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emma

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emma’s Bookshelves

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emma is Currently Reading

emma is currently reading

The Knight and the Moth (The Stonewater Kingdom, #1)

by Rachel Gillig (Goodreads Author)

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(page 250 of 385)
— 20 hours, 50 min ago

Dec 14, 2025 02:05PM

emma is currently reading

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (The Hunger Games, #0)

by Suzanne Collins

bookshelves: currently-reading

read in November 2023

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emma said: " “He knew this would be easier if he wasn’t such an exceptional person.”

Collins does a great job at adding just enough human characteristics to this villain to create a flushed out character. His desire for a challenge, logical thinking skills, and d “He knew this would be easier if he wasn’t such an exceptional person.”

Collins does a great job at adding just enough human characteristics to this villain to create a flushed out character. His desire for a challenge, logical thinking skills, and desire to protect his family make the reader interested to see just how things will turn dark. I really liked this one quote from part 3 that talked about how stunting it can be for people who constantly need mental stimulation personally and professionally when a large set of their responsibilities are taken away. Smaller tasks become overwhelming and it creates this draining mental tension. (He such an INTJ).

I found this book to be less about Coriolanus’ desire for power but more so for possession. Not only does he consider himself in possession of Lucy Gray but of her home and of people’s time. Ownership more guides him to become easily jealous and frustrated when those around him act independently of the role he gives them in his head. He has a knack for recognizing those who are weaker than him and figuring out exactly who they are, careful to navigate the society around him to best serve his means. As this book is inspired by Enlightenment thinkers, this battle between freedom and possession between government and individuals is clearly represented between Coriolanus and Lucy Gray.

Snow’s ability to “other” Lucy Gray in his mind as not being of district or capital creates this fantasy of her as being his own special person to do with what he pleases. While she labels herself as Covey, I got the feeling she was never anything but his to do with what he pleased in his mind. He’s not overbearing in the typical sense, more in a subtle attempt to engrandize himself by means of association.

The role of money in this is so interesting! How creative to have him be a poor man presenting as wealthy. He understands what it’s like to be poor making his future apathy for the poorer districts more disturbing and disgusting.

More than anything, he has a deep understanding of adults and how to say the proper thing to get where you need to be mimicking the tributes in the arena. Being exposed to physical combat (albeit more controlled), I recognize that it takes a lot of practice to remain calm under physical stress, and I really appreciated the whole idea of what can happen to a person put into danger in dark environments.

At every turn it’s so obvious his ‘good deeds’ are for himself only, and he lacks the ability to think independently from his education (a type of person I find particularly dangerous). Collins managed to create a character who is unredeemable having shut off his humanity, but the ways she exposes him to the reader keeps you entertained and curious to see how everything plays out. He’s not a caricature of a villain which I know a lot of people were worried about going into this book. I didn’t feel like she created this man who was bad for the sake of being bad, and she certainly didn’t make the reader feel like he should be let off the hook for his actions.

Anyways, this was the best book I’ve read all year I love feeling like it’s 2014 again. ...more "

progress:

(page 174 of 528)
"“silly old man with his ridiculous powdered wig and his decrepit cat” SHUT UP" — Apr 07, 2025 02:49PM

Mar 06, 2025 07:37AM · see review

emma is currently reading

How to Win at Chess: The Ultimate Guide for Beginners and Beyond

by Levy Rozman

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(page 50 of 261)
"this is like making progress in a workbook & i love it. i love setting up my board and practicing. i’ll be bobby fischer in no time (i lose on chess.com)" — Dec 29, 2024 06:40PM

Nov 03, 2024 11:12AM

emma’s Quotes

“Love Jo all your days, if you choose, but don't let it spoil you, for it's wicked to throw away so many good gifts because you can't have the one you want.”
― Louisa May Alcott, Little Women

tags: amy-march, jo-march, longing, lost-love, love, spoil, teddy-lawrence, unrequited-love, waste-of-life

1109 likes

“I like good strong words that mean something…”
― Louisa May Alcott, Little Women

tags: little-women, louisa-may-alcott, words

3623 likes