I have been living under a rock and knew absolutely nothing at all about the Hunger Games. Zero.

I love dystopian stories, and I hear this is one, so I think I shall read it. Is there any sort of general Buffistas consensus on the quality of the stories? Are they broccoli books, broccoli with cheese sauce books, or cheetos?

Uh, broccoli with cheese? Heavy on the cheese. And salty, salty tears.

Protip: Make sure you have the third book on hand when you start reading the second one.

The writing could be better (notably world-building), but the story is really compelling. In the last book the author beats the readers in the face with an anvil to make sure we get The Big Important Message of the story, but still -- really compelling.

Also Minear-esque in that my reaction, often was "Holy shit, I thought I knew pain, but this is a whole new undiscovered level of pain WTF?!?"

Protip the second: Start on a Friday and plan on a "lost weekend."

Man, I really want to reread before the movie comes out. But my copy is in NC with a friend, and I'm broke, and I'm guessing there's a wait list a mile long at the library. Hmph.

Dog people: I have to leave at 1:30 pm today, and probably won't be back for 12 to 15 hours. Should I a) Leave Frankie inside and plan on cleaning up a mess when I get home or b) leave him outside (with access to shelter, a bed, food and water). The high today is 80 and the low tonight is 67.

Oh nice! Shall Kindle. I like broccoli and cheese.

I found the trilogy addictive as all get out.

She can hook you right in there, and then HURT YOU.

I am still uncertain if I ever experienced BH contractions. If I did, I didn't separate them from the rest of pregnancy discomfort.

Labor (induced) was fine until transition. At which point, I found myself feeling like I was NOT a proper adult, and how could other people handle it, and MAKE IT STOP SOMEONE IS DOING A HALF-JOB OF DRAWING AND QUARTERING ME.

But I went from 3cm to almost there in a very short period of time.

I'm always kind of sheepish saying this around other readers, but I'm actually a very slow reader. Some folks finish a book in a couple of days, and it usually takes me about a week to get through a book. I have a tendency to go back and reread passages I liked, but I also read pretty slowly. No idea why.

I'm always kind of sheepish saying this around other readers, but I'm actually a very slow reader. Some folks finish a book in a couple of days, and it usually takes me about a week to get through a book. I have a tendency to go back and reread passages I liked, but I also read pretty slowly. No idea why.

No shame in that. You savor your books rather than bolting them. It's like eating. Everyone is different.

Should I a) Leave Frankie inside and plan on cleaning up a mess when I get home or b) leave him outside (with access to shelter, a bed, food and water).

That's a long time for a doggie to be on their own. I would say leave him outside if the yard is secure--oh, and if he has a shady place to hang out. You might also want to put lots of ice cubes in the water to keep it cool as long as possible. If you have a kong, stuff it with treats and peanut butter to give Frankie something to do while waiting. If you don't have a Kong, you could hide chew toys or snacks around the yard, so he can hunt for them.

I hated the Braxton-Hicks contractions and was constantly sidelined by them. Probably means I was doing too much, but oh well. Drink water, Kate! I remember that being well hydrated helped a lot with the B-H.