The Hunger Games
by: Suzanne Collins

5 stars

This is the book that got me reading again. Like really reading. I used to be an avid reader growing up. I would devour any and everything I could get my hands on. I have more than one memory of reading in the car, on the way home from the bookstore and my mom saying, "Put that away! I didn't buy that for you to just finish it in the car!"

But somewhere along the way, my reading shifted. I think a big part of it was being an English major in college. Regardless, I started ONLY reading those things I needed to read for school. Then school ended and it was like I forgot about my love of reading. I went from college to job to married and eventually to kids. And throughout that time I really didn't read that many books. I read a ton of magazines (Vanity Fair is still a favorite of mine) and SO MANY articles online. One of my favorite things to do on the weekend was one of three things. Read my Vanity Fair, get a newspaper and read, or find long-form articles online and read them. So I definitely was still reading--but not books.

Before I knew it I had two kids. And then I really didn't have "time" to read--or so I told myself. Every once in a while I'd hear about the latest "buzzworthy" book making the rounds but none of them really interested me. I didn't care about vampires and I had no desire to read about S&M.

And then I heard about The Hunger Games and the fact that it was going to be a movie. And something about the premise perked up my ears.

And here we are.

I don't honestly know that if I was as an avid reader as I was in the past if I'd feel as strongly about this book. BUT I do know that this book hit me at exactly the right time and I could not put it down.

I loved the characters. The love triangle. The premise. It's spooky as hell and in a world I hope to never know but wow did it hook me.

I'm happy to be back in a place where I crave the written word more than TV or the internet. And I hope to hang on to that for as long as I can. And yeah, I need to get Catching Fire NOW. That ending. It's soooooo not over.

xo Sara

Curious about how I rate books? Read about my scale here. Warning: it's super scientific.

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Review: A Court of Wings and Ruin

SJM is a master at bringing so many supporting characters to life with limited space. She shares their stories at the perfect time and then their reactions to events, their words--however few--mean so much more with how she sprinkles them in.

Review: The Opposite of Loneliness

One of my favorite things about Keegan and this book is her amazing talent to bring you immediately into a story (which is incredibly important for short stories and essays because you are working with such limited space).

Review: The Husband's Secret

I'm late to the Liane Moriarty fan club but I've enjoyed the three books I've read from her so far. Quick, suspenseful, and they usually leave you guessing until the end.

Review: Big Little Lies

Rape as a plot point is lazy. You can display the same emotions, get to the same end, without using this constantly. It's cheap, it's unoriginal, and I'm just done with it.

Review: The Art of Asking

This book read more like a series of autobiographical essays centered on the themes of asking for help (obviously), SEEING people (not just looking at people), vulnerability, trust, and love.

Review: A Court of Mist and Fury

SJM is a master of character development. This book was a slow build yet so thrilling at the same time. Sorrowful, yet somehow joyous. This book even made me appreciate ACOTAR that much more. She added so much detail, made little things make sense.

Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses

Once I got about halfway through it really picked up. This is a book that if you stick with it--which honestly isn't hard even though it's slow, SJM writes amazing characters--it's worth it in the end.

Review: Brave is the New Beautiful

I want every woman I know to read this. We are all brave. We all have stories, we all have struggles. We are in this TOGETHER and should lift each other up instead of comparing.

Review: A Re-Read of Bird by Bird

And honestly, if you're a writer, this really is a great book. There are so many prompts and ideas for jumping off points that I ALWAYS finish feeling inspired.

Review: West of Sunset

It is based on the last few years of Fitzgerald's life, a time he spent in Hollywood dealing with his demons and desperately longing for and trying to once again achieve some success.

Review: Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg

The biggest recommendation I can give is to read it in book form (as opposed to e-readers)--there are so many pictures, graphs, notes, and other fun things to look at as you read.