Yes, I did read the Hunger Games

Sometime Last Week…

Jon and I are eagerly—well, that’s not strong enough—ravenously awaiting the amazon.com package that should be arriving on Friday. It contains our hardcover set of the Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins.

Oh dear goodness. We both finished Catching Fire and subsequently, have been mentally living in Panem, constantly discussing whether we think Peeta or Gale is better for Katniss. And, of course, if you’ve read the books, you know that the second book is the worst book to have to wait 50+ library requests for the third. So, Jon broke down and bought them. I can’t say I was angry.

This is yet another series that I didn’t expect to like—not when junior highers (no offense) were the only ones I heard raving about them. Well, I should have known. I always find myself enjoying young adult and children’s books. There have been many points where I’ve almost declared that children/young adult books are my favorites. Then, I realize that would be hasty as the titles which wouldn’t fit that category start piling up in my mind like the cards when you win computer solitaire.

Regardless, Collins has given us a good story with the Hunger Games. You’ve got many great themes—courage, freedom, love, sacrifice, goodness—once again embodied in another setting that teaches us more about what it means to be human. And, if you get anything from the Hunger Games, you see yet again that being human is not about being fashionable and trendy, gluttonous in the face of hunger, needing entertainment to the point of watching other human beings being forced to kill each other, etc. Collins’s portrayal of the Capital heightens attributes of both ancient Rome and modern America, so that while their actions are despicable, they’re also disconcertingly familiar.  I mean, it’s not very subtle, but it gets the point across.

So, I think these are good fun books to have in our library and would recommend them—at least the first two. I can’t wait to read the last one!

5 Days (Or So) Later…

Surprisingly, the Wake Forest Library actually ended up getting Mockingjay before Amazon delivered. I finished the last book on Friday morning. I have to confess that it was not my favorite; in my opinion, some aspects of the ending were uncharacteristic and disappointing. Nonetheless, if you’re in the mood for a really fun read, then I still would recommend the trilogy to you.

Since I last wrote, in addition to the Hunger Games, I also read Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell, Unlocking Romans by J.R. Daniel Kirk, and the Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. In other words, I’ve been indulging in over-reading and have been neglecting my writing diet. It’s time to get back on track.