Constant Craving

I woke up with red bloodshot eyes after barely sleeping a wink, my mind racing with thoughts about you. I went through my day like a zombie, going through the motions in the hope of returning to you. Food tasted like sawdust in my mouth when all I wanted to do was engulf you. Okay, I admit it. I have a problem. I am chronically addicted to The Hunger Games* by Suzanne Collins. Within 48 hours, I consumed this book like my last meal. I put my phone on silent and I continued procrastinating from my work to read this riveting post-apocalyptic tale of Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, two teens who are selected to be tributes in an all out battle to the death. Think of it as Survivor on steroids, or the Real World with real blood, or better yet, Big Brother (and not the CBS one). Reality TV might be entertainment to us, but what if we were forced to watch our loved ones murder other children to survive? The questions that The Hunger Games poses are essential issues to think about as we embed ourselves deeper into virtual worlds where we relinquish privacy and freedom for the sake of safety or worse, fun. Even more than the deep messages it conveys, it is a relief to finally find a new obsession with a female protagonist who can kick butt (sorry, Bella, but it's true...). Luckily, the newest book in this trilogy is due Sept. 1, and until then, I will be salivating...


* Special props go to Mrs. Rosen, master librarian, who recommended this book to me and changed my life.