Catching Fire

Subject: Catching Fire Fri Sep 18, 2009 3:22 am

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Our first selection for October is Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins and the sequel to a past book of the month selection, The Hunger Games. Who knew we would end up being so cool? Hunger Games and now Catching Fire are all the rage on book blogs, but we can say we on board that train before it even left the station.

When we last left Katniss, she and Peeta had won the Hunger Games in a most brazen way. Katniss realized that she had warm fuzzies for Gayle, just as she realized that Peeta had the warm fuzzies for her. Returning home, Katniss and Peeta faced an uncertain future- would they be allowed to live in peace, or would they and their families be penalized? Even if they were to be allowed to live in peace, can they turn their back on all the blatant government corruption? And what do do about all those warm fuzzies?

Okay, here's a quick summary of Catching Fire, snatched from Amazon:

Quote :

Every year in Panem, the dystopic nation that exists where the U.S. used to be, the Capitol holds a televised tournament in which two teen "tributes" from each of the surrounding districts fight a gruesome battle to the death. In The Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, the tributes from impoverished District Twelve, thwarted the Gamemakers, forcing them to let both teens survive. In this rabidly anticipated sequel, Katniss, again the narrator, returns home to find herself more the center of attention than ever. The sinister President Snow surprises her with a visit, and Katniss’s fear when Snow meets with her alone is both palpable and justified. Catching Fire is divided into three parts: Katniss and Peeta’s mandatory Victory Tour through the districts, preparations for the 75th Annual Hunger Games, and a truncated version of the Games themselves. Slower paced than its predecessor, this sequel explores the nation of Panem: its power structure, rumors of a secret district, and a spreading rebellion, ignited by Katniss and Peeta’s subversive victory. Katniss also deepens as a character. Though initially bewildered by the attention paid to her, she comes almost to embrace her status as the rebels’ symbolic leader. Though more of the story takes place outside the arena than within, this sequel has enough action to please Hunger Games fans and leaves enough questions tantalizingly unanswered for readers to be desperate for the next installment.

Well, it certainly sounds less bloody than the first book, which will make some of out members happy. I can't wait until my copy arrives!

Our second book has yet to be determined, but I am all for reading a ghost story like we did last year. I have a feeling Catching Fire will be a fast read!