Then, a couple of weeks ago, I saw a commercial for "The Hunger Games", the movie. I remembered that long-ago pinned book and now I was more than a little intrigued...I mean, if they made it into a movie, then it must be good, right?
Over the past few months, I have heard (or read) bits and pieces about this story...and it sounded really pretty interesting...so I decided to add it to my "READ!" list.
THEN, when I got the opportunity to review the book and the movie for Social Fabric, I figured it was fate...and my boy,Ty, and I headed out to Walmart to buy the book...
They had a huge The Hunger Games display, so I didn't have to look very hard to find just what I wanted.
And the price wasn't too shabby, either...check out our entire shopping experience here, on Google+.
As soon as we got home, and while Tyler was watching Power Rangers next to me on the couch, I read the first half of the book. Yep, the entire first half. And I. LOVED. IT.
The upshot of the story (written by Suzanne Collins) is, in short, a fight to the death between teenagers, each chosen randomly from different areas of their country (Panem, formerly North America), and pitted against each other until there is only 1 teen left standing. The premise is an awful lot like Stephen King's short story, "The Long Walk" (written while he was a freshman in college under the pseudonym, Richard Bachman)...I mean, an awful lot. Like, really a real awful, awful lot. It is also similar to "The Running Man", another short story by Richard Bachman/Stephen King, and later a movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. BUT, the story is still great and it's still a fantastic read.
The main hero (Peeta) and heroine (Katniss) of this science fiction/thriller/young adult book are such likable characters and their relationship is really sweet (if not entirely genuine...well, sorta...read the book). It's hard to imagine that while they are fighting for their lives they can manage to have some tender moments, but they do...and the author has found a way to make those moments refreshing... not sappy...not strange.
The supporting characters in the book are just as interesting and fun to read about as Katniss and Peeta are. And the strange-ish names & wacked-out spaceman-like settings and futuristic occurrences (like hovercrafts and people who are able to control the weather) don't seem weird.
I found myself really rooting for these kids (and for some of the other characters, too...specifically Rue) and I was a little disappointed when the story ended...well, I guess not ended, actually...more like was postponed until I download a copy of the next book, Catching Fire.
I finished the book in just a few days and now I am so excited for the movie! In fact, I've already purchased my tickets through Fandango. Have you ever done that? I hadn't before, but I gotta tell ya, I will definitely do it again. It was so easy!
All I had to do was type in the movie I wanted to see, and then my zip code. It gave me a list of local theaters, I chose one, and then it showed me the showtimes. I clicked the time I want to see the movie (10:00 am in this case...while the kids are at school), and purchased my ticket through PayPal...
OK, that could not have been more simple. Now, when I see the movie next Friday, I won't have to wait in line, hoping that the show isn't sold out (although, I'm pretty sure that won't be the case at 10:00 in the morning). Just a quick note...there is a convenience fee for purchasing your tickets this way, but it is pretty manageable...and, especially if you want to make sure you get tickets for a specific time on a certain date, I would say the fee is definitely worth it.
I'm so happy I read the book, especially before I saw the movie. I like to have my own idea of what characters/settings look like, etc. before the big screen takes away the mystery. But, now that I've done that, I'm ready to see how Hollywood interpreted the book...stay tuned to hear my thoughts on that next week...
Haven't read The Hunger Games? Do it...you won't be disappointed.
DISCLOSURE:
- This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. All opinions are entirely my own. I really like this book and I will definitely be reading the other two titles in the trilogy. I just hope the movie can do the book justice! #CBias
