Kindle-tastic!

I have a Kindle.  I LOVE my Kindle.  It has changed my life.  You think I exaggerate.  You are WRONG!

But seriously.  My Kindle has been integrated into my life.  It goes with me everywhere.  The amount of time I spend reading has doubled if not more.  I don't have to spend time choosing books for a trip; they are already with me.  The ONLY drawback thus far has been the inability to check out books from the library.

That restriction is gone!!!!

My local library uses Overdrive for electronic media and the Kindle is now a supported eReader in Overdrive.  After being on the wait list for 2 weeks, today I checked out my first book.  The book?  Forever in Blue by Ann Brashares.  Don't judge.  I have a thing for young adult literature.  I've read the first 3 books.  This book has been on my list for a while, but I haven't been ready to pay $10 for the electronic version of it.

With a few clicks the book was in my list of Kindle title on Amazon.  I turned wireless on my Kindle and waited for the book to appear.  The only strangeness was the it wouldn't download the book over 3G.  I had to hop on WiFi and everything worked well.  Thank goodness for free hotspots.

And now I'm reading no poorer for my need to devour the written word.  This is an amazing and long awaited development.  Stay tuned for my review of Forever in Blue.  Any guesses on which will take longer, reading the book or writing the review?  *smile*

Book Review: The Hunger Games Trilogy

Why I picked it: A few months back I got a Kindle.  For a while I was only reading free content.  Amazon kept recommending the first book in the trilogy to me. Eventually, the cost didn't bother me so much and I bought it.  After reading the first book, there wasn't a second thought given to buying the rest of the trilogy.

What it's about:  The stage is set in a place called Panem.  It is North America without the US.  Within Panem, there is a central Capitol where all the money and power lies.  Supporting the Capital are 13 districts.  One district was destroyed  after rebelling against the Capital.  Each year, the Hunger Games pit 2 children from each of the remaining 12 districts against one another to fight to the death for the Capital's amusement.  And as a reminder of who's really in charge.  The book is set at the start of the 74th Hunger Games.  Simply put it is about a girl and her fight for survival.

My Rating: 5/5

Where it took me:  I was Katniss Everdeen.  As I read, I understood her decisions and made them with her.  She got my pity and my respect.  I loved those around her.  Seeing them through her eyes, I got to know them and wondered about them when she was focused elsewhere.  These books took me to her world where I could experience a life I hope to never actually live.

Even more, my heart and soul ached thinking about the world Suzanne Collins created.  Themes on desensitization, war, gluttony and power stood out.  But I also read love, loyalty, compassion and hope.  As I think about the book more objectively, each character stands as a commentary of some quality and the positive and negative effects it can have on the wearer.

In the month since I bought the first book, I haven't completely pushed the story out of my mind.  Upon finishing the third book, I had to go back to the first one and start all over again.  I'm so glad I did!  Reliving their stories a second time I learned more about the characters I barely registered the first time through and began to see the depth of the story.  I'm giving the books a rest for a little while, but I'll definitely be revisiting them again in the not so distant future.  Maybe once I go more than a day without thinking about them.