I know. I know. I’m totally behind on The Hunger Games. My friend Sandie of TeenLitRocks is a huge fan. She’s been telling me to read the trilogy for quite a while now.  The Hunger Games has been wildly popular for young adults and grown-ups alike. Maybe that’s why I avoided it. Or maybe I’m a bit prejudiced when I find something labeled as YA.

Seeing the trailer to The Hunger Games movie was the impetus for me to finally read it. I think it will be an exciting, action packed movie. In fact, the book is written like an action movie.  I wanted more back history and details to build the rest of the world for me. Suzanne Collins gave me plenty to imagine life in District 12 but not for anywhere else in the story. I was curious about the history of the war between the Capital and the other districts. What happened at District 13?  (Sandie tells me I’ll find out int he subsequent books in the trilogy.)

Most of the characters are rather two dimensional for me. Though I rooted for Katniss to win The Hunger Games, I didn’t find myself caring about her. In fact, it was her fellow District 12 tribute Peeta that I worried about. I did stay up late at night to finish the book because I wanted to know what happened. I had already committed myself to the book and felt obligated to finish it.

The action was fast paced. The writing easy to read, easy to skim. I think this is why I avoid most YA books. They’re good for fun quick reads, but I’m not a huge fan of coming of age stories.

At least I can say that I’ve read the book before I see the movie when it opens March 23. You probably won’t catch me at the midnight showing.  I’m not quite ready to pick up Catching Fire yet.

Have you read The Hunger Games?

Even though the cozies can be fairly predictable, that’s not why I read them. I like the characters. The detectives lead a fun life, such as running a bed and breakfast or tea shop. They have a circle of friends who not only support their sleuthing, but even join her to solve the mystery.

Most cozies are long running series, so I’ll always have my sleuth nearby. Here are some cozy series that I like:

Tea Shop Mysteries by Laura Childs. Theodosia Browning owns a lovely tea shop in historic Charleston, South Carolina. Not only does she design a line spa tea products, she snoops around town to solve murders.

Goldy Schulz Mysteries by Diane Mott Davidson. Obviously I have a weakness for food-related cozies. Goldy Schulz is a singe mother and caterer that happens to find a lot of dead bodies in her small town. Of course she has to find out whodunit.

The Cat Who Series by Lilian Jackson Braun . This series actually features a man, Jim Qwilleran a journalist in a small town who owns a Koko, a Siamese. His cat leads him to clues to help solve his mysteries.

Do you enjoy cozies or do you prefer a meatier book? Share your favorite literary sleuths in the comments!

This post contains affiliate links.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

My husband and I had an interesting discussion over the weekend, as I was immersed in a novel he recommended to me.   We talked about Nordic authors, and specifically the Nordic crime fiction genre.  If you think you’ve never heard of any, chances are you’re wrong. Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy  is a worldwide blockbuster in print and on screen.  The novels are complex reads; they are populated by a large ensemble cast of characters.  To follow the story requires that the reader pay attention to seemingly small details and keep track of multiple plot lines.  Larsson deftly brought each character to life; each person feels real.

The Snowman by Jo Nesbo

Based on our mutual appreciation of Larsson’s novels, my husband recommended Jo Nesbo’s books to me.  I do not usually read crime thrillers.  In fact, I actively avoid them.  I gave him the benfit of the doubt, and started The Snowman late last week.  I finished the very next day – I could not put it down.  Much like Larsson, Nesbo introduces a complex and diverse cast of characters with richly detailed backstories.   The novels demands the full attention of the reader; you could not pause for a few weeks while reading this book and simply pick it back up.   As soon as I finished, I went to the library and checked out another of his books, and I plan to fill out my Nook library with the others in the very near future.  I have also checked out another thriller, Harbor by John Ajvide Lindqvist.  This author as billed as a rival to Stephen King (who I love).

What this lead to was an interesting conversation about the relatively unchallenging landscape of popular American fiction.  I am in no way saying there are not wonderful novels being put out by American authors.  I am just sharing an observation about the marked difference in the way a reader is expected to participate in the books.  My husband thinks this is due to authors’ responding to American’s short attention span.

Have you read any of these novels?  If so, did you notice a difference in their execution?  Do you like books that require you to be more involved as a reader? I would love to hear your thoughts!

In January, I reviewed The Leftovers Tom Perrotta. The lovely folks at McMillan Audiobooks saw it and has offered our readers a chance to win an audiobook of The Leftovers.  Here’s a quick description of the novel, excerpted from my review:

In a Rapture-like event, people around the world just vanished into thin air. No one knows where they went or how they disappeared. Instead of dwelling on the disappearance, Perrotta focuses on the people who were left behind.  The people who are left after the Sudden Departure try to cope with the disappearance of their friends, family, and neighbors. Laurie cannot deal with her normal life, so joins a cult-like organization. Her husband, who wants to help everyone move on, becomes mayor in hopes of helping the town recover. Their son quits college to follow a prophet while their once straight A-student teenage daughter struggles in school.

You can read the rest of the review here.

You can preview the audiobook too:  The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta audiobook clip

For your chance to win an audiobook version of The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta, leave a comment telling me where and when you like to listen to audiobooks (mandatory). In the kitchen while washing dishes? On your commute to work?

For extra entries:

• Subscribe to this blog via RSS feed. If you’re already a subsciber, we have a updated feedso please re-subscribe
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• Share this giveaway on Facebook or Twitter (up to 2 entries, leave a comment for each one). While you’re on Facebook, give us a like. (Not required for the giveaway)

The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon

I am making an effort to regularly take stock of what I have going on, book list-wise, so that I don’t forget about what I want to read, or what I have checked out of the library (I have rechecked books out countless times, because I plain old forgot I brought them home). I am pleased that so far in 2012 I have polished off twelve books so far – that’s an impressive dent in my goal of 75.  I am actually considering bumping my goal up to 100.

What am I reading right now?  Well, my Nook Color is on a business trip with my husband (that is why I have ordered him a Nook Tablet for our upcoming anniversary/Valentine’s Day), so I have put on hold two of my books, Don’t Know Much About Mythology and The Complete Sherlock Holmes, Vol. 1 .   I am about a third of the way through The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon, and it is fantastic.  Originally released in January 2011, I somehow let this book fall off my radar (see – this is why I make lists!).  It is a riveting read about love and loss, and I cannot wait to pick it back up again!  Also in my stack are two Jo Nesbo books, The Leopard and its predecessor The Snowman.  Both come highly praised by my husband.  Following those (and in theory after I finish the Sherlock Holmes novels – would you believe I’ve never read any of them?) I am looking forward to The House of Silk: A Sherlock Holmes Novel by Anthony Horowitz.  This novel marks the first time ever that the estate of Arthur Conan Doyle has authorized a new Sherlock Homes novel, so I am really intrigued.  I am also planning to reread the first two novels in Diana Gabaldon‘s Outlander series, so that I can then read the final five in the series.   And of course, I am rereading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver for our upcoming book club.  It is one of my all time favorites.  For the Teen Lit Rocks book club, I have Born Wickedby Jessica Spotswood on deck.

Those books just represent what I physically have in my hands (or on my Nook).  Next up on my “must list” is The Tiger’s Wife by Tea Obreht and Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo.  The second one just came out this week, and I cannot wait to get my hands on it.

So, what is in your stack right this minute?  Share with me what you have going on!

Thanks to our global market, even during the winter we can find our favorite non-seasonal produce in the supermarket. Now that eating locally is trending, should we feel guilty for eating fresh peaches in the dead of winter?

In our second book club selection for February, we’re reading about Barbara Kingsolver’s journey to only live off her land as documented in Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life. In more detail:

Author Barbara Kingsolver and her family abandoned the industrial-food pipeline to live a rural life—vowing that, for one year, they’d only buy food raised in their own neighborhood, grow it themselves, or learn to live without it. Part memoir, part journalistic investigation, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle is an enthralling narrative that will open your eyes in a hundred new ways to an old truth: You are what you eat.

For this book club selection, From Left to Write is proud to partner with Stonyfield a company that offers certified organic yogurt, smoothies, milk and much  more.  Stonyfield advocates that healthy food can only come from a healthy planet and is engaged in educating people on eating healthy.

Join us on February 21 as our From Left to Write members and Stonyfield’s YoGetters discuss Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life. You’ll also have the opportunity to join a Stonyfield expert to chat about healthy eating and healthy living. Learn more about Stonyfield on their Facebook page.

Have you read Kingsolver’s memoir? How do you try to eat healthy?

The first Michael Crichton book I read was Jurrasic Park. I enjoyed how Crichton took so much science and wove a semi-believable story around it. Or at least my science minded imagination made it somewhat believable. I quickly gobbled up his other books, Sphere, The Andromeda Strain, and others. After my binge on Crichton books, I never picked up another one.

Until Micro. This suspense thriller follows Peter and his grad school classmates as they head to Hawaii to tour potential employer Nanigen MicroTechnologies. Right before he is scheduled to arrive, Peter receives a mysterious text from his brother, telling him not to come. While touring the facility, the seven grad students are accidentally shrunk down very, very tiny. Micro. Suddenly a beautiful garden becomes a war zone as the micro-sized students attempt to save themselves and return to their normal size.

Crichton describes the micro world in great detail from plants to insects to even smaller organisms. I learned so much about centipedes, spiders, and plant pheremones. Each of the grad students’ expertise comes in handy in a sort of survivor-type adventure. They create tools and defense strageties against the dangerous plants and animals.

Many of Crichton’s novels have a common theme: the consequences of humankind playing God with nature. Micro is no except, though I found it less of a parable compared to his older novels like Jurassic Park or Sphere.  I discovered that Crichton wrote Micro in during his cancer treatments. He passed away in November 2008 of cancer and left the novel unfinished. Richard Preston was approached by Crichton’s agent to finish Micro. I think that explains why Crichton’s usual “don’t mess with nature or you’ll die” theme isn’t as prevalent.

I was completely immersed in Micro. The micro-world of dangerous ants and poisonous plants became much more fascinating thanks to Crichton and Preston.

Are you a Michael Crichton fan? Or his novels too science fiction for you?

I borrowed my copy of Micro from my library. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.

From Left to Write book club members took an armchair trip to Burma (now known as Myanmar) thanks to Jan-Philipp Sendker’s novel,  The Art of Hearing Heartbeats.  Against the wishes of her mother, Julia drops everything and travels to Burma to look for her missing father, a prominent lawyer.

She discovers more than she bargains for on her journey, just as our book club members did when they read  The Art of Hearing Heartbeats.

• Rebecca at Life Of Army Wife loves a soldier and a civilian
• Michelle from Honest & Truly! loves hearing stories about her family
• Catherine of everyday epiphanies carves time out for silence
• Charlotte Allen at I (Don’t) Know Mommy appreciates pure quiet
• Alicia S from Titere Con Bonete was astounded by her family secrets
• Nicki of Suddenly *Not So* Single Journey tried to walk away from love
• Taylor at The Quiet Moments, Page 2 is weeding out life’s unimportant noise
• Neena from  hooey!critic writes a love letter to her children
• Carrie of Making Lemonade has activities for tots to explore their senses
• Thien-Kim at I’m Not the Nanny wants to visit Vietnam
• Brenda Bartella Peterson from Grit and Grace counts her father’s nine marriages
• Marlene at Kelly Bespoken was blinded by what she thought was love
• Janin Wise from Wise Ramblings knows love is the only force worth believing in
• Tiffany of Lattes and Life wonders how well we can know someone
• Amy at Oh What a Life is keeping her family’s story alive
• Janin Wise from Wise Ramblings focused on her heartbeat
• Karen of Time Crafted uses Pinterest to travel
• Rachee at  Say it Rah-shay used social media to dig up her family
• Michelle from Wife and Mommy learned more about her parents in Korea
• Julie of A Good Joe found her home
• Jessica Claire at Crunchy-Chewy Mama is pulled to escape and retreat
• Melanie from tales from the crib wants to blame it on PMS
• Lisa of Hannemaniacs remembers her grandparents’ love for each other
• Robin (noteverstill) at The Not-Ever-Still Life wonders about a monk’s walk
• Jennifer from Ramblings of a Semi-Conscious Mastermind Mommy recalls her “me” before she became a mom
• Marianne of Writer-Mommy believes in the journey
• Brandi at Mama Knows It All chooses to be a better parent

Want to be a book Samaritan? Sign up to be a book giver for World Book Night. They are looking for over 50,000 volunteers to hand out books to non or light readers on April 23, 2012. It’s also happening in UK (where it started) and Ireland. The date was chosen because April 23 is UNESCO’s World Book Day, chosen due to the anniversary of Cervantes’ death, as well as Shakespeare’s birth and death.

The goal of World Book Night is to encourage more people to read, to create new readers. Publishers are donating books, bookstores are signing up to be book pick-up destinations, authors are waiving royalty fees, and well, you can help spread the joy of reading as well. Check out the list of books that are being donated.

The last day to apply to become a book giver is February 1, tomorrow! For the requirements and info on how to apply, visit World Book Night.

Let us know if you decide to participate!