It’s been almost a week since I finished reading the Hunger Games and every day I like it more. The story’s been tumbling about in my brain and I can feel it is on the verge of becoming one of my favorite books.
Ten or fifteen years ago the Hunger Games would have been an immediate favorite. It may have even been #1. I would have heavily identified with Katniss’s struggle to survive and the mindset that goes with it (having had to survive and escape a bad home situation as a teen). For most of the last 15 years I’ve been stuck in that survivor’s way of thinking, but that is changing. I can still turn it on when needed, but overall my perspective is starting to return to normal. I still identify with the struggle to survive, but for the first time that isn’t enough for it to be an automatic favorite.
I read almost the entire book in one day last week. Between that and feeling like a zombie (hence my reading all day), I think my opinion of the Hunger Games has been delayed. I didn’t have that time in-between reading sessions to digest what I’d read and decide where it ranks. However, after finishing the book I knew one thing for sure. I knew I wanted to read book #2.
I know I love Katniss’s strength and love of family. I know I love Peeta’s heart and I feel for him. I know that there are profound themes concerning government, innocence, good vs. evil, human nature, and more that I am still processing. I know that all this plus two more books means that there is a very good chance that the Hunger Games trilogy will become one of my favorite book series. It may even join the ranks of my all-time favorite series: the Lioness Rampant and Trickster, the Novels of Tiger and Del, Vampire Knight, Twilight, and Harry Potter.
What did you think of the Hunger Games (no spoilers please!) and what are your favorite book series? I’d love to know. 🙂
