Go's Updates en-US Tue, 29 Apr 2025 16:25:55 -0700 60 Go's Updates 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Rating852504290 Tue, 29 Apr 2025 16:25:55 -0700 <![CDATA[Go liked a readstatus]]> /
Go liked Lisa’s status update
Lisa Lisa has read Mother-Daughter Murder Night
]]> GiveawayRequest705157580 Fri, 25 Apr 2025 09:46:55 -0700 <![CDATA[<a href="/user/show/11631608-go">Go</a> entered a giveaway]]> /giveaway/show/410530-the-memory-collectors The Memory Collectors by Dete Meserve ]]> ReadStatus9344428801 Wed, 23 Apr 2025 14:43:08 -0700 <![CDATA[Go is currently reading 'Sometimes I Lie']]> /review/show/7513297905 Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney Go is currently reading Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney
]]> Review7130820930 Wed, 23 Apr 2025 13:58:45 -0700 <![CDATA[Go added 'Sunrise on the Reaping']]> /review/show/7130820930 Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins Go gave 5 stars to Sunrise on the Reaping (The Hunger Games, #0.5) by Suzanne Collins
bookshelves: dystopia, action, fantasy, young, sci-fi, suspense, adventure, favorite
I loved this. I couldn’t wait for it. Love, war, grief, and hope. It was so thrilling reading Haymitch’s Hunger Games experience. I haven’t been this excited about reading a book in a while. He is one of my favorite characters from The Hunger Games. I felt he was missing some of his biting sarcasm. You know going into this, it will end badly. My emotions were all over the place: anxiety, anger, disgust, sadness…heartbroken. It was satisfying seeing some of the other characters from the previous books too now in their past.

It was strange seeing a sober lovestruck Haymitch before he became a bitter despondent alcoholic, before he was broken by the Capitol. Only 16 years old and in love with his girlfriend, Lenore Dove. A picture of youthful innocence amidst impending doom. It was sweet seeing his bond with his younger brother and his love and respect for his mother. Seeing him change from a District 12 underdog to a victor was captivating. I was on the edge of my seat before the games even began: SPOILER—The way he became an accidental tribute, causing a spectacle at the tribute parade, his brazen audition for the gamemakers, his “Rascal� interview. It’s all about survival and sacrifice, one does not happen without the other.

The Capitol's manipulation is unmistakable as twice as many tributes grapple with both physical threats and psychological torment. Unsympathetic psychopaths exploiting the tributes and their loved ones� fear and misery for the cameras…a sick show. Plutarch Heavensbee was more than he appeared to be. I was eager to see Effie Trinket team up with Haymitch. Snow seemed like a frail mess yet he never dies. The Capitol never fails to ensure that the so-called victory comes at a cost.

Other tributes…I liked his 13 year old ally Louella�"Sweetheart�. It was despicable what the Capitol did in regards to her, all for the sake of the “games.� Then there was Maysilee. That SLAP! She takes it and dishes it out. Loved that moment. Feisty. Another Maysilee moment while she eats a sandwich by way of cutting it up, and then there’s the bacon. Haymitch thinks as she eats a strip of bacon, not with her fingers: “I bet the Donners eat popcorn with a knife and fork.� Wyatt was wasted, too short on time with him. He had an interesting oddsmaker angle. I liked that one of their mentors was Wiress. The arena she won in was crazy with mirrored reflections. “It was an arena full of shiny surfaces. Lakes that reflected the sky, clouds that returned the favor, and everywhere, boulders and caves and cliffs overlaid with mirrors.� Dizzying effect. “A tribute would reach for a weapon and get a handful of air, leap into a clearing and smack into a wall, or dodge an attacker only to run straight onto their sword.� Beetee was forced to be involved as well. More cruel and unusual punishment—watching his son, Ampert, compete in the Hunger Games. I thought Ampert was clever and wanted to see him interact with Haymitch more. SPOILER—Bold strategy to hunt the Careers.

The arena was a cruel deception, as to be expected. Mutts created for their pain and the audience’s pleasure. Sadists. They are treated like animals by the Capitol. “Every year we let them herd us into their killing machine. Every year they pay no price for the slaughter. They just throw a big party and box up our bodies like presents for our families to open back home.�

Once again I felt that the ending was rushed. Similar to The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, it could’ve used a few more chapters. I would’ve liked more time in the aftermath of the Games. It was one hit after the next in rapid succession. It was still heartbreaking but it was a quick jab. We don’t get to see Haymitch slowly descend into alcoholism. It’s more a mere mention. Great epilogue to close it out. It made me want to read the entire series all over again. Until then, my hope is that up next is Finnick’s past story.

Clip:
Maysilee mocking fashion in the capital: “Garish color, unflattering lines. And there are some fashion choices you people are going to regret. Why you’d want to resemble a barnyard animal is beyond me, but I hope those goat horns are removable.� One of the stylists even accessorized with live reptiles. Weird, not to mention dangerous.
]]> ReadStatus9328366487 Sat, 19 Apr 2025 16:14:10 -0700 <![CDATA[Go started reading 'Sunrise on the Reaping']]> /review/show/7130820930 Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins Go started reading Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
]]> Review6606950859 Sat, 19 Apr 2025 16:11:06 -0700 <![CDATA[Go added 'The Unwedding']]> /review/show/6606950859 The Unwedding by Ally Condie Go gave 3 stars to The Unwedding (Hardcover) by Ally Condie
bookshelves: adult, fiction, murder, mystery, suspense
I had hoped for a more engaging mystery. The best part was the setting at a beautiful remote resort on the cliffside of Big Sur, California. This story doesn’t hold a candle to Agatha Christie so not sure why people are making the comparison. Ellery just suffered through a divorce and is expecting a peaceful getaway taking what was supposed to be their 20th anniversary trip. Instead, she finds herself in the middle of a natural disaster shut off from the world and trying to solve an unexpected murder. The opposite of relaxing—so dramatic. A wedding that doesn’t happen and the guests are all suspects. Some people were not who they seemed. In the midst of this chaos, people were stupid and randomly went missing. Also, an irrelevant side story with missing, possibly stolen, pieces of art was going on. I kept thinking it would matter but not so much. The ending felt rushed. It kind of fizzled out. Overall, it didn't really deliver in the end. I was underwhelmed.

SPOILER—It’s sad that during her entire marriage she was a teacher to support her husband by putting him through grad school and paying off his student debts. Years later, when she finally did something for herself, he guilt trips her about not being there for their kids. She even had a babysitter set up while he was at work and prepared a dinner for them ahead of time. Wow. He was an unsympathetic jerk. Then, he decides their life isn’t what he wants. Unfortunately, I’ve seen this type of situation in real life.

Ellery’s mantra: “Keep moving. Otherwise, the sadness monster could get you. It was always waiting for any sign of weakness. Teeth bared, claws out.�

“Everyone had a shadow. A secret. Something that they’d done, or could do, or what had happened to them that was so dark it followed them everywhere.� ]]> ReadStatus9327085198 Sat, 19 Apr 2025 09:24:35 -0700 <![CDATA[Go wants to read 'The God of the Woods']]> /review/show/7501190397 The God of the Woods by Liz Moore Go wants to read The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
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