Suzanne Collins: The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay
I took a break from reading off of my 1001 reading list to see what all the rage regarding the Hunger Games was about. I will admit right away that I am not ideally suited for reading a Young Adult series. The only other YA series I have ever read besides this one is the Harry Potter series, and I have some very unpopular thoughts about that. 
I have to say that I did quite enjoy this series. It had the things that I predicted it would have: cliched expression about the older generation’s inability to “fix” things in an obviously wrong world,  unbelievable abilities of teenagers and young kids to accomplish the unattainable, cliffhangers (some good and some quite bad), etc. But I think the biggest compliment that I can give to this series is that I finished the whole thing in a week. While meeting many other obligations. It is quite captivating and has moments that force you to keep reading to find out what happens in the next part, the next chapter, the next book. I was also quite captivated by the author’s ability to deliver social commentary regarding our general obsession with a form of “reality television.” What can be deemed as a life or death event for some, becomes mere entertainment for other and the novels are quite successful at blurring these lines. 
In short, if you have a weekend or two to spare, do pick these up.
Audrey Niffenegger, Her Fearful Symmetry
Despite the alarming lack of posts, I am still alive and reading. 
I have had experiences when I read a book and after finishing it, I catch myself thinking “I wish the author was a tiny bit better at writing or constructing this story.” There are many works that are just  so close to being excellent, but don’t quite make the cut, leaving readers disappointed. This is definitely not the case with Niffenegger’s Her Fearful Symmetry. The Blakean reference in the title, combined with my previous appreciation for the author’s The Time Traveller’s Wife, was what prompted to pick up this novel at first and I am very glad I did.  If you’ve read Niffenegger’s Time Traveller’s Wife, you might be familiar with her prose and her fascination with the supernatural. Like Time Traveller’s Wife, this novel is full of supernatural elements, but it also includes not one but two sets of twins, a cemetery, London, and even ghosts! I find Niffenegger’s prose captivating, as her works are very well thought out and intelligently composed. She constructs characters that while deeply flawed and problematic are also incredibly lovable, making this novel a very enjoyable read. 
 
#30: Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar 
Plath’s protagonist, Esther Greenwood, describes herself as being trapped under a bell jar, struggling to breathe. Her narrative begins with a unique opportunity to travel to New York and work for a prestigious magazine, but fails to feel excitement. Her outlook on life worsens when returns home at the commencement of her internship, and starts to evaluate her options. Esther’s conflicted feelings are partially due to the societal expectations of her. She recognizes the potential of marrying Buddy Willard, but is pushed by her mentors, such as Jay Cee and Philomena Guinea to seek something beyond a marriage and use her talents, but fails to figure out which path she would like to choose. Esther’s struggles are often evocative of Plath’s own, making this novel even more fascinating and heartbreaking. 
#29: Mark Haddon, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
This is the story of Christopher John Francis Boone. Christopher is an Autistic 15 year old that finds comfort in Math, order, and familiarity. Christopher’s orderly life is disturbed when he finds the dead body of the neighbor’s dog, and decides that just like one of his heroes, Sherlock Holmes, he is going to investigate the murder and figure out who killed the dog. Christopher’s investigation reveals much more than he ever thought he would find out and forces him to have to deal with the breakdown of the order that he so craves. The book is sprinkled with Christopher’s idiosyncrasies, such as numbering the chapters of the book with prime numbers, or the occasional reflection on what he should and should not put in his book in order to make it interesting (descriptions: good. Long explanations of Math problems: bad), as well as phrases like “do sex,” which make the protagonist more endearing and believable. 
# 28: Milan Kundera, The Unbearable Lightness of Being
This novel seems to progress on two levels—seemingly, it is a novel about the lives of the characters, and is most focused on the lives of Tereza and Tomas. The setting of the novel is Prague, 1968 and the political turmoil taking place, along with the relationship of the protagonists allows the author to speculate at length about the humankind, bring up philosophical conundrums and leave open ended questions that the reader struggles to find answers for. There seems to be an underlying theme of “What happens if people start doing whatever they want?”—a theme that the novel circles back to several times throughout its run. The characters of the novel are often unnecessarily cruel to each other, yet this cruelty is very believable, especially given the setting of the novel. Within the space of the novel Kundera also discusses love, sex, Communism, Beethoven, Nietzsche, and this combination makes the novel a bit of a challenge to get through, but leaves the reader very satisfied.  
# 25: Kate Chopin, The AwakeningEven though this novel allowed Chopin to support her family, the novel is very much about a woman that struggles with her own artistic expression and freedom. Edna Pontellier, the protagonist of the novel, breaks through her traditional married life and discovers self-expression through art. She struggles to maintain her independence, and her desire to be able to live for herself and go against the societal conventions ultimately bring on her demise. The novel is set in Louisiana in the 19th century, and Chopin’s ability to create a society and help her readers enter the setting of this world is simply remarkable. 
#22: Toni Morrison, Jazz
(possible spoilers below)
But I can’t say that aloud; I can’t tell anyone that I have been waiting for this all my life and that being chosen to wait is the reason I can. If I were able I’d say it. Say make me, remake me. You are free to do it and I am free to let you because look, look. Look where your hands are. Now.  
This is my favorite quote from Jazz. Morrison is one of my favorite authors, but the thing I like most about Jazz is its interesting way of handling voices, language, characters and meta-elements. The main storyline of the novel is told through many different voices, and contains elements of stream-of-consciousness. The best part of the book, however, is the end (quoted above) in which the book starts to talk to the reader, and directly addresses the reader, “Look where your hands are.”
# 20: Mikhail Bulgakov, The Master and Margarita
This novel, unfortunately, is not as popular in the American canon as it should be. Bulgakov chronicles the difficulties of living and expression for artists under the restricted condition of the socialist regime, while facing these same problems in publishing his own work. This is a beautifully written book, and to increase the appeal of it, I will say that it begins with the devil coming to live among the rest of us with 2 of his minions. This is a wonderful novel, I highly recommend it. 

# 19: Thomas Pynchon, The Crying of Lot 49
I usually avoid reading anything post-modern. I strongly dislike post-modern depiction of the meaninglessness of life, because I believe they always go too far and don’t achieve anything. This is one of the few post-modern works that I’ve read, mostly because I was forced to for a class, and upon completing it I was reassured, yet again, that post-modernist literature is something that I’ll never enjoy. What happens in this book? Nothing. And everything. How does it end? No one knows, because even the author doesn’t know. See, it’s intentional, because that’s what post-modernism is ALL about!