Jayson’s Reviews > The Hunger Games > Status Update
Jayson
is 5% done
Notes:
(1) I understand the conceit: what if the Roman Empire was modern-day America. I get that, and the Latin, and the garish fashion. The slightly-off names, however, aren't working for me. What's so wrong with Hamish or Peter Miller or Katherine Evergreen? Drives me nuts!
(2) '"Once it's in the soup, I'll call it beef," Greasy Sae says with a wink.'
- That's the spirit!
— Sep 19, 2020 11:40PM
Notes:
(1) I understand the conceit: what if the Roman Empire was modern-day America. I get that, and the Latin, and the garish fashion. The slightly-off names, however, aren't working for me. What's so wrong with Hamish or Peter Miller or Katherine Evergreen? Drives me nuts!
(2) '"Once it's in the soup, I'll call it beef," Greasy Sae says with a wink.'
- That's the spirit!
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Jayson’s Previous Updates
Jayson
is 99% done
Notes:
(1) "It's no good loving me because I'm never going to get married anyway and he'd just end up hating me later instead of sooner."
- Anti-social to the very end.
(2) Now I'll have to write my review, which is especially daunting. Firstly, because it's a very popular book, so more people will care. Second, because my other review is one of my best, and I can't top it.
— Oct 24, 2020 11:40PM
Notes:
(1) "It's no good loving me because I'm never going to get married anyway and he'd just end up hating me later instead of sooner."
- Anti-social to the very end.
(2) Now I'll have to write my review, which is especially daunting. Firstly, because it's a very popular book, so more people will care. Second, because my other review is one of my best, and I can't top it.
Jayson
is 95% done
Notes:
(1) '"Peeta!" I call out ... I hear my name in response, but it's not his voice. It's a voice that provokes first irritation and then eagerness. Effie.'
- Irritation and eagerness... sums her up.
(2) "Effie's somewhat teary and keeps patting my hair and talking about how she told everyone we were pearls."
- Nice callback to her "pressure turns coal into pearls" line.
— Oct 23, 2020 11:50PM
Notes:
(1) '"Peeta!" I call out ... I hear my name in response, but it's not his voice. It's a voice that provokes first irritation and then eagerness. Effie.'
- Irritation and eagerness... sums her up.
(2) "Effie's somewhat teary and keeps patting my hair and talking about how she told everyone we were pearls."
- Nice callback to her "pressure turns coal into pearls" line.
Jayson
is 92% done
Notes:
(1) "The whole horrible thing hits me. The blonde hair, the green eyes, the number. it's Glimmer."
- Don't know if it's confirmed later on, but I've always wondered whether these are actually tributes or just made to look like them to mess with people's heads.
(2) It's ironic, how body armor was the ultimate prize, but ended up being the source of horrible suffering.
— Oct 22, 2020 11:50PM
Notes:
(1) "The whole horrible thing hits me. The blonde hair, the green eyes, the number. it's Glimmer."
- Don't know if it's confirmed later on, but I've always wondered whether these are actually tributes or just made to look like them to mess with people's heads.
(2) It's ironic, how body armor was the ultimate prize, but ended up being the source of horrible suffering.
Jayson
is 88% done
Notes:
(1) "[Foxface]'s very clever, Peeta. Well, she was. Until you outfoxed her."
- As a pun aficionado, I approve.
(2) "It dawns on me that I haven't been very nice to Peeta today."
- She's learning, at least.
(3) "Just in case Cato decided to pull a Foxface on us, we circle the Cornucopia..."
- And thus, Foxface was immortalized as a tactic in the Hunger Games playbook.
— Oct 21, 2020 11:50PM
Notes:
(1) "[Foxface]'s very clever, Peeta. Well, she was. Until you outfoxed her."
- As a pun aficionado, I approve.
(2) "It dawns on me that I haven't been very nice to Peeta today."
- She's learning, at least.
(3) "Just in case Cato decided to pull a Foxface on us, we circle the Cornucopia..."
- And thus, Foxface was immortalized as a tactic in the Hunger Games playbook.
Jayson
is 85% done
Notes:
(1) "I can feel Effie Trinket shuddering at my manners."
- I'm sure Effie's watching and taking notes for later.
(2) 'My father's voice comes back to me. "Not these, Katniss. Never these. They're nightlock. You'll be dead..."'
- In the book Katniss reacts to Peeta finding the nightlock, and what ensues, as a happy accident. In the film, she angrily scolds him for it.
— Oct 20, 2020 11:50PM
Notes:
(1) "I can feel Effie Trinket shuddering at my manners."
- I'm sure Effie's watching and taking notes for later.
(2) 'My father's voice comes back to me. "Not these, Katniss. Never these. They're nightlock. You'll be dead..."'
- In the book Katniss reacts to Peeta finding the nightlock, and what ensues, as a happy accident. In the film, she angrily scolds him for it.
Jayson
is 83% done
Notes:
(1) "The whole of Panem believes [Peeta] to be hopelessly in love with me, and I'll admit it, there are moments when he makes me believe it myself?"
- Alternatively, he sucks at acting and it might actually be true.
(2) "I feel Gale's gray eyes watching me watching Peeta, all the way from District 12."
- Says the girl who insists there was nothing romantic with Gale.
— Oct 19, 2020 11:50PM
Notes:
(1) "The whole of Panem believes [Peeta] to be hopelessly in love with me, and I'll admit it, there are moments when he makes me believe it myself?"
- Alternatively, he sucks at acting and it might actually be true.
(2) "I feel Gale's gray eyes watching me watching Peeta, all the way from District 12."
- Says the girl who insists there was nothing romantic with Gale.
Jayson
is 80% done
Notes:
(1) "He doesn't seem angry about my tricking him, drugging him, and running off to the feast."
- Obviously he still wants to get with her... or appear to.
(2) "I'm almost foolishly happy and then confusion sweeps over me. Because we're supposed to be making up this stuff ... not actually being in love."
- Katniss seems unaware that love isn't automatic, but develops.
— Oct 18, 2020 11:50PM
Notes:
(1) "He doesn't seem angry about my tricking him, drugging him, and running off to the feast."
- Obviously he still wants to get with her... or appear to.
(2) "I'm almost foolishly happy and then confusion sweeps over me. Because we're supposed to be making up this stuff ... not actually being in love."
- Katniss seems unaware that love isn't automatic, but develops.
Jayson
is 77% done
Notes:
(1) "I lay next to Peeta in the bag, trying to absorb every bit of his fever heat. It's strange to be so physically close to someone who's so distant."
- That's making lemons out of lemonade.
- Wait, he's the distant one?
(2) "Gale's not my boyfriend, but would he be, if I opened that door? He talked about us running away together."
- Gee, no good at signals, is she?
— Oct 17, 2020 11:50PM
Notes:
(1) "I lay next to Peeta in the bag, trying to absorb every bit of his fever heat. It's strange to be so physically close to someone who's so distant."
- That's making lemons out of lemonade.
- Wait, he's the distant one?
(2) "Gale's not my boyfriend, but would he be, if I opened that door? He talked about us running away together."
- Gee, no good at signals, is she?
Jayson
is 74% done
Notes:
(1) "Getting the broth into Peeta takes an hour of coaxing, begging, threatening, and yes, kissing, but finally, sip by sip, he empties the pot."
- Kissing: the universal currency.
(2) '"No more kisses for you until you've eaten," I say.'
- Way to lay down the law!
(3) "Eat every bite of the soup no matter how disgusting it is!"
- I'm sure her cooking's not that bad.
— Oct 16, 2020 11:50PM
Notes:
(1) "Getting the broth into Peeta takes an hour of coaxing, begging, threatening, and yes, kissing, but finally, sip by sip, he empties the pot."
- Kissing: the universal currency.
(2) '"No more kisses for you until you've eaten," I say.'
- Way to lay down the law!
(3) "Eat every bite of the soup no matter how disgusting it is!"
- I'm sure her cooking's not that bad.
Jayson
is 70% done
Notes:
(1) Katniss: "I guess all those hours decorating cakes paid off."
Peeta: "Yes, frosting. The final defense of the dying."
- Frosting can be a powerful weapon... especially against those with a predilection for cake.
(2) Peeta: "Look, if I don't make it back –"
Katniss: "Don't talk like that. I didn't drain all that pus for nothing."
- Pus can be a powerful incentive.
— Oct 15, 2020 11:50PM
Notes:
(1) Katniss: "I guess all those hours decorating cakes paid off."
Peeta: "Yes, frosting. The final defense of the dying."
- Frosting can be a powerful weapon... especially against those with a predilection for cake.
(2) Peeta: "Look, if I don't make it back –"
Katniss: "Don't talk like that. I didn't drain all that pus for nothing."
- Pus can be a powerful incentive.
Comments Showing 1-50 of 51 (51 new)
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by
aarja
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rated it 5 stars
Sep 19, 2020 11:47PM
Well, I love those names. It gives them a unique vibe <3
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Aarja wrote: "Well, I love those names. It gives them a unique vibe <3"Could just be me that's bothered by them, I'll admit. It's the same thing in real life, when someone has a name that's not quite standard. Though, the irony isn't lost on me that I'm saying all this a guy who's name is spelling unconventionally.
Oh, sorry if you were offended :)
Aarja wrote: "Oh, sorry if you were offended :)"Oh, no offence taken. Probably should have ended that reply with a smiley face or two :)
I think the names are not as crazy as in other YA series. At least I had no problem pronouncing them when I first read the books and I'm not even a native English speaker. Maybe the 'exotic' names were also picked with the international audience in mind? To make it sound less like modern-day America, but still familiar? I think Suzanne Collins did an excellent job with walking that thin line :)
GridGirl wrote: "I think the names are not as crazy as in other YA series. At least I had no problem pronouncing them when I first read the books and I'm not even a native English speaker. Maybe the 'exotic' names ..."Perhaps that's the case. This book is set in the dystopian future, so maybe it's the idea that these names evolved, as names tend to do given time and regional isolation. I will say that they're all memorable, and if the intention was to mimic some sort of future-speak corruption of contemporary names, then mission accomplished 😁👍
it's been a while since i've seen their full names written down so reading this just made me completely forget their real names. i think the whole name thing is to make it unique to the series. how many peeta's or katniss' have you seen in other popular series? now you've mentioned it, though, i've been trying to "normalise" their names a little and snow as cory sounds so wrong. maybe effie would be ellie. or maybe fiona. it's too strange, i can't wrap my mind around it.
xenization. wrote: "it's been a while since i've seen their full names written down so reading this just made me completely forget their real names. i think the whole name thing is to make it unique to the series. how..."I think that's exactly the point, to make the names unique to the series. Also, the act of making them just a little bit off of what's familiar may subtlety indicate that there's something off about society or the world they inhabit, which you don't fully appreciate until later in the novel.
You sure are, Jason, the walking truth that humans without fancy profile pictures can be popular in the book review world..
Sam wrote: "You sure are, Jason, the walking truth that humans without fancy profile pictures can be popular in the book review world.."Thanks, Sam! That's very nice of you to say. I appreciate it. I guess it just goes to show that it's not what you look like, but what you bring to the table that matters :)
Jayson wrote: "Aarja wrote: "Oh, sorry if you were offended :)"Oh, no offence taken. Probably should have ended that reply with a smiley face or two :)"
XD
Aarja wrote: "Jayson wrote: "Aarja wrote: "Oh, sorry if you were offended :)"Oh, no offence taken. Probably should have ended that reply with a smiley face or two :)"
XD"
😁👍
In that case..the table is now filled with concise yet open ended reviews...great job!!
Sam wrote: "In that case..the table is now filled with concise yet open ended reviews...great job!!"
Happy you think so, Sam. Glad you've been enjoying my reviews :)
Actually, I've had the same problem with these names. Super weird. But at least the reader can pronounce them without getting so confused.
I can see where you are coming from with the names, they aren't for everyone. I always thought they were odd, though they never bothered me... Until I read the prequel. So if you are planning to read it, keep a look out for all the wonky names. :) I'm sure you will find a lot.😅
Artemis wrote: "Actually, I've had the same problem with these names. Super weird. But at least the reader can pronounce them without getting so confused."Yes, that's true. It's not like they're you're typical unpronounceable sci-fi names, even though this book is technically science fiction.
Layla wrote: "I can see where you are coming from with the names, they aren't for everyone. I always thought they were odd, though they never bothered me... Until I read the prequel. So if you are planning to re..."The prequel's actually the reason I'm doing this reread. I figure I didn't want to go in cold, and I may as well listen to the audiobook. I'm sure there will be wonky names aplenty :)
okok im sorry that this is off topic but every time i see your name i think of cal from the lost hero by rick riordan saying yay-son im really sorry if this was rude or anything i just wanted to say it hahah
doyoulistentogirlinred wrote: "okok im sorry that this is off topic but every time i see your name i think of cal from the lost hero by rick riordan saying yay-son im really sorry if this was rude or anything i just wanted to ..."
Oh, nothing rude at all. I have Spanish-speaking friends who pronounce my name that way :)
and with names (katniss etc) i didnt really notice that they were per say weird until people point it out hahah
doyoulistentogirlinred wrote: "and with names (katniss etc) i didnt really notice that they were per say weird until people point it out hahah"I suppose it's the same way with accents. You never notice you have an unconventional pronunciation of certain words, or use regional vernacular until people point it out.
yeah ive lived in mexico for 7 years and i didnt notice i had a spanish accent when i spoke english until people pointed it out
☆★Mal★☆ wrote: "Hi Jason.How are you?"I'm good. Just replying to comments.
doyoulistentogirlinred wrote: "yeah ive lived in mexico for 7 years and i didnt notice i had a spanish accent when i spoke english until people pointed it out"People tend to tune things out after a time, like the smell of their own homes, or the sound of their own voice. It often takes an outsider to point these things out.
Stefan Lu wrote: "@jayson why do you grade books?"Everyone here grades books. I just use numbers in addition to stars.
Jonathan wrote: "yo jayson what are you doing"
Jonathan wrote: "so wht are you doing"Replying to comments, obviously.
Stefan Lu wrote: "im confused though. you gave batman a b grade and 71% but only 2 star (tell me if iim wrong)"You're not wrong. I did do that.
I could get on board with the capital having strange names, but the rest having more normal names, to make the capital stand out even more... That being said, maybe the capital controls the naming of babies?
Jonathan wrote: "why dont you delete other coms"You're asking me why I DON'T delete comments?
Jenny wrote: "I could get on board with the capital having strange names, but the rest having more normal names, to make the capital stand out even more... That being said, maybe the capital controls the naming ..."The capitol definitely has naming conventions. They all have Latin names: Coriolanus, Caesar, Seneca, etc. People from the regions tend to be named after things from the region: birds, flowers, food. It's when these latter names mix and alter common names that things get strange.
Jonathan wrote: "yes i Am"Unless they're offensive or create trouble, I don't delete comments.
its because for example me and him cant see the comments after 30 because were on kindle
But Peeta = Pita. It's all about the bread, Jayson. 😂 The odd spellings didn't bother me here. They did get noticed a little bit in A Song of Ice and Fire, but I prefer odd spellings to completely made up names that can't be pronounced.
doyoulistentogirlinsweater wrote: "its because for example me and him cant see the comments after 30 because were on kindle"So, you're saying the answer is for me to delete comments to keep them under 30? I'm afraid I'm not going to do that.
Linda ~ they got the mustard out! ~ wrote: "But Peeta = Pita. It's all about the bread, Jayson. 😂 The odd spellings didn't bother me here. They did get noticed a little bit in A Song of Ice and Fire, but I prefer odd spellings to completel..."
I agree, strange is much preferable to unpronounceable :)
no hahaha it doesnt matter because i can see them on my home screen and i wouldnt want you to have delete a bunch of comments just so that were able to scroll
Jonathan wrote: "fine i will delete my own coms"Entirely up to you. 🤷♂️
doyoulistentogirlinsweater wrote: "no hahaha it doesnt matter because i can see them on my home screen and i wouldnt want you to have delete a bunch of comments just so that were able to scroll"😁👍
I don't have a problem with odd names so long as they are pronounceable and memorable.A lot of fantasy authors often have an issue with making names sound exotic and otherworldly without making them unpronounceable. This was one of my problems with Anne McCaffrey's Dragon Riders of Pern series. I couldn't pronounce, let alone remember any of the characters' names, save for Lessa the protagonist. Even Tolkien is guilty.
I think George Lucas actually does a really good job of naming his aliens; Greedo, Jabba, Wicket, etc. Heck. we even remember the serial numbers of clones and robots. C3-PO and R2-D2 being the most prominent examples.
The Pern names were ridiculous. And "Graceling" had awful names for people and places. (That was a BAD book.)
The Batman wrote: "I don't have a problem with odd names so long as they are pronounceable and memorable.A lot of fantasy authors often have an issue with making names sound exotic and otherworldly without making th..."
I agree that George Lucas had the right idea with names. Part of that, I think, is avoiding the difficulty I had with this book, which is that his names are not easily mistakable for common names. At a stretch you might say that some names might resemble some others, but it's not like this book where you know for sure what the common name would be and have a mental default to it.
Audrey wrote: "The Pern names were ridiculous. And "Graceling" had awful names for people and places. (That was a BAD book.)"Yeah, sometimes names are chosen for the sake of sounding exotic and alien, which sometimes works, but often doesn't.
i don't like the unique names thing in any book
Sakshi wrote: "i don't like the unique names thing in any book"Sorry to hear that. Must get so annoying, given so many books do that. For me, it's a case by case basis. I can never tell whether weird names bother me until I'm into the book.
(I just felt like doing it XD)