So I haven’t posted in a few days. Kind of unusual. Okay, wow, so it’s been more than a few days – it’s been a week. I’ve been doing a lot of writing, though, and a crap ton of rewriting, and I think it’s going well. But I’m still dealing with that book hangover. I just can’t get those books out of my head.
I’ve spent far too much time the last couple days on Tumblr and ogling all the pretty pictures and listening to pi while thinking about The Hunger Games and America and analyzing the series and thinking about how I can’t remember being stuck on a book like this ever and I finally decided something:
I don’t want to forget. And I think these characters, and these books, are going to stay with me for a very long time. I think the reason I can’t let go of them is their relevance to current events (see the article from TIME that I linked to below for one example). I want to remember how important books are in shaping the consciousness of a culture, of shaping the worldview of millions of people, and I want to remember how these books made me feel when I read them for the first time. I want to remember the look on Miss Tadpole’s face when I asked if I could borrow her copies.
And yes, I want to fangirl a little bit. Because, really, how can you not? I mean, this says it all right here:
I hope that someday, my books will make people feel the way these books made me feel, or at least that they’ll make people feel. Strongly. Whether that passion is positive or negative doesn’t really matter, so long as people feel something (although I think one sign of a great work is that it divides people into one camp or the other and both sides vehemently defend their position, and I wouldn’t complain if that were the case with my own scribbles).
Of course, first I have to finish scribbling before my writing makes anyone feel anything (other than overwhelming guilt on my part for not finishing because I’m overly prone to such feelings). So, back to work! Meanwhile, what have you been up to?
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Related articles
- Book Rec’s: The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins (auraborealiswrites.wordpress.com)
- Beyond the Blood: What The Hunger Games Can Teach Tweens (entertainment.time.com)
- Hungover (suddenlytheyalldied.com)
Suddenly they all died. The end. 
I’m looking forward to seeing Catching Fire, but I think I need to reread the book before I do, because I read them so quickly in succession that it’s all sort of a blur. And I know it’ll be a quick read because I’ll be sucked right back in. 🙂
I’m really glad you enjoyed them so much. I love when you find a series really worth fangirling over!
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I’m having the same issue – Catching Fire and Mockingjay all kind of blended into one book since I read them so quickly. And by the time I get to see Catching Fire, I’ll probably need to reread the series anyway just so I can remember the finer points of the story. 😀
I owe you an email – we still need to discuss these! 😀
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Your poetry does that for me now.
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Aww, thank you! I put “Colorfast” up on ReadWave today. There’s lots of great stuff there. 🙂
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I’ll have to check it out. The only problem is that I’d rather be writing but I know my work will became stale if I don’t read sometimes.
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I know exactly what you mean. I used to read constantly, and when I wasn’t reading, I was writing. I don’t know how I managed it, but then, I had a lot more free time back then. You know, before I had kids and a job and all that fun stuff that comes with being a grown-up. Yuck. 😀
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You know you love it.
What it all comes down to is priorities. I/we have to do what we love most and the others things must come second.
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Of course I love it. I just hate prioritizing. Also, I’m bad at it. 😀
Actually, the trouble is that every time I get on a roll, someone needs me for something. It’s like the old saying, nothing brings a kid running faster than the sight of their parent getting comfortable. 😉
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I started the Hunger Games but couldn’t get into it. The sample chapters I read painted the girl as, well, a bit of a cow frankly. She was unpleasant about everyone and her Mum and her sister. Then she went out and was horrible to a few more people and then I gave up. There was nothing likeable about her to pull me in. Although the world interested me.
Hmm… Maybe I just have to push on further.
Cheers
MTM
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I think it’s worth pushing through – to be honest, I had the same initial reaction. I read about 20 pages, then put it down for a week. I’d already seen the first movie, so I knew more or less what happened, and I had the same impression of Katniss from seeing the movie. But the book, especially once you get further into the series, is so much better than the movie. There’s more depth to Katniss, and they really show it once the tributes get into the arena. It’s an absolutely fantastic read, and I think if you can push through the first 50 pages or so, it’s definitely worth it.
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I will have to give it a go.
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Let me know what you think when you’ve finished! I hope you’ll like them. 🙂
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