Author Suzanne Collins (website) said she got the idea for The Hunger Games while surfing channels and seeing people competing on a reality show and footage of the invasion of Iraq. The two blurred and an idea was formed.

Article first published as Book Review: Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami (Jay Rubin, trans.) on Blogcritics. About: Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami is a fictional1987 novel set in 1960s Tokyo, Japan. The novel became popular with Japanese youth and propelled Murakami to new heights of fame. 298 pages Publisher: Vintage ISBN: 0375704027 My rating for Norwegian Wood – 4 Great price on this book in paper or elec­tronic for­mat through the Man of la Book Affil­i­ate Account Thoughts: Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami is a memorable story, yet simple and unassuming. Patience seemed to be the main theme as it seems the narrator, Toru Watanabe, waits for a woman to return his love. Unlike Murakami other books, this one lacks the supernatural over a more practical themes such as choosing a realistic partner over a lost fantasy. Watanabe copes with loss throughout the book and the tale, told in flashbacks, is mostly how he copes with them. The characters are well defined and realistic while they battle tragedy tossed at them at every turn by Murakami. They have romantic inspirations and rejections, struggle with depression and flawed. There are many references to dead or dying characters for a short book such as this. While…

Here are the books I enjoyed the most this year. This list is of books I read, not only published in 2011. First and foremost – this is THE best book I’ve read this year. From some reason it didn’t get much attention in the US. We, The Drowned by Carsten Jensen “We, The Drowned” (Web­site) by Carsten Jensen is a spell­bind­ing, award win­ning (Danske Banks Lit­ter­atur­pris) fic­tional book which spans 100 years in the lives of the inhab­i­tants of the small Dan­ish coastal town Marstal. Jensen’s debut novel is already hailed as an instant clas­sic and right­fully so. Non-Fiction: Auschwitz by Dr. Miklós Nyiszli Auschwitz: A Doctor’s Eye­wit­ness Account by Dr. Mik­lós Nyis­zli is a non-fiction mem­oir of a Jew­ish Hun­gar­ian med­ical doc­tor who per­formed “research” on other Jews with the evil Dr. Josef Men­gele aka “Angel of Death”. This is not an easy book to read, but an impor­tant one. Elizabeth and Hazel by David Margolick Eliz­a­beth and Hazel: Two Women of Lit­tle Rock by David Mar­golick is a non fic­tion book about two ladies who were made famous by the press. The book looks his­tory square in the eye and doesn’t flinch. Gated Grief by Leila Levinson “Gated Grief: The Daugh­ter of a GI Con­cen­tra­tion Camp Lib­er­a­tor Dis­cov­ers a Legacy of Trauma” by Leila Levin­son who started the…

About: 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami is a fictional novel which takes place between two worlds. The book was originally written in Japanese and became a best seller almost immediately. 944 pages Publisher: Knopf ISBN-10: 0307593312 My rating for 1Q84 – 5 Buy & Save on 1Q84 through the ManOfLa­Book affil­i­ate account on: Ama­zon | Kin­dle | Book Depos­i­tory US | Book Depos­i­tory UK More books by Haruki Murakami Thoughts: 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami is not a complex novel, but it is long. The book asks an important question “what is reality”? I’ve worked with many marketing people over the years, the one important lesson they have taught me is the “perception is everything, reality is nothing”. At first, my structured mind that sees the world in 0s and 1s couldn’t comprehend what they were saying. However, with a little bit of contemplation I came to realize that they were right. After all, we live in a fake world. The news we watch are fake, the food we eat is fake (that’s why many immigrants have their own food stores), the promises made to us by our leaders and captains of industry are hollow and broken almost without delay. Mr. Murakami starts off…

As those who follow this blog know that I love books about the military, fiction and non-fiction. In honor of Veterans Day I thought I’d post a list of books I enjoyed over the past year or two about this subject. I assume we all love to read about something which is close to our hearts, whether it’s a place, a feeling or an experience. I know I do. Non-Fiction: Citizen Soldiers by Stephen Ambrose A fas­ci­nat­ing book about the Euro­pean the­ater in World War II, as told by the men on the front lines, not a media hug­ging offi­cer or a dry his­to­rian. Ambrose cap­tures the sense of his­tory from both sides of the fence, sticks to the facts as we know them and keeps his com­ments to a minimum. Command Influence By Robert A. Shaines A cap­ti­vat­ing book in which Mr. Shaines recounts his mem­o­ries as a defend­ing lawyer in the case of The United States v. Lt. George C. Schreiber. Lt. Schreiber was the appointed scape­goat in a trial for the mur­der of a Korean man (whose real name was never found). Mr. Shaines, a mil­i­tary attor­ney on the Lieutenant’s defense team, was fight­ing a bat­tle which…

A day in the life of a teenage girl, on the verge of becoming a woman. She is dealing with a depressed mom, the recent death of her dad, school & more

Mr. Enzmann’s sarcastic sense of humor shines through the pages. For example, the Austrian army’s generous handing out medals

A fictional book set in Paris, France. The book discusses philosophy, culture, the class system and more – sometimes on account of a strong story.

This week George Orwell’s classic “1984” has been published all the way back in 1949. The dystopian novel with its all-seeing leader “Big Brother” because a symbol worldwide for intrusive and oppressive government bureaucracy. The story is about Winston Smith and his attempt to rebel against the totalitarian state in which he lives.

The book follows the battle of Okinawa through the eyes of the grunts on the ground and the commanders of both the American and Japanese forces