The Hunger Games

If you haven't read this book, read it.  It is very, very good.  Truly a nearly perfect book.  It's one of those books that as you're reading it, you think, how has this book never been written before?  It seems so natural, so real, so familiar, so of life.

If you have read this book and didn't think it was the bee's knees, I would love to hear your perspective.

Now, I have been working hard to curb my buying of books for personal pleasure.  But, last month, I succumbed.  The combination of my deep desire to read The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, my impatience in the face of a god-knows-how-long wait for the book from the library and Amazon's deep discounts proved too hard to ignore.

Because I hate paying for shipping, I also tacked on The Hunger Games and Anne Lamott's Bird By Bird to my order.

It took me awhile to get around to reading The Hunger Games, but once I did, I was riveted.  A few chapters in, I requested the second and third books through the library and was promptly put on the waiting lists for them.  

I finished the book yesterday.  Today, we got back from our day out much earlier than expected.  I thought I'd run up to my indie bookstore to pick up the second book if they had it.  I called and was dismayed to hear that the second book is not out in paperback ('because they can' the bookseller said).

When I ordered the first book from Amazon (for $9) I thought it was a hardcover remainder.  So when I heard that my love of a bookstore had the second book for $18, my heart sank.  I just couldn't do it.  The bookseller on the other end of the line understood.  This part of the exchange was unspoken.  How often this must come up for them, I can well imagine.

I hopped online and ordered the second and third books from Amazon for 50% off cover.  That's how much I loved the first book.  I cannot wait to find out what happens next to these characters and this society.