THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS AND SNAKES by Suzanne Collins

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I have to admit that I've gone out of my way to avoid this book since it was released a while ago. I mean, who wants to read a whole book about young Snow? Yeah, you know what I mean. Still, when I found a cheap copy in a local thrift store, I picked it up and haven't looked at it since.

Not until I read, and absolutely loved, SUNRISE ON THE REAPING and had to find out what happened to Lucy Gray.

It's time for the tenth annual Hunger Games in the Capitol and Coriolanus Snow is preparing to become a mentor to a tribute. He has personal goals. Plans that will strengthen his family and make their name great again. But when he gets stuck with the District 12 tribute, he realises there's a lot more at stake than he originally thought...

Well, that was disappointing, drab and way too freaking long. Yeah, I found some sections of this book unbearably boring and had to skip ahead several times because I thought I might fall asleep.

I went into this story with an open mind, but also couldn't shake the intense hatred I have for Snow. Still, I tried to push all of my personal feelings aside to concentrate on the teenage version of a disgusting and vile villain. And you know what? Even though he shows traces of humanity throughout the story—especially at the beginning—he's still an arrogant, privileged, asshole who's determined to prove how much smarter and better he is than everyone else. 🙄

What he does to his supposed good friend, Sejanus, is such a betrayal. And how he treats Lucy Gray is pretty gross, too. He convinces himself that he cares about her, but she's just a science experiment. A possession he becomes obsessed with until he decides to throw her away.

Yeah, even the Lucy Gray story was meh. And she's the reason why I wanted to read this! Oh, and by the way, having others watch and narrate what happens during the Hunger Games is definitely not as suspenseful and heartbreaking as when the characters are in the actual arena.

I'm glad I gave this a go because it did answer a few things about the origins of this violent 'game', and at least sorta explains Snow's hatred for District 12. He's just an elitist dickhead with a superiority complex.

Now I can donate it or put it in the bin. Haven't decided yet.


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SUNRISE ON THE REAPING by Suzanne Collins

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I LOVE The Hunger Games trilogy, and when I found out this was Haymitch's story, I had to read it. As soon as it arrived.

Haymitch Abernathy's sixteenth birthday also marks the reaping. And this year, it's the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, so there'll be two girls and two boys picked as tributes. When things go wrong in District 12, Haymitch ends up on a train and on his way to the Capitol...

Wow. OMG. Even though I loved every minute of this book, my heart is broken. 😫

You'd think that knowing how things turn out for Haymitch would make this story redundant. You'd think that knowing his future would make it easier to bear the pain. Well, that wasn't the case. Everything I already knew didn't ruin anything. Actually, it made the experience more interesting, and a lot sadder. I mean, who doesn't want to meet Katniss's parents when they were teens? Or catch a glimpse of so many other familiar characters, situations, and places that take place years before. Or find out how a hardworking, passionate man with so much love in his heart becomes a drunk loner.

I couldn't stop reading this amazing story because I was hooked from the beginning and wanted to know how everything would end. I mean, I knew it was bad because poor Haymitch was never in a good place, but reading his tale shed a lot of light on who he was before the awful Hunger Games ruined him. Before the Capitol edited his role, and the importance of everything he did. And why Snow targets him.

This book is brilliant and I loved every minute of it.


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SAGA #72 by Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples

Saga #72 by Brian K. Vaughan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I've been looking forward to reading this installment for ages, but have to admit that I was a little worried because Ghüs is on the cover and... well, you know how Saga can be sometimes.

Anyway, this is the season finale and starts off with a shocking announcement that sends serious ripples and consequences everywhere. And that leads to a bunch of characters, scattered all over the place, making an appearance.

I really enjoyed it, but I'm a little worried about where this is going to lead. 😫


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SEVERANCE - The Lexington Letter by Anonymous

Severance - The Lexington Letter by Anonymous
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love the show Severance and watched the season two finale this weekend, so I decided to check out this short story and really enjoyed it!

In Severance: The Lexington Letter we meet Peg Kincaid, a former bus driver who decides to get severed. She likes not knowing what happens during work hours and enjoys the pay, but when her innie communicates with her, Peg starts to wonder what's really going on at Lumon...

This is such a great story! I like how Peg/Peggy's story fits perfectly into the Severance world, and I can totally see this taking place somewhere else while the TV show characters are going about their business. Great characterisation. In such a short tale, Peg becomes a fully formed person, and I was very sympathetic towards her.

Sometimes, less is more. And that is certainly the case in this mysterious and tragic vignette with a nice surprise at the end.

Also like The Macrodata Refiner’s Orientation Booklet.


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Doing Stuff...

Hey! How you doing today?

Here in Oz, summer is over and in a few weekends it'll be time to turn the clocks back, which I really don't like. I prefer the long days of summer. The shorter days are too depressing and oppressive. Ugh. Not looking forward to it, but I have to stay positive about the season change because there are enough crappy things going on in the world right now.

I'm not going to bother going into how hard I'm finding it to accept that because of selfishness, racism, misogyny, and hate, the world is in such chaos. Really wish people would show a little fucking empathy and mind their own business.

Anyway, this week I wasn't planning on working on anything, but ended up revising/rewriting another short story. This one is actually part of a novel I shelved but felt that this particular section would make a great shortie. And after a little tweaking and additions, I was right!

The final word count for this one is: 3,410. And I'm really happy with the results. ☺️

So, I now have another complete short story. That's four this year.

We also got our flu shots on Wednesday and felt pretty shit for about twenty-four hours. It doesn't hit as hard or as long as the Covid shot, but we were pretty lethargic and achy that afternoon, plus the next day. Feeling better now and glad we keep up with our vaccines.

I also read a book that took me most of the week because the subject matter was just... It's called My Dark Vanessa, and I found it so frustrating. The main character got on my nerves but the writing kept me reading. Although, I do think it could've been at least fifty pages shorter.

Did you guys watch the SEVERANCE S2 finale? We really enjoyed it. Love how it raised so many (more) ethical questions, answered a few, and presented so many new possibilities. Can't wait to see what they do with the next season.

Well, that's about it... Oh, I did start revising another short story first draft I found on my phone. Also got a whole bunch of dusting, sorting, and donating done. I even started going through photos/pics on my phone and have already deleted hundreds.

Yeah. I'm spring cleaning in autumn again.

Have an awesome weekend!