Oh yes, I went there. Kristen sent me the trilogy for my birthday after a quick Facebook exchange on the merits of the series, and I saved it for my Singapore trip.

While not the best books I’ve ever read, they are a great introduction to dystopian fiction for a younger reader. Incredibly absorbing and a good plot meant I just kept reading and reading until I was all done. I don’t know if reviewers (at least of the film adaptation) are reading far too much into its YA literary roots — all I know is, when I was a teenager and reading YA novels, I wasn’t seeing any sort of parallels with my own experiences of growing up. I was after entertainment and being transported away from my ordinary life, which continues to be my yardstick for what I deem to be a good novel.

There’s not very much to say about The Hunger Games that hasn’t already been said many times over, except that it did take me in unexpected directions. I liked that. Would I read it again? Probably not, but I’d recommend it to others.