The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

While having a nice dinner with my two nephews (Greg & his son Alec), my fifteen year old nephew Alec asked me if I had read the book, THE HUNGER GAMES.  I had to admit that I had not, and in fact, had not even heard of the book.  Alec said that he was interested in reading the book.  Well, my next stop (after finishing my meal) was Barnes & Nobel bookstore — anytime any teenager is interested in reading, I don't pause!

Once I saw the book display and read the jacket covers, I decided to buy a copy for myself.  Let me say that I am not a big fiction reader UNLESS the book is historical fiction.  I always feel I want to LEARN something.  But due to recommendations from my nieces and nephews, I did read the fictional TWILIGHT series, which I found surprisingly good and very entertaining.

Last evening when I came home I climbed into bed and set aside the current book I'm reading, HELL ABOVE EARTH, a non-fiction book about the nephew of Hermann Goring who was a bomber pilot for the US Air Force in WWII.  (I'll write about that later.)

Meanwhile, once I turned the first page of THE HUNGER GAMES, I was a goner!  I read the book straight through before sleeping.  It's simple but exciting.  I REALLY could not put the first book down, and now I'm sorry I'm so busy that it may be a week before I can read the rest of this trilogy.

I've heard that books for teenagers are doing great and I can see why when I read THE HUNGER GAMES.  I do so much serious non-fiction reading that I felt like I was giving my brain a little candy and honestly, I immensely enjoyed the sugar high!  Although there are many dark moments in the story, the way Suzanne Collins handles the material is admirable.

IF you feel you want to escape reality for a short burst, and enjoy a good read, I highly recommend THE HUNGER GAMES.  And, my congratulations go to Suzanne Collins, a very successful female writer, for her imagination.