May The Odds Be Ever In Your Favor

Yes. I love the Hunger Games.
Yes. I read the books. Twice.
Yes. I saw the movie...twice...so far.

I've waited to write about this so I wouldn't get too many complaints about spoiling the movie or the book. Which, BTW, the book is the spoiler for the movie.

Everywhere I turned The Hunger Games was in my face. I bought Marshall the first book for Christmas and read a few pages, so I picked myself up a copy also. I loved it! I couldn't put it down. Or Catching Fire. I read that one so fast that I had to hunt down a Barnes and Noble while I was in NY so I could read the conclusion! (Now a day that I will never forget due to a Carrie/Big scene that may have played out on that street corner...and I'm not talking one full of love and nice stuff.)

Leading up to the movie release I reread The Hunger Games so I would be able to make a fresh comparison. Yes, I'm a little intense, and yes, I did this will all of the Twilight movies.

Well, I took the liberty of marking all of my favorite parts of the book so I can share them with you! I'm totes the best, right?

• "I volunteer! I volunteer as tribute!" pg 22
• "I can never shake the connection between this boy, Peeta Mellark, and the bread that gave me hope, and the dandelion that reminded me that I was not doomed."pg 32
• "A kind Peeta Mellark is far more dangerous to me than an unkind one." pg 49
• "As long as you can find yourself, you'll never starve."pg 52
• "I take a sip of the hot, sweet, creamy liquid and a shudder runs through me." pg 55
• "I'm glad now I have Peeta to clutch for balance, he is so steady, solid as a rock."pg 70
• "And them he gives me a smile that seems so genuinely sweet with just the right touch of shyness that unexpected warmth rushes through me." p72
• When Peeta is talking about how good Katniss is at hunting. p89
• "She has no idea the effect she can have." p91"
• "I have kept track of the boy with the bread." pg 93
• "I am not pretty. I am not beautiful. I am as radiant as the sun." p121
• "Winning ...won't help in my case...Because...because...she came here with me." p130
• "Sick and disoriented, I'm able to form only one thought: Peeta Mellark just saved my life." p194
• "Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true/ Here is the place where I love you."p235
• "I press the three middle fingers of my left hand against my lips and hold them out in her direction." p237 (Where I think the rebellion really began)
• When district 11 sent Katniss bread. p238
• "Remember, we're madly in love, so it's ll right to kiss me anytime you feel like it." p263
• "I do not want to lose the boy with the bread." p297
• "This is the first kiss that makes me want another."p298
• "Because if he dies, I'll never go home, not really. I'll spend the rest of my life in this arena trying to think my way out." p343
• "Nice job, sweetheart." p352
• When Haymitch tells Katniss about the Capitol being furious with her. p 356-357
• "Maybe...because for the first time...there was a chance I could keep him." p368
• "I want to tell him how much I already miss him." p373

You.Are.Welcome.

About the movie...I loved it!

Yeah, there were a lot of changes: cutting our Madge, behind the Hunger Games scenes, Seneca and Snow, Haymitch's anguish (which I feel was setting us up for the explanation as to why he's the way he is and is drunk all the time...I hope they cover that in the following installments) and getting sponsors and talking to Seneca, and the commentary on the games.

A lot of the changes were good since they didn't want to do Katniss voice overs for the whole movie. As always, there are some things I wish they had done differently.

• At the parade there should have been more fire. That's all.
• More of the scenes about how Katniss is supposed to act like they are in love, but Peeta doesn't know she's acting.
• The last convo between Peeta and Katniss. They did it all kinds of wrong in the movie.
• Katniss' interview dress having flames on the bottom..just because they use that trick in one of the other books...and it's kind of a big deal.
• They should have explained the mocking jay...but surely they will eventually since the last book is called that so it's obviously important.
• Peeta kept his leg. Obviously good for Peeta, but I feel that is adds to the impact of things that happen to him over the next two books.

What did I love?

• Behind the scenes of the games
• Seneca talking to Snow.
• Haymich selling the whole "star crossed lovers" bit to Seneca, therefor changing the rules.
• The reaping.
• The hallucinations.
• Rue.
• The cornucopia scenes. Also sad, but nicely done.
• The sequence after the games are over when Haymitch is telling Katniss about how the capitol is upset with her and the victors are getting crowned.

Now I am even more excited for the next one than I was before! Bring on Catching Fire!

Oh, do you want more Hunger Games? Then check this out!

What did you think? Did you read the books? Did you see the movie? What did you like? What didn't you like? How pumped are you for Catching Fire?