What to Read After The Hunger Games

[*Beginning of THG spoilers]

So, you’ve read The Hunger Games trilogy. You’ve journeyed with Katniss through two arenas, several rebellions, and a war. You’ve seen the love triangle play out to the end, you’ve mourned the tragic deaths of some of your favorite characters, and now you can sleep knowing that there are survivors who are safe, if not entirely sound.

[*End of THG spoilers]

The big question is: What now?

What can possibly take the place of The Hunger Games trilogy on your bookshelf?

The answer is simple: Nothing.

There is no trilogy like The Hunger Games, and trying to find a replacement would be like Cinna deciding to stop being fabulous. It won’t happen.

But there is hope! I’ve had lots of questions from friends asking me what to read next, and I can tell you with great enthusiasm that The Hunger Games might be the lamb stew, but there are lots of other tasty meals on the menu.   

People like The Hunger Games for many different reasons, and I have categorized my suggestions based on several endearing qualities of the books. If I didn’t address why you liked the books, please leave me a comment and I’ll get you a recommendation.

So, if you liked The Hunger Games (THG), consider reading the following books. I’d love to know what you think once you’ve read them, and I hope you have recommendations to add!

Category: OMG Please Read This Book

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

This book came out in 1985, but it is as relevant and poignant today as it was when it was winning awards almost 30 years ago.

I’ve read that this book is mandatory for training in the Marine Corps, and I can see why. In this book, the Capitol in THG is instead an international space fleet with a school that trains children to become soldiers who will defeat the “Buggers”, or aliens who are set to invade Earth. Ender Wiggin is taken from earth at a young age to attend the Battle School.  Through a series of training games, Ender shows his promise as a tactician in increasingly difficult scenarios. Through it all, Ender struggles with rage and violence, empathy, self-definition, and humanity.

This book blew my mind. If you see the ending coming, you are my hero because I was shocked, and I can usually predict these things.

Favorite quote: “There is no teacher but the enemy.”

The movie based on this book is in production now and will be released next November. I encourage you to #readitfirst !

Also, The Giver by Lois Lowry has a similar feel and is a very good book.

Category: Strong female lead, survival, figuring stuff out

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series by Stieg Larrson

There has been almost as much hype about this mystery thriller series and the movies as THG, and both the books and the films live up to their fame. The journey of Lizbeth and Mikael and the mysteries they solve lead to fist pumping, hair pulling, horror-stricken moments. Wading through the many names and thick detail can be tough, and the story is much darker than THG, but the plot and the characters are worth it. 

Other recommendations in this category:

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Steifvater

The Privilege of the Sword by Ellen Kushner

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

Category: Political intrigue and regional struggles

The Game of Thrones series by George R.R. Martin

You may think they’re just crazy fantasy books that have evolved in to a wildly successful HBO series, but I’m telling you, these books are about people; good people and the very worst types of people, all of them flawed and endearing. The complicated stories are engaging, the writing is beautiful, the characters are lovable and contemptible, and the fantasy overlays political, social, and emotional realism. Like the Dragon Tattoo series, these books are heavier on details and names than THG, but they are just as enthralling.

Other recommendations in this category:

Leviathan series by Scott Westerfeld

Category: Young Adult Dystopia Series   

The Maze Runner series by James Dashner

This seems to be the go-to recommendation for what to read after THG. I liked the first book, but the series did not engage me as much as some other books on the list. Still, it’s worth noting that these books may be a good next read.

Other recommendations in this category:

Graceling, Fire, and Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

The Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld

The Matched series by Allie Condie

Delirium and Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver  

Divergent and Insurgent by Veronica Roth

The Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness

Category: Young Adult Fantasy

The Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer

What are you doing? Just read them already. You know you want to.

There are SO many more books I hope you read, but these made the short list for those of us missing The Hunger Games books. I can’t wait to hear your thoughts!

It makes my day when I hear from you on Facebook, Twitter, email, or in comments below.

Happy reading!

The Hunger Games Soundtrack: Predictions

Welcome to the Soundtrack Arena, Hunger Games Fans!

You have, by now, listened to the Hunger Games soundtrack. Sadly only a few of these songs will likely be in the actual film, but if they survive the reaping, I can imagine when we’ll hear them.  

So picture this …

The ground rumbles beneath you as you are raised on your circular arena platform.

You are ready. You have heard the songs. So what’s your strategy? Where do the songs fit in the film?

Are you going to run with the Cornucopia of the thoughts below, or flee to the woods with your own rebellious opinions?

Here are my predictions and the IMHO (In My Humble Opinion) about where these songs should appear in the movie, with some lyrics.

“Abraham’s Daughter” by Arcade Fire

IMHO: Train ride and entrance to the Capitol

“And when he saw her raised for the slaughter

Abraham’s daughter raised her bow

How darest you, child, defy your father

You better let young Isaac go.”

“Tomorrow Will Be Kinder” by The Secret Sisters

IMHO: After Rue dies, in the trees when Katniss reminds herself why she’s in the game and gets some news that changes things

“Today I’ve cried a many tear, and pain is in my heart,

Around me lies a somber scene, I don’t know where to start,

But I feel warmth on my skin, the stars have all aligned

The wind has blown, but now I know, that tomorrow will be kinder.”

“Nothing to Remember” by Neko Case, a poignantly beautiful song about Katniss and her relationship with Gale, and herself

IMHO: Katniss and Gale hunting

“I don’t recall, fight or flight setting in …”

“There is nothing to remember.”

“I owe you nothing, that’s all I’ve got for you.

You borrow nothing, that’s what you expect of me… ”

“All I own, all I own, the strides I spend to the finish line …

I’ll give you those.”

“I’m ashamed that I’m barely human,

And I’m ashamed I don’t have a heart you can break,

I’m just action,

And other times reaction.

All I own, All I own, and the strides I spend to the finish line

All I own, All I own, and the strides I spend to the finish line

I’ll give you those,

Just don’t make me go home

Give me something to remember … “

“Safe & Sound” by Taylor Swift (feat. The Civil Wars)

IMHO: Rue’s death, but I hope Katniss actually sings a song to Rue. I’m crying already!

“Just close your eyes,

The sun is going down

You’ll be all right

No one can hurt you now

Come morning light

You and I’ll be safe and sound.”

“The Ruler and the Killer” by Kid Cudi

IMHO: During the training sessions, but it could be when the Careers (Cato) are hunting in the arena

“When I talk you should listen,

You talk you say nothing okay,

You the ruler and killer baby.”

“Dark Days” by the Punch Brothers

IMHO: The goodbye scene with Katniss’s mom and Prim. It might be the train ride from District 12, but it’s perfect for that awful (and wonderful) scene when Katniss says goodbye

“We don’t have to reap the fear they sow…”

“Our love will see us through these

Dark dark days, sister,

Till it lights the way back home

Sister hide our love away.

Mother listen to my heart.

Just as one beat ends another starts,

You can hear no matter where you are.”

“One Engine” The Decemberists

IMHO: No clue, maybe getting on the train in District 12?

“Hold on, they’re breaking they’re bonds.”

“Bear down, they’ll run you aground

We all must suffer awhile in a way.”

(I think the melody works more than the lyrics here.)

“Daughter’s Lament” by The Carolina Chocolate Drops

IMHO: A nightmare scene when she’s thinking about finding out about her dad dying in the mines

“Up spoke up spoke up mockingjay up from a willow tree saying you had a father in the mines whose gone this day from thee.

Whose gone this day from thee.”

“Kingdom Come” by The Civil Wars

IMHO: Katniss at the beginning of the games running from the Cornucopia, or Katniss leaving the Peeta cave

“Run, run, run away.”

“Don’t you fret my dear,

It will all be over soon,

I’ll be waiting here, for you.”

“Take the Heartland” by Glen Handsard

IMHO: The Cornucopia when Katniss needs Peeta’s medicine or (Yes Please!) when Katniss blows up the Career’s supplies

“Should I kill you with my sword, yeah?

Or should I kill you with this word?”

“Come away to the Water” by Maroon 5 (feat. Rozzi Crane)

IMHO: Katniss and Peeta in the cave, or Katniss looking for Peeta. The lamb and slaughter lyric is so poignant.  She makes herself so weak by aligning with him, but the Gamemakers made it so. This song shows how manipulative that was.

“Come away little lost come away to the water

to the ones that are only waiting for you

Come away little lost come away to the water

Away from the life that you always knew

We are calling to you

Come away little light come away through the darkness

In the shade of the night we’ll come looking for you

Come away little light, come away to the darkness

To the ones appointed to see it through

“We are calling for you …”

“We are calling for you …”

“Come away little light come away to the darkness, in the shade of the night We’ll be looking for you …

We are coming for you

Come away little lamb come away to the water

Give yourself so we might live anew

Come away little lamb come away to the slaughter

To the ones appointed to see this through

We are coming for you

We are coming for you

(intl)

Come away little lamb come away to the water

To the arms that are waiting only for you

Come away little lamb come away to the slaughter

To the ones appointed to see this through

We are coming for you

We are coming for you

“Run Daddy Run” Miranda Lambert (feat. The Pistol Annies)

IMHO: Another dark day for Katniss. She’s probably thinking about her dad dying, which could coincide with her remembering that Peeta saved her with the bread. I’m also thinking this could be Katniss and Peeta waiting for Cato to come for them at the end of the games.

“Daddy can you hear

The devil drawing near

Like a bullet from a gun

Run daddy run

Mamma’s been crying in the kitchen

Sister’s been afraid of the dark

I’ve been gathering the pieces

Of all these shattered hearts.”

“Rules” by Jame Dee

IMHO: The train ride after

“You say you know love, but you are just reflecting words you hear,

No iron in your veins could give you any sense of pain or fear

It’s just another lie, it’s just another calculation

And when the power’s out, we’re just another old sensation

“This boy keeps me alive, but what is it that runs through you?

Electricity and wires dictating everything we do

You tell me that you hear me

And all your memories are real

But now do I know you, don’t just feel what you’ve been told to feel

We run around the rules …

“Eyes Open” by Taylor Swift

IMHO: Prep teams and the preparation for the parade, or this would be good for end credits as a foreshadowing for the next movie

“Everybody’s waiting

For you to break down

Everybody’s waiting

To see the fallout

Even when you’re sleeping,

Keep you’re eyes, open.

“Lover is Childlike” by The Low Anthem

IMHO: The cave with Katniss and Peeta

“While the band plays the Anthem, she defers that God hates flags.”  

“Just a Game” by Birdy. Okay, first, you need to hear the song from Donny Darko (originally sung by Tears for Fears) because it’s definitely inspired by that song. Also, this song got me. It’s so Katniss-Peeta. Brilliant. As far as when in the movie this happens?

IMHO: I think this is from Peeta’s AND Katniss’s perspective. So, this might be after the interviews on the rooftop, and it could be the cave, but my gut tells me it’s on the train or at the very end after the interviews.

“We’re all just pieces, in their games.”

My brief thoughts overall: I was pleasantly surprised by how District 12 / North Carolina / Katnissy the soundtrack felt, though I was disappointed we didn’t get a track that was the actual score of the movie.

So what do you think about if and when you think these songs will be used in the film?

My 2011 in Books

We’ve established that I am a prolific reader. This blog is mostly about the books I’ve read, so my plan was to write a year-end post about the very best books I experienced in 2011. In reviewing my on-line library, however, I realized that I wanted to comment on more than just the great books, I wanted to share my thoughts on the books that weren’t so great, too. 

I read 76 books in 2011. That’s not including the books I reread because I love them. I can’t go a year without reading The Hunger Games Trilogy, Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Sense and Sensibility, Wuthering Heights, Graceling and Fire, selected books from the Harry Potter series, and of course the Twilight Saga.

I know. That’s a lot of books. I am a sucker for a free or $99 Kindle ebook and I get sucked into series even if the books are not that great. I’ll be the first to admit my booklist in 2011 was not the most discerning, but there was some fiction that blew my mind, elevated my love of reading, and inspired me to continue to write.

Here is a simple synopsis of books that I loved, books that were okay, and books I wish I had never read.

Books that blew my mind:

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Steifvater
The Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
Chime by Franny Billingsley
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Delirium by Lauren Oliver
Beauty Queens by Libba Bray
The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen
Shine by Lauren Myracle
Divergent by Veronica Roth

Books I loved:

Leviathan, Behemoth, and Goliath by Scott Westerfeld
13 Little Blue Envelopes, The Last Little Blue Envelope and The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson
Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare
Sweethearts by Sarah Zarr
Death Comes to Pemberly by P.D. James
Forever by Maggie Steifvater
The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer
The Winter Sea by Susan Kearsley

Books I liked a lot:

How to Be Bad by Lauren Myracle, Sarah Mlynowski, and E. Lockart
Austenland by Shannon Hale
Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
City of Bones, City of Ashes, and City of Glass by Cassandra Clare
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
Queen of Babble by Meg Cabot
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Privilege of the Sword by Ellen Kushner
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
The False Princess by Eilis O'Neal
The House at Riverton and The Distant Hours by Kate Morton
The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson
Between the Lines, Where You Are, and Good For You by Tammara Webber
A Great and Terrible Beauty, The Sweet Far Thing, and Rebel Angels by Libba Bray

Books that were okay:

Not That Kind of Girl by Siobhan Vivian
Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park
Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick
The Girl in the Gatehouse by Julie Klassen
The Girl Who Was On Fire by various authors
Evermore by Alyson Noel
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
The Chosen Soul and The Game by Heather Kilough-Walden
Ashes by Ilsa Bick
Eternal Eden by Nicole Williams
So Over You by Gwen Hayes
Breathless by Heather C. Hudak
The Trouble with Kings and A Posse of Princesses by Sherwood Smith
Lover Unleashed by J.R. Ward
Camille by Tess Oliver
The Hangman's Daughter by Oliver Potzsch
Incarceron by Katherine Fisher

Books that I wish I hadn’t read:

Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire
Immortal by Lauren Burd
Sam I Am by Heather Killough-Walden
The entire House of Night Series by P.C. Cast and Kristen Cast
Passion by Lauren Kate
The Wicked Woods by Kailin Gow

So there you have it. My 2011 reading list. There are several books I’m excited to read in 2012. I’ll do a post on that soon.

Until then, happy reading!

Pacing, Structure, and Anger

I’m mad at a book, but I’m not going to tell you which one*.

The book I just finished had so much buzz about it that I read the first part of it online, desperate to get a glimpse of the novel that, “is the new book for the Hunger Games crowd.” Then I preordered it, hoping it would deliver to my Kindle early so I would be able to read it before today’s release date. The book downloaded yesterday. I stayed up most of the night finishing it.

So, if I read most of the book without putting it down it must be good, right? Right? 

Wrong. Not completely wrong, but big lots wrong. And the ending?!?! So. So wrong.

The main problem was the pacing. The book is the first in a trilogy, but it read like the first third of one book, not the first installment of three stories.

Look, I love book series. I get that not all stories can be told in one go, that you need more than one book to resolve the overall conflict and fully discover the world the author creates. But each book in a series needs to have all components of story structure.

We all know the basics of story structure, right? It was drilled in to us in high school. You’ve probably seen this graph, but I like the one further down better.

You start with exposition, which sets the tone and scene and introduces the main characters.

Then on to rising action. The initial conflict occurs, the main character now has a story goal, and more characters enter the story. Either the main character is working with these other characters or against them (antagonist) to complete their story goal.

And then …

There. That big black vertical line. You see it? Tension. Right smack in the middle of the story (or at 50% on Kindle). Let’s remember that we can have conflict throughout the story, but the reader needs more than that. A major revelation, a game changer that raises the stakes. It’s a figurative car crash scene after which everything changes. Characters see each other more clearly or they learn something significant about whoever is oppressing them. Then, after this event, a plan begins to form based on our new knowledge. We now know our enemy better, and our goal becomes clearer. There is something to work for, and a plan begins to form.

Continuing in the rising action portion of our story, our main character plots and plans. She struggles against adversaries, but has alliances, too, who help her with her story goal.

Then, finally, at about 85%-89%, it is time to execute the plan. This is the climax. We are riveted as our main character takes the risk. She utilizes the strengths she has gained throughout the book, overcomes challenges, she may realize something she hadn’t thought of before, but the plot points were leading her here all along. She triumphs.

Then, right at about 95%, we get our falling action and our resolution. The story goal is met, the future is described or alluded to, the lessons learned are delineated. In a series, there would also be a set up of the next part of the story with some kind of antagonism.

I checked. All of my favorite books have these elements, including the tension right at the half way mark. In Twilight, 50% is The Meadow scene. In Pride and Prejudice, Mr. Darcy proposes to Elizabeth exactly half way in to the story. In The Hunger Games, Katniss fights off the Career Tributes for the first time.

In the book I just read, the halfway mark simply represents the end of one type of challenge and the start of a new, more mysterious challenge for our main character. We are taken from two of the characters we were invested in and then introduced to new characters. Our main character does not have a clear story goal, a coherent plan, or even an idea of who the enemy is. There are no important revelations, in fact, we are given very little information, and our heroine has lost her motivation. Don’t get me wrong, there’s action, a lot of it. It’s intense at points, especially in the beginning. This is what kept me reading. But without a stronger structure to the story there is no climax, and one challenge simply blends to the next.

And the ending! OMG the ending was infuriating. Near the end of the book, I’m talking at 93%, the main character finally gets a clue as to what is really going on. She decides to leave the crazy place she is in (this is where we should have been at the 50% point). Then, at 99%, she finally does leave, but discovers that the world she was in was even crazier than she could imagine. That’s it. No real answers. No resolution. Just part of an unfinished story.

Now, I like a good cliff-hanger, but you have to have a story to back it up. There has to be tension, clear consequences, a known opponent.

Here’s how the story should have gone. Keep in mind this is a contemporary young adult fantasy/apocalypse story.

0-10% - Main character “A” intro, disaster happens

10-20% - Struggles/conflict (lose supplies, strange creatures attack, etc.), intro little girl character “B” who relies on main character, something strange is happening, no real info, scary times, need help

20-30% - Intro love interest character “C”, seek shelter, get info on what is happening, ABC characters grow closer, go through challenges together

30-40% - ABC decide to leave current shelter to learn more about what is going on in real world, little girl B is taken, then love interest C gets hurt

40-50% - Main character A goes to find help, love interest B disappears, main character A enters strange town. A’s story goal: get ABC back together.

50-85% - Main character A realizes strangeness of town/danger right away, learns concrete information, creates a clear plan to escape, grows connected with some people in the strange town, even has a new love interest “D,” but feels ever stronger about her purpose and finding B and C.

85-95% - Executes plan, lots of tension and challenges in escaping, internal conflict b/c of those she’s leaving behind. Learns the strange town is even crazier than she thought, fuels her to keep going but makes her even more scared. Working for her story goal – to get back to B and C.

95% - Finally she reaches B and C. She rescues B (or they rescue each other?), then she finds C in a new town. So grateful to be back together. She describes the strange town to the new town, learns quickly how things operate in the new town, which is better because it’s a military structure and B is a leader. She expects the strange town people to come for her.

98% - Set up for next book. The strange town invades the new place. The new place is outnumbered, but led by military strategy and home field advantage give them the upper hand. Main character A is fighting and breaks her opponent’s arm. It’s her love interest D from strange town. Shock. Then she has a gun pointed at her and it goes off.

End.

I know you didn’t read the book I’m talking about, but trust me, this would have been better. The author still could have maintained the characters, writing style, nuances, etc. that make the story good, but we would have had a complete book with anticipation for the next one in the series.

If they’re touting this as the next book for Hunger Games readers, it falls shy of the mark. Each of the HG books had a self-encased, fully fleshed story. Yes, each book included a set up for the next book and a cliff-hanger, but that was after the story was resolved.

There were other things that bugged me about the book, and lots of things I liked. I won’t detail them here. From the reviews I’ve read, everyone else loved this book, so maybe I expect too much.

I don’t have an MFA in creative writing and I’ve published exactly zero novels, but I read a lot. I can tell what works. And I’m telling you, readers should expect more than this.


*I chose not to name this book because writing is hard and I'm not a book critic, although a tiny bit of Googling will lead you to it.