I love a good “book day.” A book day is when I spend the whole day (or afternoon or night or all three) reading a book from cover to cover. To top things off, yesterday’s book was Mockingjay, one I’d been waiting on for a year and the conclusion of a trilogy. And best of all — it lived up to all the anticipation.

The story begins in Panem, what’s left of America many years in the future after a major war. The Capitol (aka government ruled by evil dictator) controls the twelve districts, and to remind the people who’s in charge, each year they hold The Hunger Games. Two children from each district are chosen by lottery to enter the games, in which they must fight to the death in an arena. The games are televised to the entire populace, and the last child left alive is crowned the winner.

Now enter the heroine, Katniss Everdeen. Her younger sister is chosen in the lottery to represent District 12, but Katniss steps up to take her place. The trilogy tells her story, from her experience in the games to all of the fallout that follows.

I don’t want to spoil it, so I’ll leave the rest for you to find out on your own. Suzanne Collins has told a unique, page-turning story of sacrifice, survival, and love. The story stands on it’s own– you don’t have ponder the deeper meaning. But I can’t stop thinking about the resonance here. Poverty vs. excessive wealth. The subjugation of the powerless. What it means to have power. Our obsession with entertainment. How far we will go to survive. The value of a human life. The value of family. What it means to love someone.

Read these books. You won’t regret it.

The Hunger Games
Catching Fire
Mockingjay

(Here’s the book trailer for Mockingjay.)