And on to the Hunger Games

I had a whole post written for The Hunger Games before I read the last two. So there it sat, waiting for me, and although I thought I could move on to other books, that wasn’t the case.
After reading The Hunger Games, I knew I would be on wait for the other two, so I started reading other things. Except after a while, I couldn’t shake this need to read something good and deep and engrossing. So I struggled, in vain, to find something that would satisfy my needs. That’s when Nancy S. started talking about the Hunger Games during lunch. Oh yes! I had totally forgotten that was the last great book I read in a while. But alas! I was on the wait list for the second one. That’s when Nancy gave me her copy to borrow (bless Nancy) and I was able to finally figure out why no other book was able to fill me. Because The Hunger Games trilogy is simply amazing. Drama, and romance, and action and characters that are real and complex and relatable. If you’re simply stumbling around in a world of uninspired books, and want something that can grab you like the last great series you read, please let me humbly recommend The Hunger Games. Now let me insert my original post with a brief description of the first novel, and I will summarize after:
So my mother in law was reading this book during the summer. She mentioned it to me, and I (more or less) stored it away for later. It took a lady requesting the book at the library several months later for me to actually put the book on hold for myself. And I’m glad I did, except now I have to wait for book two. If you’ve only heard about The Hunger Games in passing, here’s the story:
We get another dystopian society taking place in an unspecified time in the future in a place that was once the United States. Now America is broken down into 12 districts and a Capitol. The districts are forced to live in poverty due to their failed attempt at revolution. And since the Capitol has gained so much power over them, they decide to rub it in a little. Every year, a boy and girl are chosen from each district to fight to the death in an event called “The Hunger Games.” At this point, I’m thinking Battle Royale, a movie made in Japan about a very similar scenario. Except where Battle Royale is completely no holds barred violent, Suzanne Collins tones it down for her intended audience (young adults). Katniss, the protagonist, chooses to fight in the hunger games when her younger sister Prim is chosen. Her partner is Peeta, a baker’s boy who’s loved Katniss since they were small children. The story is a complete page turner, and I’m actually upset that I have to wait for the second book (it’s out, but I’m on hold for it). There’s actually three in the series; Catching Fire and Mockingjay are the next two. Although I’m not totally in love with Katniss (she’s a bit selfish and a little clueless when it comes to things that don’t involve her survival), she’s nonetheless a very realistic character, and I can see her growing on me.—Yes, Katniss totally grew on me and now it’s like I know her. This series is soooo good, and I don’t add extraneous “o’s” when talking about just any series. So you’re all going out to read The Hunger Games now, right? Excellent.