The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins *****

Honestly, I think this is a book that you should read, not knowing anything about it. Having read a few descriptions, I started it with preconceived notions and it took a few chapters before I could set them aside and simply enjoy the story. So, if you trust me, don't bother reading the rest of this review until after you're done the first book. Just pick it up and read. I haven't heard anybody say anything bad about it, so I feel confident is suggesting this.

If you're the kind of person who needs a bit of an idea about what they're getting into, carry on.

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the other districts in line by forcing them to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight-to-the-death on live TV.

One boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and sixteen are selected by lottery to play. The winner brings riches and favor to his or her district. But that is nothing compared to what the Capitol wins: one more year of fearful compliance with its rule. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her impoverished district in the Games.

But Katniss has been close to dead before — and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

Acclaimed writer Suzanne Collins, author of the New York Times bestselling Underland Chronicles, delivers equal parts suspense and philosophy, adventure and romance, in this stunning novel set in a future with unsettling parallels to our present.

This is not my usual genre of books. I read it because my 11 year old nephew demanded that I do so. We don't usually have the same reading interests, but since I've been pressuring him (and and getting my way) to read the Harry Potter series, I was leaning towards reading his suggestion. When a friend who does generally read the same sorts of books that I do said she'd read and loved the series, I thought I'd give it a chance.

I really liked it, which surprised me. It's along the lines of but not really just about everything that I dislike in stories. It's futuristic, but the author doesn't make wild assumptions or predictions about society or the technology. It's fantasy, but not weird. It's a story about a girl who is put into an arena and forced to fight to the death, but it's not gory or horrendous. It was a good story about a girl who struggles to survive before and after she's forced into the arena. It's full of suspense - a few times, I was tempted to put it down because I was so disturbed about the potential of what could happen next. But then I remembered it was a young adult (children's) book, so the events that I imagined and dreaded were highly unlikely to happen. Just the fact that I had to remind myself that, though, goes to show you how well the book was written.

Loved this one. Loved the twists and turns.
The next book that I pick up will be the next book in this series.

Mennonite in a Little Black Dress, by Rhoda Janzen **

Not long after Rhoda Janzen turned forty, her world turned upside down. It was bad enough that her husband of fifteen years left her for Bob, a guy he met on Gay.com, but that same week a car accident left her injured. Needing a place to rest and pick up the pieces of her life, Rhoda packed her bags, crossed the country, and returned to her quirky Mennonite family’s home, where she was welcomed back with open arms and offbeat advice. (Rhoda’s good-natured mother suggested she get over her heartbreak by dating her first cousin—he owned a tractor, see.)

Written with wry humor and huge personality—and tackling faith, love, family, and aging—Mennonite in a Little Black Dress is an immensely moving memoir of healing, certain to touch anyone who has ever had to look homeward in order to move ahead.

One word sums up my opinion on this book - "Meh".

It also holds the distinction of being the first book I haven't come close to finishing since I started this blog. It wasn't awful, it just wasn't funny or even all that amusing. I got as far as about 100 pages before I got distracted, and set it aside.  Since then, I've thought periodically that I should finish it, but something's holding me back. Finally, I decided that I don't have to finish books just because I "should". If I had enjoyed more, I probably would have finished it long ago. So, there you have it. The first book in my "unread" pile.

Caught, by Harlan Coben ***

17 year-old Haley McWaid is a good girl, the pride of her suburban New Jersey family, captain of the lacrosse team, headed off to college next year with all the hopes and dreams her doting parents can pin on her. Which is why, when her mother wakes one morning to find that Haley never came home the night before, and three months quickly pass without word from the girl, the community assumes the worst.

Wendy Tynes is a reporter on a mission, to identify and bring down sexual predators via elaborate—and nationally televised—sting operations. Working with local police on her news program Caught in the Act, Wendy and her team have publicly shamed dozens of men by the time she encounters her latest target. Dan Mercer is a social worker known as a friend to troubled teens, but his story soon becomes more complicated than Wendy could have imagined.

In a novel that challenges as much as it thrills, filled with the astonishing tension and unseen suburban machinations that have become Coben’s trademark, Caught tells the story of a missing girl, the community stunned by her loss, the predator who may have taken her, and the reporter who suddenly realizes she can’t trust her own instincts about this case—or the motives of the people around her

There are two kinds of mysteries, I think. There are the mysteries with foreshadowing and clues that are subtly hidden throughout the story that inform the reader, à la "Sixth Sense". These clues shouldn't be enough to solve the mystery, but once the answer is given, they should be enough that the reader understands exactly what happened and why.

Alternatively, there are mysteries where the readers follow the protagonist through the various steps as they solve the mystery. Done well, the reader can figure out the whodunit with the main character. Hidden clues throughout the book would lead up to the answers, and once exposed, tie everything together.

What I'm not a big fan of are the second type of mysteries, when the reader follows the protagonist through the various steps to solve the mystery, only to have the answer come out of left field with little to no warning. If the author needs to explain him or herself for 15-20 pages after the mystery is solved, they haven't done their job in my opinion.

This was that kind of book. There was a mystery. There was a character with a supporting cast who intended to solve the mystery. She ran around to check things out. Possibilities were tossed out. Red Herrings were provided. When the mystery was solved, the answer came out of the blue. The explanations then had to be spoon fed to the reader, because there hadn't been enough information provided earlier in the book.

I found myself getting into the story as I read this book, but not to the extent that I had any trouble putting it down. The main character was believable, but some of the supporting characters were beyond weird. As for the mystery - this is where it failed, in my opinion. I didn't read the last few pages. I read until the mystery was solved. I read 10-15 pages of explanation of how the solution came about, and then I'd had enough.