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Books…and the End of the World

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I haven’t posted much in the way of my resolve to read more, so I figure this post should help make up for it.

First off, I have the BEST Reading Pile. Look at all these goodies!

Once I plow through these, I’m going on another scouting mission for some of my blogger chums’ books that I was unable to find on my last trip to the library & Indigo books. I am not a quitter, and you guys have so many good books that I just can’t wait to get into.

Some of these books have been waiting on my shelf for awhile, I’ll admit. I find that when I’m drafting, I have to read books that have similar moods or themes to what I’m writing. I can’t read books that have the same content tho–there’s too big a chance that it might sway what I write. But It’s hard for me to read a romance or something that focuses on high school cliques when I’m writing a MG about death.

(And yeah, that’s what I’m writing about…death. You can see the book blurb here!)

Speaking of death and dark themes, I am probably the last person on the planet to do so, but I just finished reading The Hunger Games.


WOW! I have to say I loved it. It was one of the few books I’ve read in a long while where the content kept me so hooked I didn’t see the writing at all. I couldn’t put it down, and finished it during a self-appointed sick day I took last week. Have you read it? What did you think of it?

I’ll admit, I was a bit leery of the book simply because reading the synopsis made me think that the author had taken Stephen King’s The Running Man and smooshed it with Stephen King’s The Long Walk.
Hubby and I are loyal King Fans, as you can see. After reading The Hunger Games though, I think I can say clearly that while the author certainly may have been influenced from these books regarding core ideas, what she did from there was completely her own and original enough that I didn’t see it as a King rip off at all. I’d love to hear your take if you’re familiar with these books.

Now, a Random Book Fact. See that green book on the top of my reading pile? Some of you may know about the significance of 2012 and the end of the Mayan Calendar.

The last day of the Mayan Calendar occurs on December 21, 2012. There are some people who believe that this will be the ‘end of the world’ where a purification will occur through a fiery cataclysm of some kind, while others believe that this date signifies a point where mankind will develop a higher state of consciousness and awareness. In any case, it will be a day that everyone will be looking at with increased interest and possibly fear as it draws near.

So why do I have a book about this event? Well, seeing as the world may end on my birthday, I figured I should be in the know. Wouldn’t you do the same?

Happy reading and writing!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Angela says

    I know how you feel Donna. I like to see the good side of things too. If something bad happens, it happens, just like if something good happens, it happens. That’s how it goes.

    If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that anything that happens outside of our presense (and sometimes even within it) is always left up to the interpretation of others. Even if the predictions of The Hopi, Mayans, Nastradamus, Edgar Casey, etc. are true, the predictions themselves are being interpreted by others and then passed down. It’s always good to keep realism in check.

  2. Donna says

    I haven’t read The Hunger Games yet but it’s on my paper TBR (as opposed to my tangible TBR that’s haunting me from the corner of my room).

    How many times over has the world supposed to have ended already? I can’t remember which year but there was a book out signaling my birthday 5/5 as the end of the work. 2006 maybe? I can’t remember. I guess The History Channel did something on 2012 about the pole reversing and it happens once every too few years. My argument is, if it’s ticking like the second hand on a clock, and 2012 is when it makes it’s last tick, why would be feel anything different if it was one degree off from a total reversal however long ago? See my point? Or are we all going to flip inside out on that day?

    I don’t put much stock in those doomsday things. The Mayan calendar works off of a 5000 year cycle (I believe it’s 5000, could be less but it’s an even number like that). The end of the calendar doesn’t signal the end of the world, just the end of their calendar cycle, much like ours resets on 1/1. I don’t know why people are so eager for the end of the world to come but what happened to shiny happy thoughts?

  6. Angela says

    Bish, seriously…wouldn’t that be funny?

    Nate, good thinking. You da man.

    Kelly, you must read this book. So awesome.

    Martha, you are so RIGHT! Wow, the end of the world seems less bleak now. Whew!!

    Gutsy, that sounds like a great plan!

    Sadako, run out and get it–you won’t be disappointed!

    Natalie, I know–I’m been meaning to get this one since forever. It’s always out when I go to the bookstore and I finally found it in. I didn’t want to read any of the later ones until I read this one, so I have lots to catch up on!

    Windsong, THANKS! And no, I don’t think you’d need the light on. 🙂

    Brown-Eyed Girl, any time. You know where I live. (seriously, she does…she’s only a few houses down, lol)

  8. Windsong says

    Well, just in case, Happy Birthday! 😉

    I’ll have to look that one up. It spounds great. Is it the sort that would require me to sleep with a night light for the next foreseeable future, though?

  9. Natalie Hatch says

    I see you’ve got Wicked Lovely in that reading pile. I just finished Ink Exchange and must say I really like Melissa Marr’s voice. Both her books are great.
    Hunger Games did smack seriously of The Running Man and The Long Walk, but I liked it nevertheless.
    As for the world ending in 2012, it can’t I will be too busy for the world to end so it’ll just have to reschedule. LOL

  14. Nate K. says

    Just celebrate your birthday the day before. And instead of getting gifts, just get one giant cake. That way you can enjoy it no matter when the world ends.

  16. Angela says

    Beth–It was brilliant, wasn’t it? I can’t wait for the second one to come out.

    Nate, think about how I feel. If the world does end, I totally get ripped off in the birthday cake department. But if it doesn’t end, then everyone will be so focused on the possible apocalypse scenario that no one will care it is my birthday!

    Wow Christy–you are the super fan. Great idea though–I just couldn’t bare to mark the book up. Maybe if I had two copies…

  17. C.R. Evers says

    I more than loved the Hunger Games. I bought my own copy and and highlighted and graphed the chapters and studied it for pacing and characterization. An amazing book!

    looks like you’ve got a great stack of books!

    Christy

  18. Nate K. says

    I’ve told basically everyone I know that the world will end in 2012. If it doesn’t, I will be so embarassed. Of course, if it does, I can’t gloat… I guess it’s a lose-lose situation for me.