Monday, January 7, 2013

Speed Reading

Catching Fire (The Hunger Games, #2)
I read The Hunger Games the weekend before the movie premiered and then watched the movie that Friday (nothing like leaving work to go catch a movie premier, eh Krystal?).  I loved the books - I read the first two in 2 1/2 days.  I would have had them all done in 3 days, but somebody *cough*Krystal*cough* kept forgetting to bring book 3 in for me to read. :)  Anyhow, I sped through them, as I am want to do with a series I love, and because of that, I feel like I've forgotten them.  I read them too quickly.

The movie for The Hunger Games was on this past weekend, so I watched it.  It was my first time since seeing the movie in the theater.  The first time seeing it, I remember being able to specifically identify the difference between the books and movie because I had just finished reading them.  However, 10 months later, I don't remember the differences so much.  Watching it did remind me of how wonderfully, horribly messed up these books are and I fell in love with them all over again.  So I skimmed through Hunger Games and a bit of Catching Fire last night.  I'm going to have to re-read them - slowly - and relive the horrifying, wonderful, gut-wrenching world that is Panem and its Hunger Games.

Have you had any books-turned-movies where the movies made you realize how much love you had for the book?  And maybe inspired you to re-read it?  (For the record, I do this with Harry Potter and Pride & Prejudice, too.)

I'm also super excited for Catching Fire.  I can't wait to see how they do the Quarter Quell...and if they can cut down on some of the tedium (imo) of the first half of the book.
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13 comments:

  1. TamaraJanuary 7, 2013 at 3:36 PM

    Ha! I found the first half of Catching Fire to be a little tedious as well! Still love those books though!!

    And yeah...I've done this with the HP movies--seen them and then had to go read the books. Again.

    I sort of want to re-read Oz with the movie coming out in March. I loved those books when I was a kid. I read a bunch of them, though the one that sticks in my head the most is The Wizard of Oz.

    I have a feeling if I tried to re-read them now though that I might taint the magic of those childhood memories. Unlike HP, the OZ books seem strictly for kids, so I think I've probably outgrown them...

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    1. SusJanuary 7, 2013 at 4:26 PM

      Catching Fire was slow until the Quarter Quell came. Then it was awesome once again.

      I never read the Oz books. Sometimes, even if books are meant for kids, they can still be great. You should give it a try! I am looking forward to that movie, tho, if for no other reason than I am obsessed with Zach Braf and he plays the monkey.

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  2. AnonymousJanuary 7, 2013 at 7:07 PM

    I read The Hunger Games trilogy years ago, well before the movie, and I intend to revisit the series this year. I just love a YA read that is BRUTAL.

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  3. ChristineJanuary 7, 2013 at 10:29 PM

    I'm not the biggest fan of the Harry Potter movies, but every time my husband puts one of them on, it makes me want to read the whole series again. Of course I don't have time to do that, but I really want to!

    I am not the fastest reader, so it's rare for me to speed through a book (or series). If I'm on vacation, sometimes I find the time, but that's not very often. If I really enjoy a book, I often find myself not wanting it to end, even though I'm dying to find out what happens. This might sound weird, but when it takes me longer to finish a book, I find myself thinking about it and contemplating the plot, characters, and themes in between reading sessions much more than if I am just immersed in it without coming up for air. It kind of prolongs the enjoyment a bit (or at least that's what I'm telling myself!)

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    1. SusJanuary 8, 2013 at 9:18 AM

      I wish I could prolong a book and read it slowly, but I'm just not built that way. :) I did try with Divergent. I even waited a few months to get Insurgent. Of course, by then, I didn't remember all the characters, so it was a bit confusing, but I tried!

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    2. ChristineJanuary 8, 2013 at 10:14 AM

      Understandable. I do often wish I could read faster, but I just can't, so I figure I'll make the best of it!

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    3. SusJanuary 8, 2013 at 10:21 AM

      Speed reading is not always a good thing. I miss a LOT of detail.

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  4. UnknownJanuary 8, 2013 at 10:44 AM

    I've skimmed The Hunger Games and subsequent books many times, and probably will before the next movies come out. Every time I watch a trailer for Warm Bodies, I want to delve back into the book (and I just finished it this weekend).

    I am a speed reader and wish I could read even faster . . . but then that's because I need more writing time.

    We're skipping work to see Catching Fire, too, right?

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    1. SusJanuary 8, 2013 at 10:56 AM

      Of course! Save a vacation day (or pa time) for that since it comes out at the end of this year.

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