The year is 2012. The reading Mandi is so inexperienced, given she’s hardly had the time to read books of choice due to the past four years of college. But alas, a new movie is catching everyone’s attention – a movie based on a book. Like a good doobie, Mandi borrows the book from a friend, planning on reading it before seeing the movie. The book is terrible. It’s not her thing. She reads one chapter and forces herself to read a second before returning the book to her friend because, no, this is not a book she can enjoy.
It’s almost seven years later and Mandi finds not just this original book, but the second and third books in that particular series in a Little Free Library. Having grown and, quite frankly, watched everyone else gobble up this series like a feast they can’t deny, Mandi plucks the books from the LFL, putting them in her car for later.
And now… now is later.
Book 5:
The Hunger Games
by Suzanne Collins
Genre:
Young Adult, Fiction, Dystopian
Published:
September 2008
Synopsis According to Mandi:
Without spoilers, The Hunger Games is about Katniss Everdeen’s fight to survive the Hunger Games, an annual, televised event where 24 tributes from the 12 districts of Panem (post-apocalyptic North America) fight to the death. Though Katniss and her male counterpart, Peeta, are up against stronger tributes, each tribute takes their own method of defense and Katniss’ knowledge of basic survival skills may just be the advantage she needs.
Favorite Quote(s):
Though the rating will be high, I can’t say this is an incredibly quotable book other than the obvious, “May the odds be ever in your favor.” I prefer quotes that I want to live by. Quotes that I want to hug. This was the best I could find:
“Kind people have a way of working their way inside me and rooting there.”
– Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games
Awards (based upon my brief research):
This book has won SO MANY awards that, to list them all here, you would either become bored reading them, annoyed you have to scroll so far for the rating, or overwhelmed by how much people have loved it. Want to know the awards it’s won? Google it.
Pages:
374
My Overall Rating:
4 – No, wait, 5. No, 4. Ugh… 5. 2012 Mandi for sure gave it 0 stars. 2019 Mandi gave it 4, rested, and gave it 5. This book is so well written. There is a reason it is this popular, it averages 4.33 on Goodreads and it had a movie made after it. While the main genre – dystopian – isn’t something I was even open to in 2012, it’s still not my favorite genre, yet I can’t complain about a single thing in this book. (That’s a lie. It really bothers me when people say something like, “I’m going to try AND see what I can do,” rather than, “I’m going to try TO see what I can do.” Basic grammatical mistake in most cases unless you’re both trying and seeing and Katniss said it probably 46 times, but I can’t drop a star for something like that.)
The character development was impressive. The plot was beautifully elaborated and engaging. Heartstrings were tugged. And boy, am I glad I grew up.
I will note that I’m also not one for reading series. I can think of a grand total of two that I’ve read in the past – Twilight and Me Before You. I can’t say I’ve been disappointed with those experiences either, it’s just that a series can be a big commitment and my fear is always that each book will get worse and worse as it goes. That being said… on to book two, Catching Fire!
