Happy Holidays!

To all of you celebrating, happy holidays,
and to all of you who don't celebrate at this time of year, well wishes!

Video: The Hunger Games

A while back, I wrote a review for The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and today, I get to revisit that post. This series has become quite popular since the first book was published. And, by the time Mocking Jay (the third book) came out, people were waiting in lines at book stores for its release. Today I heard for the first time that they are planning on making a movie, which I am aware that I'm behind times with this news, but I'm excited and sort of making a post about it anyway.

The thing is, though, I usually don't like movies translated from books. I find that the casting is usually less than stellar and they leave out a lot of important parts. I would love to rant about how they don't film some of my favorite scenes in the books, but this post actually has more to do with the casting.


The actors and actresses selected for main character roles in movies based off of books often seem to lack enthusiasm and they don't blend well with their role. I've heard of some actors and actresses who haven't even read the books until they decide to audition. While there's nothing wrong with that, to me that doesn't show that they're trying to snag a role because of a love for the characters or the story. So, today when I found this video on another blog, I had to post it here.

To the best of my knowledge, this was a video created to help Danielle Churchran get the part of Katniss. And, while she doesn't look like the Katniss in my head, the fact that she put the time and effort in to create this video tells me all that I need to know. She clearly has a grasp on the feeling of the book and is already working toward becoming the main character. It thrills me to see someone so attached to a role that they haven't even been cast into yet.

This actress is now my preference for the part of Katniss.

Do you have someone in particular that you would like to see playing this part yet?

2011 Debut Author Challenge

Hello, everyone!

Today I discovered the 2011 Debut Author Challenge on another blog and, because I'm feeling motivated and spontaneous this afternoon, I've decided to participate. I know, what a surprise, right? But, honestly, who doesn't like an excuse to read more? And it might just be me being too hopeful, again, but the image above (which they created) has diamonds on it, so I'm hoping that means we're anticipating a lot of good books this year.

What does this mean for you? Well, I will be posting book reviews on here for all twelve of the books I end up reading on top of those reviews I was originally planning on posting. Why? Because book reviews are nice, and I'm always looking for recommendations or warnings against books before I buy them. Also, because posting the reviews is part of the challenge.

Planning to Read:

The Water Wars by Cameron Stracher
Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton
Wither by Lauren DeStefano
Queen of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

And... that's all I've had the time to look into so far but, obviously, there will be more. I'm excited!

Anyway, I'll be posting a nice link for easy access to the challenge over on the sidebar in a few minutes.

Anyone else signing up?