Short Stories

So, I have english this semester and we just started our short story unit. Now I have never been one for short stories. I think that they have too many questions attached to them and they don't need them. Short stories require a lot more thought than most novels.
I was thinking that I could maybe review or at least mention a few of my favourites for you guys but that's only if you like short stories. If you don't like them then I won't waste my time.
So...short stories? Yes? No?
Favourites?

~Kelsey

The Hunger Games - Movie Review

Katniss' Mockingjay Pin

Don't worry again, no spoilers!
So, the moment that everyone has been waiting for has finally arrived. The Hunger Games movie. Knowing my obsession like love with this book, I thought it was safe for me to say that I was expecting the worst. I was convinced that I'd be disappointed, but that didn't stop me from getting excited. (Ask anyone at school, it got to the point where everything reminded me of The Hunger Games... In history class, we were talking about the French Revolution and I turned to Kelsey and said Maximilien Robespierre reminds me of Peeta... awkward.) So, sitting... or should I say standing... in line at the midnight premiere I was beyond excited (and hot, holy crap.).

Holy crap... I thought it was brilliant. Who saw that coming? I sure didn't. I actually loved it. I loved what they added to it, I loved the script. Though the characters obviously weren't as developed as they were in the book, it was still superb. Gary Ross was brilliant, and can I just say Josh Hutcherson is actually the perfect Peeta (and person) ever. Jennifer Lawrence carried the movie so well. I don't even know, I'm all jumbled up. Sooooo good!

Thoughts? What'd you guys think?
- Kristen

Narrative Loserdom

Reviewer: Kelsey
Author: Ryan Collins
Pages: 204
Format: Paperback
Rating: 7 out of 10

Summary (from GoodReads): Justin Taggart doesn’t know anything (about being a loser). He likes girls and plays sports and has some friends. Unfortunately his fear of rejection outweighs his ability to deal with these well. Mostly there’s Sterling, the girl of his dreams who knows how to stop his heart by not knowing he likes her. Another thing is trying to get money with Adam, who’s rich anyway so it’s more about hanging out. As for Justin, he makes ends meet by mowing people’s yards with Adam, and sometimes by breaking into vending machines and selling late-night cable programming to peers (also with Adam). But it’s not like he doesn’t feel bad about it, since Jesus died for his sins. School is pretty terrible with all the work and practice, but there are a few people there worth mentioning. Anyone who picks up his journal will be in for something, if they feel like getting through a lot of grammar and spelling problems. They’ll probably end up seeing that they shouldn’t have looked at it anyway, because this is someone’s private anthem of girls, grass, and loserdom.

My Take: So I really did enjoy this book. The characters were somewhat relatable (they would have been more, had I been a boy...). I enjoyed the almost short story format in each of the journal entries. They made it very easy to just pick up the book and read. We also always had enough detail to understand each character and follow each story line.

The best part for me, however, was the moment in each story where I had the "omg, why are they going to do this? It's so stupid." but really it was the funniest thing that I'd ever heard. I also wish that I could get away with as much as these boys do. I was really rooting for them though. They had some real adventures.

Final Thoughts: It was a very interesting book and I was excited to see what kind of trouble the boys would find themselves in next. It was good that they were just normal boys doing normal things. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves journal type stories or trouble making boys. You really get a glimpse into the brain of a teenage boy. I would definitely recommend it if you are a 10-16 year old boy (not that it's not good for girls!). It was good.

A Hero Rising

Reviewer: Kristen
Author: Aubrie Dionne
Pages: 194 (novella)
Format: eBook
My Rating: 9 out of 10

Summary (via Goodreads): After watching his love leave on a colony ship, James Wilfred must save those left behind from a planetary apocalypse. Their salvation lies in an unfinished ship tucked away in a secret government base, and only James can break in and pilot him and his people to freedom on a nearby space station. 

Skye O’Connor’s boyfriend never returns after his gang attempts an assassination of the Governor, and the State Building is destroyed. Worse, crazed moonshiners addicted to the chemical Morpheus have stormed the city, and she must find a safe place for her and her boyfriend’s daughter. When a heroic man saves her, Skye asks to accompany him on his quest to find the last colony ship left on Earth. 

As the city falls around them, James and Skye must work together to build a new future, all the while rediscovering their ability to love, before the apocalypse claims them both
My Thoughts: I'm not usually one for novellas, especially when I grow to love the characters. I just want to spend all the possible "time" with them, ya know? But, this one was truly astounding. We first meet James in Aubrie Dionne's Tundra 37 (which Kelsey reviewed here), and this is kind of just an expansion on him. Keeping in mind, I haven't read the all the novels included in this. Yet, I still loved it. Which is odd for me, and a huge compliment to the author. Being able to read these out of order, yet still getting the impact is quite rare. From my rating, you can tell I loved this book. I loved the premise, it was just so compelling and gripping. Once I started reading, I couldn't stop. Despite the piles of work that I know needed to be done, I sunk my teeth into this one. The pace was perfect for the story, and I honestly can't think of anything, anything, that I would change about this. Trust me, that never happens for me!

Final Thoughts: Gosh, I say this a lot.. but this is a great book. Seriously, even if the summary doesn't appeal to you... you won't put it down. Trust me.

Until Next Time: The Angel Chronicles, Book 1.

Reviewer: Kristen
Author: Amy Lignor
Pages: 255
Publisher: Tribute Books
Format: eBook (sent to us by Tribute Books)
My Rating: 8 out of 10


Summary (via Goodreads): How does a girl choose between the one who steals her heart and the one who owns her soul? 

Matt and Emily were created for a specific job. Raised and trained as the ultimate angel/warrior team, they are sent down to save, defend, judge and forgive, depending on the 'life' they've been assigned. What they don't realize is that the power of human emotions, such as love, anger, passion and fear can take over even the best of souls, causing them to make mistakes and follow paths that lead to confusion and heartache. 

When the reason for their training is finally revealed, the angel/warrior team find themselves thrust into a world they know nothing about. Matt takes over the life of Daniel, a young man with a great deal of baggage. Emily becomes Liz, a girl living in a remote village who relies on nothing more than her own strength to survive. A violent storm erupts one night, and framed in the window of Liz's establishment is a frightening face. Let in by the soul of a Good Samaritan, the two visitors bring with them a past full of secrets that could literally change an angel's path and a warrior's plans. 

From murder to redemption, this angel/warrior team must find a way to keep the faith they have in each other in a world that's ripping them apart.

My Thoughts: Wow. Let's just start out with that. Just from reading the summary, I was intrigued. Don't say you aren't too! I had never come across an idea quite like this, so props to the author for being original. Though, as I'm sure you can imagine, this does have it's religious feel to it. Particularly in the beginning, if you're unaware of aspects of religion (ie. heaven) it gets confusing. Though, to the author's credit, I think she helped out a lot with the explanation and once you're past that, it's pretty unforgettable. I absolutely loved the characters, and I connected to them so well. Emily was my favourite, she was just such an interesting character. Not quite sure why I loved her like I did, but that's what novels are all about! The author kept this fairly straightforward, and her writing style kept the flow of it. (You know the novels, were you just can't stand how the author writes? This definitely isn't one of them). Also, can I just say I really enjoyed the love aspect to it - although a bit Twilight-esqe at times, I thought it was what the book needed. To be completely honest with you - I really found nothing wrong with this book at all. It was so enjoyable, I'm almost sad it's over. 

Final Thoughts: You know those books where you wish the author would have published the whole series at once? This is definitely one of those. I will be on the look out for the rest of this talented authors works. If you never listen to anything I say on this blog, trust me on this, and pick yourself up a copy of this novel. 

Just a little FYI..

I, (Kristen), won't be home this week so expect little updates from me, but a lot when I get back.

You can expect one tonight and March 12th, however!

Thanks & sorry!
Kristen.

The Last Three

Reviewer: Kelsey
Author: Almon Chu
Format: Novella eBook
Pages: 43
Rating: 7 out of 10

Summary (Thanks Smashwords): "'Just three more stops,' I thought to myself. I gripped my knife, the handle digging into my flesh. I closed my eyes and tried to think of Eris." A descent down the path of self-destruction, does salvation lie around the corner or is it merely an illusion? The Last Three is a captivating story of a lost soul on the streets of a modern dystopia.       

My Thoughts: You jump right into the story. Right away you connect to the main character. He happens to swear quite a bit just for a warning. I connected to him pretty quickly even though we don't get very much of his background. It was very easy to connect with his pain. Anybody who's had a bad breakup will understand this. I could relate but at the same time, I didn't remember having all of the feelings or thoughts that he did. I was really upset to see how he ended up treating his 'friends.'

I enjoyed this novella. It introduced us to the story and wrapped it up in due time. I really did feel bad for the guy and his actions affected my emotions. I do wish that it had a happier ending but, then again, not every ending can be happy.