The Hunger Games – the next trilogy that you need to read!

Just before Christmas I received my new Literati eReader and was looking for some new books to read.  As a mom, the time I used to dedicate to reading has been taken up by other things, there just are not enough hours in the day (or in the week) to give attention to all my favorite hobbies.  When I started reading the Twilight Saga in late 2008, my love of reading resurfaced and since then I have been pretty good about always having a book on the go.  I know many moms have Twilight to thank for bringing them back to the book, back to escaping into another world just for a little while.

When I completed the Twilight books, I was left empty and looking for another series to start.  It took a long time until this past summer when I started reading the Sookie Stackhouse Series.  I am about halfway through them but, probably because I read them in the summer months, they feel like a summer series to me and I need to wait until then before I can resume them.  So, I asked my Facebook friends for recommendations and one of them (thanks Kathy) suggested The Hunger Games.  She told me briefly what it was about and I questioned whether I could actually read a book about kids killing kids in a reality show atmosphere (no, not kidding!)  Here is a synopsis of the first book, from TheHungerGames.co.uk:

Twenty-four are forced to enter. Only the winner survives. In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. Each year, the districts are forced by the Capitol to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the Hunger Games, a brutal and terrifying fight to the death – televised for all of Panem to see.

Survival is second nature for sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who struggles to feed her mother and younger sister by secretly hunting and gathering beyond the fences of District 12. When Katniss steps in to take the place of her sister in the Hunger Games, she knows it may be her death sentence. If she is to survive, she must weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

Admittedly, the books are more gore than I am used to (I don’t like watching CSI on tv, even) but they’re SO GOOD that you simply can not put them down. The author, Suzanne Collins, does a brilliant job bringing you into the story and making you care about the characters involved. Towards the end of the first book, the seeds of a love triangle are planted and as a reader I was just as torn as I once was reading Twilight. By the end of the third and final book, I had tears reading about the future life of Katniss and her family, realizing that yes everything ended up as it should.

If you’re looking for a new series to get into and are ready to give vampires a break for awhile, I highly suggest picking up The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins at Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Chapters, downloading it for your eReader, or at a store near you! Then, come back to this post and tell me what you thought. If you’ve already read it, I’d love to hear your thoughts here (w/o spoilers for those who have not read the trilogy yet).

When I started (eagerly) searching online for news of a possible movie trilogy, I learned that Lionsgate purchased the movie rights but haven’t heard much more. Oh, how I can not wait for the books to unfold on screen! People everywhere are creating their own “dream casts” listing who they would like to see play the main roles. I agree with some of the choices out there and also came up with a few of my own, including some lesser known actors that I think would portray some roles well. Here’s my dorky dream cast!

Katniss ~ Emma Roberts is the image I had in my head while reading this book.  Brown hair, brown eyes, petite and with a girl-next-door look to her.  Yes, it’s easy to plop Kristen Stewart into the role but I’d like to see someone who doesn’t bite her nails and glance sideways continually.

Peeta ~ Chord Overstreet (Glee) I think is the perfect blonde boy next door (literally, right?)

Gale ~ Casey Deidrick (Chad, Days of Our Lives)   Again, it would be easy to plop Taylor Lautner into this role and I had a hard time not picturing him when reading about Gale in the books, but an actor like Casey could pull off the role quite well.  Dark hair, tall, and handsome.

Haymitch ~ Rupert Boneham (Survivor)  From the moment I first read about Haymitch, I pictured a burly, pirate-looking man and Rupert came to mind right away.

Prim ~ I have to go with the masses here and say Elle Fanning (yes Dakota’s little sister) would be perfect for the role of Katniss’ younger sister.

Cinna ~ Breaking away from the suggestions online (Adam Lambert was a great one!) I’m going to offer up a local boy for this role.  Charlie David and I were in drama in high school years ago.  Off he went to Hollywood to become famous and I…well I’m a mommy blogger.  I think Charlie could be the perfect eccentric, caring, Cinna.

Effie ~ Two main actresses come to mind here and I again agree with the masses online.  Either Reese Witherspoon or my choice, Kristen Chenoweth, would fill the role well with their bubbly personalities on screen.

Finnick ~ Ok I allowed one Twilight actor to take a role here.  Cam Gigandet I think is perfect for the role of the built, hunky, and arrogant Finnick.

I can’t find an actor online that fits my own image of President Snow.  Willow Smith is being unanimously voted online for the role of Rue.  Ahhhh, let’s just end the debate and see this movie in production already!