The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Synopsis:
In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before--and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contended. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

My Rating: 10/10

My Thoughts:
I don't care what people think about this book, I love it and to me it's perfect. It has absolutely everything I want in a book: An oppressive futuristic society, underlying social commentary, a kick-ass female protagonist, an exciting and action-packed plot, and of course an amazing male love interest. I don't know if it's possible for me to come up with anything negative to say about this book, other than it was too short. I just can't believe I had it sitting on my shelf for so long before I finally read it.

This is one of the books I'm very possessive about. I encourage all my friends to read it, but it's one of those where I just want the rest of the world to leave it alone. Unfortunately there has been a lot of buzz about this book since it came out, but I can live with a bookworld buzz, it's when the outside media gets it's hands on it that I have a problem. However, with the movie planned for release in 2011, I have a feeling the worst is still ahead. I hate when pop culture snatches one of my favorite books, simply because they can make money off of it. They make a movie (usually not a good one ie Twilight), inundate us with mass advertising, collectibles, and media frenzy and take what was once an amazing thing and ruin it. I wish Hollywood would leave my books alone.

But enough ranting. This book is awesome.