Sometimes you find wonderful books by mere coincidence.

It all started after I got my Kindle. One of the features I was most interested in was the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library. As I was poking around, looking at what was available, I saw The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I had heard of the books from some friends of mine, who enjoyed the series quite a bit. Figuring I had nothing to loose, I selected the book to borrow and watched delightedly as it was instantly available on my Kindle.

Again, technology – it’s truly amazing sometimes!

So I was getting ready for my New York trip when I got this book, so I would have something to read in the airport and on the plane. I did not expect to be drawn into the story so quickly. I was in one of the most exciting cities in the world, and one of my favorite places to visit, and all I wanted to do was go read more! I ended up reading the first book twice because I couldn’t get the next one until I got home. I ended up buying the next two books, Catching Fire and Mockingjay, right away and read both of them within three days.

The story takes place in the country of Panem, which used to be North America before a huge nuclear war and massive climate change destroyed it. Panem is made up of the Capitol, which is surrounded by twelve districts, each responsible for an area of commerce or manufacturing. There used to be a thirteenth district, but it was destroyed for rebelling against the Capitol. In order to remind the citizens of Panem how dependent they are on the Capitol (and how much the Capitol holds them at their mercy), each year they choose a boy and a girl from each district to participate in the Hunger Games, a fight to the death battle that is broadcast across the districts on television. The ages for participation are twelve to seventeen.

I’m kind of a sucker for this sort of post-apocalyptic type of story. The main character is Katniss, a sixteen year old girl who enters the Hunger Games in place of her twelve year old sister. We see the Hunger Games through the eyes of this unlikely contestant who unwittingly inspires a revolution. The first book was my favorite of the trilogy, although the other two books are also very, very good.