Summer Reading: Part 2

While hiking in Britain, I exchanged books with my sister Maggie as well. She had been reading The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. The book is the first in a trilogy, which also includes Catching Fire, and Mockingjay. The books have become enormously popular among young people, and they are nearly impossible to find in the library right now. (As I learned, to my disappointment when trying to check out the second book from the Fort Worth Central Library.) The whole concept of the book is quite violent (a somewhat disturbing trend in young adult fiction these days), but the plot is well-crafted and the characters engaging. The setting is futuristic and dystopian. The country is tightly controlled and divided into twelve districts. Every year, in order to remind citizens of the government's control, two youths are chosen by lottery from every district and entered in the national "Hunger Games." An arena is constructed (much larger than the Roman Colosseum, more of a habitat really, but the same essential idea), and the tributes are released within it to fend for themselves. The winner is the one left alive at the end. Of course there are twists, and not all ensues as the government has planned.
In the second book, Catching Fire, the characters deal with the effects of their "rebellious" actions from book one. Although the second book of the trilogy doesn't match the first in terms of original plot, it's still a page-turner. Apparently, a movie will be made of The Hunger Games, but I'm not sure that I want to see it. One can avoid gory description in a book, but it would seem to be a bit more difficult on a television screen.

The next book of the summer was Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson. I picked this one up from the library of Ian's grandmother. The well-crafted novel paints a picture of racial tension on a small island in northern Washington. A Japanese American man is being tried for the murder of a fellow fisherman, and as the evidence is weighed and possible motives and opportunities considered, the author reveals the troubled past of the characters in a series of flashbacks. These flashbacks, which occur from multiple perspectives, can be a little disorienting and also slow the plot; however, they allow for full character development and a greater level of complexity. The story isn't really about the trial as much as how the trial, on the surface, reveals the tight intertwining of lives on the island. This is a good book to read and then to discuss.

After Ian and I watched The Divinci Code, I decided to give Dan Brown's other bestseller, Angels and Demons, a read. I found the illustrated edition at the library and took this one with me on vacation in Michigan. The illustrations and photos were really quite helpful as the book's plot revolves around historic sites in Rome that are part of the "Illuminati Path," a guide to members of this sect who met in secret, against the wishes of the Catholic Church. A murder of a scientist at the beginning of the novel, leads investigators to believe that the Illuminati are still active and attempting the destruction of Vatican City. A mad race through the streets of Rome ensues. This book is all about the plot. Most readers will probably not even notice the nominal character development; after all, things do get pretty exciting. Realistic? Not very, in my opinion.

On my sister's recommendation, I checked out Isabel Allende's Zorro. Allende writes an excellent historical novel, and her prose is often quite beautiful even in translation. I read Portrait in Sepia last year and really enjoyed it. I have also attempted one of her novels in Spanish, but I didn't have the patience with myself to finish it. Allende thoroughly develops her characters and is a master of point-of-view. Zorro tells the story of how Diego de la Vega became the renowned hero of his people. I don't know how much of the novel is based on popular myths and how much is Allende's creation, but she does such a nice job with details, that one is led to think that this might just be how it happened after all. No one particular conflict drives the plot forward; in fact, the story seems to sometimes meander along. The book is actually a series of stories, and could be appropriately titled "The Life and Adventures of a Young Zorro." Fans of the film and comic hero will enjoy the plot and writing critics the admirable craftsmanship.

The final book of the summer was Lost City Radio, a first novel by Daniel Alercon. I think that I was expecting historical fiction (No, you just can't judge a book by its cover sometimes.) To my surprise and initial disappointment, it was futuristic in setting. The action takes place in an unnamed South American country, which has recently been ravaged by a ten-year civil war. The protagonist, Norma, runs a radio program called "Lost City Radio," which attempts to reunite families and friends that have been separated by the war and forced migration to the city. Norma's own husband has disappeared, and when a young boy from the village comes to seek her help, she is reconfronted with the mystery surrounding this disappearance. It's an interesting read and the ideas are original, but I did get frustrated at points with excessive flashbacks and lack of details and explanations. (For example, I never found out what IL, a mysterious anti-government organization, stood for.) It was definitely good enough to finish and interesting to discuss with my husband, but I probably won't be rereading it anytime soon.

That's it for now! I hope to keep reading, but I may have to slow down a bit as other things (like returning to a full-time job) fill up my hours. My next book may be the assigned pre-ap reading, Man's Search for Meaning.