the hunger games.

okay, quick summary– the book (well, the first book) is about a group of kids who are forced to fight to the death on live tv in the annual hunger games, which serve as a reminder to the nation that the capitol is in charge.

yeah.

initially, i was a little skeptical about reading it, for obvious reasons. i saw a preview for the movie a while ago and, while i was intrigued enough to want to see the movie, i didn't feel like i needed to read the book.

and then, a few weeks ago, i was online (okay, i was on tumblr) and i saw a few posts about it that made me change my mind. i think it was a combination of finding out that there are actually three books in the series (which tells me it's probably about more than kids trying to kill each other to survive) and finding out that the movie doesn't come out until march (which is plenty of time to read the book), but i decided to go for it.

when the guy behind the counter saw my selection, he made a comment about how great the series is. it reminded me of that time i bought twilight and the man asked me, "you're only buying the first one?" this guy, like the man who sold me twilight, obviously knew i wasn't going to just stop after the first book. but, honestly, i was really wondering if i would end up back at the store a few days later to return it.

instead, i was back at the store a few days later to purchase the next two books, just as the guy behind the counter could've predicted.

it took me less than a week to read all three books. there is just something about the story and the way it's written and the characters–i fell in love with them. and, while i knew basic elements to the story from the movie previews, i knew nothing else about it. so i was reading and discovering and not knowing what to expect. it was such a fun experience to do it that way.

of course, i would say more about it (i could talk for hours about these books!) but i don't want to give too much away. although, i will say this. it's not your typical feel-good story. it's real (while also science-fiction) and it's harsh and some parts are funny but other parts are heartbreaking. after i finished reading them, i felt like i needed days to recover. especially since i read through them all so quickly.

so, now that it's been a week since i finished them, i feel like it's an appropriate time to post about it. and maybe start reading them all over again.