Book Nook

I read a lot. My friend Kathleen reads twice as much as I do. (Did I mention she has five kids?)

This is very fortunate for me. (The fact that she reads, a lot, not the fact that she has five kids. That really doesn't benefit me much that I can think of.)

Follow my math here. Kathleen reads twice as me, and then recommends to me her favorites, which as a rough estimation are about 25% of the books she reads. I, in turn, for the most read only those books recommended by her, which makes her my very own filtration system and results in me reading truly wonderful works of fiction. Darn near exclusively. It's nice to not waste time reading crappy books.






At her recommendation, few months back I read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. It takes place in a fictional country, Panem, which after subduing its revolting citizens several decades in the past created games where 24 of the nations' youth are put in an arena to fight to the death. You know, to remind them never to revolt again. Or else.

At first I was wondering how much I was going to like a book that a) seemed kinda depressing and b) was so sci-fi esque. I typically don't like books with so many "made up" elements, and in this one everything was straight out of the authors imagination.

So I was skeptical. But why? It came highly recommended by the great filter Kathleen!

Never doubt Kathleen, my friends.

This book was amazing.

I had to wait and wait and wait my turn for one of the three copies from the library of the sequel to The Hunger Games--Catching Fire.



Catching Fire was so superbly amazing, there aren't words. I read it in less than a day, laundry and cooking be damned!

I will warn you--the ending to Catching Fire is such a huge, looming, white-knuckler of a cliffhanger that it will hardly satiate the hunger (no pun intended) that The Hunger Games left you with.

But there is hope on the horizon--the third and final book in the series, Mockingjay, is being released in August.

I am waiting with bated breath. Practically dying from asphyxiation.