After reading The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, I was inspired to reread the Hunger Games trilogy. I was amazed by how much I forgot or misremembered. Then again, my last exposure to this world was probably the movies. :)

I still love these books so much!!

For more reviews, check out my blog: Craft-Cycle

A powerful read filled with insight on various aspects of weight, body image, self-worth, and culture.

One of the things that makes this such a unique book is that the journey is presented as a work in progress. Gay documents her way through life, recounting various events that shaped her as a person. There is a deep level of insight in connecting things that happened in her past to how she views the world and her place within it.

While writing the book, it is clear that Gay does not completely accept her body. However, I think this is an important perspective to highlight. While she supports the body positivity movement, she still struggles with how her body is perceived, how she views her own body, and the difficulties in moving within a culture that does not always value different experiences. This is a relatable perspective for all of us who love the idea of others accepting and loving their bodies, but have a hard time applying this to ourselves. This book helps validate that struggle and promotes the journey of acceptance and love. It's great to see people who fully accept themselves, but it can be a hard path to get to that point that involves a lot of work and insight.

While the book focuses on Gay's own experiences, aspects of culture are also examined such as weight loss shows, diet programs, obsessions with celebrity bodies, women's clothing, and accessibility. It is more than just one person's journey, it is a look at how messages in the media and the larger culture influence how we view our bodies and the bodies of others.

An insightful look at weight, health, and eating as well as connected aspects of rape culture, family pressure, disordered eating, cultural messages, race, acceptance of abusive relationships, and self worth. Gay's narration is very open, forcing the reader to examine the world around them and deal with some of the discomfort involved with that.

Well-written and powerful, this book shows that body acceptance is not an easy journey, but one that involves conscious work everyday. It makes the reader aware of some of the automatic and unconscious ways culture treats the diversity of bodies. It proves that there is much work to be done. 

He's a dangerous man. She's his greatest weakness. When danger calls, he's up to the challenge.  Shadows haunt them. Intensity surrounds them and treachery lies in wait. Will there be a happily ever after? Savage Hunger is the start to a captivating thrill ride that will leave hearts wanting more.

Vampires run this city. Hell, they practically run the world. Despite her blurry past, Coraline knows just how dangerous they can be. All her life, she has strived to avoid them. But when her husband is murdered, and she finds herself targeted next, her survival suddenly depends on a devastatingly handsome vampire named Mason.

So, since I’m writing this a few months after I read the book, it took me a moment to remember the end, and then I remembered why I didn’t write the review at that point. The writing was good enough that I was ok with following the standard story and characters...and then the end happened. I don’t like cliffhangers and I didn’t like the twist that was thrown in and then no immediate conclusion. Since I did like it for the most part, I will most likely read the next part as long as it’s not another cliffhanger or crazy twist. 

**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

This is a tough book to rate - I'm rounding down because the pacing dragged a bit for my tastes. This is a very fun space western, and I admit I have a weakness for that particular blend. The world building was interesting if not terribly in-depth. The magic was subtle but enjoyable. And I appreciated how the bulk of the plot and world building centered around the plight of the "little guy" versus an exploitative mega-corporation. The Weatherman was a nice dash of creepy. The Bone Collector was my favorite part (surprise surprise). The book dragged a bit for me in part because I was continually more interested in the side characters than the main characters, that's probably a me problem though. (I am very put out about one person in particular being lost to the desert. That hurt my feelings.) All in all this was a fun romp, and while I'm curious to see what happens down the road I was satisfied with how well this book stood on its own.