"Katniss makes me as sad as I am hopeful for her."

So my buddy Miguel (subsequently known as "Migs") has been following all of my Hunger Games coverage (aka he is my friend IRL), and he went to see the movie this weekend, which he thoroughly enjoyed.  Migs had always told me that The Hunger Games reminded him of one of his favorite books, Battle Royale.  This afternoon, we met for lunch and decided to trade favorite books.  I have his copy of Battle Royale burning a proverbial hole in my purse, while he had the day available for diving into Panem.  He texted me just now to let me know he'd finished Part 1, and he gave me a short review thus far.

After I read it, my heart swelled with pride to consider him my friend.  He nailed exactly why this story resonates with so many people, and personally, I'm super glad my book is in such worthy hands.

"Katniss makes me as sad as I am hopeful for her.  Her unending suspicion and defensiveness, while entirely understandable, are really upsetting.  I enjoy the plainspoken way she expresses herself, though.  I personally have never been a fan of overly flowery writing from the first person, especially when used to describe dire situations such as this.  But overall, I feel bad for her and the circumstances that led her to be the socially naive, awkward, angry, sullen survivor that she is.  I sure hope she wins!  Go, Girl On Fire, go!"

You guys, I heart my friends.