The Hunger Games -- 9780439023528

It took me 5 weeks to read the Hunger Games. No, not the trilogy, just the first book. 

Some of this has to do with the fact that I am a very slow reader, some of it has to do with me reading it just before I went to bed (because I borrowed it and didn't want to ruin it and then have to pay for it) and I have been going to bed pretty tired lately, and some of it is because I was also reading 3 other books. A large part, I think, is because I saw this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2lRxq... before I read the book and a lot of the "page-turning plot twists" were spoiled for me. Spoiled by beanie babies. 

I didn't dislike the book. The first few chapters were actually pretty engrossing and decently written for the age level. The middle is where I got a little bored with all the introspection and second-guessing and sorting through thoughts. I realize that Katniss had nobody else to talk to about these things, so part of that is fine, but it fell a little flat for me in the middle. Then in the last 1/4 of the book got really mushy and made me feel awful for Peeta. 

There were a number of plot holes and things that could be better explained and even more things that didn't need quite so much explanation (mostly a lot of Katniss' more regurgitated thoughts). Sentence variety could have also been better. It's still one of the better pieces of teen fiction out there and I see why all the kids are into it; it's just not the best I've ever read and I'm not quite as enthusiastic about it as most people are.

Suzanne Collins created a very interesting and easily believable world though, commenting on the grotesque effect that television -- reality tv in particular -- has on our lives and blowing it up to a disturbing level.