Welcome to Litsy!

#WickedWords wrap for August. I think my pick would be Lost in the Moment and Found, though Ballad wins in the Exceeding my Expectations (which were low) stakes. @AsYouWish

Oooooh boy I didn‘t remember how little of the Quarter Quell there actually was.

“Katniss, there is no District Twelve.” Suzanne Collins, when I catch you —

5 stars | #dystopia #ya

Finished 28th August 2025.

I wasn‘t really interested in reading Snow‘s story but after reading Haymitch‘s story and the innuendos about Snow, I became more intrigued. I still don‘t like Snow. The characters in general didn‘t do much for me, but I liked learning more in detail about how the concept of the games began and I‘ve officially completed the series. My daughter skipped the series as a kid and is now reading them, so YAY!

The villian origin story of Coriolanus Snow adds nuance to his character, and now I want to read the entire series again. Ambitious, determined, and on the sociopathic side of the personality spectrum, he was always going to be ruthless in pursuit of power, but it is interesting to see how manipulative authority figures and events slowly mold him into the particular monster he becomes.

I was hoping to like this more than the movie, but I just don‘t enjoy Snow‘s story. #hailthebail

Finally got the hold from the library so I could finish this one. What a fantastic book. Cory in all his delusional youth making all the right connections to become a better person and actively choosing to ignore that impulse. What a fantastic look into the mind of a guy who looked at his life and went “I think I can make the world worse on purpose” and then committed himself to that full throttle. Fantastic, snow certainly does land on top.

I was tentative going in, but ended up really enjoying this! It's not super pace-y or anything, but I thought Collins adeptly trod the balance of writing a character who we all know turns out terribly.

#WickedWords @AsYouWish

8-2-25: My 51st finished book of 2025! A prequel to The Hunger Games series, this tale tells the story of Coriolanus Snow, the eventual president of Panem. He is likable and detestable in equal measure. When he is chosen to be a mentor in the 10th Hunger Games, the first time a mentor was used, he receives a tribute in Lucy Gray Baird, a singer and show-woman, who might just lead him to victory and love if it can show him a better way of life.

I‘ve finished seven chapters so far. I just have to say, this Dr. Gaul character? What. The. FLIP. She is insane and dangerous, and allowed an influential position over the early Hunger Games? Oh, okay then. The Island of Dr. Moreau has nothing on her nightmarish mutant creatures, and she just giggles over them. What a scary freak. No wonder the Hunger Games became so terrifying.