Monday, October 11, 2010

Jenny Jerkface's Book Rec: The Hunger Games


On Thursday, I was farting around on Twitter and I kept hearing mention of a story called The Hunger Games. As usual, I'm a dollar short and a day late so I thought it was a fan fic but it wasn't until one of our wonderful readers sent me a link to the Wiki site that I actually started to get interested, because that shit sounded right up my alley.


From Wikipedia:
The Hunger Games (2008) is a young-adult science fiction novel written by Suzanne Collins. It was originally published in hardcover on September 14, 2008 by Scholastic.[1] It is the first book of the Hunger Games trilogy.[2] It introduces sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives in a post-apocalyptic world in the country of Panem where North America once stood. This is where a powerful government working in a central city called the Capitol holds power. In the book, the Hunger Games are an annual televised event where the Capitol chooses one boy and one girl from each district to fight to the death. The Hunger Games exist to demonstrate not even children are above the Capitol's power.
Fight to death? Why, I do that every day when I commute to work!! I'm in!

By Friday I managed to get a copy of the series (there are actually three books, Catching Fire and Mockingjay being the other two) and... I could not fucking put it down. At all. I tore through all three books by Sunday afternoon, when I finally looked up, blinked a bunch of times, and realized my house was still in shambles because I did nothing but read for three days straight.



Sound kinda familiar??? It was sort of like what I did with Twilight. Okay, it was exactly what I did with the Twilight saga.

Seriously, folks, this series is excellent. It's well written and meticulously thought out. In short, this is some really flawless writing. Suzanne Collins deserves all the accolades she's received about the series. And then some more.

I'll be totally honest, however. This is a heavy trilogy. There is loss, violence, oppression and a whole slew of painful and/or uncomfortable situations covered. It's like 1984's Big Brother met The Lottery and they had a threesome with Death Race 2000. Or something like that.

There were definitely times where I found myself perched on the edge of my seat, whispering, "no, no, no, NOOO!!". And yes, there may have been tears involved, too.

The Mockingjay

I love Twilight for all the various reasons we've stated on this blog for the past eighteen months. It's a love story, a happily-ever-after, and it hits that emotional soft spot in such a way that just feels too fucking good to NOT read it.

The Hunger Games got under my skin because it is the exact opposite of what I described above. The characters are multi-faceted and they are not all perfect--not in the least--but you love them anyway, even for their very real flaws, or in part because of them. The action scenes have you on the edge of your seat and it's gritty and bleak and you find yourself rooting for people you never thought you would. But most of all, you hope that everything will turn out all right for Katniss and her family and friends.

And that's kind of the point, I think. Hope.

So if you haven't been grabbed in a stranglehold by anything non-twi-related in years and want to go back to that time when you were feigning digestive maladies just to spend twenty five extra minutes in the john reading, check this trilogy out and let us know what you think.

But PLEASE -- no spoilers in the comments!! Or STY will hunt you down, kill you, and hide your remains next to the moose meat in LKW's freezer.

72 comments:

  1. Wow...you read that fast! I was the same way...couldn't put it down.

    "I'll be totally honest, however. This is a heavy trilogy. There is loss, violence, oppression and a whole slew of painful and/or uncomfortable situations covered."
    You totally nailed it! It's not fluffy at all...but it's soooo good! You know they're making these into movies right?? Can't wait to see who they cast!

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  2. Oddly enough, I JUST started reading this series today. I'm already 100+ pages in, and I feel much the same way... I want just five more minutes. It's not with the same hunger I read Twilight, but it's still good nonetheless.

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  3. OME sooo glad you are recommending this series!!! I have been wrapped up in hungergameworld for like a month. Got Mom hooked - I'm actually waiting for a crying phone call from her *tonight* when she finishes the
    series. Looooved it!

    Know what I want to suggest for a post? You ladies are intelligent and have good taste (err, well similar to mine anyway.) Would love a post and comments of book recommendations. I am always looking for good reading material! winkwink

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  4. I am usually a lurker here but I gotta comment on this. I lovveee this series. It is just so well written and waiting for Mockingjay was painful. I am so excited for the movies and so glad that Suzanne Collins herself will be doing the screenplays. The only character that I see on my mind is Philip Seymour Hoffman playing Haymitch. I want the lead actors to be relative unknown. Although, I must say, I did picture Stewie as Katniss cause she's athletic and tomboyish but she needs to get a tan. Nahh, she is too old for this.

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  5. I'll read this when they make a movie from it starring RPattz....slurp! Until then, I'll wait for Water for Elephants and Bel Ami.

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  6. Love these books! I first read Hunger games not long after it came out, and waiting a year in between each of the others was fucking TORTURE! I almost wish I had been late to the bandwagon so I could have devoured them in one sitting. :) Aw, who am I kidding, I wouldn't give up my many rereads waiting for each release!

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  7. Ditto, loved it. The ladies over at Trixie and Tess recommended this a few months back. I just finished it while in Forks, actually!! I love YA fiction that really treats young people like they see themselves (as I vaguely remember).

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  8. I loved the Hunger Games so much, I had my 12 year old daughter read it, then my husband.

    My husband actually got so into the series, he read Catching Fire on a sunday night till like 4am and then called in sick the next day because he was tired. (Yeah, he got in trouble with me for that one.)

    And for the record, and not that it matters... I was always Team Peeta. My sister is Team Gale and we aren’t speaking right now. I’m making her read another book, so she doesn’t piss me off.

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  9. I just started Hunger Games last wk and I'm half through Catching Fire!! Sooooo good!!! <3 Peeta!

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  10. This is a fantastic, engrossing trilogy - good rec!!

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  11. Great series. A librarian friend of mine recommended it. I read the first 2 books in 24 hours then waited impatiently for Mockingjay. I love the Twilight Saga, for the fluffy-lovey parts. I have always had a problem with how it ends, Bella never has loss never sacrifices. Not that I am all about the angst, but come on no one in life gets EVERYTHING they want without having some sort of hardship (and really did Bella REALLY have hardship, she gets a baby, keeps her family, her best friend and marries the hottest man alive). That is why I love The Hunger Games...Katniss is kick ass, tough, and a survivor (yeah for the girl power) and she isn't all whiny. Katniss is my kind of female character.

    If you haven't read it, stop now and go get this series. You will not regret it.

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  12. This series is next for me. Right now, I'm on book 7 of the Black Dagger Brotherhood and woohoo are they good. Same thing, can't get anything done, just want to read one more chapter and next thing I know I have a splitting headache cuz I went and read the whole damn book in one sitting! These have some of the best lemony goodness scenes I've read, and what with all the fanfic I've been reading lately, that's a lot of lemony goodness. This is another vampire mythology with vampire slayers and smyphaths (you'll see what they are) these vampires feed from each other, not humans, males feed from females and vice versa and there's an intense sexual component to the feeding - youza, youza there is. You find these books in the Romance section of the bookstore, a section I never, ever sought out, but suck it up (pun intended, Bwahahah!) and go get them. I think a post with book rec's would be a great idea while we wait the year or two for them to bring on BD 1 & 2.

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  13. I literally devoured this series and I absolutely loved all the characters.

    I can't say too much without treading dangerously close to being a spoiler but I do have to say something because it's killing me.

    DON'T READ THIS BEYOND THIS LINE IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE BOOK!!!! JUST TO BE EXTRA SPECIAL CONSCIENCE OF SPOILING.


    I have a soft spot in my heart for Gale. Because if I were any character, I think I would be him.

    Okay, not really a spoiler but... STY lives a couple of blocks from me. Didn't want to take the chance.

    If you guys liked this series, I strongly suggest you check out Philip Pullman's trilogy His Dark Materials. http://www.randomhouse.com/features/pullman/

    It was another series that was all consuming for me.

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  14. Um, extra special CONSCIENCE of spoiling??? I'm going to fucking bed. lol.

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  15. Glad you liked it, and passed me up! LOL I started reading it before Forks but couldn't get into it. Maaaaybe my mind was focused elsewhere ;) Then, I forgot to take it with me on the place, otherwise I know I would have finished it pre-Forks. Anyhoo, I picked it back up and am super into it...I have just about 50 pages left, then it's on to the next one.

    PS...you read SUPER FAST. That is all.

    xo J

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  16. That was supposed to say "I forgot to take it with me on the PLANE to Seattle." Gaaah.

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  17. Luurve the Hunger Games! I haven't read the 3rd book yet tho.. waiting for my friend to finish w/ it-- (poor student here). But I'm pretty psyched for the movie! Can you imagine how great of a movie this'll make?!.. The whole world Collins has created! And the action! Can't wait! And I think this is good news too: the author is actually writing or helping write the screenplay. Don't THINK this is a spoiler.. but I'm am still scratching my head o'er why the hell President Snow's breath smells of blood?! Ugh I need to get my hands on Mockingjay NOW!

    @myinnergoddess: A few friends of mine have been badgering me for months to read something other than FF, the BDB series. I'm reading Dark Lover right now! I'm finally learning some of the BDB jargon that my friends toss around all the time lol!

    OT: So are all y'all making another pilgrimage to Forks next year???.. Cos I want in!

    Lux

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  18. I love the "Hunger Games" series; never once did I think about ripping any of the books it in half, nor did I throw it across the room because it made absolutely no frakkin' sense, nor did I yell WTF at weird and frak' up relationships. Nope not once.

    I'm grateful for the "Twilight" series for the joy it brought me at a very hard time in my life, I'm grateful because the "Twilight" series introduced me to some truly amazeball people. But the "Twilight" series doesn't make my mind smile with it's brilliance like the "Hunger Games" series.

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  19. Oh fuck me with a driftwood dick. I have no time to pick it up right now. I'm reading two books for book clubs (I am SO an adult) and another because it's NOT my book club books.

    I will keep it in mind, though.

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  20. Fight to the death? Not sure I'm into anything that deep... but has anyone hear read the Clan of the Cave Bear series? The 6th and last book is finally coming out. I can't imagine the twidom waiting 10 years between books... but I guess she did the first four in 10 years so it wasn't that big a wait... at least at first. In any case, it's been so long since I've read the series I'm starting again from the beginning.

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  21. I feel like I should have told you about these books about a month ago when I found them..they are my new obsession too. Found some decent fanfiction but still looking for good recs. Loved these and so glad you loved them too! ;-)

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  22. HOORAY!!! I'm so glad you loved the series too!! I found it as consuming as the rest of you did. Waiting, and waiting and waiting for Mockingjay to be released was simply torture. And the first thing I did on August 24...before even having breakfast..but after putting on a bra and brushing my teeth, was to run out and buy it.

    Pimpy and I not only had a running commentary of texts and emails flying back and forth that day, but there were even pics sent of ourselves reading...

    To say I love these books is and understatement. Can't wait for STY to HURRY UP AND READ THEM so we can all have a discussion about them...

    And may the odds be EVER in your favor!

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  23. My daughter bought HG when it first came out. It was like Twilight--I totally fell in love all over again! Unlike Twilight, I had to wait a year for each book. We were in San Fran on vaca when Mockingjay came out. The next day, we took a 13 hour train ride down to LA, and I didn't look up from the book except to go potty and dinner--and maybe to check out the coast whizzing by a little. Co-workers and I fangirl over HG! I've loaned it out to everyone, and I plan on getting the box because I'm odd that way. Well-written is really an understatement. Can't wait to discuss!

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  24. I've read this trilogy, liked it but didn't love it. I probably shouldn't tell you there is fanfiction too! I'm starting to wonder why I only seem to read young adult fiction these days. I can also recommend the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare.

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  25. 100% in love. Have to say the writing and character development is so much better than.....well you know. I too read right after the first came out and had to wait agonizingly between each, but then again I didn't have to for Twilight, read those all in one swoop so I guess it's fair. I even went to the bookstore at midnight to get Mockingjay......yup me and 50 12 year olds.....awesome! Whatever, I am used to it at this point. Sometimes I throw out the "I'm a middle school teacher" to make myself look a little less pathetic.
    So there is some really awesome fanfic around this and when I have a little more time I will rec some of my favs. No spoilers but there is a great one for what happens the months right after mockingjay....super good.
    Kelly

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  26. Hurray! The kids I work with have been raving about these books for months now. And I was thinking how good they sounded but I wasn't sure. I'm totally in now! Yay new books :)

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  27. I didn't read the comments....I am too worried I will be spoiled. I am halfway through Mockingjay. Holy shit I love this series! I really don't want it to be over. Though I have heard there are some decent one shot fanfics cropping up.

    This story is so unbelievably good. Truly I think everyone should read it. I wish it wasn't listed as YA because I know that turns some people off...not this group obviously but those other normal people out there. I am going to insist that Mr. VitR read this when I am done as I know he will love it.

    "Down With The Capitol!"

    PS. I really, really want a Mockingjay pin. I can't find one online. If anyone knows where you can get one please tell me.

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  28. I really liked this series. I bought the first and second book but they sat on my shelf for at least 2-3 months because I refused to read them until Mockingjay came out. I have too many series going where I'm waiting for the next book so I wasn't starting this one till I had all 3. I think I can say this without it being too much of a spoiler,but I hated it when people I liked started dying. It started reminding me of the last Harry Potter book when people kept getting killed off! And the last 40 pages of Mockingjay..WTF??? I was in tears!! STY please read them soon so we can all discuss!!

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  29. I love this trilogy almost as much as i love Twilight. Despite the big ball of depressed I was after finishing mockingjay. I'm pretty sure i cried all the way through Mockingjay. Thank god i finishied it in less then one day because i couldn't really explain why i was crying the a baby, curled up in the fetal position under my desk. But i can't wait until we can discuss this book here. So what are you waiting for, get to reading!

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  30. Yes yes yes! I just finished the trilogy about 2 weeks ago after reading all 3 in a weekend. I love this series as much as Twilight but for very different reasons. Can't wait to see the casting for the movie...RPattz as Finnick anyone?? I also heard a suggestion for Josh Holloway (Sawyer) as Haymitch. Picture it. Mind blowing right?

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  31. "Real or not real?"...perhaps my favorite line in fiction after finishing Mockingjay! I'm so excited you ladies are on the bandwagon with this series. I teach The Hunger Games to my 8th grade Reading class and it is a book that hooks them, teaches them important themes, and a great model for exceptional fiction writing. Kids who've never finished an entire book in their whole lives are reading all three Hunger Games novels...it's my way of tricking them to READ by only providing the first book. Although violent, 13 year olds can easily identify Collins's message and will defend HUNGER GAMES to the death, if it is under attack my school personnel. I've yet to have a student NOT love this book. We do so much fun stuff with it (I even dress up like Katniss to introduce it), and we are nutso about the movie currently in the works! My blog has lots of posts about The Games, but I thought you might appreciate some of the "fan t-shirts" my students created for their final projects last year. They had to accompany the shirts with an essay that describes the important themes their shirt represents from the book, as well. Such creative stuff! http://lenzilikesit.blogspot.com/2010/06/fan-of-hunger-games-check-out-more-of.html The shirts are fantastic!

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  32. Hunger Games is an awesome series. It can be read on so many levels. It kind of reminds me of the Amazing Race, Survivor, and Lord of the Flies. And it gets kids reading, so it's got to be good.

    When you're done with the YA books, look here:

    Here are some more recs -
    Karen Monings - Highlander series - gets really good around book 4 - hot and steamy. Her Fever series is awesome, but is more urban fantasy and each book ends in a cliff hanger. 5 books, last book is available Jan18.

    Black Dagger Brotherhood - 8 books so far, 9th on the way. Big hunky brother vampires, not at all like Edward.

    Night Huntress series by Jeaniene Frost. Bones is her vampire and is oh, so sexy. Ch32 in the 2nd book is hot!

    Urban fantasy with a hot shape shifter lion - Magic Bites/the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews. First book is hard to get into but Curran is so worth it.

    Storm Born by Richelle Mead - Dorian is a very sexy fae king.

    That should keep you guys busy.

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  33. I have to admit, I'm one of those people who waited until Mockingjay was out before bothering to touch The Hunger Games (I've been reading another series for--literally--the last 20 years because of publishing waits. Not signing up for that again without notice). Soooo glad I waited, because like many of you, I burned through the series in a couple of days. Then sat shell-shocked. And am now a big Hunger Games Trilogy flag waver... though the fact that these books are Scholastic Press and YA is shocking to me. Apparently blatant sex is a no-no for Scholastic but violence is open game? Whatever, the themes are important. I'm also a flag waver for teens reading Picoult's Nineteen minutes for anti-bullying purposes...

    There's going to be a MOVIE?! I'm in! :)


    BAHA, my captcha is "milita"... so close to militia. XD

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  34. lolashoes did a great oneshot off Mockingjay. I'm only into Twilight FF--I don't need anymore FF to be addicted to, but I checked this one out. AWESOME!! Great writer.

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  35. My daughter finished book 1 on the plane to FOOOORKS and handed it to me. Just finished book 3 and I am still breathless. This series totally sucked me in and hasn't let go. Anyone see similarities to our other obsession???

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  36. So glad you are reccing more non-Twilight books! I completely devoured the last series you posted about, Women of the Otherworld by Kelley Armstrong. SOOOOOO good!! AND it's got me addicted to Urban Fantasy. It has been hit or miss so far (Kiss of Shadows by Laurell K Hamilton was a HUGE miss for me). Got any more recc's in that genre? I am going to check out some of the books that @ahz1 recommended in her comment. Yay!

    I finished the Hunger Games series a few weeks ago. It wasn't at all what I expected - way heavier - but I absolutely loved it. It is one of those series that makes you see your world a little differently. The His Dark Materials series was similar for me - speaking of which, I am due for my annual read of that soon. It is proving impossible for me to say anything else about the Hunger Games series that wouldn't be a huge spoiler so I'll just say GO READ IT NOW!! YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED!! I think you should do another post about it when STY is caught up so we can have a spoilerific discussion about it! And BTW, the anonymous comment about casting Philip Seymour Hoffman as Haymitch? SPOT ON!!

    Another book I recently read that completely blew my mind was Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. Totally old school sci fi but it easily shot up to one of my favorites of all time.

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  37. SO glad you recommended the Dark Materials trilogy as well - I read those before Twilight and MAN did they suck me in, even more than Hunger Games trilogy did. TOTALLY second JJ's rec of Dark Materials trilogy (Phillip Pullman). GO READ - you won't regret it!

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  38. Hmm, I think I will have to check this series out. I've been hearing about it for a while now and wondered if I'd like it. Someone mentioned casting RPattz and Josh Holloway in the movie. Now, that's a movie that I would love to see! Yummy. So, if those two remind people of the characters in the books, sign me up!

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  39. This may be blasphemous but I can't picture Rob as any of the characters. I can, however, picture Josh Holloway as Finnick. Someone mentioned him above for Haymitch but for some reason I see Finnick! I can't wait to see how the casting unfolds! It's like Twilight all over again! Ah, the good ol days. I can't believe it though. I read twilight before they started casting the movie and I still read something twilight related pretty much every day. The only other thing I've ever shown this much commitment to is my marriage and sometimes that has taken a backseat to twilight. Hehehe

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  40. I loved the first two. My 6th grader's librarian had him reading them and I got interested. Definitely hard to put down. Waiting to read the third one until I can get it for him for the holidays -- and then steal it!
    Interestingly, this is another book that's been marketed to teens/tweens. It's awfully dark for younger kids, but a lot of them seem to like it anyway. Thanks to whoever recommended Black Dagger!
    xoxo

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  41. I read Hunger Games when it came out and then waited around for the others to come out. I LOVED this series!!!!! I think it's that I love Katniss sooooo much.
    I read ALOT of YA books and the ones that stand out in my mind are:

    James Patterson - Maximum Ride series (very easy to read)

    Kristin Cashore - Graceling (also Fire - but I liked Graceling better)

    Richelle Mead - Vampire Academy series(I love Rose Hathaway, she is a kick ass character)

    Cassandra Clare - The Mortal Instruments

    I hope that you get a chance to read these and like them too.

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  42. I swear, you are all my people!!! I just started Hunger Games and am loving it. It's a departure from my usual fare (aka Lots of Sex), but still great. Fanfic Edward could never be replaced :)

    @ahz1 - I've read all of your book recs and agree!

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  43. My 14 year old cousin (the same one who got me hooked on Twilight) told me about Hunger Games. It's an awesome series and I'm wicked excited that it has Twitarded's stamp of approval.

    @JJ--You make me (a native New Yorker) want to move to New Jersey. <----That right there? Is love.

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  44. I love all of you.

    I literally have not stopped thinking about this series since I finished reading it. I will probably go back and read it again(think I said that already)

    @Anonymous - True story - the next chappie of 15 Step will go this week. That is a fact.

    @Erica - That really is love, baby. Right back at ya!

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  45. I love that you read it! I am in love with the series and almost word by word enjoyed it for the same reasons you did. I have written before about your awesome book recommendations and will love you for-freaking-ever for introducing me to Women of the Otherworld.

    Thanks for sharing your experience with this series!!

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  46. Interesting. I will have to pick up a copy soon. It definitely sounds intriguing.
    There's only one question burning my mind though: how come I didn't read YA books when I was a young adult? Or were they just shitty back then, and I enjoyed more jerking off to a Sidney Sheldon book?

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  47. Aw, I love these books. I started hearing a lot about them a few weeks before Mockingjay came out but didn't get around to reading them until about two days before Mj. I devoured them, though, once I started and I'm glad you talked about them here because they are just so great and well-written and they totally suck you in and get you invested in the story and characters.

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  48. I am currently devouring Mocking jay and I am loving every single word. EW had an article last week of who should play the main characters in the movie they will eventually make. Now I'm picturing Silas from WEEDS as Peeta. Rue would be Willow Smith (Will Smith's kid) and I don't recall who they chose as the perfect Gale or Katniss.

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  49. I love HG series so much. I didn't even know about it until Mockinjay came out and it was all over my twitter feed. Got them all in English (last one isn't yet released in Swedish) the same day, and devoured them. It's the first series that has touched me since Twilight (not counting fanfic now, m'kai?), although in an entirely different manner. I'm forcing my teacher colleagues to read it, and when they are done I'll make my mom read it (yeah, she's a teacher too).

    @anonymous #1 I think: Philip Seymour Hoffman playing Haymitch would be perfect!

    @nanomymous # 2-ish something: Clan of the Cavebear - new book? For real? I need to check that out... Read the first ones when I was *ahem* 12 years old.

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  50. OMG YESSSSS! The Hunger Games is amazing! I read the whole series in 3 days! I could not put it down. As soon as I was done, I was like wow, this is better than Twilight! I was consumed! I also tend to get a little carried away at times. I do believe once The Hunger Games develops a fandom, with movies and such, that Twilight is gonna have some competition on their hands! TEAM PEETA!

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  51. Er, have you read the Hunger Games Fanfic? Katniss + Peeta = HAWT!

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  52. Fuckity fuck. My whole freakin' comment got annihilated!

    I totally rec these books to anyone who will listen. They are fuckin' fantabulous!!! The subject matter is heavy and shocking and I'm guessing the books will haunt me for pretty much fucking ever. I'm ok with that. Totally worth it.

    Fanfic - not so much great stuff out there yet from what I've seen but I did like Letters from the Sky by hgfan1111. There are a couple of great one shots too - one by the awesome Lolashoes and another called The Girl and Her Maker by Chicklette. Good stuff. Just be sure you read all three books before diving into the fanfic, natch.

    @JJ - so happy you rec'd this in your post. I got so excited I haven't even read anyone else's comments yet.

    After y'all read Mockingjay go to youtube to listen to a fan's version of the song from that book. The best version I've heard is by alt323. Haunting...

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  53. Crap. Another series that I will get sucked into and will probably systematically take over my world. I've downloaded them, but am trying to hold off until after NaNoWriMo is over at the end of November.

    If I react like JJ did...I'll read them all in 72 hrs or less...it's what I did with Twilight too.

    *sigh*

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  54. I would love to see... Robert Downey Jr as Haymitch

    Katniss should be girl from the new version of True Grit

    No Kstew, sorry she doesn't belong in this movie...

    There are some good blogs/sites that have suggestions for characters, but really to me it seems like they just need ONE big name and the popularity of the book will get everyone in the seats. Suzanne Collins was a TV writer and co-wrote the screen play (hopefully there aren't any 'spider monkey' type lines) if all goes well this will be good. I can't wait and I that book will stick with me for a long time. So many mysteries and characters to think about. And yes STY you need to read, so then we can discuss!

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  55. Wait! What?
    Is there hot monkey sex in these books?

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  56. I MOTHERFUCKING LOVE THIS SERIES!

    I finished Catching Fire at 2 am on a Tuesday, and immediately texted Toefunny, saying, "Was this book laced with crack? Because it kind of feels like it was laced with crack. Am I on crack now? AM I?!?!"

    Anything else I have to say would reiterate what's already been said but THESE BOOKS ROCK MY WORLD SO HARD.

    I highly suggest the commentary over at http://www.foreveryoungadult.com/

    Super awesome, super intelligent, and SUPER COMPREHENSIVE HUNGER GAMES commentary. Awesome.

    And I know that Toey mentioned above about our day-long texting commentary while reading Mockingjay but most of it went like this: ZOMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111!!!!! I saved a few particularly awesome ones.

    AND TEAM GALE FOR EVAAAAAAA I love that motherfucker. Come ON. He HUNTS. He leaves the frosting of the fruity little cupcakes to the girly men COUGHPEETACOUGH.

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  57. I LOVE this series! I heard about it from all the damn tweets when "Mockingjay" came out and everyone was all twitterpated about it. I figured I'd give it a go so I bought "Hunger Games" at Wally World - after 2 chapters I downloaded the next two books to my Kindle so I wouldn't have to wait for them and could just get started!

    The way you described them being the exact opposite of everything Twilight related hit the nail on the head. I love the suspense and the not knowing what the hell is coming out of woodwork next.

    Just for the record - I am Team Peeta!

    P.S.-If any of you are looking for the next series to read, definately read the "Black Dagger Brotherhood" - the sex, steaminess, blood and fighting that "Twilight" wasn't!

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  58. I just finished Mockingjay, oh, about 5 minutes ago. I had read the first two awhile back and preordered the 3rd book as soon as I could. I wasn't able to get to it as quickly as I wanted to but once I got into it, it took hold just like the first two. Amazing series. Seriously. And I found out about it thanks to Stephanie Meyer. I mean, first you bring Twilight and RPattz into my life and then the Hunger Games series?!? I will be forever grateful.

    The series will make you feel every possible emotion and it's a helluva ride. And I CANNOT wait until the movie(s) are made. I think a brunette Dakota could be a good Katniss.

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  59. I read this series a few weeks ago and, wow. Yeah, you hit the nail on the head. I originally said it's a little "1984" meets "Brave New World" meets "The Lottery." I will be re-reading it soon.

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  60. Ummm. No-no. I don't think so. The last time someone told me "you've gotta read these books!" [back in Nov. '08], something cataclysmic happened. [Is that a word?] And I'm not over it yet!

    Two years later - I'm still having cataclysms thinking about HIM every day! OK I know that's not a word. But you know what I mean.

    For God's sake, woman! I just flew all the way across the country to visit the holy land in the pacific northwest! Have mercy! One obsession is enough!

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  61. *shaking fists angrily* DAMN YOU JJ! DAMN YOU!!! ARGH!!

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  62. And by DAMN YOU! I mean FUUUCCCKKK the book is good.

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  63. This is supposed to be the next saga expected to be as big as Twilight.

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  64. While we're on the subject of book recommendations, I've just finished reading a REALLY good series called ""The chronicles of Vladimir Tod" by Heather Brewer - it's about a teenage boy vampire & they're really engrossing and well written. The first is called "8th grade sucks"

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  66. YES!!! THANK YOU JJ for this rec!!!! After reading this, I bought and devoured all three books and now am getting my friends bitten too!!

    SO SO SO freaking good. Collins is a mastermind.

    I can't wait to discuss! Can you do another post after STY reads so we can all be spoilerific?!

    Thanks for all the other book recs, and FF recs! If anyone else has good Hunger Games ff rec I'd love to see them!

    I also love the Black Dagger Brotherhood series - huzzah Rhage! Zsadist! Gahhhh!

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  67. Have to admit, I skimmed this post because I wasn't sure I was too interested. Plus I was kneed deep in Twi fanfic (AU/AH my preferred realm lately). I decided to order The Hunger Games after reading your first paragraph and finall opened them up this weekend. And here.we.go.again!
    I now am convinced the publishing houses are indeed embedding the pages of books with some kind of addictive drug. I finished the series. I loved the series. I am craving the series. I am desperate for more. Searching for blogs, scouring FFN, anything to get a fix. I came late to the Twi party...read the books when the first movie came out and hate to admit...I'm kind of meh about Breaking Dawn (maybe when it gets closer to being real). Now, I just want more Hunger Games and Katniss and Peeta and Gale and Haymitch....I.want.this.movie.NOW! And the studio better not fuck it up! I think I will send them a letter and point out all the fail that happened with the Twi movies. So, JJ, umm, thanks....another time suck for me (but damn do I like it).

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  68. I just finished reading this series. Thanks JJ for the rec. I bought the 1st one just to see and then I bought the 2nd and 3rd ones before I even finished the 1st one. Just excellent writing and storytelling. I can't stop thinking about them. Are we going to have a discussion about them? I've also finished all the Black Dagger Brotherhood books except for the last one and I can't afford to buy it til it comes out in paperback, so I've got 2 of her Fallen Angels books to start. But now I've gotten behind on the latest updates to my favorite fanfics? So many excellent stories to read, so little time, I wish I could figure out a way to go without sleep and to completely avoid RL (damn bills, eating, dishes, housework, etc!)

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  69. Oddly enough, I JUST started reading this series today. I'm already 100+ pages in, and I feel much the same way... I want just five more minutes. It's not with the same hunger I read Twilight, but it's still good nonetheless.

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  70. Wow...you read that fast! I was the same way...couldn't put it down.

    "I'll be totally honest, however. This is a heavy trilogy. There is loss, violence, oppression and a whole slew of painful and/or uncomfortable situations covered."
    You totally nailed it! It's not fluffy at all...but it's soooo good! You know they're making these into movies right?? Can't wait to see who they cast!

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