"The Hunger Games"

I just finished reading one of the best books I have read in quite a while, besides Twilight that is. The whole time I was reading it I couldn't wait to tell you all about it. Then I reached the ending and realized I had been suckered into yet another series. I was so angry. For someone who is into immediate gratification, series just do not work for me unless all of the books have been written and published. For this particular series, book two is not even due out until next fall. So if you are like me, disregard the following book report until the entire series is out or else, like me, you will let it fester in the back of your mind, day in and day out, until you can finally put it to rest - which only happens when you have finished the entire story.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is a thrilling novel that you just won't be able to put down. Again, this book was outside my norm because it is set in the future, possibly post-apocalyptic.

I am not even real sure how to describe the contents of this book, especially in a way to do the book justice. America has been reduced to 12 districts and a Capitol. The districts are spread far and wide away from the Capitol and the farther away a district is, the poorer the district proves to be.

Katniss, a 16-year-old girl lives in District 12, the district in charge of mining coal and the furthest away from the Capitol, where starvation is a way of life. Years ago, Katniss lost her father in a mining accident and was thus placed in the leadership role of her family, she has been forced to provide for her mother and her 12-year-old sister.

The actual Hunger Games are the Capitol's way of letting the districts know who is in charge. An annual event and one that scarily resembles our obsession with reality television, The Hunger Games force each district to provide one male and one female between the ages of 12 and 18 to take part in a brutal event where in the end only one person is to remain standing.

After Katniss's 12-year-old sister's name is drawn, Katniss jumps up to volunteer in her place; and this is where the real action begins.

As I stated earlier, I hate that I fell into the trap of yet another series of novels; but having said that, The Hunger Games was truly a great read. An entertaining page turner and I am anxiously awaiting book two (and however many happen to follow after that).