MOCKINGJAY

This is my MOCKINGJAY post.

If you haven’t read it/finished it, you should stop reading now, because there are *spoilers*.

I’m kind of late to the game, since this released a couple of weeks ago, but I managed to stay away from the reviews and opinions of others during that time. When I did finally check to see what everyone was buzzing about, I saw that several had some of the same concerns/preferences as me.

First, let me say that despite the few things I didn’t “prefer,” this book rocked. Is it my favorite of the series? I don’t know.

Also, let me say that I’m the type of reader who wants the girl to get the guy. I enjoy tears and some drama and I’m 100% girl power. So in that regard, my Hunger Games trilogy would’ve ended with Katniss kicking some serious butt and rising to power as President of the free world. She totally would’ve taken over . . . happily ever after.

That didn’t happen, but it wasn’t *supposed* to: Katniss was being used—the entire time. I do appreciate that Suzanne Collins kept the realities of war at the forefront. I hate that the survivors were cast off; that Haymitch (still a raging alcoholic) and Katniss and Peeta were sent home, disregarded and even forgotten. It’s not the shiny, happy ending I expected. But then, that’s how life works, right? Revolutions happen, people are overthrown, but everyone eventually moves on.

I didn’t like that Katniss was never really given the opportunity to choose between Gale and Peeta. There should’ve been more drama there, I think. I wasn’t so deeply involved that I read this story just for the romance plotline—the war and the games were always at the forefront for me—but neither Gale nor Peeta gave Katniss much reason to choose either one in this chapter of the trilogy. And Gale just seemed to drop out of the way. He didn’t put up much of a fight, in my opinion. Fight for the girl, show her why she needs you: give her something to wrestle over and cry about (not that Katniss didn’t have plenty to cry about already). I just didn’t feel, in the end, that Katniss convinced us she needed Peeta.

There were a few parts that could’ve used more development—especially the places where Katniss was drugged/recovering and we had to find out what was happening from secondhand sources. That was hard for me. It was also hard to read about specific people who died (and Good God they were dropping left and right) and not see more about how it affected her. As a reader, I needed time to mourn.

I didn’t particularly care for the Epilogue, either. Yes, I like that we saw a glimpse into the future and how it works out for Peeta and Katniss, but the future was so bleak. It’s almost as if more Games are right around the corner. For me, this would’ve been better left to the imagination.

That being said, this is how the book *should’ve* ended, because the reality is that war sucks and heroes are forgotten and everyone is left to pick up the pieces and forced to move on . . . but it’s impossible because they’re forever altered. And the fact is, war happens and revolutions happen, but how fast are we to forget? To fall back into the same trap? It doesn’t take very long—and in District 12’s case, only a generation.

It’s hard to consider the end of MOCKINGJAY and feel satisfied. It doesn’t feel like I picked up a novel to escape the realities of the world; I opened it up and saw reality.

But then, that was the Point.

Collins was successful in her final book, because it ended in the most realistic way possible. I’m still thinking about it hours later. Both nights I was reading it I had nightmares. And I could barely put it down. In some places I had to remind myself to breathe. Compelling stuff, and I admire her for creating such a complex world that nearly mimics our own.

At the end of the day, Collins is the author, she knew what she was doing, and it all makes sense. It’s a fitting conclusion. I know I’m going to have to pick up the series again and read all three straight through—because there *have* to be things I missed. Maybe then some of these subtleties will show themselves and I’ll have the answers to a few of those questions that still linger.

For instance: what happened to the pearl?

Friday Five on Friday Morning. I know, right?

1. It’s *really* quiet here. I mean, scarily quiet. My SuperGirl SideKick started Kindergarten this week, so she’s gone this morning. This is kind of hard since she’s been home with me for the last, oh, FIVE years. It’s also nice, though, because I know she’s having a blast with her friends and I actually have time to *think*.

2. The dog is licking my carpet. I have *no* idea why. I think she misses SuperGirl. This doesn’t bother me either, though, because when SuperGirl and SuperPup are together, it is *mass* chaos. The dog thinks SuperGirl is her puppy or something, so it’s constant running and jumping and climbing and claws scratching the wood floors. SuperPup is a *much* better dog without SuperGirl.
But really, this is the third time: “STOP licking my carpet you Crazy Dog!”

3. A hurricane came through last night. Well, it kind of passed overhead: nothing major. It rained most of the night and this morning it’s cloudy and a comfortable 73 degrees outside. I have the window by my chair open. It’s kind of relaxing, actually. Very Zen. I’m not sure how to handle this.

4. Borrowed my brother’s copy of MOCKINGJAY, so I will hopefully be reading it this weekend. I feel like I am the last person on the planet not to have started/finished this yet. I’m totally excited about it, obviously, but there were some other things that had to come first.

5. This is kind of a low-key entry. Truth is, I’m not really used to being up and dressed and fully functioning by 9am. Us “work at home” types are usually just rolling out of bed. The good news about being up in time for school is that my day seems longer, and I feel like I get more accomplished. The bad news? I will never see the other side of 12am again. My late nights, I think, are over.

(groans)

“Bailey Dog, please *STOP* licking the carpet.”

Have a great weekend!

Love,
~Leigh~

Ruby Rush

So it’s kind of obvious, based on my revisions post last week, that I’m in kind of a funk. Regular readers of this blog know that when I’m annoyed or stressed the first thing I reach for is a pair of scissors.

And then I start chopping.

This actually comes from when I was a struggling grad student with no money. If I wanted a trim, I had to do it myself. Well, I’ve become braver over the years. I mean, it’s just hair, right? It grows.

So what did I do Tuesday night? Found myself irritated and frustrated and angry at the world in general. Grabbed a pair of scissors. Lopped off quite a few inches. And now, thanks to Feria R68 Ruby Rush I am (once again) a red-head. Auburn head? Whatever. I blind in the sunlight, and that’s all that matters.

Pictures to prove that I am not ashamed of anything I have done:






Do I feel better now? *Absolutely*

Currently listening to: “Dream” by The Cranberries.

Have a great weekend!

Love,
~Leigh~

Friday Five: Playlist Edition

I know. I know. I’m MIA again. For good reason, though. I’m stuck in RevisionLand. I’d like to say that everything is deep fried here, and there are clowns and elephants and bearded ladies, but this is not that kind of land.
It feels like it, though.

Because I’m up and I’m down and I hate it and I love it and I feel like I’m going to puke. . . .

Yes. That’s what it’s like when revisions aren’t going well: eating a Fried Snickers and bouncing back and forth from the Tilt-a-Whirl to the Gravitron until you’ve collapsed in your puke, unconscious. Unless they’re going great, and then it’s like being at the top of greatest hill on the biggest roller coaster, and all that’s left is the thrill and the wind in your face until you reach the end. Needless to say, I’ve been lying (laying?) in my puke more than anything this time around, and I’m not bearded yet, but it probably wouldn’t hurt if I took a pair of tweezers to my eyebrows. Eyebrow.

But that’s not what I’m going to blog about. Unless you need to commiserate, then feel free comment below, because it would be nice to know that I’m not the only one getting my butt kicked. I’m just saying.

Instead, I’m listing the top five songs on my playlist right now: the songs that are helping me coast to the end, or acting as the soundtrack as I lie unconscious in the grass, empty candy wrappers stuck to my cheek.
In no particular order:

1. “Graceful Dancing” by Blue October. I’ve only recently discovered this song, but it’s got a great hook. And you know . . . you’re a superstar on your own.

2. “Fix You” by Coldplay. This song is on every book playlist of mine. If I could do a music video of the climax of every ms I’ve written, this song would be the background. But I’m just dramatic like that.

3. “They’ll Never Know” by Ross Copperman. Sweet song. Touching and emotional, and it gets me through any scene where someone is crying. Because my characters cry. Sometimes.

4. “Supermassive Black Hole” by Muse. I swear, half of my playlist is Muse. Did you know I saw them live last year? No? I did. SBH is a great song, but really, it’s all encompassing . . . because any Muse song could go here.

5. “Gone Away” by Lucy Schwartz. Because the space between the universe? That’s where RevisionLand lies (lays?). She has a sweet voice, though. It’s kind of soothing. *Exactly* what I need.

All of these songs have some kind of meaning as they relate to my current WIP. Also: The Fray, The Script, The Cranberries . . . These are the dudes who keep me going.

Bet you thought I was going to stick Michael Buble in there, didn’t you? Fooled you! (whispers: “Lost.” No. Really. I am not alone . . . he is here with me . . . and we’ll get lost together. . . .). I’d like to be lost . . . but not in RevisionLand.

(sigh)

Pulling myself out of the grass and the dirt and the trash and heading in for another round. I mean, at some point I have to let go and press “send,” right?
Have a great weekend!

Love,

~Leigh~

Friday Five Midnight Edition

My Very Late Friday Five should be a list of reasons why I haven’t blogged lately. But it’s not. Just a bunch of randomness and what I’ve been up to these last few weeks:

1. So . . . my July came and went (July was my one vacation month). The classes are slowly beginning to kick into gear, but August is manageable. I took that time off and went on a personal NaNoWriMo writing binge and knocked out 50,000 words in 30 days.

Wouldn’t you know it: I hate every last word. Seriously.

The good news is I am not a writer. I am a re-writer. And I will rewrite this thing until I get it right. Whatever that means.

2. I haven’t taken my Michael Buble CD out of the car all month. I *am* obsessed.

3. On Sunday I’m going to see Norah Jones. We’re dropping the baby girl off at the grandparents for the night. She’s excited. I don’t think the grandparents have recovered from the last time she slept over, though. I tried to tell them: you can’t let her talk you into a movie at 9pm. She *won’t* fall asleep while she’s watching it. Even in the dark. And popcorn? That’s just a bad idea, period.

4. The MiMi (my mom) and Me took the baby girl to see Annie (The Musical) last week. It was very cool because we got to see Andrea McArdle (the original Broadway Annie) play Miss Hannigan. Daddy Warbucks was played by Robert Newman, better known as Josh from Guiding Light. When I asked for his autograph I totally tried to play off my excitement as “my mom loved you and watched Guiding Light all the time when I was younger,” but I totally remember when I was in high school and Reva drove off that bridge. And Robert? He is *way* handsome and endearing, and I’m kind of infatuated even though he’s totally old enough to be my dad.



When I saw him, his head was shaved and he was donning a fedora.
He wrote my name. In Sharpie. (sigh)

5. And finally, a special thank you and shout out to all my writer friends, especially those of you who talk me off the ledge. You know who you are.

Have a great weekend!
Love,
~Leigh~