My Thoughts On "The Hunger Games"

Source:  Goodreads

Suzanne Collins
Source:  www.suzannecollinsbooks.com

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I knew nothing about The Hunger Games until I started blogging last year.  Then it was every where.  It seemed like every blog I visited had reviewed this book, and it was on all the must read lists.  My sister and I both love to read and we trade book recommendations back and forth, and I love to buy her books for any occasion...birthdays, Mother's Day, Christmas, just because.  I bought her The Hunger Games, and she liked it.  So over the next few months I bought her the the other two books in the series.  But I still hadn't read it.

Then I read a post on one of my favorite blogs, Susie's Blog.  She had recently read The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and was in the middle of Mockingjay.  She had good things to say, so I decided it was time to read them.  Plus I had just signed up for this awesome reading challenge I'm doing for 2012, and the genre for January is Juvenile/YA fiction.  It just seemed like the time to read it.

Let me just say that I did not expect to love this book as much as I do.  From the very first page I was hooked and couldn't put it down.  I love character driven books, and man oh man is Katniss a character.  I just love her.  Suzanne Collins gives her such an authentic voice.  It feels like someone is telling you their story.  I totally forgot I was reading a book.  Nothing felt forced to me.

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I cannot wait until the movie comes out in March, and just for fun I thought I'd add the preview to my post.

Book Bloggers Appreciation Week: Community

Book Blogger Appreciation Week kicks off today!  It runs from September 12 thru September 16.  You can find out more about BBAW by clicking HERE.

Today's topic is Community, and I'm going to take this opportunity to highlight a blogger whose blog I love and who has encouraged me.

The blogger I'd like to talk about is Susie at Susie's Blog.  I found her blog by accident not long after I decided to start blogging myself.  I was looking around at all kinds of blogs trying to decide what I liked and didn't like to see what direction I wanted to go with my own blog.


The first thing I noticed about her blog was the beautiful picture of a flower garden at the top of her blog, and then I read her "About Me" section, and I knew that I was interested in what she had to say.  I immediately came across a book on her blog that I was very interested in reading, and it was one I would never have read other wise.  Reading it opened my eyes to all the great books I've been missing.  It was The Secret History by Donna Tartt.

Source:  http://www.goodreads.com/

Susie was the fourth subsciber to my blog (and the first besides my husband, my daughter, and my sister), and I was so excited.  I didn't know if anyone would be interested in what I had to say.  I am a wife, a mom, and a high school graduate.  The only qualifications I have to be a book blogger is that I fill my life and my daughter's life with books, I am a Mom of a bookworm, and I have loved books my entire life.  I knew from the beginning that mine would not be a scholarly approach...I share stories from my life, my opinions, and my passion for books.  The fact that someone as smart and educated as Susie would take the time to look at my blog and even comment was so encouraging as I struggled to start my blog.  Susie isn't just a great blogger.  She is smart, fair, compassionate, and just an all around awesome person.  I always learn so much from her.

Susie was interested in what I had to say, and that has meant so much to me.

Thanks Susie!

Check out Susie's blog by clicking HERE.