Tag Archives: The Hunger Games

Hungry for more?

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Staff member Hayley recently enjoyed listening to The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins on an audiobook from the library while driving to work. Initially a bit sceptical, she came to find the audiobook version more exciting than expected. Here’s her take on it:

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“I waited a long time to get into The Hunger Games as I thought that anything that was so popular couldn’t possibly be any good.  I picked up the audio book of The Hunger Games, which is the first book in Suzanne Collins trilogy, when I finally just couldn’t stand not knowing what all the fuss was about and I’m glad I did.

The title, The Hunger Games, refers to the book’s premise about an annual contest where a boy and girl from each of 12 districts are selected to fight to the death. These districts are controlled by the privileged city of Panam whose bloodthirsty citizens have turned the gruesome spectacle into the biggest entertainment event of the year.

Our window into this dystopian world is protagonist Katniss Everdeen from District 12. Katniss is the archetypal strong female protagonist: She is smart, she has a special skill (bow hunting), and she is emotionally withdrawn. Luckily for us, Suzanne Collins has written the book as if we are inside Katniss’ head, so we get to hear all the things she would never say out loud and warm to her quickly.

The choice of a first person style lends itself well to being read out loud and narrator Carolyn McCormick gives a wonderful performance, managing to inject a sense of the personality of each character into her reading, without going over the top.

However, that all said, I became very annoyed when I saw the changes made in the film version of Hunger Games. Obviously this is an indication of how emotionally invested I was in the book! Don’t let the hype put you off – pick this up if you like dystopian worlds, action or if you enjoy a well spoken audiobook.”

The final Hunger Games movie Mockingjay: Part 2 is due to be in cinemas in autumn 2015.

Whether you are new to Suzanne Collin’s epic adventure or would like to revisit it, you can reserve the audiobook The Hunger Games via the online catalogue.  You can also make an enquiry next time you visit the Library.

May the odds be ever in your favour – Mockingjay competition

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The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 hits cinemas on November 20 and we have a $40 Hoyts voucher and Hunger Games merchandise to give away!

To enter, head over to our Facebook page please tell us who your favourite Hunger Games character is and why. A winner will be selected on November 17.

‘May the odds be ever in your favour‘

Even more books-to-film 2014

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To follow on from last week’s post about books making the transition to film in late 2014 here’s a few further titles coming to the big screen.

Mockingjay-Bird1The Hunger Games has become a phenomena (and money spinner), based on Suzanne Collins’ saga set in the dystopian future of totalitarian Panem. Katniss Everdeen is now the reluctant hero of the revolution against the Capital. The film’s production team have followed the style of Harry Potter and Twilight franchises by splitting the final novel into two films. Mockingjay Part 1 is due for release November 20, with the second film slated for release in late 2015.

 

paddingtonThere’s a couple for the kids coming too. Paddington,  the ageless classic series by Michael Bond, featuring the Peruvian teddy bear lost in urban London will hit screens in a CGI & live action film on December 11. It stars the new Doctor Who, Peter Capaldi, with Paddington’s voice supplied by Ben Whishaw. Judith Viort’s Alexander and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day has been produced by Disney and starring Steve Carrell. Alexander’s bad day begins with gum in his hair, and progressively gets worse by the time he gets to bed he’s fed up and wants to move to Timbuktu. Look out for this one in mid October.

 

maze runnerThe Maze Runner, by James Dashner is another 2009 novel, this time a young adult sci-fi about Thomas who wakes up in ‘The Glade’ with no memory and must find his way through a maze picking up clues along the way. The book spawned two sequels and a prequel.  The film is released on September 18.

 

 

 

Finally the infamous graphic novel series by Frank Miller,  Sin City will see a sequel to 2005’s film released called Sin City: A Dame to Kill For. Loosely based on some of the Sin City stories, this film reunites Marv, Hartigan, Nancy and crew for another artistic noir outing which is sure to become a cult classic.

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There are loads more books being made into film this year and the list for 2015 is already pretty long. What are you most looking forward to, or what titles do you think I should have included in this list?