Hunger Games

Hi. My name is Tracy and I'm addicted to reading.

I know you don't believe it. But it's true...ask any of my friends. When I encounter a new book I literally devour it. I have no concept of time. Sleeping and eating become meaningless. I can seriously become so absorbed that I will spend an entire day reading the book. When I discover a new author, I become obsessed with the thrill of tracking down everything that person has ever written. (Do they have programs for people like me??)

Anyway, my current passion (aka obsession) is the Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins.
My dear friend and librarian, Jenny, mentioned it to me while I was visiting her mid-February. I just happened to drop by a bookstore to purchase it later that week. I read the first chapter one night, a few chapters the following night, and then finally stayed up unreasonably late to finish it.
Immediately remorse set in....why had I not purchase the second book in the series when I bought the first one?!?!? Luck would have it that I needed to make a quick stop by Walmart and they just happened to have a copy of Catching Fire on the shelf.

I often tell my friends about the latest book I read and how much I loved it, but rarely do I strongly persuade others to read it. In the last month and a half, I have successfully turned 5 of my friends into avid fans.

What, you ask, makes this book so great?
Well...it heart-wrenching and fast-paced. The premise is despicable, but the characters are charming. You ache for a happy ending, while realizing that it isn't possible. Just when things can't get any more painful, another unexpected twist changes the entire direction of the book. It shows injustice at its worst, addresses the superificiality of our culture, questions the nature of government, but still manages to encompass love, hope, and all that is good in our world.

Please read it. And to save yourself the pain - buy both books at the same time. Oh...and the second one will leave you hanging, but feel free to join me while I wait in line to buy the third one on August 24th. :)