I know, I can't stop joining challenges - it's a sickness really. So here's another!

From the PBT group on Shelfari the challenge is as follows:
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Pick any year you want and read one book per month (for a total of 12) from that year over the course of 2011.

Please use a single message (as well as replies to that message) to share your year choice, what books you think you might read, and what books you actually read.

Reviews should still be posted in our normal monthly review threads please. No need to post them here (unless you want to).

Some people have come up with creative modifications to this challenge. If you are using a modified version, please share your idea in your message.
-----------------------------

So, since I get a lot of ARCs for review and last year I was horrible at doing my duty to the publishers this year I am going to make up for it by choosing 2011.

I am not going to plan for this one, I'm just going to go with the flow on what I receive as Arcs.

0/12 so far:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.

NO MORE BOOKS Challenge - 2011

This Challenge i hosted by Laurie W on the Shelfari I Love Reading Challenges group here.

The following is from Laurie W's post:

The rules:

1. You are not allowed to purchase any new books until your current TBR pile is gone. (These are physical books already in your house that you own.)

2. You may "swap" books with others.

3. You may borrow books from the library or friends.

4. Books read can be used in other challenges also.

5. You can borrow ebooks or download FREE ebooks.

6. You can use gift cards you already have to purchase books. We can't let them go to waste!

That's it! The challenge is to see who can get rid of their pile first or be the last one to purchase a book!

I'll be keeping a List updated here:

1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - Jan 09 (Borrowed Nook Book)

2. Bangkok 8 by John Burdett - Jan 16 (Borrowed Nook Book)

3, Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins - Mar 04 (Borrowed Nook Book)

4. MockingJay by Suzanne Collins - Mar 05 (Borrowed Nook Book)

Bangkok 8 by John Burdett

Rating: 1/5 Stars

• Pub. Date: June 2003
• Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
• Format: NOOKbook (eBook)
• Sonchai Jitpleecheep Series , #1
• ISBN: 1400040914

Sonchai Jitpleecheep is a cop in Bangkok, one of the few cops who don't take money or free sex from prostitutes. When is partner, Pichai, dies at a chrime scene with a dead farang (American) marine, the FBI gets involved. Out for revenge for Pichai's death, Sonchai tries to stay one step ahead of the FBI.

For me something was very off in this book, I think it was mostly the fact that there was so much information about sex and prostitutes in Bangkok's red light district that it seemed obsessive. There was a murder mystery intertwined with all the sex and prostitution stories but in the end it all came down to a very strange outcome that completely creeped me out and made me wish I could have the time I spent reading the book back. I want to say more but I don't want to give away plot details in case someone happens to want to read this book which I do not recommend.

This is the first book in the series and I can assure you that I will not read more. I see at Amazon there are many good reviews for this book so it's hit some kind of niche for some readers but not this one.

This book fits the following Challenges:

Hogwarts: Arithmancy

A-Z title : B for Bangkok

A-Z 2011 Challenge

Laurie W on Shelfari is hosting this challenge on the I Love Reading Challenges Shelfari Group here.

January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2011.

Here is the challenge in Laurie's words:

"How does this reading challenge work? Choose the option that works best for you...

Authors -- Read alphabetically by author. Commit to 26 books.
Titles -- Read alphabetically by title. Commit to 26 books.
Authors & Titles -- Commit to reading 52 books

How strict is the 26 or 52? I know it isn't always easy to find those difficult letters. The thought of finding the X's (for example) might scare folks away. It shouldn't! I'm a merciful host! (Ask anyone!)

If you want to give the X's a go... For authors, try to find an X in the first name, middle name, or last name. For titles, it doesn't have to be the starting word. Try to find an X somewhere in a title, and it'd count in my book.

Still can't find a book for the letter you need? I'll take your word for it. I've been there. I know. If your library doesn't see the need to order books just because it starts with an X, then I don't blame you for not wanting to special order a book that you may or may not enjoy. You gave it your best, don't feel bad. You can still make this challenge work for you. "

-----

I've decided for some reason to do BOTH, mainly because I'm crazy and a gluten for punishment. I'm going to try to fill up the titles first and when a title doesn't fit then I'll move to Authors.

Titles:
A
B - Bangkok 8 by John Burdett - Jan 16
C - Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins - Mar 04
D
E
F
G
H - The HUNGER Games by Suzanne Collins - Jan 09
I
J
K
L
M - MockingJay by Suzanne Collins - Mar 05
N
O
P
Q
R
S - Something Wicked this way comes by Ray Bradbury
T
U
V
W

AUTHORS:
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z

Hogwarts Reading Challenge 2011

I joined this challenge last year and it was a lot of fun so here I go again! Hosted by Bunnitas at Worth reading it?

Hogwarts Reading Challenge 2011

January 1, 2011 to June 30, 2011

In the Hogwarts Reading Challenge you are a student of the school. You will be sorted into houses. Each book you read must fit in to the subject of one the classes. You do not have to read books that fit all the subjects. Each book equals one point (toward the house cup).

You must read at least 5 books (audio books counts) before you are enter in to the drawing. At the end of the Challenge one person will win a $15 Amazon Gift Card and one house will win the House Cup (purely a pride thing). (from the WorthReadingit? Blog)

Bunnitas will post all of the Mini Challenges in the next few days so that everyone can plan out their books in advance.

To be eligible to win prizes you must have a blog and sign up using Mr. Linky. Then start a Hogwarts Reading Challenge post and link it back to the original post. ****Update you can be eligible for prize if you become a member of I Love Reading Challenges on Shelfari and keep the list of the books you read for this challenge under the Hogwarts Challenge post there. You can also become a fan of the I Love Reading Challenges Facebook fan page and keep you list there as well.

Click here to go to the Sorting Hat. Please be honest. If there are too many in one particular house you may be place into another. So if the Sorting Hat places you in Sytherin you are Sytherin for duration of this challenge.

Click here to check your individual points and your house points.

Reading one of the 7 Harry Potter books earns you 25 house points. You can only read this books once during the challenge. 15 points for any other Harry Potter related book such as Tales of Beedle the Bard or A Parent's Guide to Harry Potter, again these books and only be read once during the challenge.

Have any questions leave them in a comment and I will get back to you. Have fun, good luck and Happy Reading!

****you can also find this challenge at my group I Love Reading Challenge on Shelfari

The Houses :

Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Slytherin

If you were a part of this challenge before you can stay in the house you were in or go to any house of your choosing just leave a comment letting me know what house you are in.

I am staying in Hufflepuff!

The Classes

Transfiguration - read any book that has trans or figure in its title, is about shape shifting, has a shape shifter in it, or is about anything having to do with changing one thing into another
Defence Against the Dark Arts - read any book that has defence(defense), dark and/or art(s) in its title, read any book that is about self defense, war, history of war/marital arts, murder mysteries

Charms - read any book that has charm in its title, any book that deals with gives something or someone a new aspect (for example the nerdy guy become a handsome doctor)

Potions - read any book that has potion in its title, cookbooks count but you must cook at least one recipe out of the book

Astronomy - read any book that has astronomy in its title, books about planets, stars, etc, sci-fi

History of Magic - read any book that has history or magic in its title, books about magic, witches, etc

Herbology - read any book that has herb in its title, again cookbooks count and again you must cook at least one recipe out of the book

Arithmancy - read any book that has arithmancy in its title, any book with a number in its title, any book that deal with numbers or math

Ancient Runes - read any book that has ancient or runes in its title, books about historical places like the pyramids, Stonehenge, great wall of china, or any book about symbols
Divination - read any book that has divine in its title, any book about psychics or psychic abilities, tarot reading etc

Care of Magical Creatures - read any book that has magical or creatures in its title, about supernatural beings

Muggle Studies - nearly any book works here, what better why to understand Muggle than to read what they read

How to list your books and keep track of points:

When you copy this post onto your blog just list the book you read for the challenge under the subject to which it fits. Please list books using numbered bullet points. This makes keeping track of points easier for me.

Example:

History of Magic - read any book that has history or magic in its title, books about magic, witches, etc
1. Tears of the Moon by Nora Roberts 3/12/2010

My January Reads for this Challenge:

Transfiguration -

Defence Against the Dark Arts - Jan 1)The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - 09 Jan

Mar 1) Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins - 04 Mar

Mar 2) MockingJay by Suzanne Collins - 05 Mar

Charms -

Potions -

Astronomy -

History of Magic - Feb 1) Something Wicked this way comes by Ray Bradbury - 2/6

Herbology -

Arithmancy - Jan 2) Bangkok 8 by John Burdett - 16 Jan

Ancient Runes -

Divination -

Care of Magical Creatures -

Muggle Studies -

Long Book Challenge 2011

Over the next week or so I'll be posting about what challenges I've decided to join in on this year.

The first one is from the Play Book Tag group on Shelfari called: Long Book Challenge 2011.

The idea is to read 4000 total pages from books that are 600 pages or more this year.

Here is my plan :


The Passage by Justin Cronin (766 pages)


Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (656 pages)


Pillars of the Earth by : Ken Follett (973 pages)


The Winter Rose by Jennifer Donnelly (720 pages)


Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer (756 pages)

That brings me to 3871 pages so I guess I'll pick the last one as I go. I'm sure another 600+ page book will jump out at me sometime during this year.

Has anyone read any of these? Any comments or suggestions for my last book choice? If so, Please comment below.

Watch my progress throughout the year on the left side of my blog.

1/3/11 - Updated to Add The Girl who Played with Fire by Steig Larson (630 Pages) bringing me a total of 4501!

Now lets do this! ;)

Happy New Year!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

My Dear Readers!!! I have not posted in a long while and that thought really disappoints me. My Blog was one of my favorite things to do last year and when November hit, something happened to my blogging and my reading. I can't explain it but I can say I'm sorry! But it's a new year and with a new year brings a new chance at making it work. I will not dwell on the fact that I let a lot of things fall by the wayside at the end of last year, especially my reading. So here I am begging you for forgiveness for not posting in a while and I hope that with the coming year you'll stick with me and continue to read as you previously did.

January is the 1 year anniversary of my face to face book club (the WoWO's) and we will be reading the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. So look for that post somewhere around the 23rd of the month.



This is my first book read of the year and then I will move on to Bangkok 8 by John Burdett. The Hunger Games so far is amazing and I'm glad that it is my first of the year. We have some fun things planned for the WoWO Meeting this month and I can't wait to show all of you how it turns out.

I'm feeling very positive about this year and I know its going to be a great one! Lots of good book reads and discussions and hopefully a few more giveaways this year.

Oooh I almost forgot! I got a Nook for Christmas and I'm excited to tell you that I love love love it! Now I have to figure out what to do with the 300 books I have on my shelves! Besides reading the ones I really want to read I think I'll be donating a lot of them.

Thanks for hanging in there with me readers!