Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


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The Haymitch behind the Capitol’s narrative

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

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Well fuck. That was so much more devastating than I expected. It’s been forever since I read the original trilogy but I rewatched the movies recently – which means I likely missed some details that didn’t quite make it into the movies (especially around Maysilee’s family and Merrilee). At least, I could truly appreciate appearances of the younger versions of some of the characters from Catching Fire who appeared as mentors (and the amount of tragic backstory we learned about some of them was wrecking). […]

I read Snow’s story to get to Haymitch

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

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This is one of those books I have had almost since it was released and yet just kept skipping over. Because of course I want more of The Hunger Games but also, fuck Snow. However, with the new novel focused on Haymitch, that I definitely want to read, I ended up finally deciding to read it – even if I considered skipping it all together.

Sparks in the Wind

Sunrise On The Reaping by Suzanne Collins

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Readers of the Hunger Games are familiar with Haymitch, the drunken mentor of Katniss and Peeta, and with how he won his Games, and what happened afterward – but not all is as it seems on the big screen. I love The Hunger Games series, and I really enjoyed The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, so even though I am not as interested in Haymitch’s Games as many other fans are, I was still incredibly excited when this book was announced, not only for the chance […]

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

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Wow. This was pointless. I understand why authors sometimes come back and do prequels to best-selling novels. You want to see how did person A get to where they are. But I really do not understand why anyone cared at all about Snow. Collins does not provide any insight into the character. And then the ending leaves some things unresolved that you can just ‘guess’ at. Ten bucks there’s another prequel coming out about [redacted] in a few years. And honestly, the worst thing about […]

The Song that Never Ends

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes: A Hunger Games Novel by Suzanne Collins

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I read the original Hunger Games trilogy around the time the movies were coming out, because sometimes I like to keep an eye on what’s popular. I remember enjoying the first book, then enjoying the second book less, and then not enjoying the third book at all. The third book was tedious, repetitive and dull, in my opinion. Unfortunately, that downward trend has only continued into Suzanne Collins’s prequel novel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Set decades before the events of the original trilogy, […]

Like karaoke for books

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

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Did you know Panem was pronounced “PAN-EM?” I sure didn’t. You emphasize both syllables apparently. That’s a benefit of listening to the audio book. But you know what might not be a benefit of an audiobook? Hearing a man trying to do female voices. Now, I’ll admit that I listen to audio books at a fast pace, which obviously affects the vibe. But I couldn’t help think that the females in this book sounded like female South Park characters. And it gets worse when some […]



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