the tippy top of my reading pile/TBR list

This is just a quick little update-y type of post telling you the books that are at the very top of my to-be-read pile that I want/need to read (or finish reading) ASAP! 

There really should be more on here such as The Perks of Being a Wallflower and The Fault in Our Stars, but anyway, here is the list (for now):

(pretty much in order of urgency)

Rhubarb by Craig Silvey

Mini Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Cassandra by Kerry Greenwood

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Trying War by S.D. Gentill

Pan's Whisper by Sue Lawson

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

The 22nd of March: AKA The Hunger Games Day!

Two nights ago I went to the midnight screening of The Hunger Games!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I feel like that statement deserves a lot more exclamation marks than that. Like a gazillion more. 

I'd been waiting for that day for well over a year now, so you can imagine the build up of excitement. 

The film was so good. It was better than I expected and it fulfilled all my hopes for it. 

The movie stayed quite true to the book, unlike a lot of book-to-film adaptations, so for that I was glad. 

I can't really pinpoint anything that disappointed me, except the the film's tame portrayal of the Capitol. I was really looking forward to seeing the scene at the party with those drinks that make you regurgitate your food so you can eat more. It also would have been nice if they mentioned the Avoxes, even a little bit. Katniss in the movie did very vaguely mention cutting off tongues but she wasn't even talking about Avoxes even though it was an indirect reference to them. I know that the film already was so long because they had to fit in so much into the movie, but I would have liked the non-book reading audience to really understand the wicked insanity of the people living in the Capitol, because the movie didn't really capture it as well as I hoped.

Also, I thought the tracker jackers would be way, way, bigger than they were.

There was a group of highschool girls sitting on the right side of me, and they could not contain their emotions... particularly the girl sitting next to me. She was almost openly weeping - loud, heavy breathing and loads of crying in every emotional scene (of which there were many). 

I really liked Stanley Tucci as Caesar Flickerman. He was funny. :P

The cinematography really did the book justice I feel, and it totally had a dystopian feel - not Hollywood-y at all.

Anyway, I had a 10am test for Greek the next morning, so I only managed about 3 or 4 hours sleep. I was sitting in a cafe on campus before class and in front of me sat two girls, both sitting alone, reading books from the Hunger Games trilogy. One was reading Mockingjay and the other The Hunger Games. I was silently really proud of Suzanne Collins at that moment. 

Later that day quite a few other people in my lecture and tutorial were talking about The Hunger Games movie as well. :) 

EVERYTHING IS JUST SO EXCITING!! 

Hehe.

On another note, I'm sorry I haven't been blogging very much recently - I highly underestimated the enormity of my reading requirements for my combination of units this semester. In fact, yesterday I was in a two hour long tute where I hadn't done much of the readings and it was quite obvious because I was the only slacker in the class. So in order for me to stop looking like and acting like an insubordinate, lazy fool I really need to step up my game. O, but if only studying were really a game. 

*The Hunger Games Movie* That Might Have Been! (Original Screenplay excerpts)

OK, so I just woke up about half an hour ago from my pre-dinner nap (I'm not that fond of the 'granny' nap term; everyone likes to sleep, right?) and found this video in my Youtube sub box! 
It's by Whitney Milam, the Youtuber I mentioned in my previous post. 
It's got some interesting information about the film we're all desperately waiting to see next March! 


Click play...

What did you think? 
I'm so glad they got Suzanne Collins in to co-write the final screenplay, I think the movie adaptation would have turned out to be a bit of a disappointment if they stuck with the original! 
Gale sneaking around Capitol? NO THANK YOU.

Day 16: Favourite Female Character

Day 01 – The best book you read last year
Day 02 – A book that you’ve read more than 3 times
Day 03 – Your favourite series
Day 04 – Favourite book of your favourite series
Day 05 – A book that makes you happy
Day 06 – A book that makes you sad
Day 07 – Most underrated book An unexpected good read
Day 08 – Most overrated book
Day 09 – A book you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving
Day 10 – Favourite classic book
Day 11 – A book you hated
Day 12 – A book you used to love but don’t anymore
Day 13 – Your favourite writer
Day 14 – Favourite book of your favourite writer
Day 15 – Favourite male character
*Day 16 – Favourite female character*

Alrighty, this one's a piece of cake. Unlike for favourite male characters where I couldn't choose just one, I don't have to think twice about which female literary character is my favourite of all time.

There are plenty of amazing female characters I can think of just off the top of my head - Becky Bloomwood, Georgia Nicolson, Hermione Granger, Cameron Morgan, Jane Eyre, and Elizabeth Bennet, just to name a few, but no one can top KATNISS EVERDEEN.

Day 15: Favourite Male Character(s)

Day 01 – The best book you read last year
Day 02 – A book that you’ve read more than 3 times
Day 03 – Your favourite series
Day 04 – Favourite book of your favourite series
Day 05 – A book that makes you happy
Day 06 – A book that makes you sad
Day 07 – Most underrated book An unexpected good read
Day 08 – Most overrated book
Day 09 – A book you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving
Day 10 – Favourite classic book
Day 11 – A book you hated
Day 12 – A book you used to love but don’t anymore
Day 13 – Your favourite writer
Day 14 – Favourite book of your favourite writer
*Day 15 – Favourite male character*

This is hard! I can't pick only one.

Here is a short list of wonderful male characters I have had the delight of meeting in my lifetime of reading:

Neville Longbottom

Neville is a loyal member of Dumbledore's Army and loyal friend of Harry Potter. He is talented and special in his own unique way, and these qualities bring out the best in him. I would pay big bucks to have a friend like Neville.

Edmund Pevensie

He is Edmund the Just, (younger) King of Narnia. Yes, his judgement and decision-making skills may have been slightly flawed in The Lion, The Witch, & The Wardrobe, but if you've read the books, you'll know that Edmund redeems himself, and becomes one of C.S. Lewis' most beloved characters - at least in my eyes.  

King Trevor the Four Hundred and Forty First or is it Second

From Colin Thompson's children's novel Pepper Dreams, King Trevor is definitely a character to behold. A little bit strange, but confidently confusing, he leads the magical island of Nymphaea with a chocolate bar in one hand and a bowl of soup in the other.

Gale Hawthorne

Katniss Everdeen's best friend and faithful hunting partner. There is no way Gale would miss out on a place on this list. Suzanne Collins knows how to write good characters. For some readers, the perfection of Peeta Mellark may melt their hearts, but Gale Hawthorne floats my dreamboat. (What, too lame? Don't care!) I like the soft-spoken, dark and brooding types. ;)  

Jon Snow

From George RR Martin's epic fantasy series A Song of Ice & Fire, Jon Snow is the bastard child of Lord Eddard Stark of Winterfell, and sworn brother of the Night's Watch. He is the most loving of all his siblings (yet he is only their half-brother) - and this is just one of his many endearing qualities.

Mr Darcy

Fitzwilliam Darcy.

'nough said.

 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Day 16 – Favourite female character
Day 17 – Favourite quote(s) from your favourite book(s)
Day 18 – A book that disappointed you
Day 19 – Favourite book turned into a movie
Day 20 – Favourite romance book
Day 21 – Favourite book from your childhood
Day 22 – Favourite book you own
Day 23 – A book you wanted to read for a long time but still haven’t
Day 24 – A book that you wish more people would’ve read
Day 25 – A character who you can relate to the most
Day 26 – A book that changed your opinion about something
Day 27 – The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 28 – Favourite title(s)
Day 29 – A book everyone hated but you liked

Day 30 – Your favourite book of all time

The Time Will Come #4

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

The Time Will Come is a meme that started at Books For Company.

I've had the entire Hunger Games trilogy in my possession for a long, long time. I bought The Hunger Games first - it took me several months before I bothered to read it (I wish I had sooner!), and I think shortly after that my sister bought Catching Fire and Mockingjay. So I probably could have read all three books back to back. It's not that the books weren't good enough that I didn't want to read the next one after the next one! It was the opposite. They were too good. I didn't know it at the time, but I think I would have felt like it was all over too soon, if I had read all three at once. I maybe would have enjoyed the trilogy better that way, but I would be SO SAD after I finished Mockingjay because it was over too quickly. Anyway, I can always re-read them back to back the second time. :)

I'll probably wait 'til the mid-semester study break or even 'til after end of sem exams to read Mockingjay so that I'll have time to read it at whatever pace I want - devour it up or savour every bite. 

OK, so I just went to fetch the picture to stick into this post from Goodreads and got sucked in and read Kristi (The Story Siren)'s spoiler-free review! Now I am really excited, but still sort of anxious because it's the last book. :(

If you've read Mockingjay, did you like how the series ended?

BRITNEY SPEARS "Hunger Games" (PARODY)

This is so hilarious...

I laughed everytime Peeta sings "I'll bake you pies!"