photo courtesy of BN.com
This post is going to get filed under the “Indulge” category. For me, leisure reading is definitely an indulgence. I developed a love for reading at a young age. I used to spend hours with my nose buried in a good book. When the Harry Potter series emerged, I would sit down on a comfortable couch and read each book from cover to cover.
As time went on, reading lost its spot as a top priority on my list. In college, partying with friends and working a part-time job came first. Every now and then, I’d dig into a new novel, but not nearly as often as I would have liked.
Even after I graduated, it was hard to spare a moment and find time for myself to sit down and read because my time was divided between a full-time job, a relationship, my friends, exercising and sleeping. Reading was just something that I never seemed to have time for.
But now, as my perspective has evolved, I understand that I must make time to read. So this past week, that’s exactly what I did.
The Hunger Games was brought to my attention at the bookstore, and through word of mouth. I had read the overview of the book on the Barnes and Noble website, and well, to be honest, I wasn’t initially drawn in. In fact, it all sounded a bit stupid to me. “Two child tributes are sacrificed to fight to the death in the Hunger games…” Really? Sounded a bit too simplistic and barbaric to me.
As I was browsing on the E-Book Fling website (www.ebookfling.com), I noticed the Hunger Games again, as it was one of the featured books. Seeing that I had two credits and so virtually “borrowing” the book would be free, I figured, “Why not?“
I am so glad that I decided to give this series another chance.
I began reading book #1: The Hunger Games on a Friday during the slow periods at work. I finished the book by Saturday mid-morning. Once I had started, it was impossible to stop. Collins’ writing style is simple yet mature and flows easily. The excitement begins to bubble up by the end of the very first chapter. She doesn’t hesitate to start the action…and from then on out, you are on a roller coaster ride towards the end, always wanting to find out what’s going to happen next.
I moved directly to book #2: Catching Fire and sped through it, devouring every moment of Katniss’ journey and wondering what would be the fate of the 12 Districts and the Capitol, (altogether known as Panem). Book 2 was over before I knew it, and finally I was start book #3: Mockingjay. I managed to finish all three novels in about four or five days. (That’s some sort of new record for me, I think.)
I ended up enjoying the books so much that I purchased the Hunger Games Trilogy for the Kindle through Amazon. (Only $18! What a steal.) This is a series that I plan to read time and time again. And I am especially looking forward to the first moving making its theater debut in March!
What won me over about the series was the perfect balance that Collins presents. Though it is a fictional story, the characters and their actions were very realistic. The main character didn’t present a facade of false bravado or become an instant hero, but instead was presented as an ordinary girl who became a symbol of extraordinary meaning through her courageousness and her ability to overcome the parts of her that were “only human”–doubtful thoughts, selfish desires and the instinct of self-preservation. Anyone can relate to Katniss, the poor girl who was only doing her best to help her family survive, and who ended up in the Hunger Games to save someone who was important to her.
I would highly recommend the Hunger Games series to anyone, no matter what your preference of genre. Collins perfectly intertwines moments of happiness, humor, desperation love and rebellion to complete a tale of total intrigue for the reader. And as for any worry you might have about the books possibly being too gruesome (being that one of the major highlights of the story is kids killing each other for the sake of survival), just be reassured that it doesn’t dwell too much on any terribly gory details.
As for the ending, I can honestly say that I went to bed perfectly satisfied, (at about midnight because I needed to know what happened) after completing Mockingjay. There were certainly heartbreaking moments and unjust losses, but overall, it was an absolutely acceptable conclusion and couldn’t have been written any other way.
