Leeds Book Club: The LainiBop Challenge - Book 12 The Hunger Games

READ!	TO GO!
12	118

The LainiBop Challenge

THE HUNGER GAMES

SUZANNE COLLINS

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* * * * * SPOILERS * * * * *

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I got a
present of The Hunger Games boxset for Christmas but have been trying
to put off reading them.  There were a couple of reasons for this,
namely because I had heard so much hype about them. Now in my opinion
there are 2 main problems which can stem from a book in particular
having so much hype behind it.  

It
 could be awful.  Lots of people have read it and think it's
 brilliant so the rest of the world feels compelled to agree for fear
 that they will be thought “uncultured” for not enjoying it. In
 which case I really didn't want to put myself through something
 painfully horrible to read.  Why would anyone do that to themselves?



It
 could be brilliant.....now a lot of people may not understand why I
 think this is a problem, but they are probably the same sort of
 people who wouldn't understand how I ended up with 130 books on my
 to be read shelf. See if a book on  my shelf is in fact brilliant
 and I read it, then it has to go on my Read shelf and then I won't
 have it to look forward to anymore.  It'll be one of those that I've
 read once upon a time.  No more suspense, no more carefully
 caressing it, or pulling it off the shelf to look and then carefully
 placing it back to be read another day.  It's done with and that's
 it. 

I have a weird relationship with books.


Despite
all of this, on a sunny Sunday afternoon, after originally picking a
Jeffrey Archer book to begin, I changed my mind and decided I needed
to try this out.  If it was going to be brilliant, then I can't think
of any better time that a sunny Sunday afternoon to find out.



Let's
just say, I finished it that evening.  It took me 2 sittings, only
because I had to make an emergency trip to the shops; even then I
dragged myself away from the sunlounger.  



Katniss
lives in a very different world to ours.  In her world the Capitol
rules and the 12 districts surrounding it, must comply.  Part of this
involves each district sending 2 young people between 12 and 18 to an
event called the Hunger Games.  The Hunger Games just happens to be a
fight to the death.  The rewards however outweigh the losses in the
eyes of many, for whoever wins, will never have to worry about
poverty again, and until the next Hunger Games the winner's district
will be showered with gifts and food.  



Unfortunately
for Katniss, her district, number 12 is the poorest one.  Unlike 1, 2
and 3 they cannot afford to spend time and money training the young
people to fight, district 12's teenagers must just survive if they
can.  On the day of the Reaping, everyone must gather in the square
to watch the names being picked out, and on this day, Katniss
Everdeen's younger sister who has just turned 12 is the first name
out of the drum.  Sacrificing herself for her sister, Katniss
volunteers to take her place.  



What I
loved about this is the immense detail which is given about the world
they live in.  The rules of The Hunger Games are detailed as are the
ceremonies and rituals leading up to it, but it never feels like
exposition. It feels real.  I flew through the book but yet there was
so much information that my mind was reeling after it.  I really want
to read the next one but now there is even more pressure, see points
1 and 2 above!



Hype in
this case was well and truly deserved.  I just wish there had been
Young Adult books like this around when I was growing up.  There
seems to be a plethora of them now, with really good, gripping
stories and I'm delighted that young people get the chance to indulge
in these fantasy worlds and hope they enjoy them and keep reading as
adults.



Spotify:

Soundtrack!

Score! 