It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capital, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to outcharm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute.
The odds are against him. He’s been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined — every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favor or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute… and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes.
While I did enjoy the original Hunger Games series, I was never that into it. I probably missed the hype by a bit, or perhaps by the age I was reading it, I was already in a different stage of life to really get into it. However, a friend did suggest to me that this prequel was very good, and I can safely say that I agree. I really enjoy learning backstory, and I think this book also read a bit like a thriller, which really worked for me.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which is quite a long title, although apt, revolves around the backstory of Coriolanus Snow, who will later become the president in the original series of The Hunger Games. This story follows the 10th ever Hunger Games, and Coriolanus’s involvement as a student of the academy in the Capitol. Suffering from the war that birthed the games in the first place, the Snow family has lost their family fortune, and Coriolanus is determined to keep up appearances while he devises a way to win it all back.
The fourth novel in the internationally bestselling Before the Coffee Gets Cold Series, following a new group of customers in a magical time-traveling Tokyo café.
The regulars at Café Funiculi Funicula are well acquainted with the whimsical ability it grants them to take a trip into the past—as well as the strict rules involved, including that each traveler must return to the present in the time it takes for their coffee to get cold. In Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s previous novels, patrons have been reunited with old flames, made amends with estranged family and visited loved ones. Now readers will once again be introduced to a new set of visitors.
The Husband with Something Important Left to Say
The Woman Who Couldn’t Bid Her Dog Farewell
The Woman Who Couldn’t Answer a Proposal
The Daughter Who Drove Her Father Away
In Last Chance to Say Goodbye, which is translated from Japanese by Geoffrey Trousselot and features signature heartwarming characters and wistful storytelling, Kawaguchi once again invites the reader to ask themselves: What would you change if you could travel back in time?
The final(?) book of the Before the Coffee Gets Cold series, or at least the fourth installation in the series. I definitely had trepidations about every sequel in this series, as I think the emotional impact of the first book is really hard to replicate. However, I think I was overall pleasantly surprised with this fourth book. I think it did manage to touch on a slightly new topic, though I’d say it was still a variation on a previously-explored theme.
Before We Say Goodbye once again takes place in the lovely special cafe in Japanese, capable of taking a person back in time once. However, there are five rules upon returning, each of which are more restrictive than the last. Most importantly though, the present facts can never be changed no matter what you do in the past. So just why would anyone seek to return? Once again this book is a collection of short tails detailing different customers coming in to seek something from the past.
I thought the four stories were less connected than in the last few books, but maybe this is just to break apart from the pattern a little. I still really enjoyed the various characters that showed up, and I liked that in this book the characters came from different stages in their life and from different perspectives (spouse, parent, daughter, etc.), but for the most part they really shared the same grievance from the past. In that way the stories were connected, and I think the title of this book is really quite apt for the story. The characters themselves and their idiosyncrasies kind of fell away from the spotlight for me in this book, but I really enjoyed placing myself into their shoes and thinking of how I’d face all the difficult decisions that each character had to face. The book really drew me in in this manner.
What was also interesting is that I didn’t like many of the characters at first glance. They all came off a bit overly superior, and a little bit unbearable. However, as the story progressed for each character, I found that I could really relate to their situation, even if I still didn’t fully buy into their characters. For the most part, unsurprisingly, the characters are dealing with family members/friends who have since died, leaving the cafe the only option to truly to talk to that person. Almost all of the characters are desperate to change the present, however, each time Kazu (of course!) shuts them down saying that the rule is absolute and cannot change.
One story actually got to me again, and I definitely teared up while reading it. Going back even when the present won’t change, and knowing the risks and going back anyway…the series always gives me a lot to think about themes like regret, family, and changing your own mindset. I would definitely recommend this one if you enjoyed the first two books in the series!
Overall Recommendations
Whether this is the last book in the series or not, Before We Say Goodbye is an aptly named title for the short stories encapsulated in the book. The characters were not the most relatable and had rather wild temperaments, but I found that it was very easy to put myself into their shoes. Full of heart-wrenching decisions and situations to (maybe) bring you to tears, I definitely recommend this one if you were a fan of the rest of the series. As always, the book always gives you something to think about, and it’s a very short and sweet read!
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April 5: Do You Ever Dream About Books?
Prompts: Do you ever dream about books? Which fictional characters have appeared in your dreams? Have you ever had book-related nightmares? Or do you have happier bookish dreams?
Welcome to the first LTB of April, everyone! Today’s topic is certainly interesting, all about dreaming. I have a feeling many will say they simply don’t dream or don’t remember their dreams, but perhaps there are more dreamers in the bookish community than I know.
I don’t personally dream about books. I think in the past I have had a nightmare or two over books like the Goosebumps series, but that was when I was much younger. I don’t think it’s too often that I dream about anything that happens in a book. That being said, I think that reading books does sometimes put me in certain moods that might tend to trigger dreams (not book-related). But I think it has something to do with me thinking and contemplating a book’s message or plot.
Down the Rabbit Hole 