Alex on The Hunger Games

I was going to write about NaNoWriMo today and how when I started writing my novel last night at midnight I was extremely tired and the 909 words that came out were absolute crap. I didn't read them, because you're not supposed to, but I just have a feeling that they were terrible.

From there I started dreading the rest of the month, but then I started writing again today and it seemed much better. So now I've got around 2,000 words and things are looking up.

Anyway, I was going to write that, but then I received news that Rena finished The Hunger Games and so I had to change directions. The long awaited book club is now upon us.

First I'm going to write some of my thoughts on the book, which I read two months ago so forgive me if I'm a bit fuzzy on the details.

To state the obvious, I loved this book. I thought it was gripping and very well paced and written. The characters were endearing and believable and it dealt with a lot of serious themes while still incorporating these crazy and fascinating relationships which kept me invested in the story. It was a very serious book and had lots of nail biting scenes (I will admit that sometimes I tended to skip over action sequences to find out what happened). The characters were so diverse and real. I love and adore Peeta. Any book that can make me cry more than once is a winner. Also it does hurt if I have to read it all in one sitting.

Below are some discussion questions that I might've found with Google. Or I might have made them up with my own intelligent mind. You can believe whatever you want. I'm thinking I'll answer them here, then if you have any response you can comment on this blog, and then you can both answer the same questions in a blog on your own respective days? Sound agreeable?

How does Katniss feel about the country of Panem? Why does she need to make her face "an indifferent mask" and be careful what she says in public?

Katniss fascinates me. She's such an interesting character. She's so guarded and obtuse, sometimes I just wanted to shake her. She could be so stupid, and at the same time her survival instincts were amazingly accurate.

She's hates Panem. Her disdain is obvious and justified. She, like Peeta, doesn't want them to win. I think one of the most interesting things about Katniss is that she is so closed off, calculating and so she thinks that everyone is like that. She completely misjudges Peeta, which is so hard to read. But at the same time you start thinking, well maybe she's right, maybe Peeta is going to stab her in the back. It just so diverting.

When Peeta declares his love for Katniss in the interview, does he really mean it or did Haymitch create the "star-crossed lovers" story?

Being a romantic person myself, I believed Peeta. I thought for a minute maybe it was made up, but I think he was telling a little bit of the truth, even if he did dramatize it for effect. He cared about her.

Before the Games start, Peeta tells Katniss, " . . . I want to die as myself . . . I don't want them to change me in there. Turn me into some kind of monster that I'm not." What does this tell you about Peeta? What does he fear more than death? Is he able to stay true to himself during the Games?

God, I love Peeta so much. He's just so intrinsically good. To the very core of him. The doubt you have because of Katniss's narration just proves that it is an amazing book.

When does Katniss first realize that Peeta does care for her and is trying to keep her alive? When does she realize her own feelings for him? Did Haymitch think all along that he could keep them both alive by stressing the love story? Are they actually in love?

That's another thing about the book, you can never really tell. Katniss is so thickheaded, she doesn't even realize how much she cares about Peeta. I'm not sure about Haymitch, he's kind of a wild card. I never understood him at all. It would be so hard to really love someone in that situation, but for them I think it was also hard not to.

Gale or Peeta?

I think this is more a question for after you read the second book because you see more of Gale, but I still choose Peeta. Gale's story is sad and he's perfectly wonderful in his own way, but Peeta is much more attractive to me. *sigh* Peeta.

It was an amazing book. It's funny because when you try to describe it to people so they'll read it it all sounds very dark and wrong. "Yeah, it's about teenagers who are put in an arena and have to fight to the death." I'm sure that person is going to go out and buy a copy. But they really should. I am very excited for the third installment.

You can do your blogs in the same format if you want, or you can change it up. Whatever works :) Also if you have your own questions, I'd love to answer them. This is fun.

P.S. Thanks to the Scholastic Discussion Guide. You rock my socks.