Pride

After walking into bookstore after bookstore and seeing nothing but that bloody bird on a red cover, I finally picked up The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Filling me with memories of The Running Man, I was instantly hooked, burning through the pages in a matter of a day.

Always finish with a bang. (SPOILERS)

Now I love young adult fiction, but what to do when you feel you can only recommend two of the three books in a trilogy??? I can't tell you how disappointed I was when I read Mockingjay.

Katniss Everdeen, the tough, young, single-minded, heroine who defies the government and manages to navigate the dangerous world of Panem began with a very promising start in The Hunger Games. Similar to Princess Leia, Anne Shirley, Lisbeth Salander, or Lirael; Suzanne Collins created a female protagonist with the spunk, perseverance and the elusive universal appeal.

And then it all came crashing down.

Similar to World War veterans, Katniss witnesses one too many acts of violence and destruction that dissolves her world into a living hell. Yet unlike Lord of the Rings, a prime example of the bittersweet victory of war, Mockingjay leaves a rather sour aftertaste. Lacking the insight or humor of the final book in the Bartimaeus Trilogy (Jonathan Stroud) or weight of The Book Thief (Markus Zusak), the turn of events felt contrived and at times, out of place. As I turned page after page, I started to become frustrated. Not from the unfair losses and crimes of war, but from the constant stream of whining... and even worse... from our heroine Katniss herself!

I wanted to slap her, having invested time reading two novels I could see the story ebbing away into a mediocre melodrama rather than a satisfying dish. To my astonishment, Katniss had evolved into her mother, an inactive, weak-willed, shell of a girl, rather than emerge into a burning spirit rising from the ashes.

For the first time I actually believe Hollywood could do it better.

Spiders on the wall

I love poking around to see what's around the corner. Scripts optioned, Comics bought, deals signed, as new fresh talent break through the glass ceiling and into the public radar.

Who, what, where and when?

There is so much promise... with David Fincher signing on to both 'Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' and '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea', or Alfonso Cuaron's next feature 'Gravity', there's a strange buzz in the air. Hype hype hype. It worked for Inception but fell flat for Scott Pilgrim.

What happened to Ang Lee's try at 'Life of Pi'?? It sounds like an impossible feat, but if anyone can pull off a difficult self contained drama... it's him.

Kids sometimes need a kick in the pants during summer months. Glued to their monitors, playing endless videogames or hopefully outdoors getting some exercise. Lately it's been reported that students perform poorly in school if they are given longer than a month off during summer. Surprised? Why should anybody be? Who gets that much time off anyhow??

Best way to inject some grey matter into the summer sluggish months is to read a book. I usually read the book first, so I can recommend a series without any reservations. It leaves the conversation open, did they like it? What did they find frustrating, confusing, interesting, smart, funny...?

I couldn't get through The Thief Lord and wasn't too hot on Inkheart... and guess what? None of the kids liked it either! There's certainly a tier level when it comes to young adult fiction. There's the campy popular drivel that satisfies your basic cravings (Twilight, City of Bones, Magyk etc. etc..), and then there are the rare and heart wrenching, novels that catapult a teenager into the wide array of adult fiction (Bartimeaus Trilogy, The Book Thief, Lord of the Rings, The Chysalids, Sabriel, Watership Down, The Ousiders).

It's all about careful selection. Ask the kid what they like, what they watch, and ease them in slowly. Some take an instant liking to books of all sorts, some see reading as "uncool, or nerdy" and never crack open a book. Sometimes manga/comics are a better fit.

Manga (It's all strange and foreign to some... but sometimes that's the appeal)

Fullmetal Alchemist, Naruto, Bleach, Hana Kimi, Vampire Knight, 20th Century Boys

Comics (well manga means comics but I refer to 'manga' for Asian books)

Scott Pilgrim, Y the last man, Persepolis, Tin Tin, Watchmen (not for me), Spiderman etc.. etc..

It's a wonderful world that no one should ever miss.

Classics remade

Ah, there's nothing sweeter than a well told story. I recently finished Fifth Business, a book that's been on my "to read" list for quite some time. It's a bit of a departure from my normal reading fare but it wasn't disappointing. I usually cringe when a person shares their thoughtful advice to "just watch the movie and save time".

I shiver at the thought of students relying on cinema rather than great writing, but the trend is only gaining speed. With Twitter, texting and email, the English language has been relegated to kung-pow chicken. There aren't many films out there that have adapted great modern classics well, maybe only a handful in the century of cinema (Sense and Sensibility, High Fidelity...). Now the public must endure the horrific spew of video game concepts churned into action-porn puff pieces aimed at the twelve year old mind set (Prince of Persia???!).

Thankfully, one particular book slated on director Ridley Scott's "films to make list" is Aldous Huxley's powerful classic A BRAVE NEW WORLD, one of my all time favourites. I'm crossing my fingers that everything comes together for this film and that he truly does the writing justice, because his long overdue golden Oscar would be a nice paper weight for his office decor.

Who will be John Cooper? It better not be Russell Crowe or Leonardo Dicaprio... hopefully a lesser known actor.

Upcoming classics to hit the big screen

Fahrenheit 451

Another fantastic novel that is on the cooker pot set for 2012. Early rumours stated that Tom Hanks would take center stage as Guy Montag.

Don Quixote

On many reading lists this ranks number 1 as the all time book you need to read before you die. It's certainly a HEAVY one to crack down, and obviously a tale that Terry Gilliam is aching to finally finish (rumour has it he is still determined to film the novel).

Want to see some true agony, flashes of wrath from God? Try Lost in La Mancha, a documentary of Gilliam's painful trials of a dream lost.

Jane Eyre

Nothing beats a bit of Victorian sexual repression. Charlotte's Bronte's brooding Mr. Rochester manipulates the mousy heroine governess Jane.