The Reading Games: And So It Begins Book 2

The Capitol sacrifices its young citizens in a tournament to kill each other until one survives. Our girl Katniss volunteered to take her sister's place. With the help of costumer Cinna, alcoholic Haymitch, and bread boy Peeta, she managed to come out on top in the likability factor. But it was her expert hunting skills (or patience to wait for everyone to kill each other off) for her and Peeta to outsmart and survive the games. Now there are two - two victors AhhaHA. That's what you missed with The Hunger Games!

"I clasp the flask between my hands..." My first thoughts tell me that Katniss has become Haymitch 2.0, however as she goes on "even though the warmth of the tea has....". (page 1) The first chapter proves that perhaps Katniss could use a few drinks. So what happened behind the Seam during the games?

Our idealist hunk Gale went to work in the mines. Since he didn't watch the games, when did he make this decision. Was it soon after Katniss was taken to participate in the games? He had not only his family to tend to but also Prim and her mother.

Because Gale refuses to take any offers of her winnings, Katniss tries to help but hunting in the woods for him. His work in the mines though puts them in a tight spots because they can only meet on Sundays. :(

While Katniss struggles with the dough and new home she won from the games, Prim and her mother have made their beds and are sleeping pretty tidily in them. Katniss longs for the life she used to have in their humble abode shack and regularly makes visits there to hurl insults at Poor Buttercup.

Before the Games, Katniss was pretty much known as the "&^%$ off girl". She didn't give a hoot about her likeability, and people gave her decent respect because of Prim's charm. Now, Katniss has become a graduated student of irresistiability, or at the very least respectable face to face interaction.

Soup Server Greasy Sae and the town rallied to sponsor both her and Peeta during the games. I thought sponsorship was a privilege only for Capitol Chaps, but apparently anyone can support the cause of the competitors (makes me wonder which gift from their sponsorship helped them win the games).

A big question I pose is: what really stops any of the poorer districts from uprising? The Peacekeepers act as our form of police, yet there seems to be a lot of 'rebellious' activities that slide under the rug. In the Hob two PK's are aware of black market activities yet don't take any action. Katniss hunts in the woods with Gale - that alone is punishable by death - but nothing happened to her. Perhaps the Victory Tours are meant to be a yourecard of rubbing it in not to screw around with rebellion chitchat, but for a lot of police activity there doesn't seem to be any.

Moving slowly into Chapter 2, Katniss visits our good drunken mentor Haymitch. After waking up from his stupor and leaving Peeta to get him cleaned up, Katniss returns to her new home. There's an unavoidable feeling that the **** is about to hit the fan because someone has come to visit her...but who?

Oh, President Snow. Yeah there's no turning to the side of the fan to miss the dung that'll be flinging all over the place.

Nothing angers a man more than making him look like a chump. That's certainly what Katniss and Peeta did when they didn't eat those bloody berries (She might be regretting that now and throughout the rest of the series, right?) in the last book.

The nature of Snow's visit is a small inkling that the genuine lack of chemistry between Peetniss spells out Match Made In Hell not heaven. Can we blame him? Throughout the games - mostly what we saw in private moments I'll give Collins that - Katniss' feelings are colder than kids killing each other as the entire country is forced to watch. I can understand that she wanted to shield herself from the pain of getting hurt, and her mixed emotions for Gale, but this girl can be too darn indifferent.


The Capitol should have known Katniss was trouble when she volunteered. So shame on them for you ask me. For the Richie Rich's feelings of humiliation someone is to blame and all fingers are not pointing at Peetniss but also to Gale. How, oh, how could this be?

(page 24-29) Well, after ninety pages of explaining every detail of being in the woods with Gale, one Sunday he made the move and kissed her. That was the first and last moment of their romantic connection. "I had to do that. At least once."...oh Hawtniss.
In her terrifying meeting with President Snow, it's quite obvious he knows that Gale is not her cousin (a media rouse created during the games). "How is your *cousin*?" *hint hint* "You two go to the woods right? Every Sunday??" *hint hint* When he leans into whisper that he knows about their kiss in the woods, and Katniss smells blood on him, the exact line "By the way, I know about the kiss." moment is a little too DUH. And just old man creepster move. (Any theories on how he found out?)

Wait. Expect about the blood part. That is not DUH, that is....BLOOD. Really? Unless Snow's wearing gloves, he probably had it all over his hands (hello Seneca's death). That's f----ed up.


The Reading Games continues: To get the creepy old man off her back and to save her own rear, and Peetas, Gale, Prim, the entire nation's really, Katniss has to figure out some way to fall in love with the boy who hasn't yet manage to fully ice his name on her heart. How, oh how, will she accomplish this?