Bicycle Diaries by David Byrne

This is a travel book. It depicts certain places that the author had visited. I guess I was expecting something... different. Instead of being a travel book, I was hoping it would be more adventurous.  Given the fact that I didn't know who David Byrne is, I started this book with different expectations. If I would have realized who he was, then maybe I would have expected some rock star adventures or something similar.

It is a decent book, with an air of nostalgia that you cannot really grasp why. Maybe it is the fact that he depicts derelict neighborhoods from the US or the wall of Berlin. From a New Yorker author and a former rock star, one might expect a certain dose of swearing and a bit of an attitude. The book is neither funny, nor very exciting but I believe that the depictions are quite accurate, given the fact that I had been to some of those places. 

Don't expect a work of art. Don't expect adventure and don't expect much action or talk about bikes. What you should expect is a book about travels, a tame story about cities with their ups and downs. The pictures help clarify the meaning behind the words and the language is neither pompous or harsh. Thing of it more like a photo album with a story for every picture.

It took me a while to finish this book because I had been busy with other things. Having a bike, the title caught my eye but I was hoping more of an adventure than a stroll in the city. This is the best way to describe the book " a stroll through the city".

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

3rd book... Man... What can I say?!... It is the worst one of the bunch. It was a pain to read, even though I was kinda racing to see it finished. It lacked substance and vision. I felt happy that it ended  since the entire finale was highly predictable. I am sorry to say this, but that shine of genius from the first book was completely lost on this one.

There is this whole alternation between paces: it is either too fast or too frigging boring. The whole Katniss - Peeta - Gale triangle gets boring after a while. You get to a pint where you think: "bitch make your damn mind already". Thankfully in the end she did it, but it was more of a choice of circumstance. Fuck it, I am going to spoil some of it and say that the revolution succeeds. Big whoop, like you didn't see that coming a mile away.

The entire book seems a bit like a video game: now they run down the street, now they dodge a trap, now they run into a building, not they find a tunnel... Your every shooter game, from Doom1 up to... whatever games there are nowadays.  The entire book lacks substance and feels shallow, there is no soul put into it. I think the book was written in order to publish something and give an ending to two bestsellers. Hopefully, turning this one into a bestseller too.

Will I watch the entire trilogy, if it ever comes out at the cinema? Definitely. Would I recommend the trilogy to others? You betcha. Am I glad that I didn't pay for these 3 books? Absolutely. 

Catching fire by Suzanne Collins

Catching fire by Suzanne Collins is the second book of the "hunger games" trilogy. Since I managed to get all three books for free, I figured I should read them one after the other without taking breaks for other novels. I was a bit worried that the second book would not live up to the first one and in a way it didn't. I felt that the action in the second half of the book was a bit... rushed. Maybe her publisher was urging her to pull out a second book.

Don't get me wrong, there is action galore and Katniss' angst and doubts are there too. In a way this book shifts from the pure animalistic and violent survival, to a more political kind of survival game. I am doubtful that, such a strong presence - the Capitol, was really threatened by a little girl with a bow and arrows. Maybe she really is just a tool of the resistance. The Capitol's shine seems faded in this sequel, though but its armed forces and the dictatorship over the districts begin to surface. 

What can I say? I enjoyed it, but I kind of missed the entire logic behind the survival in the arena, from book one. What I did like, was Katniss and Peeta's tour of the districts and the entire chemistry between the trio: Katniss, Peeta and Gale. As usual, she manages to get everybody in trouble. The title is meaningful, because Katniss' actions manage to set fire to the entire Panem, literally and figuratively.

Since I had started reading the trilogy I have barely had time for any work. I get engulfed in Panem's atmosphere and I tend to dismiss my other duties. I have started book three from the series and I am conflicted because  I want to do other things but I also want to find out how everything ends. I guess this is what a truly good book is: one that you cannot let go.

The hunger games by Suzanne Collins

It's cliche, I know, but everybody kept this book in high regard. It had been a battle inside me whether to read the book or watch the movie. Given the fact that the book was free, I had given it a try instead. I am definitely glad that I did. It is one of those books that you cannot let go and my family can confirm this, since I had spent an entire weekend reading The hunger games. 

Very short summary of the book: in a country called Panem, positioned in the place of North America, there are 13 districts: the Capitol and 12 others with distinct functions. After a rebellion the Capitol had won and as punishment it had implemented the Hunger Games, some kind of TV show that takes a boy and a girl from each district and makes them kill each other in a very elaborate arena. The only surviving kid is treated like a hero and given a chance to live better than the rest but with a mandatory job  to train the next contestants in the games.

The book is great, it felt like a breath of fresh air after my previous reads. It managed to get me out of my own reality and place me in the world of Panem. Ms Collins, i thank you for the wonderful time you had given me! I cannot wait to start the next book from the trilogy, so I can continue the adventures of Katniss Everdeen, Peeta and the rest. I know it is a bit mainstream nowadays and very trendy to read, but it doesn't disappoint.

After looking on imdb.com at the actors playing the characters from the book, I think that Peeta was probably not a good choice, since the book gave me a different image of him. I was thinking he'd be more massive and with a softer face. I will watch the movie and come with an update on differences. 

98.6 degrees: the art of keeping your ass alive by Cody Lundin

You hear "Cody Lundin" and you immediately think: "crazy survivalist with no shoes". You'd be right in a way, but he's making some valid points here. 98.6 degrees: the art of keeping your ass alive has a title that is a bit of an overstatement. This isn't art, it is just common sense. 

The author is hoping to write a book about survival that is different from the others. In my opinion, he falls short. I am not saying that his advice is bad or that he is making common mistakes, because this book is pretty valid, but the fact remains that it is neither funny and nor that different than its counterparts. 98.6 degrees is full of interesting facts about human anatomy, biological and psychological processes and I think it is good for knowing your own body. This information helps you assess a situation better and gives you the signal to react.

In this book you will find data on how to keep your ass alive until help comes. In a way it is more suited for the city slicker who wants to go out on a day trip in the woods, than for the hardcore survivalist that has an Every Day Carry survival kit in his bag and knows at least 3 different uses for each object. The book has a chapter about survival kits but I think it aims at the newbies who think Bear Grylls is the best survivalist since Jesus Christ. 

The graphics are kinda cute, funny and informative and they stick to your brain. Mission accomplished! As I had mentioned before, for start-ups the book is good and informative. If you had already read 2-3 survival books and seen the survival shows on the Discovery Channel, this book will simply remind you the stuff you already know and bore you with some of its chapters.