1. The Hunger Games

This is the first book in a series. What an amazing read! I am trying to branch out from my usual "trashy romance" novels, as my mother calls them. Every Tuesday and Thursday after our morning kettlebell workout, my friend and I go out of coffee (completely negating all the hard work we've put in by adding not only sugar, milk, and syrup to our shots of espresso, but also a generous square of scotcheroo.) As we sat down to partake of the creamy goodness, I was complaining that it had been weeks since I'd read a really good book. After the Anita Blake series, I let reading fall to the back burner for a while while trying to work out the details of my wedding, hold down a full time job, and fight with immigration to get my fiance back in the states.

After several suggestions, my friend mentions "The Hunger Games". "I've only heard good things about it!" She gushes, as I pull the title up on my droid. On a whim, I download it to my phone via the nook app and start reading.

I finished it in less than a day.

Stuck in a world of what I can only imagine is supposed to be the future, (pretty sure it states this somewhere in the book) Katniss Everdeen is fighting to keep food on the table for her family of three. Her father has died in the coal mines of district 12 and now it is up to Katniss to provide for herself, her mother, and her younger sister.

She has been of age for the Hunger Games for a number of years now and seems to figure that it's only matter of time before her name is pulled out of the drawing to compete. But these are not just a series of fun, ultimately harmless games played yearly by the world. Instead, it's a fight to the death. Katniss against 23 other "tributes" and she has only her knowledge of the forest and how to survive to help her at the beginning of the games.

From word one, I was instantly drawn in, wandering the woods, the streets of District 12, the Capitol, and the Hunger Games with Katniss and Peeta. I had a difficult time putting this book down for any reason, including lunch with a very dear family friend, errands, even school work. For the first time in weeks, I was so involved with the characters of a book that I was unable to focus on anything until I had finished the story! What a relief! It was almost exhilarating!

I'm sure that as the blog goes on, I'll get a feel for what's ok to give away and what's best held back to encourage readers to pounce on this book. For now, though, I'll leave the decision up to you. Ultimately, I'd like to get a good discussion going on the books I read, perhaps even incorporate others to manage this blog along with me.

After finishing THE HUNGER GAMES, I immediately went to the nook store and purchased the second in the series, CATCHING FIRE. I have no doubt that the second book will prove to be just as incredible as the first one.

The only question I leave you with from this book: Would you kill to survive? If your life depended on it, would you be able to participate in games as cruel and horrible as these?

Discuss.