The Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins

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The Hunger Games: A brutal Reality TV show taking place in a dark, dystopian world in the near future. Pitting 24 of the nation's poorer people against each other in an arena. They fight to the death for the entertainment of the rich who live in the Capitol. Only one can succeed, but can anyone really come out of this a winner?

The Hunger Games tells the tale of Katniss Everdeen, a young girl who enters the Games to spare her younger sister. She struggles to conform with what is expected of her by the powers that be and this results in some dire consequences for her and those she loves. The second and third books follow on from this, examining the aftermath of Katniss' controversial actions. You may well have seen the film or the trailers and I don't want to give too much else away!

I read the trilogy after watching and enjoying the first film. Even knowing the outcome of the opening book, I was still unable to put it down and the writing absorbed me. Collins paints a picture of a truly awful time and place to live so vividly. We learn how the corruption originally came about and, and how those who don't want to accept this way of life rise up to fight against it. 

Being filed in the YA category. I feel, may put some people off this title. I tend not to let that scare me! The subject matter addressed here is every bit as adult as Orwell's 1984, just that the protagonists here are teenagers.

I have recommended this trilogy many, many times and will continue to do so. A really gripping read. Give it a bit of your time!

Sharp Objects - Gillian Flynn

Given my rave review of Gone Girl, I approached Sharp Objects with caution. It's always risky to delve into the back-catalogue of an author you've just discovered. Will the previous novels be as good?

Camille Parker, journalist, for an overall unremarkable newspaper, has been assigned to a story in her childhood town of Wind Gap. She is to cover the abduction of two young girls, which could be the breakthrough piece she's after for her career. The problem is Camille has already escaped Wind Gap once, and she isn't in a hurry to return. 

She has already escaped her highly-strung mother once too. A mother that drove her to self-harm. Camille's half-sister has changed a lot since she last saw her. Once a little mummy's girl, she is now a spoilt, precocious teenager and ringleader in her group of girlfriends, with some dark secrets of her own.

Camille's investigation unearths some long-buried information that threatens to upend all she knows about the people she grew up around. She needs to finish her story, before being in Wind Gap destroys her for good.

What we have here is another example of a Flynn novel that I just could not put down! The claustrophobic, small-town atmosphere is perfectly captured in Flynn's descriptions. While I didn't particularly 'bond' with the lead character (she's not entirely likeable) the narration is easy to get absorbed in and there is a realism about her. 

The story itself was really engaging and I kept wondering, over and again, if I had figured out the twist. Hint: I hadn't! A good mix of a twisted family dynamic and a crime thriller. Overall, another fantastic novel from Flynn. I'm definitely a fan and will be reading more from her in the near future.

1984 - George Orwell

1984 is a must-read classic that I'd been putting off reading for too long! I must admit, this book sat on my shelf many years before I decided to give it a go and I'm not really sure why.I think sometimes I find 'classics' a bit of a struggle to read and think I may have been intimidated by it!

1984 tells the story of Winston Smith. An ordinary member of the community, born in a post nuclear world where all freedoms have been removed by the privileged elite of the Inner Party and individuality is a thing of the past. Unfortunately for Winston, he seeks more from his life and begins to think for himself. A behaviour that is not well received in Oceania. Winston must keep this a secret, else risk the Party having to take action to prevent it.

So it seems that my initial intimidation was unfounded and this was an easy-to-read and enjoyable novel. I also realised how many of the phrases from the book are used in day-to-day life now.

The subject matter is alarmingly relevant, even in this day an age when one might think we have all the freedom in the world. I recently watched a documentary on North Korea and the similarities were staggering. Orwell really makes you think. How would I react if I lived in this dystopian world? 

Would I accept it and conform? 

Or would I feel the need for more? 

For books? 

For love? 

For art? 

For freedom?
And my own thoughts!

House of Silk - Anthony Horowitz

It seems that Anthony Horowitz is the Flavour of the Month, after taking on not only Sherlock Holmes, but now James Bond too. Two much-loved British characters have been entrusted to him and while I have not read his Bond novel (Trigger Mortis) yet, his two Sherlock novels have met very much with my approval!

When Holmes and John Watson hunt out an Irish gangster for a case, they find themselves in ultimately more danger, stumbling upon another criminal organisation. Treading on the toes of the House of Silk proves to be much more perilous, with the members of this group willing to do anything to keep it a secret. Predictably Holmes rubs them the wrong way and finds himself in a whole world of trouble. Luckily, as always, Watson is there to assist  Holmes, when his own intellect and wit can't help him

While the Sherlock that we meet in House of Silk doesn't have the arrogant air that Conan Doyle gave him, the character we are presented with does carry many of the traits we expect from out favourite sleuth! The story itself is a fast-paced mystery, full of plot twists (as one would expect!), typical Holmes wit, and written with an easy to read narrative, in a suitably Conan Doyle tone.

Overall another great job by Horowitz at revisiting one of the greatest detectives in literary history!

Feeling this right now....

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