Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

       Catching Fire is the second book in The Hunger Games series written by Suzanne Collins. After the events of The Hunger Games, Katniss and Peeta find themselves trying to suppress a rebellion across the districts, supposedly igniting because of them. In order to please President Snow, Katniss and Peeta must prove that they weren't rebelling in The Hunger Games, but that they were acting out of love for one another. 
       I finally have read Catching Fire, it took like a whole year, since I read The Hunger Games, but I've finally done it and I'm so glad I did! 
       In the beginning I was upset that it didn't start off right after that train scene from the first book, instead it took place a while after that happened which I feel didn't have the same affect. I would have rather read it in the present tense but instead I read about it in the past tense, so that was a bit upsetting. I liked that we get to see Peeta and Katniss after they have won the games, it felt relieving to have our heroes safe, even if it only lasts for a few chapters. I also loved the ending! An amazing cliffhanger which makes me really want to read the third book: Mockingjay, like very soon! I adored the new characters added in the book such as Finnick Odair and Johanna Mason, each of them were interesting to read about and I really enjoyed their personalities. 
         Things that I didn't like about this book is how the first 100 or so pages felt sort of slow, to me it didn't seem as fast-paced as The Hunger Games and  it seemed to take forever for the plot to really go into affect but I did like how the rest of the book did pick up its speed, especially towards the end! Something I feel should have been added to was the Victory Tour, I felt like Suzanne could have added more detail to each district, I would have liked to know more about what they're like by descriptions not by being told. 
       All in all Catching Fire was a really good book that had me absorbed for a long time, it was filled with action, emotion and adventure and the cliffhanger has me wanting more! I give it 4 out of 5 stars. I can't wait to see the movie, I think it'll be interesting to see how they set up the arena and the last part of the book definitely needs to go in there, it'll probably be so hard to watch that scene but it needs to stay!

(440 words)

Unorthodox Jukebox by Bruno Mars

           Unorthodox Jukebox by Bruno Mars is the official, second studio album released by him recently on December 10, 2012 (in The United States) and as early as December 6, 2012 in other places such as the Netherlands while some places have just had it released this week like Japan. The album features his the first single: Locked Out of Heaven and the music video for the song was released on October 15, 2012. Bruno Mars has stated that this album is supposed to represent his freedom after being rejected by many music labels claiming that "his music was all over the place". Like his previous album: Doo-wops & Holligans his sound consists of styles and influences of pop, rock, reggae, R&B, soul, and hip hop.
       The regular album has 10 songs, it begins with the song: Young Girls, reportedly to be the second single off the album (and the music video is apparently something he hasn't done before), and it ends with: If I knew.
       Songs to take notice would definitely be Locked Out of Heaven, which you have probably heard by now especially because it's constantly on the radio. I think people should take notice of this song, if you haven't already because it has a nice, smooth sound with lyrics that are easy to relate to and seem to fit the melody perfectly. The song is probably one of my current favorites as of right now and I like blasting it when it comes on the radio, it's just one of those songs that one must blast on the radio like Call Me Maybe!
        Another song that I think is worth mentioning is Treasure, it has the same theme like most of his other songs, to treat a girl like she's a princess. What I really like about this song is the sound it has, the lyrics are your typical lyrics found in most pop songs and they're okay, I like them but what made me really like this song was that old sound  it has that you used to hear, it also reminded me a bit of Michael Jackson's sound.
        The album was good, I liked hearing different sounds on the album because I got different styles of music from Bruno Mars which was nice to hear and it included some really good songs lyric wise, sound wise, and music wise in general. I give Unorthodox Jukebox by Bruno Mars 3 stars out of 5.

(408 words)

Winter Wonderland

      I don't get it. I really, really don't get it. How come it's December and there hasn't really been any snow? Well there was, like yesterday morning when I woke up to see pretty thick snowflakes falling onto the white ground I got so excited! Until later that day that snow turned into water, than my excitement turned into disappointment. I don't know, unlike a lot of people I know, I actually do like snow and I'll go as far as to say Winter is my favorite season. Why? Well, Summer is way too hot and sticky especially Iowa Summer's, meanwhile Winter should be cold and covered in a thick blanket of glistening snow. But for some reason, this year is just like last year, little to no snow. 
       Snow is a part of the weather, it's something most of us have dealt with for most of our lives, whether we like it or not we do know how to deal with it but for a person not to have a "White Christmas" is just not the same as a "Brown Christmas", at least not to me. Last year was the first year, that I remember, when we didn't have a "White Christmas", I was disappointed because it just didn't feel like Christmas, the feeling of fresh snow falling on the ground on Christmas Eve was gone and I don't know about you but I love that feeling! I love snow, I love how it sparkles under the moonlight every night and I love how crunchy it sounds underneath my boots on my way inside my house and I love the crisp air, Winter is like Wonderland to me. So it's really disappointing to see that it still hasn't snowed yet. 
       Who knows, maybe we will have a "White Christmas" this year but at this rate I find it very unlikely. I mean just last week it was seventy degrees out! Seventy degrees. Seventy degrees, in Winter, in Iowa. Iowa Winter's consist of the bitter cold, fuzzy socks, and annoying Winter jackets; they're not, they shouldn't consist of shorts, tank tops and sandals. This is just ridiculous! For the last few years the weather here in Iowa has just gotten more and more bipolar, it's confusing. 
        A White Christmas, that is all I'm asking for. I won't mind if we don't get snow until than but I'd really like it if it snowed on Christmas.

(405 words)

Destroy Me by Tahereh Mafi

        Destroy Me by Tahereh Mafi is book 1.5 in the Shatter Me series. The reason it's 1.5 is because it takes place between book 1 (Shatter Me) and book 2 (Unravel Me due to come out on February 5, 2013). You don't really need to read this book in order to read the second book but I decided I wanted to because it's from the antagonist's point of view. This book is also, as far as I know, only available as a digital book, so I was able to buy it on my phone.
      Destroy Me follows Warner, the son of the leader of a dystopian society: The Reestablishment. The Reestablishment is divided into sectors and Warner is the leader of Sector 45. After being shot in the arm by Juliette in the first book, Shatter Me, Destroy Me follows Warner in his quest to look for Juliette, Adam, and Kenji. 
       Though it's not necessary to read this book before the second book, I decided I would because I thought it'd be interesting to read from Warner's point of view. What I liked about it is I was able to understand him a little bit more but it also left me with the same questions: Why is Warner the way he is? And what is with his obsession with Juliette? These questions were somewhat answered in the book but I didn't think it was enough and I really wish the author, Tahereh Mafi would have expanded more in her answers. 
         I liked that I was able to see a different side of Warner. In Shatter Me he seemed cruel and relentless but in this book I find him a lot more vulnerable and I almost feel bad for the guy. 
         What I didn't like about the book was the plot, well, actually, more like the lack of a plot. I don't know if it's because this book is in between two books but shouldn't a book still have a plot even though it's shorter than your average book? Not much really happened except that I got to see what he was up to after the events in Shatter Me. One of the most interesting things I would say happened was meeting his father and how he interacted with him, that at least helped me understand, a little, why Warner appears to be cruel. 
       Destroy Me was easy to read in a short time period, I liked seeing things from Warner's point of view, but I didn't like the plot. I give Destroy Me 3 out of 5 stars.  

(428 words)

Warrior by Ke$ha

      Warrior by Ke$ha is her, official, second studio album. The album was recently released in the United States on November 30, 2012.  She has stated that this album is supposed to be more personal than her other albums (Animal and Cannibal) with "magic" as the overall theme. Another theme she wanted to capture was the idea that everyone has a warrior within them, which would explain the album being titled: Warrior. Compared to her past songs, her first album, and her EP's, her style in music has stayed the same with electropop, dance-pop, and electronic rock styles. There are a few slower songs then usual but they generally still have the same style within them.
      Listening to the album, I would say that only a few really stood out for me. These would include her first single: Die Young. Die Young is a song that can easily get stuck in your head when you initially hear it, it's one of those songs that you either really, really hate or a song that you just can't get enough of. For me, Die Young would classify under a song that I can't get out of my head when I hear it.
     Another song that I really liked is called Supernatural, it's a little different from her other songs but not as much. When I say it's different I mean the lyrics. I'm the type of person who likes not only the beat of a song but also the lyrics, if I love the beat and I can relate to the lyrics then it can be classified as my perfect song. Usually, when I'm listening to Ke$ha, I don't really relate to her songs. I relate to them sometimes but the enough, the only reason I like listening to her music is because her electropop style is something that's different for me and it makes listening to her fun.
      Anyways, so what really stood out about Supernatural was a slight change in her lyrics. I liked that I was able to relate to most of it but she still added in her usual, dirty little comments which made it still Ke$ha and not some completely other person singing this. This was somewhat of a twist when it comes to her sound, it still has that electropop vibe but I think it's a lot more slower than her usual songs and I liked this direction she was going with this song, it was different and it was fresh for her. I definitely liked this song and this would be a great track for her to steer into a slightly different sound than usual.
       Overall, the album was definitely a lot more personal than her past ones, she didn't completely eliminate her past sound but she did change up her lyrics which is what made it personal. I give the album 3 out of 5 stars.

(481 words)

Secret Santa

      The chiming of the Salvation Army bells, the chilly wind, the (sometimes, actually a lot of the time) annoying holiday music at the mall or really anywhere you go (you just can't escape it!), the smell of annual scents like peppermint, a lot of holiday cookies with colorful Christmas colors, and the anticipation from people like me for Winter Break to finally come! That could pretty much sum Christmas up but than again I feel like it's more than that. But than there's the biggest issue, what to get your family and friends.
     My family and my extended family always have a Secret Santa thing set up, we gather together on Thanksgiving and have a Thanksgiving dinner together then we all put our names into a hat and we pull out a name and we then have to get a gift for that person. That's how Secret Santa works. Then, on Christmas Eve we gather together at my cousin's house, we have dinner, then comes the gifts!
     Getting a gift for your person is always tricky though, I mean you want the person to like the gift, right? So when buying a gift you need to keep some things in mind:

• Think about favorites, take into account their favorite actor/ actress, movie, book (if they read, I realize not all people read because they hate it), sports team, band/ artist, or a place to eat.

     Once you have that favorite thing in mind then get something relating to it, say your best friends favorite actor is Channing Tatum and her favorite actress is Rachel McAdams, it would probably be an amazing idea to get her The Vow, you know, assuming she doesn't have it yet.

• Think about the price limit, you obviously don't want to spend too much but you also don't want to be cheap. So say the price limit is from 20 to 30, then spending about 25 seems pretty decent.

     And finally:

• Think about quality, I like my presents to last pretty long like most people probably do, so don't be too cheap and invest in something that seems like it's worth the price. Look up reviews online if possible, that's usually a good, helpful indicator. 

(369 words)

Reached by Ally Condie

      Reached by Ally Condie is the third and final book of the Matched Trilogy. It was released a while ago on November 13, 2012. The book takes place after the events of Crossed. This book is told from the point of view from three different people the main characters, Cassia Reyes, Ky Markham, and Xander Carrow.
     What I liked about this book was the fact that it was told by different point's of views, I always like it when an author does that because it gives me insight on different characters and it helps me get to know the character better and understand why they're doing what they're doing even if I don't support them for some reason. It's no different with Reached, I enjoyed reading each characters story and I liked seeing that they were doing their own thing and they weren't just moping around for their loved ones like some characters sometimes do in stories. 
      Another thing I liked about this book was the style, like the first two in the series, Reached was beautifully written. I feel like you'd understand once you've read the books, there's something about Ally Condie's writing that it poetic and almost lyrical. Her style is almost whimsical, it's fancy and it's somewhat playful and I absolutely adore it! When I was reading this series I thought so much about the style of her writing and how much I wished I could write just as good as her one day, hopefully I will be able to at some point in my life.  
     There are few things that I didn't like about the book but the biggest one would probably be the lack of foreshadowing, some things just sort of felt like they were thrown at me and I was definitely not expecting them. I felt like Ally Condie could have worked on that a little more by actually dropping some hints every now and than so I wouldn't be confused on where that came from. 
     All in all, I adore this series, it's different from other dystopia novels I've read (and since The Hunger Games, it's been a lot) and the biggest difference is her style of writing. It's beautiful and to me, it makes her really stand out. I'm sad that this series has ended but a movie is set to come out so obviously I'll go see it! I give Reached 4 out of 5 stars.

(405 words)