Page to Screen: The Hunger Games — Catching Fire (2013)

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
based on the novel by Suzanne Collins

Despite my lack of scientific prowess, I love to experiment, be it sartorially (all shall tremble before my Easter blazer) or culinarily (“Throw it all in!” is becoming a common phrase at the Floating Domicile). And, as a fan, I get excited when I can experiment with my media consumption, like when I decided to watch Prometheus before seeing Alien to see if it would function on its own. The Hunger Games is the focus of my latest pop culture experiment. I read the first novel and liked the film more, so I decided to not read the rest of the series and see how it all played out on-screen.

The Sunday Salon: Literary LEGO, Part Two

So last week we talked a bit about official sets from LEGO featuring bookish properties—but a mass-produced set from LEGO can’t match what a true LEGO genius can do with those little plastic bricks. Let’s get down to it!

The Sunday Salon: The Midnight Premiere

In my head, my year is separated into two halves—the holidays (October through April—Halloween through Easter) and geek season (April through September—Renaissance Festival through Dragon*Con). This isn’t a hard and fast rule; obviously, this December is going to be awesome. A subsection of geek season is the glory of summer movies, and another cinematic summer is upon us! (…summer has four months in the South. And, yes, The Hunger Games technically kicked off blockbuster season this year, but it lacked, you know, being released in summer.) It’s time, ladies and gentlemen—time for the midnight premiere.

Page to Screen: The Hunger Games (2012)

The Hunger Games
based on the novel by Suzanne Collins

I initially wasn’t going to go see The Hunger Games its opening weekend; besides my mild response to the first novel in the trilogy and despite my wild response to the trailer, I would be in Louisiana for a family wedding the entire weekend, giving me no time to go see it. Unless, as my friends Andrea and Rachel pointed out, I went at midnight. Unwilling to face the entire McBride clan on three hours of sleep, I declined—but then on Thursday evening, I began getting antsy. So I bought myself a ticket at the last moment (surprisingly!), dressed myself up as a dapper Capitol citizen (I am still proud of how I managed to fashion a neck tie from my own hair), and trotted off at midnight, ready to brave the sleep deprivation to be one of the first to see The Hunger Games.

The Sunday Salon: The Hunger Games, Merchandise, and Androcentrism

So I’ve finally decided to go and see The Hunger Games on opening weekend. I would have seen the film eventually for the Capitol citizens’ costuming, but I wasn’t in any rush. I didn’t care for the first novel enough to finish the series. But the more I watch the trailer, the more I want to see it. But regardless of my interest in the upcoming film, I’ve been starting to be a bit perturbed by the conversation surrounding the merchandising around The Hunger Games, especially a vein of awkward and unquestioned anti-femme androcentrism.

The Sunday Salon: Fictional Food

I have recently discovered a love of cooking. I mean, I’ve always liked baking—as a little kid, hanging out at Clare’s basically meant making cookies with Clare from the prepackaged dough you can buy at the store. My adult love of cooking really started when I looked at a box of pancake mix and realized that it didn’t ask for eggs. The idea of dehydrated eggs grossed me out, so I began making my pancakes from scratch. But it’s been absolutely encouraged by a recent fannish food blog, which I’d like to highlight as we recover from Turkey Day 2011.

The Sunday Salon: The Music of Panem

No matter what Diana Gabaldon might say about us, fans are creative, man. (I will never let Gabaldon live that down. Good Lord, what a stupid thing to say.) We run riot in the subtext, write plenty of meta about our beloved stories, and, occasionally, we write music. Okay, I don’t write music; I’m not very musical—I’m a woman of letters, but not of notes, unfortunately. (For a few years, I thought I did have a song bubbling inside of me; it turns out it was “Listen to Your Heart” from Pocahontas. In my head, my life is scored by Alan Menken, and, on occasion, Michael Kamen. I don’t do anything cool enough to merit Howard Shore.) The creation of music, to me, is some kind of mystic mystery, which is why I was so taken with who I discovered last Sunday night. Ladies and gentlemen, I discovered a fan composer.

Challenge: Tigana Read-Along, Part #1—A Blade in the Soul

“I only spoke a prayer of my own.” Alessan’s voice was careful and very clear. “I always do. I said: Tigana, let my memory of you be like a blade in my soul.” (133)

This is me playing catch-up. You see, I was under the impression that the Tigana read-along, hosted by Memory over at Stella Matutina, began on February 28th, not February 23th. Oops. In any case, the book was checked out at the library and I had to wait until March 3rd to get my hands on a library copy. (Which for some reason doesn’t have a copyright page… hmm…) But I’ve just missed one scheduled posting, so I’m going to throw this and Part #2 up today as I dive right in. Spoilers for the novel abound, my friends, so if you haven’t read Tigana or you’re not playing along at home, I’d skip it. That said, let’s dig in.

Review: The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

When I saw that The Hunger Games had finally come in at the library, I was ecstatic–what a nice way to leave the library I use in Decatur before heading home for the summer! And what a stroke of luck–I didn’t want to have to go to the bottom of the waiting list for The Hunger Games at my local library. I’ve heard so many good things about this novel that I couldn’t wait to dig in.

The Sunday Salon: Music and Books

I have always tied certain songs to fictional works, for whatever reason. This is probably linked to my love of musicals and my love of songs with an actual story over more vague ones. (More “The Mariner’s Revenge Song” than “L-O-V-E”). “Viva La Vida”, for instance, reminds me strongly of The Legend of Zelda. (But to be totally honest, it actually doesn’t take a lot to remind me of The Legend of Zelda.) But while I was reading The Hunger Games, I had one of the strongest musical reactions to a novel I think I’ve ever had. Spoilers for The Hunger Games abound, obviously–avoid this Sunday Salon if you wish to remain as pure as the driven snow.