The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Summaries can be found at goodreads, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble.

The Hunger Games was first brought to my attention by the lovely ladies in my online book club. What started as a repeat suggestion from our YA enthusiasts soon turned into a board-wide phenomenon. EVERYONE was reading this book, and they were all raving about it. It wasn't long before it seemed like it was the only book ever being discussed. The Hunger Games has been reviewed on goodreads over 40,000 times with an average rating of 4.56 out of 5. It has received a number of honors and awards including being a USA Today and New York Times Best Seller, and being named one of Publishers Weekly's "Best Books of the Year" in 2008 and The New York Times "Notable Children's Book of 2008".

So why haven't I picked up this book until now? Well, in my defense, I've been on my library's wait list since August. That said, I must admit that I was a bit hesitant to read it. I'm always reluctant to jump on the bandwagon because I'm afraid the book/movie/music/whatever won't live up to the hype and I'll just be underwhelmed. This was not the case with The Hunger Games. Suzanne Collins created a story that sucked me in from page one and left me not wanting, but needing, more. There are many things that define a great book. The ability to keep me up half the night when I'm sick and have to be at work the next morning definitely spells greatness to me. This was the most engrossing story I've read in a while, and it's one that will stay with me for a long time. Now I'm impatiently waiting for the sequel, Catching Fire, from the library. That hold list just won't go down fast enough!

If you haven't picked up The Hunger Games yet, I'd hold out just a little bit longer if I were you. The third and final book of the series, Mockingjay, is scheduled to come out August 24, 2010. If Catching Fire ends anything like the way The Hunger Games did, you'll be better off waiting until you can read all three!!