The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

 In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.
Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love. From Goodreads.

This book is nr. 1 on the 2011 Book Blogger Recommendation List and it is being turned into a film so I thought I better read it. It is good, no doubt about it and I got very caught up in it and read it in one sitting! Scary thought that kids between the age of 12 and 18 have to fight to death in a game show. I like the strong girl Katniss who already once has proven that she can survive against all odds and now has to do it again. This book is not for the faint-hearted, normal life for people in the twelve districts is a struggle and they have to be lucky to survive that. We do get a glimpse that life in the Capitol is not great either and I hope we hear more about that in the next books.