Surpassing the norm

  I have always loved reading. When I was little, I had others read to me. When I learned how to read on my own, I was off on all kinds of adventures through the words on a page.

  This being said, I've read a LOT of books. So it upsets me greatly that I struggle to find a book that I completely enjoy. They're hard to find now a days, something that is unique and different and really makes you think. Those are the kinds of books I like.

  I was a Twilight fan. For a good year and a half of high school, I was obsessed. I still plan to watch the final two movies, though the novelty is gone.

  My new series of focus is The Hunger Games series. I finished the first book and soon after purchased the remaining two. To say the least, it took me no more than a week to finish them both. There's something about this series that I love.

  Ultimately, you have some romance. You have tension and plot development and characters you fall in love with. The part that really makes this series though, for me, is the fact that it is different. It's realistic. It is a dystopian future, where select kids are forced to fight to the death—by the government—for the entertainment of the Capitol. Every time things seem promising, something bad happens.

  Why would I enjoy that? Why would anyone else enjoy that? It's real. This series is a testimony to human nature. It's a depiction of life itself. There is no happy ending. Things don't fall into place at the end. If anything, they fall apart. The end holds no finality. Although it's the end of the series, there is no end to the lives. Life goes on. That's the final message. Bad things happen, and they're awful, and it's really hard to deal with. But you deal, and you move on.

  Generally, I use books to escape from the world. But The Hunger Games series is different. It's a reflection of our world. A dramatization, without a doubt, but it's a great portrayal of human nature in its purest form.

  So what makes a good book? It's hard to tell these days. For some, it's romance; for others, comedy. Some want to escape reality. Others want to face it. And occasionally, with all the cookie-cutter stories, someone wants to find something that's different. Something that challenges the way they see things. That's what makes a good book to me.

  And that's why I relish my love-hate relationship with The Hunger Games series.