Thursday, May 13, 2010

Hunger Games Book 3 Title: Mockingjay


I'm sooooooooooo excited!  If you haven't already heard, the third and final book in The Hunger Games trilogy is due out this summer and it's called Mockingjay.

Here is a brief description of what is to come:
"Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she’s made it out of the bloody arena alive, she’s still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what’s worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss’s family, not her friends, not the people of District 12. Powerful and haunting, this thrilling final installment of Suzanne Collins’s groundbreaking The Hunger Games trilogy promises to be one of the most talked about books of the year. "

The book releases August 24th, 2010!!!

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Review: The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist


It's two for two ladies and gentlemen.  The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist was another exceptional read.  I enjoyed this book from beginning to end.  I found myself really looking forward to reading it every chance I got.

This book was originally written in Swedish, titled Enhet. It is a very disturbing prediction of the possible future for any society focused primarily on procreation and population augmentation above all else.  While it is mostly set in what seems to be Sweden, it could easily apply to North American society as well.  Especially to Canada where there are many who fear that not enough canadians are having children.

The Unit is a dystopian novel set in the not too distant future.  It is a democratic society with no flying cars, no freaky foods, and nothing terribly unfirmiliar except the existance of a horrible place called the Unit.  If you are are a woman who turns 50 (or a man who turns 60) and have no children, then you are labelled "dispensable" and are permanently sent to the Unit on that milestone birthday.  The Unit is a term used to describe facilities scattered throughout the country where "dispensables" are sent to be used as guinea pigs in various human experiments and where they are also used as organ donors.  "Dispensables" live in the Unit until their "final donation" is given; a donation where an organ is taken that the donor cannot possibly survive without (liver, pancreas, heart, etc.) and the rest of the body is bagged and banked for future need.  The terror that would normally be caused by a place like the Unit is smoothed over with every freedom and luxury that a person could ever ask for.  There is unlimited free shopping, unlimited entertainment, free gyms, beautiful gardens, delicious food, private quarters with no rent, and everything else a person could desire aside from freedom and the right to live.  The Unit is a superficial no-stress zone designed to brainwash these people into submitting to death.  Ultimately, these people have no power over their fate. Suicide is impossible with the top notch Big Brother style security system and all these people can do is wait for their turn to die, when their organs are more valueble than they are.  The book looms with sadness all the way through to its tragic ending.

In the book they also show the consequences of making people feel that procreation is the ultimate societal goal.  By making procreation mostly about self-preservation, the book shows some interesting cause and effect scenarios because people become so over-burdened by the thought of being sent to the Unit.  The number of kidnappings and teen pregnancies rapidly rise, the rate of STDs soars due to abnormally high levels of sexual encounters and multiple partners, and family values decrease because people who don't want kids are having them just to save their own skin.

What's funny is that the society in the book is very much focused on the idea of democracy as a shield; since the majority decided in favour of the Unit through democratic politics then it's okay.  There is also an emphasis on morality and human rights when it comes to the treatment of those in the Unit, even though all dispensables are really there as objects for the abuse of society.  The book also mixes up what humans value most.  For example, healthy and highly intelligent people are being physically used for unhealthy folks with lots of children because the latter is considered to be more valueble to society.  What is also interesting is that the most commonly donated organs in the book are kidneys and livers, and it doesn't take a doctor to know that those are organs commonly destroyed by human habits.  I don't think the author did this by accident.

I think it was also interesting that during Dorrit's escape, she is using the North Star to find her way to freedom, drawing a direct parallel to the slaves on the underground railroad.  What was also interesting is that this book is supposed to be a book written and left behind by the main character after her final donation, similar to the manuscript found in The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.

This book also shows the power of relationships.  This book shows the bond between partners, the bond between friends, the bond between mother and child, and the bond between man and dog (strange I know, but this part really reached out to me). It also shows how powerful human support really is when you read about the interaction between all the inhabitants of the Unit.

All in all, The Unit is a very powerful book.

This book is a great add to any dystopian lit list.  It's a must read for anyone who loves Orwell, Atwood, and the many other authors who remind us of the fragile balance between freedom and security.


Book Information
Title: The Unit
Author: Ninni Holmqvist
Year of publication: 2006
Year of translation: 2008 by Marlaine Delargy
Publisher: Other Press
Pages: 268
Purchased at: Chapters-Indigo
E-Book or Real Book (that's right, real book): Real Book
Rating: 5/5

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Mel... e-reads! (Kobo Style)


Just a little FYI for those of you who don't follow me on Twitter...  I purchased a Kobo e-reader the other day (the last one available for a few weeks).  Unfortunately I am stuck with black because white (or porcelain as they call it) is sold out.  The Kobo is the newest edition to the growing wealth of e-readers on the market.  It is brought to you by Chapters-Indigo & Borders, and will soon be challenged (May 28th 2010 to be exact) by the highly anticipated iPad from the competitive folks at Apple.  The major appeal is the simplicity of the product (it is just for reading) and the fantastic price of $149.00.  Also... it's pretty.

When I finish my paper copy of "The Unit" (which is really good so far by the way!) I will be reading my first ever e-book, although I am not sure yet what it will be.  The first time needs to be special, intimate, and deeply satisfying.  So hang tight because I will let you know if the Kobo is a no-go. And e-reading in general for that matter.

Also, I am taking a lot of flack for buying an e-reader to begin with, so if you are an e-reader then please let me know what you love about e-reading so that I can properly defend myself. 

I am also accepting tips on how to read the Kobo in the bath.  Someone suggested a Ziplock baggy, but where is the romance in that?

Thoughts anyone?

Coming Soon! Marilyn Monroe in "Fragments"



I am pretty excited to share with all of you that there will be a new book out in the fall about Marilyn Monroe.  I am pretty excited about this because to be perfectly honest, I don't know that much about her.  I have always found her to be one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen yet have never taken the opportunity to learn about her as a person.  I suppose this sounds sort of silly considering she is a celebrity and we can't really know someone by reading about them.  But I think I am going to take the opportunity when this book releases to learn about the "legend of" Marilyn Monroe.

"Fragments" is due to release October 2010.  It will be published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux and edited by Courtney Hodell.  "Fragment" will be an assortment of letters, lists, notes, journal entries, rare photos, and more.  Some parts of the book will be copies of original documents in Marilyn's handwriting.  All content comes from the priod between her teen years (starting in 1943) and her tragic death in her L.A. home in 1962, when she was only 36. 

A biography about Marilyn entitled "The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe" by J. Randy Taraborelli was released in August 2009 with the hardcover due out this summer.  Taraborelli also wrote well received biographies about Michael Jackson, Elizabeth Taylor, and Madonna. 


Tuesday, May 4, 2010

The Outlander by Gil Adamson


All I have to say is (but not really because there is a full blog post)… Wow! Excellent book!

I really enjoyed The Outlander by Gil Adamson. Right from the beginning I was locked in to the story of Mary Boulton. She is a young woman who has just killed her husband and is now on the run from his brothers; a pair of vengeful twins with flaming red hair and cold dispositions who will stop at nothing until they find her.

Mary snapped and killed her abusive husband after the death of their newborn baby. It can be presumed that the baby died due to the violent rapes and constant abuse her husband committed against her, even during her pregnancy. She shot him in the leg with his own gun and let him bleed to death slowly on the floor of their cabin in the woods. She buried him behind their little cabin in the woods and after the discovery of what she had done, she runs away knowing what fate awaits if she is caught.

Part of the driving force for Mary’s initial madness is the discovery that her husband is not only abusive, but also unfaithful. The life in which Mary ended up was far from what she expected, having grown up in a middle class home as an only child. Her family had its difficulties, but nothing compared to what she faced with her new husband after their marriage. Mary running away after killing her husband ends up being her pathway to true freedom and independence.

Along her travels Mary meets some excellent characters, including the Reverend, the dwarf, the cat-skinning giant, and last but not least, William Moreland (a.k.a. the Ridgerunner).

This wild tale is set in the beginning of the 20th century, when it’s shocking for a woman to wear pants and stand up against her husband no matter how abusive. The book takes the reader into the mountains of western Canada to enjoy the view of the land and explore the madness of a broken woman on the run as she struggles to find food, shelter, refuge, and her sanity.

I grew really attached to Mary as I read this story because she is a strong woman who makes you feel for her, but not pity her.

Gil Adamson’s talent is well proven in this great Canadian story. I am looking forward to reading her short stories as well. I recommend this book to anyone looking for adventure, love, and strong women who wear pants.


Book Information

Title: The Outlander
Author: Gil Adamson
Year of publication: 2008
Publisher: House of Anansi
Pages: 400 pages
Awards: Canada Reads Nominee 2009, Amazon.ca Books in Canada First Novel Award 2008
Purchased at: Chapters
Rating: 5/5