Joe Jones

I like author Anne Lamott. A lot. Sometimes I dream that she arrives on my doorstep with her dreadlocks, best-friend-the-priest, and a book of poems by Rumi and announces that she is my long lost Aunt who has come to drink coffee and talk about life until the wee hours of the morning. Sometimes, in my dreams, we listen to Dawes together and smoke on the porch. Sometimes we go to church together and bake the blackberry cobbler of my youth.
Suffice to say, I follow her on twitter and buy her novels when I see them because I want her to feel loved so she keeps on writing.
This was the case with Joe Jones, which I dutifully read, cover to cover.
Even though I really only like her nonfiction.
Even though the first few pages of dialogue were so confusing that I finally had to stop trying to figure out who was saying what because I knew if I didn't I'd have some kind of mind-melt-down.

The Hunger Games

I don't like bandwagon reading. I wasn't part of the Harry Potter craze, I don't know the order of the Twilight series and certainly won't be part of the crush of women making 50 Shades of Grey account for 20% of all book sales.

However, a good book is a good book and I don't like to miss out. With The Hunger Games movie already out, I figured I could now safely read Suzanne Collins' novel without feeling like I would have to discuss it with every third person on the lightrail.

I am assuming most of you don't have the same strong feelings about popular fiction and have already read it - [ so good, right?!] - negating the need for this review. For those out there like me, however - here are the things I wish I had known before cracking it open: