Over the holidays, we had a memorable time: Amelia's wedding, Christmas Eve party, sampling local restaurants, watching great movies, sharing presents, singing Christmas songs of worship and celebration, and loving all my family being under one roof. It rained almost every day and as a result, there wasn't much to do outside. L & R came with Baby D and Big D was out of school. We tried to walk the dogs when we could but it was basically a muddy mess everywhere. The rivers jumped their banks in a few places and most of the washes had water flowing. There was fear of a dam break at one point. And then it snowed.

I already mentioned The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I read the two other books in the series: Catching Fire and Mockingjay. While the novels are written as junior fiction, there were some interesting story points and the reader was compelled to keep reading to find out what happens in the end. The third book answered a lot of questions that come up along through the first two books. There are many parallels for contemporary society. When I was young, there were films, novels, and short stories written about the future: think Harrison Bergeron, Farenheit 451, Planet of the Apes. While the Narnia books and Lord of the Ring books came as a result of the war to end all wars ( World War I ), the literary world of my youth was a result of the Cold War and post WWII seeming abundance. It seems now there will be another abundance of "what will happen in our future" books. One of the major themes in Collins' books is what will happen in a post-apocalyptic world -- who will be in power, who will have control, how will we live, how will we cooperate, will we cooperate, etc. While I don't think these books will go down as classics, they are a good read. I should caution parents: the games are violent, and children having to fight (and kill) other children. The third book brings out a terrible vice-filled world of excess, greed, and more violence. Everything is not as it seems -- there is a price for victory. That brings up another theme: what price would we pay for seeming victory? what price is paid for the spoils of war?

The other novel I want to review is True Grit by Charles Portis. There is a current movie -- not a remake of the the incredible John Wayne verson, but one that can stand on its own. The producers of the new movie said it was closer to the novel, but after reading the novel, and watching both movies back to back, I can honestly say the John Wayne version is about as close to the novel as the new one is. That means they both stray in their own ways, and they both are close adaptations. I see the ending as the biggest variation: in the novel, Maddie Ross breaks her arm, is bitten by a snake, and loses her arm. In the John Wayne version, Maddie breaks her arm, is bitten by a snake, but doesn't lose her arm. In the new version, Maddie gets bitten by a snake and loses her arm. I don't remember any mention of it being broken. The other difference is Rooster Cogburn survives in the John Wayne version and it is one of the best movie endings I have ever seen. I had purchased the original novel some time ago at a used book store, but I couldn't find it. However, I received a new one at Christmas (thanks L & R) and enjoyed reading it thoroughly.