This month, the Tots100 Book Club invited ten bloggers to share their favourite books with the world, and I thought I’d take the opportunity to share one of my new favourite novels with my blog readers.
You know you’ve found a new favourite book when you feel sad when you’re getting towards the end of the story. And then there’s that exciting moment of realising it’s part of a series – and you end up devouring all the books in a week.
That’s JUST how I felt about Twilight.
Just kidding.
But it is how I felt about The Hunger Games, another young adult fiction series, which tells the tale of a teenage girl Katniss, who is thrown into a government-sponsored gladiatorial competition called The Games, where she must fight other children to the death, until only one is left standing.
I loved The Hunger Games because it has some smart observations about reality TV, fashion and beauty. It's inescapably violent and chilling, a cocktail of Lord of the Flies, the Handmaid's Tale, Running Man and Big Brother.
The Hunger Games trilogy is, on one level, a love story, but this is no sparkly story of sappy adoration, and it's certainly not sexy, or titillating. Instead, Katniss is fiercely independent and about as far from ‘needy’ as it’s possible to get.
And she kicks ass- literally and in gruesome detail. Rather than relying on ‘traditional female strengths’ to survive, Katniss physically overpowers, outmanoeuvres and destroys her opponents – there’s a fair bit of violence in the books, but it never feels gratuitous.
The Tots100 Book Club is about sharing stories, and so we’ll be sending a copy of all the recommended books to other bloggers, who will in turn share their own favourite books with the community. I’d like to recommend The Hunger Games to Merry at Patch of Puddles because I hope she’ll enjoy it – and so will her girls!
This is a great book. I loved it. I haven’t read the last one in the series as I’ve heard a few mixed reviews on this but I will get to it. What a great choice and just in time for the film coming out. Hope Merry enjoys.
I enjoyed the third book and in the context of the trilogy it makes a more logical conclusion than Breaking Dawn to Twilight (admittedly, not hard, but…)
I love love love this book and managed to rope my best friend into reading it recently and we’re REALLY looking forward to the movie in March!!
I also got my hubby (a non-reader!) to read it and he also loved it!
I’ve heard a lot of great stuff about this book. I must admit I’ve not been sold on it up to now, but seeing your review and Susan’s comment, I’ve added it to my never decreasing ‘to be read’ list.
Hi! Found you via the LAB showcase. I’ve read the first 2 in the trilogy and agree The Hunger Games kicks Twilight’s ass! Do you know it’s been made into a film? I’m not sure when it’s out – at a guess, this year or next.
Woah woah woah WOAH! Now admittedly I haven’t read The Hunger Games but there’ll be mo dissing Twilight when Mammasaurus is in the room and that’s a fact!