I tried to entice my daughter with this book and she wasn't interested. Not sure how publishers decide what is YA and what is not. Is it all about sex? There was definitely a lot of violence and horrific images. who knows.

Another thing that I wanted to mention, I know that Katniss' mother had been depressed, etc., but she was a total nonfactor in this whole Hunger Games business as were all the parents. I would have liked to see more emotion from the parent sector here.

My son, who I believe was 12 when he started HG, loved the series. [He's actually 14 today. ]

Yes, the parents were pretty much a non-factor. That made sense in Katniss' case because she had essentially become the parent who took care of her mother and sister. But, Peeta's parents seemed like more regular parents and maybe should have come into play more. I liked that Peeta's father went to see Katniss before they left on the train and brought her a cookie and promised to see that Prim had enough to eat. There's not a lot with him, but I'm glad he did his little part.

It says a lot for a book that can appeal to 50-somethings and a 12 year old (or it says something about us!?!)

It really was a remarkable series and I am so glad I read it. I think the parents were a non-factor because there wasn't really anything they could do. They couldn't take their children's place in the games and didn't feel like they had enough power to fight the Capital. What else could they do really?

I enjoyed these books, but for some reason, did not become emotionally invested. Others I know who read the trilogy, cried at the ending, not me, although losing Prim was very sad.

Those of you who have seen the movie, how did it compare to the books?

Maybe it's just me, but I didn't care that much for the book. Read it before I went to see it at the movies. The movie was okay, but just didn't click for me. It was like watching a teen version of The Running Man with Arnold Swazenegger.(sp) Don't think I'll finish the series.

Oh, so glad this thread got bumped up!

I read the Hunger Games series in the fall of 2010 - devoured them in 2 days! Absolutely loved them, especially the first! And while I know a lot of people didn't like Mockingjay, I thought it was pretty good.

Anyways, DH and I are planning to see the movie this weekend (finally!), so I decided to reread the first book in preparation. OMJ, I forgot how good it is! I raced through it again, and am having a hard time not picking up Catching Fire (I want to keep Hunger Games fresh in my mind for the movie). My second reading also reminded me of some thoughts I had the first time I read the book, which I thought might be interesting to discuss.

I found gender roles/relationships in this book somewhat unusual. Katniss is not your typical female "half" in a couple - she is strong and brave and very capable of defending herself and her partner. Peeta, on the other hand, is not able to defend himself to the same extent, and in many ways relies on Katniss to protect him. She does the hunting and provides food. She wants to take care of him. It's such a contrast to some of my other favorite couples (especially Jamie and Claire). But despite Peeta's lack of weapon skill, he is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to protect Katniss, by giving his life. He is by no means weak or a coward. But next to Katniss, he definitely doesn't come across as the strong male protector - it's more subtle. This relationship really played with me - I typically love characters like Jamie, who make their female counterpart feel protected and safe. As un-PC as it is, I love the whole "knight in shining armor" thing And I don't think most females (like Claire, for example) are weak and incapable - they clearly are not! But its still nice to think of a strong man protecting his woman And I do love Peeta for his intense desire to protect Katniss, it just seems less necessary in her case. But this desire to protect, along with his inate goodness and his devotion to Katniss, is what make me Team Peeta

In contrast, Katniss's relationship with Gale is more equal, and they share a mutual respect. I've wondered why Katniss had never looked at Gale romantically. I know she said she never wanted to get married and have kids, but that wouldn't necessarily prevent feelings from developing. And as the book nears the end, she does realize she probably feels more for Gale than she realized. Why did it take her so long to acknowledge it?

Aside from that, I found the concept of the book very interesting. I think it was in the 2nd book that I saw a lot of parallels to 1st world living - so much excess, so much focus on trivial things, so much ignorance and lack of concern for the plight of others, etc. How where you are lucky (or unlucky) enough to be born determines your lot in life. I wondered if, when reading, people realized how the Capitol represents our own culture in many ways, and to wonder why we were cheering for Katniss and those who fought against it. I had similar feelings when I saw Avatar - we want the Navi (who live in harmony with their environment) to win and stand up against the greedy developers, who plan to wipe them out and exploit their land. Why do we cheer for the Navi, when our culture should identify more with the developers?

Anyways, got a bit off-topic there I just loved this book - the action, the romance, the characters, and how it made me think about our own culture. In some ways, it reminded me of a short story I read in high school called The Lottery - you can read it here if you're interested: http://www.classicshorts.com/stories/lotry.html

I just finished The Hunger Games as well as the second book in the series, and I was surprised by how much I liked them. I have put off reading the books for a while because the plot didn't sound appealing at all, but I'm glad that my friends suggested I give them a go. Wow! What fast-paced, compelling books. They have given me a lot to think about, and they way she writes -increasing the stakes, adding tension every single chapter - oh! I just couldn't put them down! Stayed up 'til 2 am last night to finish, and am debating if I should start Mockingjay tonight or go to bed early instead.

Tell us what you think of the 3rd book

I loved it! From the reviews, I gathered that a lot of people didn't like the third book as much, but I thought it was a very powerful book. The emotional change in Katniss was believable, and the end of the book was fitting. My only complaint is that I wish she had not squeezed quite so much information into the last few pages. The characters had suffered so much that I really wanted to savor the reunion!

completely with you. I loved it, but wish it was a few chapters longer. I wanted to feel those moments when things and people reconnected. I wanted details!!