Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell

A few months ago, my boss gave me Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell to read and insisted that I would love it. He was absolutely right. With last weekend being Memorial Day weekend, I decided it was the perfect time to pick up the book as we remembered all of the people that serve our country.

Marcus Luttrell, a decorated Navy SEAL, writes his story in two parts. The first part of the story gives a detailed explanation of the training of a Navy SEAL, which was fascinating and very eye opening. The second part of the story is about Operation Redwing, a desperate battle in the mountains of Afghanistan. Luttrell speaks of the valiant and heroic efforts of his teammates as they fought against the Taliban.

The book opens with "..my name is Marcus. And I'm writing this book because of my three buddies Mikey, Danny and Axe. If I don't write it, no one will ever understand the indomitable courage under fire of those three Americans. And that would be the biggest tragedy of all."

This book is amazing and powerful. I have always had high respect and reverence for the United States military and for all that they have sacrificed. Lone Survivor gave me a better understanding and a deeper appreciation for the men who fight so valiantly and then face consistent criticism from some of those back home that they are sacrificing their lives for.

I will give the caveat that there is strong language throughout the book. If you are not comfortable reading the book, I suggest that you at least read about Marcus Luttrell's story somewhere, it is amazing.

Heart of Ice by Lis Wiehl

A year ago, I reviewed Hand of Fate by Lis Wiehl. Recently, I was given the opportunity to review Lis Wiehl's new book Heart of Ice, which will be released tomorrow.

Heart of Ice is a continuation of the story of three friends, one a crime reporter (Cassidy), one a federal prosecutor (Allison), and the third a FBI special agent (Nicole). Each woman is handling personal hardships and struggling in their individual ways.

Cassidy loves her job as a crime reporter but feels threatened by the new beautiful intern that will do whatever it takes to get the story. Cassidy turns to the friendly new boot camp instructor at her gym, Elizabeth. Elizabeth is conniving and knows exactly how to get what she wants by using people. But Elizabeth has much deeper and darker secrets that she is hiding. Secrets that will bring Cassidy and her two best friends into a dangerous game.

Allison is still struggling with her miscarriage when her delinquent sister shows up on her doorstep. Allison is caught between her need to help her sister start a new life and her fear of being taken advantage of. She is worried to bring her best friends into her problems and feels alone as she deals with her struggle for a child.

Nicole finds a lump in her breast and knows in her gut that it is breast cancer. She has always been independent but has a strong difficulty letting anyone into her trust after she was raped several years ago. She reacts by distancing her self from everyone who loves her and refusing to tell anyone of the lump, including her best friends and the man she hoped for a future with. She wonders if those around her will look at her with pity if they knew what was going on and prefers to just deal with it all alone.

I also really enjoy reading about the friendship between the three main characters because I think we all have moments that we are just like each of them individually. We have moments of wondering if our friends really care and if it better to just deal with things alone. We then have moments where we are selfish and demand all of the time and attention. And we have moments of caring so much that it hurts. But through it all, our true friends love us and handle our craziness. This is how these three women are and I love it.

I really enjoyed the book and I wish that the next book in the series was being released much sooner. If you like James Patterson novels or the like, I recommend this series.

Spoken from the Heart by Laura Bush

I have always thought that Laura Bush was very classy and intelligent. I found her charming when she was the First Lady and I felt like she always showed her strength, even when the world was criticizing her husband. I really enjoyed her biography, Spoken from the Heart, and I felt like it was a great start to my book reading of 2011.

This book told the other side to so many stories that we all saw in the press and it was fascinating. In my opinion, regardless of politics and what decisions a president makes, he and the first lady are still people and deserve to be treated fairly. I think that President and Mrs. Bush showed class and I especially think it is great to see a strong couple that always had each other's back. Laura Bush comforted President Bush through a significantly hard period in our country's history. They faced 9/11 together, they faced war together, they faced Katrina together, and they faced an onslaught of public hatred towards President Bush and his decisions. Bottom line, I think she is an incredibly strong woman who provides an amazing example of a supportive and loving wife.

I also learned all sorts of random facts that I didn't know. For instance, did you know that the president and first lady have to pay for all of their personal expenses while they are in office? They are sent a bill for their food, dry cleaning, clothing, and all their personal expenses. They are also billed for any guests that they have at the White House or Camp David. They don't have a mortgage or utilities but they don't live free either. Never knew that!

I really enjoyed the stories she told as well as her devotion to her husband, her beliefs and First Lady priorities, and her family. I am thoroughly impressed. If you want a good biography, I wholeheartedly recommend it.

The School of Essential Ingredients

I am not exactly sure where the new craze for "foodie" or "recipe" type books came from but I am loving it. I just finished The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister and wow, just wow. The book was one of my favorite books I have read all year. It was the type of book that has passages that I would read and then re-read just to feel the words again.

One of my favorite passages that I read multiple times is this amazingness: "He sank into the warmth of his child's fragile body against his shoulder, watched in awe that a baby, still essentially asleep, could keep a death grip on the blanket that meant the world was safe and loving, marveling at the thought that it was he and Helen who gave the feeling to the blanket, and the blanket to the child."

That was just a little taste of the book. The book is amazing!

The book is about a cooking class that is held once a week. The story is told by devoting a chapter to each of the attendees at the cooking class, telling their stories and weaving in their participation in the class and the lessons they learn. It begins with the instructor, Lillian, who is a master of matching spices to individual moods. She began cooking at a young age out of self-preservation and used food to draw out her emotionally absent mother. Lillian has a beautiful ability in her cooking classes to tie cooking into each of her student's lives in a subtle and extraordinary way.

The story continues with each of the students stories interwoven with the weekly course. The characters are so delightfully described that you wish you had been in the class with them just to learn from each of them and get to know them personally. I felt invested in each of their lives and treasured the pages dedicated to each of them. I felt so happy when I finished the book and I have nothing but absolute rave reviews for this book.

Read it. Buy it for yourself for Christmas!

A Path Less Traveled by Cathy Bryant

Earlier this year, I reviewed this book and loved it. A couple of weeks ago, I was lucky enough to get the chance to review Cathy Bryant's new book in the series, A Path Less Traveled. The second book in the series is just as charming as the first.

Trish James is stubborn and doesn't want help from anyone, especially since everyone is trying to rescue her and her son after the tragic death of her husband. She is determined to make it on her own and prove to everyone that she can take care of herself. Her new business is failing and she is on the verge of bankruptcy, but she refuses to reveal the depth of her struggles to anyone. The only option she can see is to move her and her son away from Miller's Creek, the town she loves and the only support system she has ever known.

Andy Tyler is a successful attorney who knows the struggle it takes to build a successful life from nothing. His personal life is struggling after his heart was broken when his engagement came to a heartbreaking end the night before the wedding. Andy is looking to start over and take on a new business challenge as the town attorney for Miller's Creek. He is unprepared for the sudden instinct to protect Trish James and come to her rescue, even though she makes it clear she is determined to not be rescued.

The story and the characters is so charming and I loved it just like I loved the first book in the series. I really wish the third book would come out tomorrow! It is a great read and I recommend them for a sit by the fire book this winter.

Juliet by Anne Fortier

While reading Juliet by Anne Fortier, I never found a good way to explain this book when people asked me what I was reading. So to be completely lame, here is the synopsis from Barnes and Noble:

Twenty-five-year-old Julie Jacobs is heartbroken over the death of her beloved aunt Rose. But the shock goes even deeper when she learns that the woman who has been like a mother to her has left her entire estate to Julie’s twin sister. The only thing Julie receives is a key—one carried by her mother on the day she herself died—to a safety-deposit box in Siena, Italy.

This key sends Julie on a journey that will change her life forever—a journey into the troubled past of her ancestor Giulietta Tolomei. In 1340, still reeling from the slaughter of her parents, Giulietta was smuggled into Siena, where she met a young man named Romeo. Their ill-fated love turned medieval Siena upside-down and went on to inspire generations of poets and artists, the story reaching its pinnacle in Shakespeare’s famous tragedy.

But six centuries have a way of catching up to the present, and Julie gradually begins to discover that here, in this ancient city, the past and present are hard to tell apart. The deeper she delves into the history of Romeo and Giulietta, and the closer she gets to the treasure they allegedly left behind, the greater the danger surrounding her—superstitions, ancient hostilities, and personal vendettas. As Julie crosses paths with the descendants of the families involved in the unforgettable blood feud, she begins to fear that the notorious curse—“A plague on both your houses!”—is still at work, and that she is destined to be its next target. Only someone like Romeo, it seems, could save her from this dreaded fate, but his story ended long ago. Or did it?

Now for my views on the book....I loved it. The story was so intriguing and the main character, Julie, sucked me right in. For most of the book, the chapters alternate between modern day and the original story of Romeo and Giuletta. At first I was a little distracted and wanted to just read the modern day ones and then the original story. But, after the first few chapters, it all came together and I loved learning the tidbits as the main character discovered the history. It made me feel like I wanted to be in Siena with the character.

The book was really everything that I love in a book, history, intrigue and a bit of love. The book is going into my top 10 favorite books of the year. I highly recommend it. I loved it.

Where Hearts are Free

I signed up to review Where Hearts Are Free by Golden Keyes Parsons so they sent me a copy of the book and I finally picked it up last week.

As a young child, Bridget Barrington witnessed a murder and it has haunted her for years. Philippe Cavell, a former French noble that escaped France with his family, came to live with the Barrington family, but as an indentured servant. Bridget was instantly in love with him and shares her secret nightmares of the murder with him.

Six years passes by and Philippe’s servant days with the family are soon to be over. Bridget wants to finally tell him that she is in love with him, but instead, she tells her parents. Her parents are unhappy with the revelation because Bridget and Philippe belong to different churches. They end Philippe's contract as servant a few weeks early and send him home to his family hoping Bridget will forget about Philippe. Bridget's parents then insist that Bridget be courted by Edward Moorehead, an older man, who Bridget has no love for and actually repulses her.

Edward has a secret of his own and is of, shall we say, "questionable character". Bridget’s dark past comes back to haunt her and she cannot forget about the man she really wants to be with.

The book was on the typical side of things but overall, I enjoyed reading the book.

Two Books...

It is your lucky day! Two book reviews in one post! I have read a lot of books lately but only two really warrant a review: The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin and The Cookbook Collector by Allegra Goodman.

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin is an absolutely amazing book. Gretchen Rubin decided that she wanted to be happier. She was already happy and had a good life but she wanted more, she wanted to enjoy her life more. So she came up with a plan, she would take one year and make goals in 12 different areas of her life (marriage, work, parenting, self-fulfillment, etc.). Each month she came up with a few things that she could work on specifically within each category, such as go to bed earlier or organize her house or not criticizing her husband or not gossiping. Each month was specialized and by the end of the year, she feels more balanced. The year did not go perfectly but she learned things about herself and her relationships.

The book is inspirational and much more entertaining than most self-help books. Gretchen has a very witty writing style that makes it a very easy read. I found a lot of great tips in the book and while I don't have the desire to take an entire year of my life, I found myself thinking of the things I can change in my every day life. She made a really good point on how she is a "gold star" person and she wants to get a figurative gold star when she does something good. For instance, when she makes a good meal, she wants someone to tell her it was good (gold star). Then she realized she needed to not seek recognition but just give herself a gold star in her head if needs be. I recognized that I am similar and I need to not expect gold stars. See, I learned something!

Now for the The Cookbook Collector by Allegra Goodman. I just finished this one last weekend and I really liked it. The characters were so intriguing and the story was great. I started it and next thing I know, I couldn't put it down and when I did, I couldn't stop thinking about the characters. The story is about two sisters in California, the older sister, Emily, is CEO of a major tech company that is about to go public and the younger sister, Jess, is a tree hugging grad student at Berkley who works at an antiquarian bookstore.

The book is about the relationship between sisters and about their individual struggles in life. I absolutely loved the relationship between Emily and Jess. Maybe it is because my sister and I are BFFs, but I love stories about sisters because it reminds me how awesome it is to have someone that knows you so well you don't have to say everything to be understood. Beyond the relationship between Emily and Jess, the story shares the lessons they learn as they each try to fight the allure of power, money and relationship struggles.

I loved both books. The Happiness Project gets 5 stars and The Cookbook Collector gets 4 stars.

The Butterfly Effect by Andy Andrews

Have you ever read The Travelers Gift by Andy Andrews? No? Well you should. You should also read this little book by the same author called The Butterfly Effect: How Your Life Matters. The book is very short and very worth the read. It is inspiring and makes you realize just how much you, and especially what you do, matter.

The story begins with an explanation of the scientific principle of the butterfly effect. The butterfly effect is a complex metaphor that explains how small things produce big things in the long term (that is a very, very simple explanation because that's about all that my brain can understand). The story then blossoms into examples of how the butterfly effect applies to people. Things that you do will effect your children and so forth down the line of generations.

The book is quick and very interesting so take about 20 minutes and read it!

Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks

I did it again...I went to Costco to buy food and checked out with two books in my cart. One of them was Nicholas Sparks' new book, Safe Haven. Now, now, don't judge me...I like sappy love stories sometimes. Courtesy of Amazon, here is a summary of the book:

When a mysterious young woman named Katie appears in the small North Carolina town of Southport, her sudden arrival raises questions about her past. Beautiful yet self-effacing, Katie seems determined to avoid forming personal ties until a series of events draws her into two reluctant relationships: one with Alex, a widowed store owner with a kind heart and two young children; and another with her plainspoken single neighbor, Jo. Despite her reservations, Katie slowly begins to let down her guard, putting down roots in the close-knit community and becoming increasingly attached to Alex and his family.

But even as Katie begins to fall in love, she struggles with the dark secret that still haunts and terrifies her . . . a past that set her on a fearful, shattering journey across the country, to the sheltered oasis of Southport. With Jo's empathic and stubborn support, Katie eventually realizes that she must choose between a life of transient safety and one of riskier rewards . . . and that in the darkest hour, love is the only true safe haven.

Now for my thoughts. I was really enjoying the book and I really loved the story. BUT, I feel like I needed another chapter at the end. Also, there were parts of the ending that I didn't really like and left me a bit on the confused side. These thoughts propelled me to give the book 3 stars on Goodreads. All in all, a great Nicholas Sparks read that took very little time to finish and left me with the satisfaction of a sappy love story. Mission accomplished.

"Insignifcant Moments" by Jeremy Asher

Insignificant Moments by Jeremy Asher is a book telling the story of three characters over a five year period. Jaye is a 27 year old librarian that is overly cautious in his life and is struggling with a quarter life crisis. Julie is a young woman trying to figure out how much compromise is too much in her marriage and when she will get the chance to have a say in her life. Anna is a young widow with two children who is searching for stability after her life fell apart following her husband's death.

The three characters, each in their own way, find strength in those small and seemingly insignificant moments. The book is predictable yet very charming. It was a feel good book that was a quick read for a day you want to be reminded to enjoy the moment. I suggest this for one of those rainy fall days when all you want to do is read a book and eat delicious fall soups!

Covenant Hearts: Marriage and the Joy of Human Love by Bruce C. Hafen

I have slowly read Covenant Hearts: Marriage and the Joy of Human Love over the last few months. I would read a chapter here and there but didn't read it consistently. It wasn't because it wasn't a good book, but really more that it was a book that gave me so much to think about that I took it slowly and one part at a time. A few weeks ago, I picked it up again and decided it was time to finish it. The author, Bruce C. Hafen, offers an LDS perspective on marriage and human love. The book really gave me a lot of good ideas to utilize in my own marriage and gave me perspective on all relationships. I especially enjoyed the chapter on charity and I am trying to implement it more in my life. I highly recommend this book regardless of whether you are married or how long you have been married. It gave me a lot of perspective on why a marriage is not only important to the couple but to their family/children and also their community. It is a great read so check it out!

Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

Almost every time that I go to Costco, I walk past all of the books and see what catches my eye. Even though I have a never ending stack of books on my night stand, I always want more. I am selfish like that with my books. A couple of months ago, I was on my regular walk by and I saw this book, Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay. This is one of my best finds and I would like to thank Costco for always providing me with books to read (and with good food to eat while I read the books...)

Rather than go into the plot from my perspective, mainly because I am still processing everything I read, this is a synopsis from Barnes and Noble:

Paris, July 1942: Sarah, a ten year-old girl, is brutally arrested with her family by the French police in the Vel’ d’Hiv’ roundup, but not before she locks her younger brother in a cupboard in the family's apartment, thinking that she will be back within a few hours.
Paris, May 2002: On Vel’ d’Hiv’s 60th anniversary, journalist Julia Jarmond is asked to write an article about this black day in France's past. Through her contemporary investigation, she stumbles onto a trail of long-hidden family secrets that connect her to Sarah. Julia finds herself compelled to retrace the girl's ordeal, from that terrible term in the Vel d'Hiv', to the camps, and beyond. As she probes into Sarah's past, she begins to question her own place in France, and to reevaluate her marriage and her life.

Tatiana de Rosnay offers us a brilliantly subtle, compelling portrait of France under occupation and reveals the taboos and silence that surround this painful episode.

Along with that synopsis, I just add my recommendation that it is a really great read. The story is fascinating and so well written. I don't know what it is lately, but I have really enjoyed the last several books that I have read. I hope the trend continues because I am loving these books.

These Is My Words by Nancy E. Turner

Have you ever read a fictional novel and when you turn the last page, you wished it was a true story? After finishing These Is My Words, I really wished it was a true story so that I could google the name of the character and learn more about her life. These Is My Words is a novel of journal entries from a feisty western woman named Sarah Agnes Prine. Sarah was 17 when the book begins and she and her family are traveling in a wagon train from the Territories to Texas. She has no formal education and only a rudimentary knowledge of the alphabet, but she taught herself to read and write. Sarah is nowhere near the polite and lady-like woman that others expect and some look down on her for her seriously awesome survival skills (which obviously baffles me considering the fact that I just called them seriously awesome).

The journal covers twenty years of Sarah's life and, believe me, there is enough in those twenty years to keep you turning the pages. Sarah is a very feisty and independent woman who fights to keep her family alive as they encounter tragedy after tragedy as they travel along the trail, including the loss of Sarah's father and little brother. The best news is that she and her remaining family end up in the Arizona Territory, familiar and not far from where they began their journey.

Life in the Territories is rough business and there isn't really a dull week in her life. These Is My Words is a fabulous book and I REALLY recommend it. I got so obsessed with her story that I really was disappointed that it was fiction because I wanted Sarah to be real so that I could find out everything about her.

To wrap it up, read the book, you will love it. If you don't, I am sorry.

Have A Little Faith by Mitch Albom

I loved Tuesdays With Morrie but didn't really love The Five People You Meet In Heaven as much so I didn't know what to expect when I picked up Mitch Albom's new book but I ended up loving it as much as I did Tuesdays With Morrie.

Have A Little Faith is a true story about Mitch Albom being asked to give the eulogy at his childhood rabbi's funeral. He was shocked because he felt unworthy because he had gradually pulled away from his faith over the years and would not be the person to eulogize such a great spiritual leader, but he agreed. He spends several years getting to know the rabbi more personally than he had when he was younger and in the process, he finds faith again. During this time, he also meets a fascinating preacher in his hometown of Detroit who changes his attitude on judging people.

The story is inspiring and I really liked it. It gives a few tidbits to add to your life and reminds you of the importance of faith.

The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis

I know that I am behind on the times here but I just finished reading The Screwtape Letters for the first time. Why did I wait so long to read it? It is such an amazing book and I can't stop thinking about it. The satire is incredible and every page gave me more and more to think about. It made me consider how I was handling my life and whether or not I was letting Satan have power over me. Lewis sheds light on how the little things are how we are brought down.

One of my favorite parts of the book is a commentary by C.S. Lewis at the end of the book. C.S. Lewis says, "Though I had never written anything more easily, I never wrote with less enjoyment...But though it was easy to twist one's mind into the diabolical attitude, it was not fun, or not for long. The strain produced a sort of spiritual cramp. The world into which I had to project myself while I spoke through Screwtape was all dust, grit, thirst and itch. Every trace of beauty, freshness, and geniality had to be excluded. It almost smothered me before I was done. It would have smothered my readers if I had prolonged it."

The entire book was fascinating and I loved it! If you are someone that hasn't read it, I suggest you do.

The Postmistress by Sarah Blake

Every time that someone asked me lately what I was reading and I told them I was reading The Postmistress, they gave me a questioning look. No, this book is not about a mistress. Read this review and then read the book, it is a great World War II era book.

The Postmistress by Sarah Blake is a remarkable novel about three women whose lives are loosely intertwined during World War II. The war is ravaging in Europe but America is not yet involved.
Iris James is a single woman who arrives in Franklin, Massachusetts to take the position of postmistress (a woman in charge of a post office, aka postmaster). Iris prides herself in the order and reason of her post office. She is at the center of Franklin society and knows almost everything about everyone but keeps things in confidence. Emma Fitch is the new bride of the young town doctor who has just arrived in Franklin. Emma has dreamed for years to find the feeling of home after her parents died when she was young. She feels lost and empty when her new husband leaves to volunteer in war torn London, promising to return in six months. Frankie Bard is an American journalist reporting from London, delivering powerful and heart-wrenching stories. Frankie is reporting on the blitz in London hoping to wake up Americans and make them see what the war is doing to Europe.

Each woman questions how the stories of life are written and whether or not they have a say. Do things just happen or do we have control? Are there things that are better left unsaid or is it our obligation to share our experiences and share things with the world? What is our role in life?

It was a book that has left me thinking long after I finished the last page. I really enjoyed it!

Texas Roads by Cathy Bryant

I was given a copy of Texas Roads by Cathy Bryant to review for another book blog. The novel grabbed my interest from the very beginning of the book. I started the book before work, read on my lunch break and then picked it up as soon as I could that evening and finished it, in other words, I loved it and I finished it ridiculously fast.

Texas Roads is a Christian novel about Dani Davis, a woman from the big city of Dallas who embarks on a trip to visit her aunt, that she has never met, in small town Miller's Creek, Texas. Dani is searching for a place to call home and for any type of peace after her father dies and her already unhappy marriage ends when her husband is killed in a car accident.

As she nears Miller's Creek, her car runs out of gas, she locks her keys in the car and a Texas rain storm makes the situation even worse. She is saved by a cowboy who she instantly alienates with her city attire and her sour attitude. She doesn't realize until she arrives at her aunt's home that the cowboy, Steve, is a pseudo son that watches over her aunt and she will have to work to change her first impression. As time goes by, the relationship with Steve goes through several bumps as they struggle with the tension and mistrust of each other as they develop a friendship.

During her stay in Miller's Creek, she falls in love with the town and wants to help revitalize the town, which has been struggling since the railroad cut the route through town. Just as she begins to feel peace and feel like she is needed, malicious rumors begin in town and she is alienated from the town and people she has grown to love. She continues to fight for the town but feels the pain of loneliness return.

Cathy Bryant has an exceptional writing style that skillfully develops lovable characters, highlights so many traditions of small town Texans, and tells a dramatic story of a woman who struggles with trust after being betrayed by her husband and searches for meaning in her life and a place to call home. The story is inspirational and well written, I recommend it if you want a novel that portrays good values and tells a good story!

The Hand of Fate by Lis Wiehl

The Hand of Fate is centered on three friends, one is a crime reporter, one is a federal prosecutor, and the other is an FBI special agent. They work together to solve the high profile murder of a nationally known radio talk show personality, Jim Fate, who was known for making people angry with his outspoken views on his polarizing talk show. Cassidy, the crime reporter, knows Jim more personally than she is letting on, even to her friends Allison, the prosecutor and Nicole, the special agent. The secrets she keeps add interesting twists throughout the book.

Cassidy, Allison and Nicole each struggle with their own personal demons as they investigate the death of Jim Fate. Each of their stories touch on struggles that women everywhere face. Lis Wiehl skillfully crafts a thriller novel that kept me focused on the book and forgetting my to do list. I really enjoyed this book and I liked the way that she told each individual story while continuing a center focus that brought everything together.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is an amazing book and I loved it. It also fulfilled the Youth Fiction category on this.

The Hunger Games is set in the future and in the area that was formerly North America. It is a new nation with an overwhelmingly powerful government, called the Capitol, that oversees 12 districts that the government created. Every year, the Capitol holds the Hunger Games, a gruesome and horrible competition. A girl and a boy between the ages of 12 and 18 is chosen from each of the 12 districts to compete for their district. The competition is a fight to the death and the last one standing wins. Katniss is 16, from District 12, and after her little sister's name is the one chosen, she volunteers to take her sister's place in the competition. She knows it is a death sentence for herself but she knows she has a better chance than her little sister. Katniss knows a lot about survival but she is going up against others from the richer districts that have trained for the event for their entire lives.

I highly recommend this book and I think you should all read it. Megan read it too and I am sure she will sing the praises as well.