So...um....well....

It's been a while, hasn't it?  Well, school and other things have come in the way of 2Thine again....sadly.  I have a bit of time to catch all of you, my lovely friends, up with what's been going on with me.
1.  School has been crazy.  We're kinda cramming in a way, because May is coming and we have a LOT going on in May. :P
2.  I JUST auditioned in my orchestra.  I feel pretty confident, but also kinda nervous as to if I'll get chosen to move up or not.  I'm hoping that the odds will be in my favor.  (this leads me into the next point...)
3.  I am officially a fan of The Hunger Games.  I'll discuss this more after my list.  I like lists.
4.  Pinterest occupies a lot of my time.  My username on there is @FallonSkywalker (same as Twitter) if you care to follow me.  I am enjoying it immensely.
5.  The Avengers is in TEN DAYS PEOPLE.  TEN.

Okay, now I shall write my thoughts on The Hunger Games, from MY WORLDVIEW.  So haters and other people who do not like my worldview, chill.  My thoughts, my words, my opinion.  Just getting that out there. XD

First off, to quiet those who might call me a "follower" or a "sheep" or whatever, due to the popularity of the book series, which partly is due to the fact that the movie had just recently come out (I really want to see it now XD), I have been meaning to read these books for some time.  My lovely cousin Embie read them about two years ago, and recommended them to me back then, with the warning that they were somewhat disturbing and very violent.  At that time, my exposure to sci-fi and more horror-ish things in general was very non-existent, and I had no desire to read something scary.  And thinking about it, I probably wouldn't be able to tolerate it.  But after Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and several super-hero movies, I am quite immune to violence and such things, and also very good at getting attached to characters whose fates are doomed. XD
Thus, with the popularity of these books that I hadn't even thought about for two years, I was very intrigued to know WHY the rest of the world liked them so much.  I wanted to know what the deal was about "Team Peeta" and "Team Gale" and why "I VOLUNTEER" is such a popular meme.
I have had multiple people recommend the books to me, friends from the internet, "real life", and random acquaintances.  Finally I took the plunge about a week ago, breaking open The Hunger Games on Wednesday night of last week.

Two words.  Four Thirty.
That is how late I stayed up reading that gosh-darn book.  I read the first page with curiosity and speculation, and after that, I could NOT put it down.  There were ZERO stopping points in the whole thing. I read and read until I couldn't keep my eyes open.  I was 3/4 of the way finished with the book when 4:30am rolled around.  I had to wake up at 7am, do Presidential fitness at P.E. the next day, and then teach dance and do dance for 5 hours that afternoon.  To say the least, I got home and literally crashed and burned. XD

I was able to pick it up again on Saturday and I finished the book in one sitting.  I sobbed through the entire ending, because I was devastated that it wasn't even a spark of happiness.  I was miserable all night (and then had to deal with drama on The Lakehouse) so my emotions were in torment all night long. XD  It didn't help that on the same night I chose to watch trailers for the movie (I sobbed like an idiot) and then reblog every THG item in sight on Tumblr.  And look at merchandise, and listen to the soundtrack for the movie (BEYOND BEAUTIFUL.  EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT A FAN, GO LISTEN NOW).

To end that pathetic story, here are my overall thoughts of the book.

Overall Rating:  9.5/10 stars.  I take off a half-point for it being too gory in one scene for me to read (I skimmed part of the Tracker Jacker scene XD)

Rating from a Christian perspective:  7ish/10 stars.  Depending on how Christian you are judging this by, the book was gory, violent, and scary, and the worldviews in the book were not exactly ideal for all.  I personally was not too bothered by it, because it is in fact, a story.

Summary of the book (without spoiling anything):  The continent once known as North America is now simply Panem, broken up into 12 (once 13) districts.  Each district does a job, mining, agriculture, factories, technology, etc.  The immensely oppressive and controlling government, known as The Capitol, proves their power over their citizens once a year with an event entitled "The Hunger Games".  The Hunger Games involves two children between the ages of 12 and 18 from each district (one boy and one girl), to be entered into an arena where they all fight to the death.  The last person alive is crowned victor and is famous among all of Panem.  Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark are entered in the games, and into a new world they never thought they'd get to know, The Capitol.  Peeta, who has had a crush on Katniss since childhood, is suddenly forced to kill her.....or is he?  Peeta, (being the incredibly sweet and perfect person that he is), makes his plight of the Games to be to save Katniss, and help her win.  The two team up when the game suddenly changes, and through unlikely circumstances, they are forced to be in love.  But it's all just an act.....right?  Find out what happens.  ;)

Goriness level:  10 XD  It was pretty bad....kids killing kids.....lots of injuries.....fire......death (a lot of it), warfare, blood, bugs, hallucination, etc, etc, etc.

Scare Factor:  8 or 9.  I made the mistake of reading these at bedtime/nighttime and ended up having a near-heart attack in my sleep and falling out of bed at 5am. XD

Sadness level:  For me?  1000.  For others?  It depends.  Some can read it without being sad, or you have me who sat in a puddle of her own tears sniveling for hours because of the ending to this book. xD

From a literature standpoint:  This book was fantastically written.  It was written in First Person POV, which was different but also really kinda cool, and very descriptive.  It's vivid and fast, and impossible to put down.  The dystophian world that Suzanne Collins created is just incredible.  I understand so many internet jokes now.  xD

Movie?  Yes, I really want to see it.  I've heard very good things about it.  The only thing that tips me off of the movie is that some people read the books AFTER seeing the movie.  I want to read the books and be depressed over the characters so i can go to the movies and sob watching my emotions play out on the big screen.  If you know what I mean.  XD

My recommendation?  If you haven't tried it, or are being defiant like I was, just cave and read it.  It's so good guys.....I loved it.  Very well written and such a great storyline too.  Enjoy, and May the Odds Ever be in your Favor. ;)

Well, to round up this post, I am almost done with the second book in The Hunger Games trilogy, Catching Fire, with only three chapters to go.  I am literally dying to find out what happens.  This book might be as good as (if not better than) the first.  :)

May the Force be with you, May the Odds ever be in your Favor, and God Bless my friends.  :)  I'll be back with more quality posts soon!