Starving for Katniss

Right before I left for Florida I remembered to purchase my marketing textbook on amazon. Since I was going to spend over $100 on a book for school, I figured why not up that bill up a smidge for some fun books to read before classes started.

The Hunger Games Trilogy has been everywhere lately. Many magazines and blogs have given these books rave reviews stating that Katniss was the character Stephanie Meyers wished Bella could be. The girl is strong, level-headed, and self-sufficient.

When I was surfing through Amazon, I noticed that I could buy each book in hardcover separately for less than the box set. I figured this was a safer way to handle things. If the first didn't grab me, I would have the option to send the other two back. But if I was hooked, there would be no delay in finding out what happened next.

Flash-forward six days after opening book one.

OMG those books are like crack for your imagination.

I don't want to ruin any of the adventure or images for you. Just simply trust me and start reading. The initial focus of the trilogy is the Hunger Games - which is an annual event where district children are randomly chosen to compete in an arena to the death. This mayhem is considered entertainment for the Capitol citizens (the upper echelon) to see children ages 9 - 14 kill one another. These people are unaffected by the deaths, as their children will never be selected to fight, and thus have no connection to the contestants beyond the one they bet on. Although I would estimate the first novel focuses on the "sporting event" for about 75% of the pages, I was still able to feel emotionally connected to the characters.

Don't worry, the book isn't solely focused on the killing, there is a love story intertwined in which involves Katniss and two boys, but it isn't a traditional triangle. Katniss isn't daydreaming about boys, she stays focused on family and her own abilities for the most part. She was a breath of fresh air as a female character - who is to appeal to tweens - who was determined, powerful, and not forgetting how to breath because a hottie sent her a loving gaze. I love her.

Now don't delay, go read these books so we can discuss them :)

ABSolutely worth the $6

Did you know that if you go to the movies at 10:30 am it only costs $6? Well I now know and have every intention of becoming a morning movie patron.

I am not sure if I will ever go to the theaters in the pm now that I know there is such a deal if I compliment with my brunches with some cinema. And seriously, who wouldn't love some abs first thing in the morning?


Yes, in case you can't figure it out I saw Eclipse. I totally recommend it.

New Moon came out on dvd this weekend

Yum.

Also, saw on twitter that a very clever blogger managed to tell New Moon through the power of lolcats.

The Answer Is YES

Happy 18th Birthday Taylor Lautner. You are now an adult. Cougars - and by cougars I mean any heterosexual female - will be all over you, so please be prepared.

Cannot wait for New Moon to be released to DVD.

Do they know me or what?

My birthday is this week. Given the awkward timing of my birth being so close to Jesus's I often go about celebrating most of December. This past week I was able to see a number of friends, share a number of drinks, and ended up getting a number of gifts. Above you can see me sporting most of them. What can I say, my friends really understand me.

One friend gave me a leopard print Snuggie. After I opened the gift and subsequently let out a squeal in the middle of the thai restaurant she told me how she was hoping to get this for me before someone else did. When in the store, there was a few shelves of Snuggies, but only one leopard one. A woman was holding it, thinking about it, and eventually put it down for a moment to mull on the purchase decision. My friend was watching this whole thing go down, as soon as the box hit the shelf and the woman turned her back, my friend grabbed the box and dashed to the cash register. Moral of the story, when looking at a one of a kind (in the store) tacky item, don't put it down, someone else probably has a friend that has as bad taste as you do.

Another friend helped further my sunglass collection with a pair of hot pink sunglasses. These will be worn with pride. In fact they were worn this morning on my way to work. The glare off of the snow was completely unnoticeable.

The lip gloss is actually Venom. The Twilight lip plumping gloss. "Get bitten...be transformed" is written on the container the product comes in. I have tried it out. The color and the plumping seem to favor my bottom lip, which really shouldn't get any bigger. It is fun, and it does make your lips look you just sucked the blood out of some poor souls artery. Can't wait to sport it public.

The final gift in the picture is that beautiful metal flower ring. Don't fool yourself, that thing is heavy. It was a treat just seeing the friend that gave it to me as she now lives on the west coast. She told me she happened to see it and thought of me and had to purchase it. Of course I love it and of course I wore it to work the next day. One of my coworkers saw it and said "oh man that ring is just so you!!!". I smiled. It is fun to know that I have a style and look that is my own, no matter how tacky it is.

Well, tomorrow is the big day. I will be 26. Eeeep. Can't wait to see my family and home friends. This blog has been rather ignored this month due to personal stuff, it will probably be ignored again until 2010 as the holidays will keep me busy. On the off chance I can find time to write, I will.

Team Jacob?

Yum

Saw New Moon tonight with a bunch of friends. It was amazing. The movie was so much better than Twilight, the acting has improved. Don't take this as me saying that the movie is going up for an award. I'm just saying that I could probably watch this one more than three times. It was a common agreement that three was the maximum number that one could sit through Twilight.

Jacob Black has an amazing body. Everyone in the theater took a deep breath in when we first saw him shirtless. That happened over and over again throughout the movie. Edward is Edward, but Jacob totally has an amazing body and well, for now, I am on team Jacob.

Here's the whole wolf pack. Sigh

I want to be Bella

The Twilight Series still has a ton of momentum. The second movie is under way and third will be not far behind. Currently, actual fashion designers have submitted sketches of what they would think Bella's wedding gown would look like.

It is insane.

I wish I could have one of these...particularly this one:

I need to find a way to become a famous female who is in love with an immortal male in the next few years. Shouldn't be too bad? Right?

Back to being a 20 something

Actual chat from this afternoon:

me: any good books lately?

friend: actually reading one right now

called the summer of 1949

it's a baseball book

so I don't think you'd be too interested

me: i think you would be correct

me: i am reading twilight four. a trashy ass book

friend: haha

way to be 15
As of 8 pm tonight, I finished book four of the Twilight series. For a second I thought I could officially return to the world of a 25 year old. Then I had a stroke of genius that while I did some packing tonight I would watch the Twilight movie. NOW I am done being 15.

Book four was interesting, not particularly satisfying. Definately no Harry Potter Seven - speaking of H Potter, seeing movie six tomorrow!!!! - but this book did keep me going. I purchased it for $5 from a guy on the street while walking home on Sunday and have been religiously reading about 100 pages a night since. The book is trash, but it is addictive!

One of the girls subletting a room in my apartment informs me that the author has talked about writing a fifth novel. I just googled this tip - low and behold Stephanie Meyers is attempting to milk this series for as long as she can. She is in the midst of writing Midnight Sun (the Twilight Book from Edward Cullen's eyes). I hope she doesn't plan on rewriting them all like this. I may end up reading this next book, but I was kind of set on the fact that this cheesey teenage romance novel was over and done with in four episodes. I don't need this to be dragged out any longer.

Packing is an Art

Overall, I would say I am pretty good at packing. I try really hard to not over pack clothing, and in general, I usually don't have many unworn items by the time I return home. Books are my downfall.

I over pack books like it is my job.

I was in S.F. for a total of 4 days. I brought 5 books. FIVE. I could even rationalize why I needed each and everyone of them. I came no where near close to reading them all. Fortunately for me I was much more realistic for Vegas and only brought two. I did finish one and started the second while I was sitting in LAX waiting for my red eye home.

One of the books I brought to S.F. that I did finish was Eclipse. Eclipse being the 3rd installment of the Twilight series. I am so glad I only have one more left. Not only do I truly want to see how this all wraps up, but once I finish that one I can finally live my life guilt free. I won't feel like such a tool being a grown female reading a tween romance novel.

It is funny to see how many adults are reading the series. Most are women. If Harry Potter hadn't taken the world by storm, I am not sure Twilight would be doing nearly as good. Part of the reason I started was that I had kind of hoped the writing would be of the same caliber. It is not.

On the plane to S.F. there was a woman kitty-corner to me reading Twilight, and she was probably in her 40s. This helped me deal with my addiction. In Vegas, one of the girls on the trip with me was in the middle of reading Eclipse so that did make me feel a little better. I mean she is about to be a Dentist and was still letting herself read this mindless vampire romance book!

Now we wait to see how long I break down and purchase the last one. Being the OCD person that I am, I am slightly bothered by the fact that I bought a hard copy of the third book and will have to purchase the 4th in this style as well as the paperbacks have not been printed yet. That will mean the first two are paper and my second two are hard. I like series to look like they match. I think this is why I held off purchasing the H.P. books for myself. Fortunately my mother understands my quirky behavior and bought me the box set (the kind that comes in its own trunk) for my birthday two years ago :)

Once shame on you, Twice shame on me

New Moon.

I bought it

I read it.

I enjoyed it.

I won't even kid myself by attempting to state that I will avoid the next two books in the Twilight series. I am a grown female who could now carry on a conversation with tweens everywhere.

At least there are only TWO more...