Rita

I was so looking forward to reading this and I was not disappointed! It gave me everything I wanted and more I didn't even think of. I knew the bones of Haymitch's story from reading the original trilogy of course, yet reading it was still engaging, emotional, and surprisingly surprising. It was fun seeing people we know in District 12, and later in the Capitol, though I do wonder if maybe there were too many once we got into the games. Spoilers on who they are here, but seeing how involved Beetee, Wiress, and Mags were in Haymitch's games makes me wonder if most of the reaping done in Catching Fire was completely rigged, since Haymitch would have gone in if Peeta hadn't volunteered, or if their inclusion here was mostly fanservice. If it was rigged, that's pretty cool. If it's fanservice, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Also, I want to read an entire book on Mags' life please.

I only knocked down half a star because of the overuse of "The Raven" throughout. At first, it was cool to see where Lenore Dove got her name and she symbolism of the lost Lenore who would haunt Haymitch forever, but by the end (where it was used A LOT) I completely skipped reading the poem parts in the middle. I think it would have been fine to maybe throw in a short quote in there once or twice, but we didn't need as much of the poem as we got, and I say that as someone who LOVES "The Raven."

Bring on any more sequels Suzanne! I would read 71 more books of each Hunger Games we haven't seen.

Entertaining and somewhat education in parts, Kjerstin goes on a journey to discover herself by not looking in the mirror. It come across as part memoir, part research paper. An entertaining read, but I can't help but wish it delved further into the project.

Losing Clementine is about an artist who decides she is going to kill herself in 30 days. The subject, in the hand of another writer, could have been heavy and sappy, but Ashley Ream concocted a story that made me laugh out loud on more than one occasion, and cry only once. Clementine is a wonderfully written character and taking the 30 day journey with her was a truly satisfying reading experience. Highly recommended.

I just finished Famous Baby and before I say anything else, I have to say that I thoroughly loved it. The story is told from multiple perspectives and each voice is distinctive. Being both a mother and a daughter it is easy for to understand both characters, Ruth the slightly unhinged mother, and Abbie, the daughter longing for privacy. It raises the question of the oversharing that parents do on social media about their kids. Something I think about every time I scroll through my news feed. Great book. Highly recommended!

This book had me from the very first line and it did not let me go until the very end. Mathilda is such an engaging character and the "voice" of her narration throughout the book is mesmerizing. I have already recommended this book to a few people and I will continue to do so. It was funny and heartbreaking all at once.