Hunger Couldn't Wait

"Real."

Two nights ago, I finished Mockingjay by Susan Collins, the third and final book in The Hunger Games series. I have never been sucked into a story the way I was with this one -- which is saying a lot considering how many hours of my life I've spent reading -- and finished the series in 6 days. (Thankfully, the Blizzard of 2011 cooperated with my need to read and gave me 3 consecutive snow days and, therefore, plenty of time to finish.) It might be cheesey, but The Hunger Games left me starving for more until I finally reached the end of Book 3. I think being in Katniss' thoughts made the whole experience come to life around me, and Colllins wrote in such a way that I truly felt I was experiencing Katniss' days and emotions along with her. I'm always drawn into a story that makes me feel I have something in common with a character, especially characters who are, in the grand scheme of things, vastly different from me. I thrive on finding and feeling those commonalities -- in this case, a sense of responsibility, the desire for more even when it isn't clear what you need more of, the need for human interaction and connection when it's not easy to find or when it seems other things are more important, the drive for justice and freedom for all, not just those in charge.

This was one of those stories that, upon finishing it, I reread the ending a few times. I usually do that when I was so engrossed in the story that I didn't feel like I absorbed all of the final details enough. The ending was satisfying and gave a welcomed sense of closure. Even so, I do have one wish -- that Collins had given us more in the last chapter than she did. More about Katniss' thoughts about Coin, more about her trial, more about how she worked through the mess of emotions associated with Gale, left to his own devices in District 2. More about how she and Peeta learned more about each other and found how they fit together. More about how she came to terms with having children. More about how the country continued after Coin, and how Katniss' children would face the past and how their parents were involved.

I recommend this series to anyone and everyone, but only if you have some time to really devote to the books, since I'm not sure you'll want to put Katniss and her revolution on pause to deal with the real world.