Graceling - Kristin Cashore

Lady Katsa is a Graceling, a person born with an extreme skill, called a Grace. Gracelings are easy to detect in the land of the seven kingdoms, for they have eyes of two different colors. Katsa, with her one blue eye and one green eye, is well-known throughout the kingdoms. Her Grace is killing, and her uncle Randa, King of the Middluns, exploits her Grace by forcing her to do his dirty work, killing people who displease him.

By the time she's 18, Katsa has founded a secret council whose members work to rid the kingdoms of corruption. It is during one of her Council missions that Katsa meets Po, Prince of Lienid, whose kidnapped grandfather Katsa has just rescued. Po, too, is Graced, and his gold and silver eyes mesmerize Katsa.

Katsa and Po join together to unravel the mystery surrounding the kidnapping of Po's grandfather. As they travel together, it is Po who makes Katsa question the path her life is on, Po who makes her heart race, Po who truly understands her. Their journey leads them to the Monsean kingdom, where Po's aunt is queen. It is in Monsea that Po and Katsa find themselves in the middle of a dangerous conspiracy, one that threatens their very lives.

I really, really liked this book; it was a captivating read. There were a couple of things that bothered me, but I still highly recommend Graceling! Read it. You'll fall in love with Katsa and Po, and find yourself sighing with pleasure as they fall in love with each other. Po not only took Katsa's breath away, but mine as well, and I have to give kudos to Kristin Cashore's writing skills. She not only wrote a beautiful love story intertwined in a story about killing and survival, but she has written two very strong characters, who will stay with me for a very long time. It's hard to believe that Graceling is her first novel! I look forward to reading more from her in the future.

4.5/5

The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins

There were thirteen "Districts" in the nation of Panem, once called North America, but District 13 led a rebellion against the all-powerful Capitol and was destroyed as a result. To keep the other 12 districts in line, the Capitol devised the Hunger Games, an annual televised fight to the death. Two tributes from each district, one boy and one girl aged 12 to 18, are chosen to compete in the Hunger Games. Of the 24 tributes thrown together, there can only be one winner; the tributes must do whatever they can to be the last person standing.

When 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen's younger sister Prim's name is chosen as the female tribute for District 12, Katniss steps in and volunteers herself to take Prim's place. Prim asks Katniss to survive; Katniss tells Prim that she'll try her best to get back to Prim and their mother.

The male tribute chosen from District 12 is Peeta Mellark, the baker's son who had once showed compassion for a starving Katniss by sneaking her two loaves of bread from the bakery.

Katniss and Peeta join the other tributes in the Capitol, where they are prepped for the big fight. They are given a team of stylists, whose job it is to make the tributes look as attractive as possible in the hopes of obtaining sponsors who will donate gifts of food and medicine during the Games. These gifts could mean the difference between life and death.

It is during their time in the Capitol that Katniss and Peeta's mentor, Haymitch -- a former District 12 winner of the Hunger Games -- encourages Katniss and Peeta to act like they are in love with each other, hoping to attract fans and support. Peeta is only too happy to comply with Haymitch's idea, and does a great job of acting the part of a young man in love. But Katniss finds the task difficult. When she, Peeta, and the other tributes are left to fend for themselves in a Capitol-controlled environment, anything can happen. Should Katniss and Peeta keep up their lovers' charade for the people watching the Games at home, and try to help each other stay alive? Or should they split up, knowing that one or both of them may be killed?

I loved this book! It was compelling, exciting, and a wonderfully captivating read. I couldn't put it down. My only disappointment came at the end, when the story ended without a resolution and I discovered that The Hunger Games is only the first book in a planned trilogy. I'm not disappointed that I'll have to read the remaining two books to continue the story -- in fact, I am very much looking forward to reading more about these characters (I ended up with quite a crush on Peeta!), and resuming the story where it left off (with quite a cliffhanger) -- but I'm disappointed that I have to wait until the next book comes out in September!

Read this book. You won't regret it.

5/5

My Top 5 books of 2008

I thought I'd list my favorite books of 2008, so here they are:

1. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
2. Katherine by Anya Seton
3. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
4. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
5. The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure by William Goldman

All 5 of these books scored a perfect 5/5 from me this year, and all are REALLY good!

Books read in 2008

DECEMBER
111. The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
110. The Goose Girl - Shannon Hale (reread)
109. Breaking Dawn - Stephenie Meyer (reread)
108. A Thousand Spendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini
107. Shopaholic and Baby - Sophie Kinsella
106. Shopaholic and Sister - Sophie Kinsella
105. Shopaholic Ties the Knot - Sophie Kinsella
104. Shopaholic Takes Manhattan - Sophie Kinsella
103. Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer (reread)
NOVEMBER
102. Confessions of a Shopaholic - Sophie Kinsella
101. Rapunzel's Revenge - Shannon, Dean, and Nathan Hale
100. Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog - John Grogan
99. Until We Reach Home - Lynn Austin
98. New Moon - Stephenie Meyer (reread)
97. Twilight - Stephenie Meyer (reread)
96. Twilight: The Complete Illustrated Movie Companion - Mark Cotta Vaz
95. Bridget Jones' Diary - Helen Fielding
94. The Undomestic Goddess - Sophie Kinsella
93. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
92. The Lace Reader - Brunonia Barry
OCTOBER
91. Candle in the Darkness, Refiner's Fire #1 - Lynn Austin
90. The Heretic's Daughter - Kathleen Kent
89. Grace - Richard Paul Evans
88. Life of Pi - Yann Martel
87. The Longing: The Courtship of Nellie Fisher, Book 3 - Beverly Lewis
86. The Lucky One - Nicholas Sparks
85. Beloved Emma: The Illustrated Life Story of Emma Smith - Lori E. Woodland
84. I Am a Mother - Jane Clayson Johnson
SEPTEMBER
83. Emma: Woman of Faith - Anita Stansfield
82. Sovay - Celia Rees
81. Suite Scarlett - Maureen Johnson
80. The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure - William Goldman
79. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
78. Almost Heaven - Judith McNaught (reread)
77. sweet love - Sarah Strohmeyer
76. The Adoration of Jenna Fox - Mary E. Pearson
75. Rachel and Leah: Women of Genesis - Orson Scott Card
74. The Moroni Code - Jack Lyon
AUGUST
73. I Hated Heaven - Kenny Kemp
72. In Search of Heaven (Barrington Family Saga, Vol.1) - Anita Stansfield
71. Tess of the d'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
70. When Twilight Burns - Colleen Gleason
69. The Bleeding Dusk - Colleen Gleason (reread)
68. Breaking Dawn - Stephenie Meyer
67. Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer (reread)
JULY
66. New Moon - Stephenie Meyer (reread)
65. Twilight - Stephenie Meyer (reread)
64. Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer (reread)
63. New Moon - Stephenie Meyer (reread)
62. Twilight - Stephenie Meyer (reread)
61. Spindle's End - Robin McKinley
60. Can You Keep a Secret? - Sophie Kinsella
59. And Only to Deceive - Tasha Alexander
58. Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict - Laurie Viera Rigler
JUNE
57. Katherine - Anya Seton
56. Uglies - Scott Westerfeld
55. The Forbidden: The Courtship of Nellie Fisher, Book 2 - Beverly Lewis
54. The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency - Alexander McCall Smith
53. Remember Me? - Sophie Kinsella
52. Sundays at Tiffany's - James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet
51. Something Wonderful - Judith McNaught (reread)
50. Once and Always - Judith McNaught (reread)
49. The Invention of Hugo Cabret - Brian Selznik
48. Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog) - Jerome K. Jerome
47. These Old Shades - Georgette Heyer
46. Stolen Innocence: My Story of Growing Up in a Polygamous Sect, Becoming a Teenage Bride, and Breaking Free of Warren Jeffs - Elissa Wall
MAY
45. Love the One You're With - Emily Giffin
44. The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho
43. Wuthering Heights - Emily Brontë
42. Whitney, My Love - Judith McNaught (reread)
41. Reread
40. The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen - Syrie James
39. The Host - Stephenie Meyer
38. The Queen's Fool - Philippa Gregory
APRIL
37. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
36. The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
35. Eleanor of Aquitaine: A Life - Alison Weir
34. Beyond Tuesday Morning - Karen Kingsbury
33. Helen of Troy - Margaret George
32. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie - Muriel Spark
MARCH
31. At First Sight - Nicholas Sparks
30. The Last Battle - C.S. Lewis
29. The Silver Chair - C.S. Lewis
28. One Tuesday Morning - Karen Kingsbury
27. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader - C.S. Lewis
26. Prince Caspian - C.S. Lewis
25. The Horse and His Boy - C.S. Lewis
24. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe - C.S. Lewis
23. The Magician's Nephew - C.S. Lewis
22. Little Women - Louisa May Alcott
21. Change of Heart - Jodi Picoult
20. Prom Nights From Hell - Meg Cabot, Kim Harrison, Michele Jaffe, Stephenie Meyer, Lauren Myracle
19. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - Robert Louis Stevenson
FEBRUARY
15.-18.
14. I Love You, Ronnie: The Letters of Ronald Reagan to Nancy Reagan - Nancy Reagan
13. The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
12. The Bleeding Dusk - Colleen Gleason
11. Rises The Night - Colleen Gleason (reread)
10. The Appeal - John Grisham
9. Flying Home - Rachel Ann Nunes
JANUARY
8. Meet Your Match - Stephanie Fowers
7. The Widow of the South - Robert Hicks
6. All Moms Go To Heaven - Dean Hughes
5. Shadow Dance - Julie Garwood
4. A Woman's Place - Lynn Austin
3. Enthusiasm - Polly Shulman
2. Atonement - Ian McEwan
1. Shadow Music - Julie Garwood