This is what all my downtime has looked like lately. The couch, a book and a snazzy vintage soup mug full of frozen blueberries. (I am slightly addicted to eating blueberries straight from the freezer in summer. I swear, it’s almost better than ice cream. Almost.)

I’ve been very busy book worming. Since Christmas I’ve read The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins, as well as Matched and it’s sequel Crossed by Ally Condie, and the first book in the Mortal Instruments series, City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. Are you sensing a pattern here? I’m sort of obsessed with Young Adults Fiction. Preferrably Young Adults Fiction that’s Dystopian or Paranormal. I like a little bit of romance too. I’m girly like that.

So, what are my thoughts on all these books?

First of all, I loved The Hunger Games trilogy. I had heard so much hype about this series but the books didn’t disappoint. For anyone who hasn’t read it, this tilogy is set in the nation of Panem, a capitol surrounded by 12 districts. In punishment for a rebellion against the capitol many years prior, every year each distict must send one boy and one girl to appear in a televised fight to the death, called The Hunger Games. When her little sister is selected to participate in the games, 16 year old Katniss volunteers to take her place in the game. This was the first series I had been seriously hooked on for a very long time. It’s quite violent and grim, but its fast pace and action-packed plot had me completely sucked in (and there are lots of tender moments to relieve the gruesome ones). This week I finally conviced Reuben to read The Hunger Games and he’s devoured the first book in just a couple of days (which he never does!) The trailer for the movie, due out in March, looks amazing too. I really can’t wait to see it!

Sadly, Matched and Crossed didn’t thrill me so much. This series is about a girl called Cassia who lives in a future world where disease and crime have been eradicated, but so has choice. “The Society” chooses what a person eats and wears, where they work and who they marry. Though I think this series had a lot of potential, I was quite disappointed by these books. I wanted to love them but I just couldn’t. I found Matched very slow and quite plotless, and I didn’t feel any connection with the characters. To me, they really lacked depth. I stuck with it because I received both Matched and Crossed for Christmas and I didn’t want them to go to waste, but if I had borrowed them from the library I probably wouldn’t have made it through the first book. I did think Crossed was better than the first book. It had more action, and I was able to empathise with the characters a lot more, but I still wasn’t head over heels in love with the story. I’m not exactly dying to read the third book but the second one piqued my curiosity just enough that I probably will read it at some point.

Finally, I have just finished City of Bones from the Mortal Instruments series. This series is about 17 year old Clary, who stumbles across the dark side of New York, where Shadow Hunters fight demons, and vampires, warewolves and fairies are no longer just the stuff of fairy tales. After reading a few negative reviews I really didn’t expect to love this series, but so far I do. It took me a little while to warm up to it and there are a lot of elements in these books that seem to have been borrowed from other series, but it’s addictive nonetheless. City of Bones has loads of action, suspense, unexpected twists and a good dose of the angsty teen romance I do so enjoy. After a few chapters I just could not put this book down. Once I finish the Mortal Instruments books I plan to read the accompanying Infernal Devices series (which I’ve heard is even better!)

So that’s where I’ve been lately. Submerged in a world of delicious, juicy words. In the two years we lived in Sydney I barely read a thing, so I’ve got a lot of booky catching up to do! Since we gave up television and moved to Bendigo I have so loved making more time to read. Books rock my socks off.

Have you read the Hunger Games, Matched and Crossed or The Mortal Instuments series? If so, what did you think? What have you been reading lately? I’d love to hear all your lovely book wormy thoughts!

Katie x

Is there anything more delicious than snuggling up under a blanket with a good book, cozy and warm, while rain pounds on the roof and wind roars outside? No. I don’t think there is. Today the weather here in Bendigo was rather horrid, so once I got home from work, I cocooned myself on the couch with Jane Eyre. And I stayed there.

Jane Eyre had been on my “to read” list for years, but kept being pushed aside in favour of “easier” books. I’ve heard lots about how great the new Jane Eyre movie is, but I didn’t want to see it before reading the book (because I sort of feel like that’s cheating) so finally, last week I decided it was time to put my brain cells to use and just do it. It always takes me a chapter or two to adjust to the language in old literature, but once I get into the rhythm, I find it flows quite nicely. I sink into the old fashioned words and phrases and sometimes I even catch myself saying funny oldy worldy things in real life (kind of like when you spend time with someone from another country and you find yourself adopting their accent a little bit).

I think Miss Eyre is pretty wonderful. She is smart, strong and sassy. She’s a little bit strange but I like that too. I would like to invite her over for lunch and have a good chat with her. I would want to give the impression of being clever and try to talk about intelligent things, but secretly I would be dying to gossip about Mr Rochester.

Have you ever read Jane Eyre? Do you like the “classics” or do you find them a bit tedious? Have you read anything very good lately, that I should add to my ridiculously long “to read” list? If so, please share! I’m almost at the end of my adventure with dear Jane and will soon be needing a new book to entertain me!

Katie x