Slip Stitches: Book Review - The Hunger Games Trilogy

For those of you who happen to be living underneath a very large and cold rock, these three books are currently all the rage in Young Adult fiction.  But do they deserve all of the hype and acclaim?  In my humble, yet entirely infallible opinion, HELL YES THEY DO! 

These three works take place in a dystopian world where twelve districts, each focusing on a particular trade or skill, are under the tight control of The Capital.  This government imposed occupation of each district stems from the uprising of the thirteen districts against The Capital years ago, and as punishment for their actions, district thirteen was completely annihilated and the remaining twelve districts are each forced to send two tributes (children) into the Hunger Games.  These children are then forced to battle one another to the death for the amusement of the Capital.

All these works follow Katniss Everdeen as she navigates her way through life, trying to stay alive and provide for her family, and as she is thrown into the horrific Hunger Games.  I won't give away anymore because if you haven't read them yet...READ THEM!!!

I love these books so much that I dedicated my Halloween pumpkin to them...BEHOLD!!

Yep! I carved all the book covers onto ONE pumpkin AND made all of the stencils myself!  Eat your heart out Martha Stewart!!

On a Halloween related note, does anyone have any ideas for who I could be for my Halloween school visits?  I was thinking either Clifford the Big Red Dog, or Cookie Monster.  Ideas? Thoughts?

Slip Stitches: Book Review - City of Bones

In addition to being an avid knitter, I'm also a ravenous reader!  Because I work for a library as a Youth Programmer, it is part of my job to stay abreast on the latest and greatest in Young Adult and Juvenile fiction.  Although it is part of my job, I love reading these books...except for the Twilight series, but I will spare you my less-than-nice thoughts on those books and move on to a series that is WORTH reading.  The Crafty Octopus is the one who recommended I read this series, and since we have similar tastes when it comes to literature, I thought I would give it a go.  And what's the worst that could happen...it be another Twilight?  The series she suggested was The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare, whose first book is The City of Bones. 

A brief teaser:

This work follows Clary Fray as she goes about her daily life in the hustle and bustle of New York City.  Everything is normal until Clary and her friend Simon decide to head out to the local club, Pandemonium.  She never would of expected that her life would forever change by stepping through the entrance.  That night, Clary witnessed a murder committed by three teenagers covered in intricate tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons.  Clary knows that she should alert the police; however, the body vanishes into thin air and she is the only one who can see the three teenagers.  Equally as startled that Clary can see them, the teenagers explain that they are Shadowhunters, and they are charged with the task of ridding the earth of demons. 

A mere day later, Clary is pulled into the world of the Shadowhunters with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and she, herself, is attacked by a vicious demon in their apartment.  Puzzled by the presence of the demon and by the absence of her mother, Clary wonders what these creatures would want with ordinary people like them?  And why is it that she can suddenly see these demons and weapon-wielding teenagers?  She is not the only one curious about her new abilities, the Shadowhunters have some questions, and possibly some answers for her.

Is Clary who she thinks she is? Where has her mother been taken? And why does she get the feeling that she is more connected with the Shadowhunters' world than she ever realized?

My thoughts:

As for my thoughts on the book, I have to say that I really enjoyed this story.  It had the same cliche elements of vampires, werewolves, faeries, and demons that are all the rage these days; however, it was done in a unique and refreshing way.  The writing was superb and the characters were all fully realized and show actual growth through the course of the work (unlike *cough* Twilight).  Even though this is only the first in the series, I will DEFINITELY be reading the rest of them.  My only complaint with the work is that it can be, at times, extremely predictable; however, this is no way detracts from overall reading experience. 

Overall I give it a solid 4 out of 5 needles, and I recommend that anyone who liked Twilight give this book a read to see how a real book is written, and for those who hated Twilight, like myself, read this book to see what Twilight could have been.

Slip Stitches: Movie Review - Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

With this section of my blog, I want to focus on the world outside of knitting: whether that be movies, books, video games, or whatever random happenings I stumble upon or into.  For the very first edition of Slip Stitches I've decided to do a movie review of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.

For those of you who don't know, this film is based on a graphic novel series, and if you have any desire to learn more about this series follow this super awesome link to nerdiness. 

But even if you have never read the graphic novels, like myself, you will still have your face rocked by its shear awesomeness if you like any of the following: video games, nerds, awkward social situations, kick-ass action, 8-bit music, and a storyline that doesn't take itself too seriously. 

I will not give away any spoilers, just in case anyone has a desire to see this film, but the basis of the plot is that Scott Pilgrim falls in love with a girl; however, in order to date her he has to defeat all of her evil-exes.  And the hilarity ensues!

So here is my breakdown of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World:

The Good: Fans of video games will absolutely LOVE this film.  The 8-bit music and constant homage to classic games is a nerd's wet dream!  I hate the main actor of this film, Michael Cera ,and I have to say that I STILL loved it...even with his face in every frame :D.

The Bad: The only bad thing I have to say about this film, besides Michael Cera, is that there is nothing ever at stake.  Scott just randomly goes through life happening upon each member of the "Evil League of Exes."

The Ugly: I really feel that only a select audience will truly appreciate this film.  But for those who do, it is one kick-ass, rolling in the floor with laughter, nerd-out of a movie!

Overall, I give it 4.5 out of 5 needles.  I couldn't give it a 5 because of Cera's presence in the film!