#review entry

The world is full of events that can make you want to curl up and cry. It seems as though every day there is something new in the news that causes a little part of my heart to break off. There occasionally comes times when I feel emotionally fragile, as is the human experience. When this happens, there are certain songs that I turn to.

For an immediate pick-me-up: Tandem by Halcali

Halcali's song Tandem from their Bacon soundtrack is a delightfully peppy song that makes you dance, almost uncontrollably. It is impossible to feel sad when you hear this. It is a magical experience that I recommend everyone try at least once.

For a dose of refreshing gratefulness: Good to be Alive by They Might Be Giants

Silly music video aside, this song is a heartwarming reminder that every day that you are alive is a good one. It makes me feel glad that I am here and it makes me feel misty eyed thinking about how close I have come to not experiencing some of the best moments in my life because of choices I almost made in my darkest moments. An amazing creation from TMBG.

For a trancelike distraction: My Dog's Eyes by Zammuto

This song is made from an altered audio clip. Some will find it repetitive, but I found it helpful to sit with my eyes closed and memorize the tones of this song. It almost became a meditation of some sort. It's a beautiful piece about what humanity finds wonderful. Definitely worth a listen, even if you aren't into the more experimental style.

This has been my first week on Spacehey. I have enjoyed it so far, although I must admit that I do not have the same MySpace nostalgia that so many have for the site. I am within the age range of those that would have experienced it, but I lived a very sheltered childhood and it was never in the cards. Regardless, I have found the userbase to be, for the most part, very welcoming and pleasant.

Preface out of the way, I will now review my week, both online events and offline. I will start with the lows so I can end with the highs.

Lows:

I neglected my responsibilities and will be spending the next 24 hours attempting to get my work done on time. I don't like rushing things, but I am unfortunately a procrastinating perfectionist.

There is someone currently living with me that I do not like, and although this is out of my control, I find it difficult to stop myself from feeling responsible for his generally unlikable personality and inability to clean up after himself. Hopefully he will be gone soon, though, and I can use my abilities to be slightly irritating to incentivize his exit.

Highs:

I am visiting family for the weekend. It is nice to get away from my living situation, even if it means staying with the aforementioned slob and sleeping in my childhood bed. At least I am able to see my pets, as the place I am staying does not allow me to take them with me when I leave. I will be back this summer, though, which gives me the boost of energy I need to complete my job strong. I am taking it one day at a time until there are no more days to withstand.

There is a rush of inspiration swirling around my mind at this new social media. I always find the first week of joining a website like this, while my persona has not yet established itself, to be the most rewarding. What do I want to do with this opportunity? Who will I portray? It feels good, like a clean start. I always end up being myself, though, which isn't an entirely horrible person to be. It still feels thrilling, imprinting my shape onto the plush expanse of my account.

I tried a new drink that I enjoyed. Finding joy in the little things is essential, which is why I am pleased that I was able to try a new type of soda this week that I thought was very refreshing and delicious. "Coca-Cola Starlight" is a marshmallowy, minty, vanilla cola that I found extremely wonderful. Hopefully it becomes a staple in the company's arsenal. It makes me feel what the people of Fallout must have felt with all of the strange versions of their cola, although hopefully without the side effects. I do not forsee myself becoming addicted to this soft drink.

The weather was pleasant. It was overcast and rainy, but was warm. I was able to enjoy a slight breeze and a light drizzle on my morning commute, which is always exhilarating, although it reminds me that perhaps it is time to invest in a raincoat.

At last, I, Tracy, am tapping into the blog that I've had on reserve for eons in order to bring to light the reviews I always write in my head but never on paper.

In light of the movie coming out and the buzz circulating about it (both good and bad, but you can view my full feelings on the controversy surrounding the fans of the series on my personal blog), I've decided that the first book I review is going to be...

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

For those of you who don't know--and I have to admit, if there are any of you out there who don't know about this series I'd like to meet you to find out how you stay away from the media/under a rock--The Hunger Games is a book that takes place in the futuristic setting of Panem, which is the civilization that rose out of the destruction of what we know as North America. Due to depletion of resources, natural disasters, and pretty much every awful thing that you would see in a Will Smith disaster movie, the futuristic Panem is a poor country, save for the rich and lavish Capitol. At one point the districts (there are twelve of them, one for each good the Capitol needs, and at one point there were thirteen but more on that later) rebelled against the oppressive Capitol because they were starving, poor, and unfairly treated, but the Capitol moved in like a bunch of BAMFS and squashed the rebellion--and the aforementioned District Thirteen as a punishment for the rebellion. Now, as a constant reminder of their deeds, Panem hosts the annual Hunger Games. Sound like a fun ol' board game involving hippos and balls? Yeah. No.

See that? It is not. Unless you change balls for children, and hippos for... Know what? It's not even close. What it actually is is a gladiator-style battle royale. Each district must offer in tribute one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 to fight in an arena that's tricked out and mechanically controlled by gamemakers so that it's different every year. If you win you bring food to your district for an entire year, get to live in a mansion, and never go hungry again. If you lose? You're dead. Because in order to win you have to be the only one still alive after everybody else is killed. Sounds like fun, doesn't it?

The book is heartwrenching, deep, and conveys a message about unjust societies and the exploitation/oppression of the lower classes. There are issues of race hinted at in here (the poorer outlying districts of 11 and 12, for instance, both have characters that are specifically described as being non-white), and it is definitely a political satire masked in a young adult novel. While there are plot aspects that people can point out share common plots with other works, part of the charm of The Hunger Games is the characters in it. Each character is diverse with flaws and endearments. Even those who are expected to be the antagonists (such as "brutal, bloody Cato") have aspects and moments in the book that redeem them as human and remind us, the readers, that the children in the games are not the real enemy.

I could give you more, such as an in-depth discussion as to why I don't believe Peeta Mellark is a Gary Stu or even remotely perfect, my feelings on Gale Hawthorne, and even why I absolutely believe that had Prim entered those games she would have died no matter if Peeta helped her or not, but for now I'll just leave you with my rating. Because, my friends, I want you to read and find out for yourselves. And read you should.

PLOT: 5/5

CHARACTERS: 5/5

WRITING STYLE: 5/5

OVERALL: 5/5