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On Reading: Reading Hunger Games Again, for the First Time

March 18, 2012 by Jennifer

Are you looking for a Hunger Games-free zone? Well, this ain’t it!!

Last week, Dawn wrote Making Myself Slow Down, specifically about her own re-read of the book in anticipation of the movie. This week it’s my turn to share about my re-read in preparation of the movie‘s release.

We’re hoping to have the opportunity to interview the producer this week — and then come Friday, March 23, it’s on. On Thursday night, March 22, I’m going to open up a post where we can discuss the movie in the comments section freely once we see it, so I hope you’ll join us.

And now — back to me — sharing my thoughts on reading Hunger Games again, for the first time.

Do you spot a contradiction? To read a book again — for the first time? Is it possible?

Yes, I think so, and my recent re-read of The Hunger Games book was a “first” for me for a few main reasons:

  • This is actually my first time to “read” the book — words on a page — because I listened to The Hunger Games audiobook the first time. I think that there’s a different level of attention and focus when my eyes are trained on a page.
  • I’m a little old, and it’s been 3 years since I read it, so I had forgotten a lot of the details, even amidst all the hype.
  • When you read with the end in mind, a series is different. The first time I read the book, I was just reading a book. The second and third books didn’t even exist. I didn’t even know that there were going to be other books. I was simply caught up in this tragic world that Suzanne Collins created.

It’s the last bit that made this reading such a delightful rediscovery. Things that happen later in the trilogy underscored some of the things that I probably glossed over the first time. I was able to evaluate Peeta’s, and Gale’s, and even Katniss’ motives in a different light.

I don’t spend much time re-reading these days. It’s extremely rare for me since there are so many new books awaiting my attention, but I’m glad that I took the time to read The Hunger Games book, and I can’t wait to watch the movie.

Jennifer Donovan is a little bit proud of her prediction about the Hunger Games being the next Harry Potter or Twilight phenomena, which she first wrote in March 2009 on her blog Snapshot.

Filed Under: Jennifer, On Reading

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Comments

  1. Pam ( says

    March 18, 2012 at 12:20 pm

    I don’t often reread books but I’ve taken spins back through this series as I did through Harry Potter as each book/movie was released. Thanks for your take on this. I can’t wait for Friday!

    • Jennifer says

      March 18, 2012 at 9:18 pm

      Me too!!

  2. Dawn says

    March 18, 2012 at 5:39 pm

    My daughter is re-reading also and we have tickets with two of her school friends (both boys) and parents. We are all looking forward to going on the 23rd! Goose-bump material that trilogy! Of course she also has purchased a Peeta Cardboard Cut out as well…which is startling when you walk in her bedroom at night! Good call on the prophecy in 2009! However, being a die-hard LOTR fan- After this I will be eagerly anticipating The Hobbit!

    • Jennifer says

      March 18, 2012 at 9:19 pm

      It’s really been fun sharing the excitement with my daughter, too.

  3. Jessica says

    March 18, 2012 at 6:18 pm

    Hm, maybe I will have to re-read it too. I wasn’t going to, but it is a quick read, and it’s been a year and a half since I read it. It’d be fun to re-read with the movie in mind!

    • Jennifer says

      March 18, 2012 at 9:19 pm

      It was really quick. I’m glad I did it.

  4. Shauna says

    March 18, 2012 at 7:33 pm

    I have a personal rule about seeing movie adaptations of books: I don’t watch a movie for at least a year after I’ve read a book. For me, reading a book just before seeing a movie makes it almost a certainty that I will hate the movie.

    • Jennifer says

      March 18, 2012 at 9:21 pm

      That is usually my rule as well, Shauna! But I think if I had seen this one, it would have been almost like I hadn’t read the book at all — which IS what usually allows me to enjoy the movie. So we’ll see if I’m sorry I did it. . .

  5. Dawn says

    March 18, 2012 at 10:15 pm

    You know I’m right here along with you, Jennifer! I did my re-read, and I’ve been thinking so much about it in the weeks since. Our tickets are purchased for Friday night, 10:30 pm showing. Yay!

  6. pammypam says

    March 20, 2012 at 8:01 am

    i am as diehard a hunger games fan as i am harry potter AND twilight. i can think of nothing else (except staying on my diet)! i\’m debating reading book 3 before this weekend. how was the audiobook? who was the narrator?

    • Jennifer says

      March 20, 2012 at 2:46 pm

      Great audiobook. Carolyn McCormick narrated. I haven’t heard her before or since, but looks like she’s done a lot of other books.

  7. Bin says

    March 20, 2012 at 11:22 am

    I totally agree. I re-read all three last year and the second time around, I found myself looking at the characters differently. When I first read The Hunger Games (at Dawn’s suggestion, thanks Dawn!!), I had no idea that it was a trilogy and when I got to the end of the book (and cursed Dawn repeatedly for not telling me b/c omg, I had to know what happened next, and how was I going to wait until the 2nd book came out) and realized it wasn’t over, I was already thinking about a potential book2 and not really digesting book1.

    So, yeah, the 2nd time around, an even better read. I can’t wait for the movie this weekend!!!

    • Dawn says

      March 20, 2012 at 1:12 pm

      Yup, that’s me, terrible friend!! 🙂 I truly thought you knew it was the first of a trilogy when I passed it along!

    • Jennifer says

      March 20, 2012 at 2:47 pm

      Dawn thinks this is sacrilege, but I actually think that the movie is going to be better than the book

      • Bin says

        March 20, 2012 at 3:57 pm

        Oooh! That is sacrilege in Dawn’s book. I’m sorry I’m going to miss it on Friday. I can’t get out to see it until Sunday. Can’t wait though!

  8. LA Nannies says

    March 22, 2012 at 2:50 am

    I can’t wait for this movie be on screen! I haven’t red the book of Hunger Games but I guess this is really an amazing movie!

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