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          The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is one of the best, if not the best dystopian novel to date. Not only has the book achieved a massive following either from the countless sequels or spinoffs, but by the major motion picture as well. Hunger Games has no doubt earned its popularity, but in the off chance that you haven't heard of it, I suggest you to read it.        After what seems to be a third world war that destroys all the nations, one rises up from the ashes and unifies it all, calling it the Capitol. In the Capitol there are 13 districts, and each are in charge of manufacturing some item to give back to the Capitol. As time goes on, people rebel and almost overthrow the Capitol. But when District 13 is destroyed, the Capitol gains back control. As punishment for these crimes, they require each District to give two people, one girl and one boy, to fight annually in a fight to the death, which is broadcasted liv...

Mark Twain's The Mysterious Stranger  is very ironic, and I finished it not really knowing what it was really about. It follows a young boy living in about 1590, during the Scientific Revolution (before the Enlightenment). In my opinion, the setting reflects a lot of steryotypes of the medeival period such as  superstition, witchcraft, cruelty and very low standards of reasoning.  This yound boy called Theodor encounters an angel named Satan which is even more ironic that it sounds because Satan the Angel seems to have a lot in common with Satan the Devil, but of course Theodor never realizes this. Theodor is enchanted with Satan, this divine, omnipotent and omnicient being, and hangs onto his every word. When Satan does "unethical" things, Theodor is shocked. Gradually, Satan bends his perception of morality by showing Theodor how worthless and stupid humans are. Satan at first seems wise and superior, but it's very unsettelling because he doesn't care what happe...

SOME SPOILERS AHEAD!! War Storm is the fourth and final book of the Red Queen series. Victory comes with a price. Mare Barrow discovered this the hard way when Cal betrayed her and almost killed her. Mare makes the decision to destroy the kingdom of Norta once and for all, beginning with the crown on Maven's head. She does that first in order to not get heartbroken again and ensure freedom for Reds and newbloods like her. However, no war is won alone, and before the Reds can unite, Mare must support the boy who shattered her heart to triumph against the boy who nearly broke her. Mare and the Scarlet Guard, combined with Cal's strong Silver allies, are formidable. However, Maven is so deeply obsessed with imprisoning Mare once again as his own that he would do anything to do so, including destroying everything and everyone in his way. All that Mare has battled for is at stake as a result of the impending war. Will winning be enough to overthrow the Silver kingdoms? Will the lit...

  Deer in the Moonlight by Yosa Buson In pale moonlight the wisteria’s scent comes from far away. Yosa Buson   Haikus are the embodiment of being short and precise. Since they are so short, they leave a lot of blank spaces for the reader to fill in. In the Moonlight is definitely a more traditional Haiku, written by Yosa Buson in the mid-17th century. You might point out that it doesn’t follow the typical 5-3-5 syllable pattern, but that is due to the translation. The reverence to nature definitely follows typical Haiku thought. The first line is very straightforward, and similar to many older Haikus, and sets a setting in nature for the next two lines. As a reader, you already start to associate other senses, such as a serene silence just from the idea of a pale moon. The second line adds in smell, the flowery scent of the hanging lavender plant, native to Japan. We have been given some concrete visualization, and also as typical of Haiku poems, the last line opens ...

     After I discovered Jurassic Park at my grandparents house, I searched for anything to satisfy my dinosaur craving. I looked far and wide until I found out that Jurassic Park had a lesser known sequel, adapted into a pathetic film. I was intrigued. Hoping that the writer would offer a clean narrative on the repercussions of the disaster in the last book, I picked it up and read.       Years after the disaster on Isla Nublar, Ian Malcolm, the mathematician that survived the events of the last book, is trying to hide his knowledge of the park. Not only is Malcolm trying to hide something, but the Costa Rican government must cover up the suspicious prehistoric lizards wash up on the shore, and the reports of strange animals.  But when an increasingly determined scientist searches for clues, and suspects Malcolm knows something, he decides to visit the island that seemingly has everything to do with it. On this island he discovers the buried horro...

  SPOILERS AHEAD!!!! King's Cage is the third book following the Red Queen series. King's Cage starts where Glass Sword left off and Mare is imprisoned to Maven in an attempt to save her friends.  Maven meets the Lakelander king and marries the princess of the Lakelands. Many of the noble households of Norta are getting tired and angry with Maven and act against him. But as Maven and Iris tie the knot of the 2 kingdoms, the Scarlet Guard shows up to save Mare and the other newbloods that were held prisoners at Whitefire palace. Evangeline and her family take refuge in the Rift, where they want to establish their own independent kingdom. For a while, Mare practices with the rebels in hiding as the army of Maven prepares to invade Corvium and retake it from the Guard. With the assistance of the noble houses in rebellion, the Guard defends it. After the war, a  meeting is held when it is revealed that the noble houses want Cal to rule Norta and that he must marry Evangeline...

  So I started The Song of Achilles because it was one of the most recommended books, but I finished it because it was one of the most captivating books I’ve ever read.  You fall in love with all the characters, then they will be genius-ly destroyed. Right off the bat I loved the main character, Patroclus, and the way he spoke was a bit detached but very metaphorical and descriptive. The author includes some ancient Greek into the dialogues, and weaves the setting and plot into the narration so well, she makes it all seem real. I instantly felt invested in Patroclus, and soon Achilles. I basked in the sun of their youth and young love, but all throughout there was a sense of nostalgia in Patroclus’ narration.  Their epic love could never survive. The same differences in roles, the same glorious setting, the excitement and energy of their youth, the same problems that made them so awesome, will also ruin them. She rips her characters to the next setting right after they g...