The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins – I didn’t know much about the Hunger Games trilogy before beginning to read the series, other than the fact that a movie is in the works and the storyline is oddly similar to that of Battle Royale. I really enjoyed The Hunger Games, and managed to power through it quite quickly. Taking into consideration the fact that it’s classified as ‘young adult’ fiction, it’s not a badly written book and the storyline was intriguing enough to keep me up reading late into the night just because I wanted to know what happened next.
Sweet Valley Confidential by Francine Pascal – As sad as it may seem, this was my most anticipated book release for 2011. As it turns out, it also happened to be the worst book I’ve ever read (and guys, I’ve read Twilight). It’s almost like time has turned Francine against her once beloved characters, to the point where she now actively hates them. It also seems like she took it upon herself to hire someone to open pages of the book and point to random sentences where she could insert the word “like”. Granted, the Wakefield twins may have been highly superficial and unrealistic fictional role models for young women (and lets face it, Jess was borderline sociopathic), but they did have a pretty firm grasp on the English language. If you wish to retain some fond memories of the old school Sweet Valley, two words – don’t bother.
Cloudstreet by Tim Winton – (not pictured, borrowed out to my dad) As I mentioned in the introduction to this post, Cloudstreet has now become one of my all-time favourite books. I am of the opinion that nobody can match Tim Winton in his ability to write about Australia and her people. His character development is amazing, and I fell in love with each and every character that appeared in Cloudstreet. I also found it really interesting to read a story based in my home town of Perth, Western Australia. Granted, it is set way before my time but there were still a lot of areas and landmarks that were familiar to me, which was nice. I’m now really looking forward to watching the Cloudstreet TV miniseries when it airs.
Day of The Triffids by John Wyndham – Most of you will already know about my love for dystopian literature, and post-apocalyptic storylines. I had high expectations for Day Of The Triffids as it fits into this genre, and I was especially excited to read it after my mum convinced me that it was one of the scariest stories she’s ever read. Unfortunately, this book didn’t quite live up to my expectations at all. Even taking into account the fact that it was written in 1951, I didn’t find it scary in the slightest. I did however appreciate the humour in the storyline, and liked the fact that the female character was not made out to be a dithering idiot, as with some 1950’s published books I’ve read in the past. (I’m looking at you, On The Beach)
Bossypants by Tina Fey – (not pictured, borrowed out to a friend) I adore Tina Fey. I love the fact that she is living proof that beautiful and intelligent women can also be pee-your-pants funny. I am a huge fan of her self deprecating humour, and 30 Rock is one of my favourite shows on television. Okay, enough of the Fey love and on to Bossypants. I’ll be upfront and say that Bossypants wasn’t as funny as I’d expected. But to be honest I wasn’t really sure what to expect. Having said that, the book was still very humourous and I often found myself laughing out loud on the train home from work (note: this is highly embarrassing and people will stare at you). I really loved the fact that this book was clearly written in Tina Fey’s voice, and was not an obvious ghostwritten mess. I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a fast and easy read, or who wants to get to know a little bit more about Tina Fey.
Brief Interviews With Hideous Men by David Foster Wallace – Despite David Foster Wallace’s undeniable brilliance, I don’t think anything could ever make me love short story collections. This isn’t the first book of short stories that I’ve read, and it probably won’t be the last but I just can’t bring myself to like them. I find that they’re often disappointing, as there is usually only one or two stories within the whole collection that I enjoy. Having said that (and true to form), there were a couple of short stories in this book that I loved. David Foster Wallace is one of my favourite writers, and everything he writes is truly inspiring and brilliant. I am really interested to see the film version of this book, especially after reading that it was adapted for the screen and directed by my coffee-making crush John Krasinski.
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins – This is the second installment in the Hunger Games trilogy, and I found it just as face paced and intriguing as the first book. As with the first book this was also a very easy read, and I managed to finish it in around 3 days (great for those of you like me who are trying to knock out a few quick books in their 50 book challenge for this year!). The storyline continues to be interesting and kept me turning the pages throughout the entire book. The whole ‘ teenage love triangle’ aspect continues to annoy me, but I have come to the understanding that its all part of the territory of YA fiction.
As always, all book recommendations for the future are welcome!
