The "Fifty Book Challenge" is simply an opportunity to read books and keep track in a Live Journal community.  My "good" or "bad" ratings are something introduced by me response to a question on an earlier diary entry.  They're my impression, completely independent of popular opinion.  I tend to buy books because the title or subject matter interests me, often without use prior to purchase of any of the commercial or consumer reviews that are available online.

As far as the Companion, well, I picked that up to read on a train, and it is uneven. There is no explanation of some of the oddest features of that society, such as a technologically advanced Capitol with no evidence of industry and engineering, and more advanced districts that provide higher-end goods having Career Tributes (imagine high school jock culture to excess) but no evidence of a nerd counterculture.  The recitation of evil things that governments have done over the year did fit in, though, as Susan Collins took a lot of her material from Roman and medieval tyrannies.

Stephen Karlson ATTITUDE is a nine letter word. BOATSPEED.