Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I read this book last year and had to re-read it before I went on the the sequel, Catching Fire. I found the book depressing and difficult to get out of my mind. However, it was a great read! One of my criteria for a really good book is that the characters and the story don't fade away after I read the last page. This one stayed, and stayed, and stayed. The setting is futuristic in a country which seems to be the United States. The country is divided into "Districts" with "The Capitol" being somewhere close to Denver, CO. All of the Districts are ruled by "The Capitol" who used cruel, inhumane strategies to keep people hungry and in submission. The cruelest strategy is the Hunger Games in which teenagers must fight to the death in a created environment completely controlled by The Capitol. Everyone is required to watch the monstrosities that take place in the name of competition. Not only is the story one of survival but also of love and loyalty to family and friends. Katniss, the protagonist, is caught in a love triangle with her best friend, Gale, and a boy who has befriended her family, Peeta. Too find out more about this captivating story, read this book!