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The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins

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Ashley
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The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins

Post by Ashley » Wed August 25th, 2010, 1:54 am

Anyone else read these? I am completely in love with them, despite being 40 and not the ya person they are marketed to. My nephew, upon discovering I'd never read them, told me "Aunt Ashley, if you don't read this book, the world will end." ;) He was pretty right.

They are postapocalyptic (sp?) but also relationship and action driven. The story centers on a girl called Katniss Everdeen who ends up having to fight in the "hunger games" that the Capital and the 12 surrounding districts (what was once the US) put on every ...year or four years, I can't remember. She and her partner in the games create a flurry by doing things in a way that no one has ever tried before, and without spoiling the series, they are basically the story of a girl having to grow up too fast, having to save her family and her way of life, and learning how to revolt and be an individual without it ending up killing her.

Fantastic stuff. I just got the final book today and can't wait to read it.
~Ashley

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My writing can be found on my Live Journal, HERE.

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Divia
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Post by Divia » Wed August 25th, 2010, 2:36 am

My students will not read it. Maybe I have to do a better job of pimpin it. I dunno.


However, ya think word of mouth would have gotten around since so many people enjoy them. But I won't buy the third becuase the first two never go out.
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Anna Elliott
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Post by Anna Elliott » Wed August 25th, 2010, 3:02 pm

I loved the first two books of the series and definitely am looking forward to reading the third. Just downloaded it onto my Kindle last night, in fact!

Author of the Twilight of Avalon trilogy
new book: Dark Moon of Avalon, coming Sept 14 from Simon &Schuster (Touchstone)

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Ashley
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Post by Ashley » Wed August 25th, 2010, 6:21 pm

I am salivating to read the third one. But of course my mom is reading my copy first. ;) I am so generous *laughs*

Hope you like it, Anna. Keep me posted!
~Ashley

King Arthur Fan Fiction, maintainer

My writing can be found on my Live Journal, HERE.

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Anna Elliott
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Post by Anna Elliott » Wed August 25th, 2010, 10:19 pm

Ashley, the beginning is very, very good, but very, very dark so far. Very dystopian. Which I know, duh, it is a dystopia that she's writing about. But much darker in tone than the other 2. Although I'm kind of having That Day with my toddler and baby (if you have kids, you know which day that is ;) wonderful as kids are, of course!) so I think I'll probably enjoy it more after bedtime tonight.

Author of the Twilight of Avalon trilogy
new book: Dark Moon of Avalon, coming Sept 14 from Simon &Schuster (Touchstone)

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http://www.annaelliottbooks.com

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Ashley
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Post by Ashley » Wed August 25th, 2010, 10:38 pm

I figured it would be. I don't have children, but I work retail and have for 25 years, so...that's my children. *laughs*

Perhaps you should have a glass of wine with that book. *gg* I am looking forward to getting to it soon.
~Ashley

King Arthur Fan Fiction, maintainer

My writing can be found on my Live Journal, HERE.

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Ashley
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Post by Ashley » Tue September 7th, 2010, 2:10 am

I finished Mockingjay a few days ago. Dark is right. But soooo wonderful, and such a good way to wrap up the series. I'm very pleased with which of the men she chose...and I had to read the ending twice as it made me cry. ;)

Very happy to have these in my collection.
~Ashley

King Arthur Fan Fiction, maintainer

My writing can be found on my Live Journal, HERE.

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Matt Phillips
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Post by Matt Phillips » Wed March 16th, 2011, 6:41 pm

I picked up The Hunger Games after a friend recommended it, saying it's definitely not just for YA audiences.

It's been a long time since I've read something this hard to put down and this unsettling. Wow.

It's like Lord of the Flies meets The Running Man meets Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Perhaps, in my view, the most impressive thing Collins does is immerse us in this world so well that the plot and characters overshadow the shock impact of the premise. The reader has to get a big payoff from the plot and characters in order to be enticed to enter and stay in a world this horrible, and Collins delivers.

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MLE (Emily Cotton)
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Interest in HF: started in childhood with the classics, which, IMHO are HF even if they were contemporary when written.
Favourite HF book: Prince of Foxes, by Samuel Shellabarger
Preferred HF: Currently prefer 1600 and earlier, but I'll read anything that keeps me turning the page.
Location: California Bay Area

Post by MLE (Emily Cotton) » Wed March 16th, 2011, 8:46 pm

I've been saying the Hunger games is Lord of the Flies meets Hatchet, with some Gladiatorial games thrown in. And a numbed acceptance of the horrible borrowed from Lois Lowry's the Giver. I was completely gripped, even though I *loathe* dystopian fiction.

I'm putting off reading the others until I have time to mull them over. Rather hard pictures to get out of your head.

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Matt Phillips
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Post by Matt Phillips » Wed March 16th, 2011, 9:59 pm

I'll be interested to see how they make what will have to be a PG-13 movie out of this without diluting the impact of the content. Although violence alone doesn't tend to bump a movie up into R, with the targets being children it might be hard to pull off PG-13.

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