About a month ago, Rachel and I had been talking about what we’d been reading. The list included The Help, Water for Elephants, and other best-sellers turned movies. She then made the recommendation that changed my life.
“You should read The Hunger Games,” she said. She explained the premise of the book. It’s set in the future and the US is not as we know it today. Instead, there are 12 districts and a Capitol that rules everyone. There had been an uprising by the districts against the Capitol that failed, so as punishment, the Capitol forced each district to send a boy and a girl to fight in The Hunger Games each year. It didn’t really sound like my kind of book, but she insisted that I had to read it, saying she was hesitant at first too. “The only thing I didn’t like about it is that there are only 3 books,” she ended.
I decided to try to get through the first book before the movie comes out later this month, but kept putting off downloading it to my Kindle. I had trouble motivating myself to get started. Luckily, JD had already started reading it on his iPad and was able to share it with me on my Kindle, so I gave in and started reading.
I’m a fast reader, but I typically only read 1-2 (short) chapters per night (maybe less for books with longer chapters), because that’s enough to put me to sleep.
Enter Hunger Games. I flew through the entire first book in less than a week, because once I started reading, I was so enthralled by the story I couldn’t stop. I actually had to make myself stop each night so that I could go to sleep at a decent hour. Now, I am halfway through the third book, and forcing myself to slow down so that I can draw it out a bit, because I know that when I’m done with this book, there will be no more.
Yes, there’s action and suspense in the books that keep you interested, but there’s something more about it that I’m not sure I can explain. You feel like you lived it, or want to live it, or are afraid of living it…. or something…. and end up haunted, craving more.
I don’t usually get sucked into pop culture obsessions cough<Twilight>cough. Probably the most excited I’ve ever been for a book, movie, or TV show is when Sons of Anarchy starts its new season on FX each fall, but even that doesn’t compare to how much I loved these books and how excited I am for the movie to come out. So excited, in fact, that I bought pre-sale tickets for opening weekend (and it takes a lot for JD and I to pay to see something in the theater at all).
Now for the part that really makes me a huge dork. I bought a necklace off Etsy that's related to the books.
*Pausing to allow the full weight of my dorkiness to sink in*
I never want to take it off.
To be fair, I didn’t seek it out; I stumbled across a “mockingjay” necklace while looking at some other jewelry one day and got curious about what else was out there. Then I found this necklace, saw the charm that was stamped with “girl on fire” and fell in love with it.
Now that I've successfully made you all believe I am crazy and obsessive, I'll leave you with this thought. Read the books. They will change your life... and possibly your jewelry collection.
Okay, the series will have to go on my reading list now. I've been hearing people talk about it, but haven't paid that much attention because there's so much out there that I can't be getting into every fad. But I've been known to get sucked into things, so this might be my next *thing*.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I know your reading list is long, but if you can get through at least the first book soon, that would be good. I'd hate for you to hear a spoiler once the movie comes out :)
DeleteI do plan on reading the books! I'm curious after hearing so much about them.
ReplyDeleteHey Jenny--heard about the bracelet that Rachel got too. I'm happy you liked the series as much as I and Rachel did. I think it was her that turned me onto it by telling me that she bought it with the other books, but it's been so long since then that I don't remember esp since it took her so long to read it herself after she got it. Anyhow, looking forward to the movie!
ReplyDeleteSunshine