Book Bouncer Author Summary: Suzanne Collins

Suzanne Collins

Suzanne Collins, age 53 (born August 10, 1962), is best known for her highly acclaimed young adult dystopian trilogy, The Hunger Games, her middle grade series, The Underland Chronicles, and for three other books: Fire Proof: Shelby Woo #11 (1999), When Charlie McButton Lost Power (2005), and Year of The Jungle (2013). She is also an American television writer.

Suzanne Collins is a very thought-provoking author, whose characters are driven by their emotions, and teach the readers valuable lessons. Katniss Everdeen, the protagonist of The Hunger Games, displays multiple survival skills, teaches how to sacrifice, show unconditional love and determination. She's a complex character whose actions are done to save others, and there's seldom a time when she isn't selfless.

The mannerisms of the protagonists in her young adult trilogy are accountable for; they come from poor backgrounds, are breadwinners for their families, and due to one problem or another, have to take on their roles as the glue of the family, until the plot of the book kicks in. Suzanne Collins doesn't fail to make each and every character unique and still be able to connect with each other.

Collins is absolutely exceptional when it comes to describing scenes that make the reader's heart skip and sometimes stop in anticipation for what is to come. She is an expert at writing scenes that are filled to the brim with suspense and tension... not to mention that she's incredibly skilled at writing up awkward situations that arise between the three main characters due to their love lives.

Movie Adaptations

The Hunger Games, ranked #2 in NPR's poll of the top 100 teen novels, has sold more than 65 million copies in the U.S. alone and has been sold in 51 languages till date. The Hunger Games trilogy has been adapted into a blockbuster film franchise that grossed over $2,9 billion! The first movie, The Hunger Games, was released in 2012; the sequel, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, was released in 2013; and the last book, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, was split into two movies, part 1 released in 2014, and the second part in 2015.

Katniss Everdeen - the main character of The Hunger Games - was portrayed by Jennifer Lawrence; Peeta Mellark by Josh Hutcherson, and Gale Hawthorne by Liam Hemsworth.

Achievements

Through The Hunger Games's success, Suzanne Collins was named one of Time magazine's most influential people of 2010. Of the many achievements she has received, Collins was awarded the 2008 CYBIL Award - Fantasy and Science Fiction, and KIRKUS Best young Adult Book of 2008.

Let's Leave A Mark Behind...

It's not a secret that every word in a book holds a tiny truth, and also harbors the author's thoughts, opinions, ideas, skills, knowledge, morals and values. This is truly evident in Suzanne Collins's books. Additionally, her characters are inspirational, brave and true role models that any reader would want to idolize. her mark is left behind through her books, and more so by her memorable protagonists - and dare I say, her antagonist? (You gotta admit, President Snow has got STYLE!)

So, to conclude, Suzanne Collins's writing is phenomenal, and so are her skills which are portrayed through the characters of her books, and the characters themselves. And this is primarily how Suzanne Collins has left her mark behind.

Book Bouncer Movie Release: Insurgent

MOVIE RELEASE: Insurgent (Divergent #2)

Based on the second book of the bestselling series by Veronica Roth:

Synopsis: 'Insurgent is a 2012 science fiction young adult novel by American novelist Veronica Roth, the second book in the Divergent trilogy. As the sequel to the 2011 bestseller Divergent, it continues the story of Tris Prior and the dystopian post-apocalyptic version of Chicago. Following the events of the previous novel, a war now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. While trying to save the people that she loves, Tris faces questions of grief, forgiveness, identity, loyalty, politics, and love.

The book was first published on May 1, 2012 by the HarperCollins imprints Katherine Tegen books in the U.S. and HarperCollins Children's books in the U.K, a "Collector's Edition" was published on October 30 in the United States. Insurgent received mostly positive reviews from critics, with reviewers praising Roth's writing.'

- Goodreads, Rating: 4,14/5, Goodreads Choice Winner 2012

Book Covers

Beatrice Prior must confront her inner demons and continue her fight against a powerful alliance which threatens to tear her society apart with the help from others on her side.

Starring Shailene Woodley, Theo James and Ansel Elgort, and directed by Robert Schwentke.

(Pretty wicked movie poster)

Initial Release Date: 20 March 2015

IMDB Rating: 7.0/10

(Personally, even though the movie trailer is spectacular, it's also really upsetting knowing that the plot of the movie is so drastically changed to the original story. But every individual is entitled to their own opinion. I'm hoping that even though the movie's plot is different, it will be just as interesting as the book.)

Book Bouncer Movie Release: In The Heart of The Sea

MOVIE RELEASE: In The Heart Of The Sea

Based on the novel written by Nathaniel Philbrick:

Synopsis: 'In the Heart of the Sea brings to new life the incredible story of the wreck of the whaleship Essex—an event as mythic in its own century as theTitanic disaster in ours, and the inspiration for the climax of Moby-Dick. In a harrowing page-turner, Nathaniel Philbrick restores this epic story to its rightful place in American history.

In 1820, the 240-ton Essex set sail from Nantucket on a routine voyage for whales. Fifteen months later, in the farthest reaches of the South Pacific, it was repeatedly rammed and sunk by an eighty-ton bull sperm whale. Its twenty-man crew, fearing cannibals on the islands to the west, made for the 3,000-mile-distant coast of South America in three tiny boats. During ninety days at sea under horrendous conditions, the survivors clung to life as one by one, they succumbed to hunger, thirst, disease, and fear.

In the Heart of the Sea tells perhaps the greatest sea story ever. Philbrick interweaves his account of this extraordinary ordeal of ordinary men with a wealth of whale lore and with a brilliantly detailed portrait of the lost, unique community of Nantucket whalers. Impeccably researched and beautifully told, the book delivers the ultimate portrait of man against nature, drawing on a remarkable range of archival and modern sources, including a long-lost account by the ship's cabin boy. At once a literary companion and a page-turner that speaks to the same issues of class, race, and man's relationship to nature that permeate the works of Melville, In the Heart of the Sea will endure as a vital work of American history.'

- Goodreads, Rating: 4,17/5

Book Cover

Based on the 1820 event, a whaling ship is preyed upon by a sperm whale, stranding its crew at sea for 90 days, thousands of miles from home.
Starring Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy and Tom Holland, and directed by Ron Howard.

Initial Release Date: 12 March 2015

Book Bouncer Exclusive: The Hunger Games Book Covers

EXCLUSIVE: The Hunger Games - How many covers?

Whenever I go to bookstores, I see so many covers for the same book. And then I wonder: Which one do I want to buy? And so, instead of doing an author summary on Suzanne Collins in this post, I decided to just help any viewer who wanted to decide which cover they wanted of a certain book (in this case, The Hunger Games trilogy). This way, they could simply view all the editions' covers here. Here are the various versions of The Hunger Games that are on sale. And those covers... They are just breathtaking!

Top 3: The original covers when the books were first published

Bottom 3: The version with recently updated new covers

Top 3: Classic/Adult Editions

Bottom 3: Versions with the movie adaptation as the covers

The Paperback Foil Edition

Updated Version (Luminescent Colours)

Fan Art

I wish the fan art covers were real. They're too brilliant.



I know this was a short post, but I wanted to do something slightly different from the usual reviews I've done. So when the wide range of covers piqued my interest, I was like: "Why not?"

Quote Of The Week #9

"In books and movies, people were either whisked away to a magical land in the clothes they were standing up in, or they glossed over the packing part entirely. Simon now felt he had been robbed of critical information by the media. Should he be putting the kitchen knives in his bag? Should he bring the toaster and rig it up as a weapon?"

- Welcome To Shadowhunter Academy, Cassandra Clare and Sarah Rees Brennan 

Book Bouncer Review: 'The Hunger Games: Mockingjay' by Suzanne Collins

'The Hunger Games: Mockingjay' by Suzanne Collins

Everything's changing.

Katniss Everdeen has become the face of a rebellion that she hadn't known she was part of, until she happened to shoot an electrified arrow at the arena of the 75th Hunger Games.

A lot has happened after that one moment of adrenaline and desperateness.

There is no District 12, and what little is left of the population of the Seam have sought refuge at District 13. Secretly, they are awaiting for Katniss to step up to her much anticipated role as the Mockingjay. But there are much more pressing matters on Ms Everdeen's plate.

Peeta has been captured by the Capitol, along with Johanna Mason, an ally made along the way of the Hunger Games that stunned every citizen of the Capitol to the bone - especially President Snow. It doesn't help that there is a new threat at District 13, recognized as President Coin. She controls district 13, and in turn, controls Katniss as long as the Mockingjay seeks shelter from them.

Matters get out of hand when Peeta requests a ceasefire upon the growing rebellion, and is labelled a traitor. Katniss agrees to be the Mockingjay in exchange for his immunity from the harsh punishment awaiting him based on his siding with the Capitol. But not everything is the same when he and Katniss reunite.

Katniss needs to fight again, and this time, she has every reason not to hesitate. She has every reason to despise President Snow. And she has every reason to be the Mockingjay.

From past experiences, every finale to a series doesn't turn out that grand because the authors usually aim for a spectacular ending to the entire plot of the series as a whole, and they forget the smaller aspects to what makes a book a great read. There are seldom times where I've come across a final memorable installment that wraps up a series.

Also, these are the 10 things that I ALWAYS notice in any last book.

1. There are fatalities - and 9 out of 10 times, it's the characters you grow to love that happen to be six-feet under in the end. (Example: Fred Weasley from the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling)
2. The main characters tend to argue more, or their ideas mostly differ and so they keep secrets and try to better a situation. The situation just exacerbates way beyond rectification.
3. There's more internal conflict (kind of like there's your very own devil on the left shoulder, and the angel on your right shoulder... and most probably your sanity is in a trash can nearby)
4. *This might differ with every individual, but it seems like the main character gets more emotional and slightly irritating. Personally, they over think way too much.
5. If it's a romantic series, then the relationship between the protagonist and their love interest usually intensifies and becomes deeper - they're more connected.
6. Normally, if not all the information about the past shared by the antagonist and protagonist is revealed withing the books prior to the finale, then it should be mentioned in the last book to connect the dots.
7. 50% of the time the antagonist and protagonist grow emotionally closer. This happens because the protagonist tries to find similarities between themselves and the villain to try to imagine being in the antagonist's shoes and comprehend the situation and circumstances in that way. So really, it is the hero growing emotionally closer to the villain, but the feeling ain't mutual.
8. The other 50% of the time the antagonist and protagonist grow more violent. Meaning there''s more hand-to-hand combat and bombs and war and stuff like that. This happens because the villain targeted someone that the hero knows personally and not out of common knowledge, or family and loved ones are harmed in the end. Sometimes there's a misunderstanding that leads to the protagonist making the first move and running head first into trouble.
9. There's a happily ever after!... 90% of the time, unless the characters you wanted to end up together didn't hook up. Then there's definitely no happy ending.
10. The epilogue usually sets the readers' aching heart to rest after that crazy roller coaster the author calls a book. That means that the epilogue is supposed to be nice and heart-warming, not all depressing and all. (Yes, there's a tone to the entire story to make us readers understand the plot and characters better, but please spare the epilogue and keep that happy at least!)

Mockingjay was a great read and a constant page-turner. But I'll quickly point out what troubled me about this book. In the list above about the 10 things I notice in final installments of series, I pointed out that I really need a good epilogue - if there is an epilogue in the book - to wrap up a series, especially if it's dystopian fiction. And if it's a trilogy like The Hunger Games, you would expect a nice end to all the suffering, right?

Wrong!

That epilogue made me so sad, even if it pointed out a valuable life lesson. If the epilogue had given me a bit more closure than it had made out to, I think I would have given this book a grand rating of 5 stars. If possible, maybe even 5 and a half stars. But alas, this was not meant to be.

Apart from the last few pages of the book that disappointed me, I think this book was brilliant. It was one of the few books that was better than the one before it. The action was there, the romance, unrequited love, and the various emotions that were always there no matter any situation.

Katniss Everdeen's personality is remarkable throughout the entire book, and her struggle extremely evident. It's reviving to know that the protagonist doesn't get whatever he/she wanted along the timeline of plot. Of course, I do want the protagonist to be happy, but it would be incredibly unrealistic if they never had anyone close to them die or that they didn't go through a hard time in their life. In this situation, Katniss gets more than she bargained for, but it doesn't match what she envisioned they would be like.

Peeta's a mystery in the first half of the book, having being captured by the Capitol and televised several times on Caesar Flickerman's show. And with every show, he looks more unhealthy than the previous time. In the second half, the reason behind his state is revealed, and they try to help him get better. (A shout out to all the Peeta fans out there, this book WILL leave you crying an ocean.) Will he ever be healthy again?

Will he and Katniss still survive the odds and live to see a better future? Will there even be a future worth fighting for?

And Finnick... Finnick! Couldn't guys like him ever be real? That would totally be a blessing to the world...

The Hunger Games is one trilogy that has so many thoughts and ideas behind the initial and apparent meaning. It's an eye opener as well, and if you haven't read the books yet, please do. Wherever you are, leave what you are doing and go to your nearest book store or library and get your hands on a copy now! It's all worth it... Promise!

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay has been split into two films. The first has already released, and Part 2 is releasing on 20 November 2015. Jennifer Lawrence stars as Katniss Everdeen, Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark, Liam Hemsworth as Gale Hawthorne and Sam Claflin as Finnick Odair.

HAPPY READINGS (AND WATCHING), EVERYONE!

Quote Of The Week #8

"He turned to look just in time to see the rain start falling outside, as if the storm had finally decided to weep with shame for what it had done to them."

- 'The Scorch Trials' by James Dashner, pg 138