"Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins

I finally got around to reading the second Hunger Games book this last week. I only read the first one because I wanted to know the story before the movie came out, but was surprised that I thoroughly enjoyed both. Did you know that Suzanne Collins did the screenplay for the movie? Which is probably why it followed the book so well and that the changes that inevitably had to be made did not destroy the integrity of the original text. I liked that.

And I enjoyed the second book, as well! Catching Fire seemed to be more fast-paced than the first book, mostly because there was no time lost introducing characters or explaining the background of Katniss's life. Now that she and Peeta have returned from their joint victory of the 74th Hunger Games, it seems at first that life may go back to some form of normal. However, Katniss quickly finds out that the Capitol is furious with her for her act of defiance in the arena and that the president will stop at nothing to keep her from inspiring a country-wide rebellion.

The fact that this book did not include children killing one another made it a lot easier to handle. While there is still fighting and somewhat graphic violence, at least it is between adults (is that a blatant justification or what? I'll admit it, I'm looking for justification). Katniss is as conflicted and stubborn as ever, but I really love her and this book made me love the other characters even more. While I resisted joining the fan-base of this series, I will not deny that I admire Suzanne Collins for her writing. It is smooth, captivating, and (thank goodness) almost completely devoid of errors. The continuity is seamless - something that an English Literature major like me can truly admire, regardless of the content.

I'll be starting Mockingjay as soon as I can get my hands on a copy. Chances are that I'll finish that one before I finish Martin Luther King, Jr., but that's ok. I still have 46 weeks to go to finish my list. Maybe I should turn it into a race and see how quickly I can read every text!