What’s on Our Bookshelf? September Edition

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins is the sequel to the New York Times Bestseller The Hunger Games.  The Hunger Games revolves around sixteen year old Katniss Everdeen who lives in Panem, which came about after the destruction of North America.  Panem consists of 12 districts (the 13^th was destroyed after a rebellion) and is run by the Capitol.  Every year the Capitol selects one male and one female between the ages of 12 and 18 from each of the districts to participate in the “Hunger Games” to remind them of the rebellion of District 13 which occurred 74 years earlier.  Each tribute must adapt to fighting and surviving in an arena until only one tribute remains.  It is the ultimate fight to the death. The Hunger Games are somewhat Survivor-esque with twists and turns thrown at the tributes from the Gamemakers. The arena changes with each Hunger Games so no one knows what to expect.  As another unpleasant event, everyone at home is forced to watch the Hunger Games on television.  The winner of each Hunger Games receives safety, food and security, which is not common in Panem.  Even this basic rule is bound to change.  The results of the 74^th Hunger Games ultimately leads us into what is the second book in the trilogy, Catching Fire. While survival seems to be the word in The Hunger Games, rebellion seems to be the word in Catching Fire. All of the rules of the Hunger Games are about to change and we are taken along for the ride.

Katniss is a tough girl who has been taking care of her mother and younger sister ever since the early death of her father.  District 12, where Katniss is from, is quite small and rarely produces winning tributes.  I guarantee you will fall in love with the characters in The Hunger Games and they will not disappoint you in Catching Fire.  They are back with bells on and we even get to add some depth to quite a few more of them.  Suzanne Collins isn’t afraid to talk about controversial issues and you end up loving the book even more for it.  I devoured Catching Fire in no time and I will be on the edge of my seat until the next installment is released next year.  Warning: the cliffhanger at the end does not help with this feeling!  Rumor has it that Lionsgate has bought the rights to The Hunger Games and it will be made into a movie in 2011.  To say I am thrilled about this would be the understatement of the century!

I really, really enjoyed this book (and the preceding one) and I strongly suggest you to check both of them out!  Make sure you have an open schedule when you pick them up to read because you are not going to want to put them down!  You feel immersed in the world of Katniss and the supporting characters to a point where you can almost see their situation as being a reality.  I am still on a post-reading high (I started writing this review mere minutes after I was done reading) and I am so glad that this one did not disappoint.  I will probably add another book to this month’s bookshelf since I devoured this one only four days into the month.  I look forward to hearing what all of you think of Suzanne Collins’ fine books-please take a chance on them!

Kaitlyn Kline is an intern with College Lifestyles^TM, a graduate from Edinboro University of PA and an Alpha Sigma Tau alum.  She wants everyone to read ‘Catching Fire’ right now so she can discuss it with you! Please?

*We have not received any compensation or gifts for reviewing this book.  We have expressed our sincere opinions in this post.*