Thursday, August 19, 2010

2 Questions: Hunger Games and Bookshelves

Okay, people, this is SRS BSNS. I have serious questions.

1. Does anyone else LOVE the Hunger Games books but loathe Katniss? AM I A HORRIBLE PERSON??? I keep reading all these reviews and blog posts anticipating Mockingjay, and they keep mentioning how incredibly smart and brave and wonderful Katniss is, and I keep being surprised by this.
Don't get me wrong, Katniss has skills. But she is not badass, and she is not that smart. I mean, she occasionally does all right in a life-threatening pinch, but it seems Haymitch, Peeta, and/or Cinna do the brainwork in her life. She just has to be pretty, get people to love her, and occasionally shoot people. She is very good at all of those things. And she obviously cares enough about the people in her life to risk her life for them.
I think the main thing about her that annoys me is her neediness and drama-llama tendencies. She continually uses Peeta and/or Gale to make her feel better (which makes sense, as she has a horrible life in a horrible world), she's continually bursting into tears or having emotional problems or angsting about all her problems for a whole chapter.
Catching Fire did make me understand Katniss a lot more. In the first book, I was just "WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS GIRL" but in the second book it was a lot more clear that she is very scarred emotionally and mentally by her upbringing. She's so scared of having children that could be killed in the games that anything approaching commitment puts her off. Which just makes it easier for her to lead Peeta and Gale on.
I'm trying not to make this a hate-post, but honestly, I just can't like Katniss. I can empathize with her, and I hope she turns out okay. But I don't admire her much.
What about all of you? Do you agree with me? If you don't, what do you like most about Katniss?

2. Completely unrelated question/scenario. Imagine with me, for a moment, a bookshelf. Half of the shelves on this bookshelf are filled, and have two layers of books on each shelf (if you know what I mean....one layer in the back and another in front of them...the shelves are deep enough).
Then imagine with me a different bookshelf, on which all of the shelves are filled but only one layer deep. Which, to you, appears to have more books?

*waiting anxiously for Mockingjay*

7 comments:

Kemendraugh said...

*spams your blog with comments*

Ooh, questions. I like questions!

1. I don't LOATH Katniss. Sure, I agree with everything you said about her, but she doesn't get on my nerves in the same way she appears to get on yours. Mostly I'm just meh about her? Not really leaning one way or another. She didn't tick me off in the first book hardly at all. The second one, yeah. Definitely.
And what I like most about Katniss...hm. Even if I don't hate her, it's hard to think of something...Okay how about this: The thing I like best about Katniss is her skill at subconsciously snubbing every government official in the world ^_^

2. Definitely bookshelf #2. At least there's no empty spaces! Bookshelf one just makes me think someone's not organizing their books very well, look at all that wasted space!

Bahnree said...

1. Yeah, but she doesn't ACCIDENTALLY! which is hilarious but doesn't really make me like her more. *shrug* She can survive without my approval. Excuse the pun.
2. So you like bookshelf 2 better, or it looks more crowded?

Kemendraugh said...

I like bookshelf two better. Because it looks happy and full. Bookshelf one just looks unprofessional *is a snob*

Bahnree said...

You go girl. ;)

Snazel said...

1. Heh. I don't hate Katniss, I just don't even notice her. Every time people rave, I'm all "wait, what? Why aren't we talking about the nerds and drunks and stylists? They're WAY cooler!"

2. Second shelf. Because someone is obviously in the midst of moving their books, and there are more waiting to shift in. ^_^

shield maiden said...

I don't hate Katniss but she is not my ideal heroine either. Honestly, two of my favorite characters got killed off (which always happens to me)...or at least one is insinuated. I also love Haymitch. Poor guy :(.

I think what annoys me the most about Katniss is that she is too stubborn or hot-headed to be logical and think things through. Because of this, she doesn't see the sacrifices other people make for her, takes them for granted, and sometimes is the cause of that sacrifice.

Despite it all, I still love the books because I LOVE the world. I'm absolutely DYING to meet District 13.

As for the bookcases, go for #2. Once you fill all the shelves up, then go back and double stack.

Bahnree said...

Yeah actually the bookshelf question was kinda random. I was just curious what seems like more books to people: the same amount double-stacked, or just spread out more.