Sunday, September 18, 2011

The Pages I Turn(ed) - September 2011

(Photo cred: Google Images of The Hunger Games)


I've never been one for the "young adult" genre. At 24, I feel like reading books about teenagers is a little weird (except Harry Potter, of course), but when I saw my fiance's friend reading the book The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, it piqued my interest. I had worked at a bookstore for a while, and always had people asking me, "Do you have The Hunger Games?" or "Is The Hunger Games back in stock?".

I purchased the first book last month, and I'll be honest, it took me a little while to get into it. After the first few chapters, the story REALLY takes off and I was hooked. The story follows Katniss, a teenage girl living in a time when the fictitious country of Panem has been split into thirteen districts -- each district exporting some sort of good to the Capitol. The story takes place after District Thirteen began a rebellion that ended poorly for the rebels, and caused the Capitol to take on an all-consuming "1984-esque" power over the people. As punishment for the rebellion, each year a  female and male child between 12 and 18 is selected to take part in the Hunger Games, a veritable fight to the death, where only one winner survives.

The Hunger Games is the first in a trilogy, and each book is better than the next. The final book, Mockingjay, has an ending that sparked some anger in fans of the series, and I myself wasn't thrilled with it. I say definitely read it if you've got some spare time; Collins weaves a gripping story. The Hunger Games has been made into a film that just wrapped a few days ago, though short previews are already bouncing around YouTube.

I haven't decided what I'm reading next month just yet, but I have a few more days to figure it out, I gladly welcome any suggestions!

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