The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

374 pages Trade Paperback (Fiction)

This series was suggested to me by a friend this summer. I teach a reading group of 5th graders and am always looking for interesting books that fit their level of reading. This seemed like the perfect fit. I probably could have read this whole thing in a few days, but was limited to the a few chapters a week. Much to my dismay. I did not want to stop reading.

The book is set in the far future. At some point in the past the United States has been torn apart by civil war and The Capitol now leads the country. 12 districts that live in servitude and squalor produce the things that the capitol consumes.

Katniss lives in district 12 known for its coal production. Each year, to show its dominance over the district, the Capitol has The Hunger Games. Each district is forced to give two teenage children to the games. These kids are then put into an arena that changes each year and then must fight to the death and survive as long as possible. The last one standing earns a life of leisure and bonus supplies for their district. When Katniss’ sister is chosen for the games she steps in to take her place and soon finds her life totally changed. Her father taught her to hunt animals with a bow in the wilderness, but now she has to use those skills to hunt other people.

Collins writes a very intriguing book. Although a couple things bothered me and read as juvenile, over all, the book was really engaging and hard to put down. I might have realized that the book would be a bit much for 5th graders, but overall it has been acceptable. Half of the book is about teenagers hunting each other to kill them, but it isn’t gory and doesn’t focus on the killing.

5 Intellectual/Emotional – The characters are easy to care about and readers quickly become emotionally involved.

3 Style/Readability – Collins writing is intended for young readers. Although nothing is amazing about the writing it was pleasing for an adult as well.

3 Long term Impact – The Hunger Games are already on the bestseller lists and the other books in the series are being read by kids (and adults) across the nation. I don’t think they will get to the levels of Harry Potter, but they are well written and entertaining books that make a lot of comparisons to our own world.

11 out of 13 – Unless you were offended by the subject any reader would find these books worthwhile. If you have children that are interested I would certainly steer them to these books. Anyone with a 5th grade reading level is really in for a treat.

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Naked Pictures of Famous People by Jon Stewart

Humorous Fiction - 163 pages (Hardcover)
I have been a fan of The Daily Show since I had nothing else to do on a night shift around 2000. My wife had this book sitting around and I was hoping to read something funny.

This book is hard to qualify. Each chapter is a total change from one to the other. The first chapter is written like a diary as, apparently, Jon Stewart, hangs out with the Kennedys before he was born and tells of all the bizarre things they do. Another chapter is a series of chat room posts made by Vincent Van Gogh, another (and probably the most funny) is a series of Christmas letters from the mother of the boys in the band Hanson as she slowly loses her grip.

A few of the chapters were really funny, where others were almost unreadable.

2 Intellectual/Emotional: Like I said some it was funny, but if I would have bought this book new I would have been really disappointed.

2 Style/Readability: Some of the chapters were terribly and that took away from the whole book

1 Long Term Impact: Jon Stewart likely won’t be known for his books and this isn’t a bad thing.

5 out of 13. Ouch, Sorry Jon, but this book wasn’t really worth reading. The only thing I can really say is that it was really short to read so you could get to the funny parts fast.

Goodbye Columbus by Philip Roth

Fiction 216 pages (Paperback)

After reading a number of Roth’s books, some hits and some misses, I decided to pick up another and give it a try. Goodbye Columbus is a short novella followed by five short stories. The novella follows the relationship of Neil and Brenda from Neil’s point of view. The five short stories give the reader a look into the lives of different Jews. The book presents itself in a way that seems like an introduction to Jewish people’s lives. I found myself draw into the story of Neil and Brenda, but then it just stopped. I didn’t know it was a series of short stories when I started; only realizing it when I came to the end of the novella.

Honestly, as the book went on I got bored with it. The short stories seemed to be humorous in nature, but I either didn’t appreciate it that much or the stories haven’t stood the test of time as well as you would expect. In fact towards the end I really just started skimming and didn’t give it the attention that it may have deserved.

Roth is a good writer. I have no complaints about style, but maybe it is the subject matter or how it seems like there wasn’t much story. This is how the book seemed to be presented: “Hey, listen to this thing that happened once.” That can be the nature of a short story, but it didn’t sit well with me.

2 Emotional/Intellectual: I just didn’t care about any of the characters and if humor was the intent to draw me in I didn’t feel it. This could be more me than the author.

3 Style/Readability: Nothing really for or against this.

2 Long Term Impact: Roth is already an established writer. Other works of his will keep Goodbye Columbus at least recognizable for some time.

7 out of 13 seems really harsh. It wasn’t really a bad book, I just did not get into it. I would certainly give some of his other books a read before this like Portnoy’s Complaint and The Human Stain. Personally, I am not going to pick another Roth book at random. I would read another of his books because I have enjoyed others, but now only with a recommendation or doing some research first.

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Luka and the Fire of Life by Salman Rushdie.

In a way this is a sequel to Haroun and the Sea of Stories. I actually wrote a review of it which I will post below. Luke and the Fire of Life really stands on its own though. The story follows Haroun’s little brother many years past the end of the first book.
Luka’s father is dying. Through magical means never truly explained Luka “jumps” into the world that sits right next to ours. The world of dreams. The world of imagination. Where all the things that people make up become real. Luka’s pets Dog the Bear and Bear the dog join him on an adventure to find the Fire of Life. With this they can save Luka’s father. They come upon this knowledge from the suspicious Nobodaddy. He is a doppelganger of Luka’s father and seems to be becoming “more real” as Luka’s father falls further into sickness.
This story is intended for younger readers and has more magic and fantasy than other Rushdie books. I hope to someday read both Haroun and the Sea of Stories and Luke and the Fire of Life to my son, once his attention span is a bit longer.
Luka finds the river of stories and along with some magical fish starts to travel through the land of imagination. He has adventures and meets enemies and allies. Much of the story gives the impression that Luka is in a video game of some sort. Within his vision he has a running total of how many “lives” he has left and whenever he makes a mistake he is reset and allowed to try again.
As the story goes on Luka gets involved with Queens, flying carpet, mazes, gods and unclimbable mountains. Everything is written with great attention to simile and metaphor. Rushdie, as always, takes the English language and shows the reader what it can really do.
2: Emotional/Intellectual: I never felt that attached to Luka or his friends even if I was entertained.
5: Readability/Style – Rushdie is a master writer.
2: Long Term Impact – Even though Rushdie is a fantastic writer he will be known for his other books before this.
9 out of 13 – This is worth your time, but I would suggest checking out Haroun and the Sea of Stories first. I have added my review of it below. Please, take into consideration this was very early in my review writing.
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Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie

Rushdie has written a fairy tale filled with fun and adventure. It is interesting especially when compared to Rushdie's other works, but not all surprising. Typically his works have an element of fantasy. This book takes it to the extreme. Haroun the young man and hero of the book has a story telling father. His father, tragically, has lost the ability to tell stories any more. Haroun wakes one night to find a genie in his father's bathroom taking out the story water supply. After stealing the genie's wrench Haroun is soon taken on a fantastic trip into space and eventually to the source of all tales ever told, the Sea of Stories . There he is drawn into a plot to save the world from a future filled with sadness and no stories.

I found this book very entertaining. I was pleased as an adult, but the book could be read as a bedtime story for a child. (Over many nights of course) The use of words within the book is very unique. From characters that talk like a walking thesaurus to fish that only speak in rhyme; Rushdie makes the English language as fun to read as the story itself.

I admit that I am a huge fan of Rushdie and have always enjoyed his books. I think he is one of the greatest living authors and therefore my opinion of his books are somewhat biased. Nonetheless, if you are looking for a fun, quick, if a little predictable book this makes a great choice. If you have young children I would say this is a must.

On a scale from 1-13 I would give this a ten. I really think this should be a classic story read by children the world over. Because of Rushdie's somewhat tarnished reputation I doubt this will ever reach that level of popularity; much to the world's misfortune.