Hunger Games

This past weekend I was camping (well sort of, we were in a cabin) in the mountains above Cedar City. We had a wonderful time - I just love southern Utah! I brought along Hunger Games to read while there and on the road. I had been waiting months to read it - I requested it from our library a long time ago. But, our library is just so dang popular and the book is equally popular, which created a perfect storm and I had to wait quite a while before it was available.

It was SO worth the wait! I loved this book from start to finish. Suzanne Collins' writing style is no nonsense and to the point, so the book doesn't waste time and moves along nicely. It is a young adult novel, but has surprisingly mature themes and story lines. The setting is startlingly plausible. I constantly found myself in shock at what their society had become, and at the same time evaluating the similarities to our current society. While it was difficult to find a real connection with the characters (I'm not 14 and I don't live in a violent post-apocalyptic dictatorship), I still really enjoyed their journey. There were a couple moments that were predictable, but for the most part the story was very creative and other worldly.

I am very excited for the second one in the series, Catching Fire. It is released September 1, 2009. I requested it from our library - I am #67 in line (almost 2 months ahead of time)! They have 20 copies, so hopefully the wait will move quickly.