At this point in the game, you may be asking yourself an abundance of questions such as: “How could this guy POSSIBLY read this slowly?!” “What, is he transcribing The Hunger Games from ancient Greek? Surely he knows that there are English copies available!”

Rest assured, I am functionally literate (technically) and for the past fortnight my copy of The Hunger Games was 6,000 miles out of my grasp. Intrigued?

I just returned from an amazing two week vacation in Italy and it was a torturous but ultimately wise decision to not bring The Hunger Games along with me. I was almost craving it on my twelve hour plane ride, but now I’m home and I have found that not only was The Hunger Games still waiting for me, but it was bookmarked to exactly where I left off. Just the way I left it.

Chapter Two-October 31st, 2011

Where I began: One time, when I was in a blind in a tree, waiting motionless for game t owander by, I dozed off and fell ten feet to the ground, landing on my back.

Where I ended:Of course, the odds have not been very dependable as of late.

Wow, so I’m already pretty far up wrong prediction creek.

Choosing this Peeta kid was an incredibly smart move on Collin’s behalf. I was certain that we would see more of Gale. I’m sure this can’t be the last of him though, but how can he involve himself now that Katniss has volunteered herself for the Hunger Games?

We haven’t even heard of Peeta before his name was announced and it was that anonymity that made the moment seem so real. I mean seriously, even in a small and tight knit (well, in a manner of speaking) community like District 12, how many people could you fit into your prayers at night?

We’ve all been in the situation where the name that’s called from the stage is a near faceless acquaintance. This is true for the reader,but not for Katniss.

Obviously, Katniss recognizes the name immediately and she is faced with the ultimate dilemma. How can she be forced into the arena and be made to fight to the death against someone who has shown her pity?

The story of the burning of the bread is infinitely touching and could be the beginning of a fairy tale. It is a timeless gesture of selflessness and it makes me already care for this Peeta guy, which I absolutely do not want to do since I’m pretty sure I’m going to see him die at some point.

That’s the haunting thing about what I’ve discovered so far about this series. We’re learning so quickly about everyone that Katniss comes into contact with, and with this ultimately sweet guy in the ring there is a notion that keeps ringing in my head: All will die but one.

I’ve never read a series before that promises the death of a character as soon as they are introduced and I can feel Katniss’s struggle because of it. I don’t want to get too close to this kid because I KNOW (just as Katniss does) that we’re going to have to see him with his throat slit at one point or another.

By the way, how must it feel to be Prim right now? Obviously a sweet delicate rose like her would be one of the first to die in the ring, so Katniss is their family’s only hope, but how guilty must Prim be feeling? They haven’t had a champion since Haymitch (who we’ll get to in a minute) so what chance could Katniss possibly face? I couldn’t imagine experiencing that particular brand of guilt.

It’s almost worse than taking a bullet for someone, what Katniss did for Prim. If Katniss were to die in the ring, it would be almost guaranteed that her last emotion would be fear, which is an unfortunate fate almost worse than the death itself.

Also, how beautiful was the solidarity of the district when not a single person gave up the sound of their claps for the capitol? Speaking of sticking it to the Capitol, how strong (or drunk) was Haymitch for pointing directly into the camera and declaring that Katniss was stronger than any of the people watching (including the Capitol!)? To all of you sitting at home, this girl dodged a bullet and then jumped right back into its path to protect her sister. She is a better person than you. Wow.

I gotta admit, even though he is a stinking drunk, I respect Haymitch already more than half the people on that stage. Especially Effie. I couldn’t image a better name for her since she is so EFFING annoying. Again, no spoilers, but if we get to see her die I might finally find peace within myself.

Actually, I take it back. After getting a blow-by-blow account of how Katniss stepped up for her family and is risking her life daily to make sure they don’t starve to death, it’s her that I respect the most. You know, I think she just might make it through these Hunger Games.

Don’t understand what this is all about? Click here! Wanna talk to me about The Hunger Games? Drop me a comment right here on this page or talk to me on twitter @ThisIsJimmyBean, but let’s please keep things spoiler-free. We’re all adults here, right? Remember, If you spoil this for me I will send you a strongly worded hand-written note detailing how you have hurt my feelings.