Do You Remember Your First Encounter With Hunger? As in Hunger Games?
I still stumble upon book bloggers who are just now getting into the series by Suzanne Collins, or some that haven't read it yet. Those bloggers normally say it doesn't seem like the book for them. But you know what? It is, it is, the book for you. And you. And you over there, with the messy desk and runny nose.
Hunger Games is amazing.
So I want to know, how'd you hear about it? When did you discover it?
I read Hunger Games when it first came out. I'm am proud to say that I helped build the band wagon, jumped on it and have been driving it all over the world trying to get people to read it since. I actually heard about Hunger Games long before I was a book blogger. Stephenie Meyers, yes the author of Twilight, mentioned HG on her website before it came out. It sounded like Battle Royale meets The Lottery, so I picked it up as soon as it was released.
Like in Battle Royale, kids must battle to the death, and only one can be the winner. BR was made into a movie, and later a series of manga. I'd definitely recommend it, although it's even more violent than Hunger Games.
Battle Royale by Koushun TakamiFrom Goodreads:
Koushun Takami's notorious high-octane thriller is based on an irresistible premise: a class of junior high school students is taken to a deserted island where, as part of a ruthless authoritarian program, they are provided arms and forced to kill one another until only one survivor is left standing. Criticized as violent exploitation when first published in Japan - where it then proceeded to become a runaway bestseller - Battle Royale is a Lord of the Flies for the 21st century, a potent allegory of what it means to be young and (barely) alive in a dog-eat-dog world. Made into a controversial hit movie of the same name, Battle Royale is already a contemporary Japanese pulp classic, now available for the first time in the English language
Of course Stephen King has covered this ground too- in a couple novellas like The Running Man and The Long Walk.
So even though I didn't think Hunger Games was a unique idea, I was impressed at the dystopian world that Collins created. Katniss is a fantastic heroine, one that I believe will go down with the Scout's and Elizabeth Bennet's of literary history. Yes, like in Twilight, there is a love triangle. But it's not the main focus, and it adds to story and it's never really a full blown love triangle. Katniss, Peeta and Gale have other things on their minds than just hooking up. Like surviving. And while there were Team Peeta and Team Gale people (for the record I was Team Gale), it was pretty tame. It's possible to like both guys, for instance even though I liked Gale it was mostly because I thought Peeta could do better. ;)
I am so excited for the movie, the previews are amazing. Tickets are already purchased for the 12:20 showing. My friend Kim from On The Wings of Books, talked me out of wearing an evening gown, dousing it with gasoline and setting myself on fire to achieve Katniss' girl on fire look. Most movie theaters have pesky fire codes. And I'm not trying to die before the movie starts.
Maybe I'll just wear gray clothes and skip dinner so that I arrive hungry. Dressing up for Hunger Games isn't as easy as Harry Potter or Rocky Horror, that's for sure.
great piece. I discovered Hunger games due to the promotion of bloggers like you :) I actually had already read and watched battle royale as well, I'm so excited for the movie :)
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ReplyDeleteI didn't start The Hunger Games until after the second book came out even though i had purchased the first book when it first came out. Because my family moved to Greece and i couldn't always find the books i wanted (in English) here, whenever i went to the States (usually every summer) i would stock up on books. So that summer when the Hunger Games were out, the cover and the description intrigued me so i bought it, but then for some reason i couldn't start it :S I was reading other books and had school work and it kind of just lay there. Then, next summer i went back to the states and saw Catching Fire on the shelves and something just made me buy it (even though i hadn't read the first book) after purchasing it i had to wait until vacation was over and i returned to Greece becasue i hadn't taken the first book with me. After about a month i decided to start the series and OMG i literally wanted to kick myself for not having started it the first time and i also wanted to hug myself and cheer that i bought the second book :P It's one of my favorite series and I do believe that Katniss will go down with so many classic female heroins. It's so rare to read a YA book these days where the heroin is really, truly independent and dynamic. I'm crossing my fingers that the movie does as much justice to the book as possible, it's not rare for a movie to completely destroy the book. Also, i'm afraid that, just like Twilight, after the movie the characters will be exploited and over-commercialized. This is really something i fear because that's exactly what made me HATE Twilight even though i was a fan of the series before the movies.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting post :)
I didn't read Hunger Games until after the release of Mockingjay. Someone, I won't mention any names here, would not stop talking about this book. This person was gushing about this book in a Harry Potter like manner. I had zero interest in reading this book (kids killing kids? no thanks). But since this anonymous person wouldn't stop gushing and raving I decided to read the book just so next time I could tell her to stop gushing about it cause it's not nearly as good as Harry Potter.
ReplyDeleteThis plan totally backfired. I purchased Hunger Games for my ereader and read it in one sitting and immediately purchased Catching Fire and Mocking Jay. I finished all 3 books within a week.
So, even though I couldn't tell this person to stop gushing, I could gush instead, which is much more fun!
I guess I should also thank Kate for making such a GREAT recommendation. :)
I first heard about Hunger Games through reviews by some book bloggers that peaked my interest. Both my husband and I loved this series and look forward to seeing the movie. I was a team Gale person too--because Peeta was too good for her.
ReplyDeleteI read it pretty early. Certainly long before the release of Catching Fire. I am dressing up as Octavia! Which reminds me. I need to buy my green wig. :)
ReplyDeleteI found out about The Hunger Games because Courtney and a couple of other girls in my book club had read it. So I read it, and then Catching Fire, and then Mockingjay was a kind of neutral pick (not one specific person in the book club's pick) once it came out. We all love the series and can't wait to go see the movie!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I don't know what the heck we're going to do about dressing up... Jeremy and I made Harry Potter shirts for the last film, but I don't know if we'll do anything this time around. I'll have to think about that!