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For you writers out there, here’s a link to an extensive character development worksheet from anneolwin.com:
Tag Archive: creative
This book caught my interest, so I started reading some reviews and found this one to be the most descriptive and interesting. Here’s a review of “The Hunger Games” written by Brittney Brown on blogcritics.org:
“The Hunger Games, written by Suzanne Collins, is fiction in the young adult genre, which is not my age group, but I found myself unable to put it down. Its combination of nerve-racking tension, thrilling action, and engaging love story kept me up until the wee hours. I was surprised at how completely engrossing the plot was. Like Brave New World, this story is set in a future where the government oppresses its people, but the book also borrows ideas from the Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur.
When the book opens, North America as we know it has been destroyed and is now divided into 12 districts, ruled by an oppressive government located at theCapitol. Katniss Everdeen, a 16-year-old girl from District 12, takes her younger sister’s place as one of 24 “tributes” selected every year to participate in the Hunger Games at the Capitol.
The Games pit children from ages 12 to 18 against each other in a fight to the death in a giant, treacherous arena. Everything is televised and highly publicized all over the country. Katniss must not only survive the Games, but deal with a romance between her and another tribute from District 12, all the while deciding if she is willing to kill strangers her own age as a pawn of an oppressive government.
The Hunger Games is the first book in a trilogy, and it was released in 2008. I wish I had known it was a trilogy before I finished the book, because then I would have been prepared for the ending, which was a transition into the next book rather than a totally satisfying end. The third and final installation of the series came out in August 2010. Suzanne Collins, the author, worked for Nickelodeon and wrote The Overlander before she wrote The Hunger Games. The Hunger Games won several awards and was a New York Times bestseller. Once I started reading it, I could not put it down.
The Games provided a backdrop to one of the most enthralling plots I have ever read. Katniss constantly battles thirst, fire, hunger, wild animals, injuries, and other teenagers for survival. She makes and loses friends, and I became so attached to her and her fellow tribute from District 12 that I was dying to find out how the book ended. While the plot is mainly what drives this book, the creativity of this future world and the concept of the Games also impressed me. In addition, the characters are all very strong and exhibit character development throughout the book.
While I found this book absolutely enthralling, I was surprised it was aimed at an audience of young adults. It seems extremely intense for anyone younger than 16 or 17. For example, there is a scene where one young tribute is slowly eaten alive by wolf-like creatures all night long, and Katniss has to finally throw a weapon at him to end his misery. I found this a little too disturbing when I considered the age of the character.
The intensity of the action was something one would find in a more mature book, but the age of the characters and the simplicity of the prose were aimed at a much younger audience. In addition, this book was written in present tense, which I found annoying, but that’s more of a personal preference than a stylistic fault. It was also edited somewhat poorly, but that rarely distracted from the plot. For example, the author often spoke in sentence fragments to describe how Katniss felt, which might have been an attempt to reflect on her thought process, but I found it disorienting to read a lot of really short sentences all together. It would have been better to vary the sentence length on occasion, but the story was still coherently.
Overall, The Hunger Games was an excellent, enthralling read that I highly recommend. If it was more clearly marked for older teens, it would have been better, but it was a fantastic book with a wonderfully creative plot.”
“Got the blue-box blues? We thought so. That’s why we dug up the most tempting and creative recipe twists on everybody’s favorite comfort food: macaroni and cheese. Whether you like yours meaty, gourmet or even in bite-size servings, you’re sure to find something here that inspires you to think, well, outside of the box.
Mac ’n’ Cheese Nuggets
In 2008, West Coast fast food chain Jack in the Box introduced the first-ever portable variation on this ultimate comfort food. The creation, dubbed Cheesy Macaroni Bites, consisted of small scoops of Kraft macaroni and cheese which were dipped in a tempura-style batter and deep-fried. Unfortunately, if you haven’t already tried this on-the-go offering, you won’t be able to order it any time soon—it was eliminated during a menu revamp in January 2009. Photo courtesy of YumSugar.com.
Lobster Mac ’n’ Cheese
This gourmet mini-casserole marries luxurious lobster meat with a glorious mound of cheesy mac, elevating the everyday offering to a special-occasion dish. Though you’ll find versions of this recipe in restaurants across the country, Steamy Kitchen’s version stole our hearts with its generous portion of lobster meat (varying between one pound of sweet lobster tail meat to a whole lobster!) and a medley of cheeses including Gruyere, sharp cheddar and Parmesan. Photo courtesy of SteamyKitchen.com
Cauliflower and Puff Pastry Mac ’n’ Cheese
This magnificent heap of carbohydrates calls for the heavenliest of ingredients: Macaroni, cauliflower, good-for-melting cheeses (such as Gruyere, cheddar, white Leicester, Emmental and Edam), grated Parmesan, egg yolks, puff pastry and a variety of spices. A topping of puff pastry brings this dish to epic levels of culinary artistry, but luckily, the recipe can be easily recreated at home using the original recipe from food blog Writing at the Kitchen Table. Photo courtesy of Freya and Paul/ zombiesnack.com
Mac ’n’ Cheese Sampler
Sarita’s Macaroni & Cheese, aka S’MAC, is a favorite New York City restaurant which only serves variations on its namesake dish. The menu boasts unique combinations such as Cheeseburger Mac (with ground beef), Mediterranean Mac (with goat cheese, spinach and olives) and Cajun Mac (with sausage, peppers and seasonings), which are all served in individual cast iron skillets. This $16 special sampler, which includes eight different types of mac (think All-American, 4 Cheese, Cheeseburger, Napoletana, La Mancha, Cajun, Alpine and Parisienne), are perfect for first-timers who just can’t decide on one of the heavenly variations. Photo courtesy of SMACNYC.com
Kickin’ Chicken Bread Bowl
J.B. Mack (Jonathan Bellobuono’s Macaroni and Cheese Kitchen), which opened its first Connecticut restaurant in 2006, specializes in affordable comfort food, including eight different types of mac and cheese. (The version above includes grilled chicken, bacon and hot peppers.) The establishment also offers a DIY option, where customers can choose from a variety of cheeses and add-in ingredients to make their own comforting concoctions. The best part? All of the macs are served in a bread bowl, so you’re guaranteed to experience a carbohydrate high. Photo courtesy of JBMack.com.
Three-Cheese Mini Macs
These homemade creations are prepared using muffin pans, resulting in bite-sized treats that can be served sans utensils at your next party. Featuring a combination of Parmagiano-Regiano, American and cheddar cheeses, the dish also includes a dose of fiery Spanish paprika, which lends it a fiesta-worthy kick. Photo courtesy of Gracie Parisi/RoxanasCulinaryBlog.com
Green Chile Macaroni & Cheese
Texas-born Chef Robert McGrath—author of American Western Cooking and one of Food and Wine magazine’s “10 Best Chefs in America”—is the genius behind this much sought-after dish served at Roaring Fork in Scottsdale, Arizona. The ingredients include a variety of sweet and hot peppers and fresh sweet corn, which give the dish its impossible-to-duplicate green hue and spicy kick. Photo courtesy of sms bradley/TheLunaCafe.com.
Baked Apple Mac and Cheese
Michigan food and cooking expert Dave Liske brings us this rustic creation—inspired by an accidental microwave explosion that mingled the juices of an apple spice-laced bratwurst with a batch of day-old mac ’n’ cheese. Ingredients include cheeses direct from the Michigan area, including sharp Pinconning and mild Wisconsin cheddar, along with Michigan Red Delicious apples. Photo courtesy of Dave Liske AKA Luna Pier Cook/micuisine.com
Crawfish Mac and Cheese
Just in time for crawfish season, Emeril Lagassi brings you his crustacean-laced version of this comfort food favorite. The to-die-for dish incorporates four different cheeses—Parmigiano-Reggiano, white cheddar, Gruyere and fontina—and other flavorful ingredients like diced pancetta, crawfish tails, and, of course, the chef’s signature “Essence.”Photo courtesy of Emeril Lagasses/FoodNetwork.com
Buffalo Chick Mac ’n’ Cheese
It’s only natural that this food fantasy was created at the birthplace of everybody’s favorite hot-and-spicy chicken wings: Buffalo, New York. All the essential ingredients for the two comfort food staples are represented here, including “the cheapest cheese you can find,” eggs, garlic, onions and, of course, fried chicken. When you make your own version at home, don’t forget the blue cheese! Photo courtesy of ceez/RustyShrapnel.com“
*Article by Brynn Mannino on womansday.com
*Photos and recipes from womansday.com
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