The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

           The novel, The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins is a thrilling book that touches on the concepts of survival and love. It takes place in a country called Panem, and each of the 12 districts has to send one boy and one girl from ages twelve to eighteen for the annual Hunger Games, a death fight on live TV. The traditional rule is that the game goes on until there is only one person left, and the district he or she belongs to gets rewards for his or her victory.

           Overall, Collins does a good job on including details that reveal the characters’ personalities. From District 12, Primrose Everdeen and Peeta Mellark are originally chosen to be tributes. However, Prim’s older sister, Katniss, takes place of her dearly beloved sister and joins Peeta. Katniss’s action reveals her bravery, care and love towards Prim and how strong she is as a person. Her decision to participate in the Hunger Games changes her fate of coming back alive or dead.

            There are many remarkable scenes in the novel. The one that came to my mind immediately was when Katniss and Peeta decide to eat poisonous berries after the rule change. When they are the last ones left, Claudius Templesmith, the announcer of the Hunger Games, announces that there can only be one winner instead of two, which was the previous rule. However, Katniss and Peeta do not follow it because their love towards each other is stronger than their desire to win and bring back goods for the district.

            The Hunger Games is truly a well-written story, and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I am usually into chick flick books, and to be honest, I did not know if I would be interested enough to finish the book; all I heard was that it is amazing. After finishing the novel, I understood why it was so popular, and it made me want to read the second and third book. I think all people can enjoy this novel, and I recommend watching the movie as well.

The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks

               The novel, The Lucky One, by Nicholas Sparks is a romantic yet suspenseful book that keeps the readers’ attention throughout the story. The main character is Logan Thibault, who is a U.S. marine, and he journeys across the country to find the woman in a photograph he found during his duty in Iraq. He feels the need to owe her something because when he carried around the picture, series of lucky events occurred like saving his life. Soon, he realizes that it is a lucky charm, and this realization leads to the search for the woman.

         There are many memorable scenes throughout the novel. One of them is the miraculous moment when Thibault finally comes across Beth, the woman in the picture. The photograph is his only reference, but luckily, he is able to find her based on the clues in the picture. This scene is obviously a significant part of the book because the encounter is the start of Thibault and Beth’s relationship.

            Another unforgettable moment is when Thibault’s secret about the photograph is revealed, leading to severe consequences. The news threatens to tear Thibault and Beth apart, causing Ben, Beth’s young son, to run away into the storm. When everyone goes after him, he/she finds him “grasping the fraying edge of the rope bridge” (375) in the massive flood. Clayton, Beth’s selfish ex-husband, jumps in and tries to save Ben’s life. Sparks describes Clayton’s situation, “His broken ribs exploded in pain, making everything go black for an instant. In panic, he reached for the rope with the other hand, fighting against the current” (376). Throughout the novel, only Clayton’s negative side has been shown, but this action shows that he is really caring deep down inside and desperate to save his son's life. It may have been the first time he is being selfless because he used to have an egoistic desire about his son being into sports although Ben is only interested in chess and violin, causing Clayton to treat him harshly. He has even given Ben a black eye with a baseball while playing catch. Clayton may have been tough on his son, but the rescue also proves that part of him still cares about Ben even though he is not how Clayton wanted him to be like.  

            After completing the novel, I personally enjoyed reading it; I could not put it down because the plot and the way Sparks wrote made me want to read more and find out what happens next. The author did a nice job on not boring the readers until the end and keeping them informed by writing from different perspectives of the characters in each chapter. I recommend this book to those who like romantic stories with a little bit of suspense in them and of course, to those who are Nicholas Sparks fans!