He Said, She Said #1: The Hunger Games

Hello! Welcome to the first column for He Said, She Said. I'm Kat, and sitting with me is Jay. Today we are going to talk about The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. So without further ado...

Why Did You Choose This Book?:

Jay: *laughs* When Kat asked me to do this column my first thought was: "Okay. What's the least girly, romance-driven book that Kat has read? Can I get through it?" I sure as hell wasn't going to read Anna and the French Kiss.

Kat: I was desperate for something to read just after I wrote Moon Dance and this was the only thing that looked decent at WalMart. I promised myself ages ago that I would not touch this series. I'm glad I changed my mind. *glances at Jay* And only you would say you picked The Hunger Games because it "wasn't romance-driven"...

Did You Like This Book?:

Jay: Yes, I loved the book. It never really had down points that weren't interesting. It flowed really well. Even when people were just talking, I always felt interested. I thought Collins did a good job on her world building,

Kat: Yes, I really enjoyed this book. I thought that Katniss and Peeta were totally adorable. I found her likable and he was just too cute and sweet and innocent and --

Jay: I think we get the idea.

What Was Your Favorite Scene?:

Jay: I'm not sure if 'favorite' scene is really the right word... I think the scenes I found most memorable were the Reaping, when Katniss took Prim's place, and the scene where Rue died. I cried -- don't laugh.

Kat: I loved Peeta's love confession in front of all the people. I also agree with Jay that Rue's death scene was incredibly powerful and touching. Although I didn't cry. Does that make me weird?

Who Was Your Favorite Character?:

Jay: I liked Katness, which is great since she's the main character and if I'm going to read about her I'd better like her. She's clever and I didn't mind reading her thoughts. I also liked Rue... Can't see how anyone wouldn't.

Kat: Peeta. Hands down and no questions, I absolutely adored Peeta. He was just such an interesting mix of kindness, cleverness and charm. My other favorite is actually Cinna. Something about him just struck me as being genuine and sincere. I think he helped Katniss with more then clothing through his attitude.

Was There Anything You Would Have Done Different?:

Jay: The thing that bugged me was that Thresh's death was never explained. Collins sets him up as this big powerful guy and then he just... dies. No reason, no explanation, nothing. That didn't make sense to me. Also, Kat needs to keep quiet and not tell me anything ... She spoiled the ending of the book by telling me that Cato died when I still had 50 pages left to read ... And that something "interesting" would happen.

Kat: If Collins is going to have Katniss wax poetic about Gale, she should have spent a bit more time building him up. Although I suppose I can understand that by not doing this she did not fall into the 'first boy rule' and actually did a really good job at leaving it in the air whether Katniss will end up with Peeta or Gale by the end of the series. (Don't tell ... Jay hasn't read them yet.)

Jay: There's this whole oppressive capital of doom and you're worried about Katniss' love life?

Kat: *laughs* I rate books with hearts. What do you want from me?

Would You Read Another Book By This Author?:

Jay: Absolutely. Right now I intend to read Catching Fire and probably Mockingjay.

Kat: Been there, done that. I've read all three books in this trilogy and I look forward to having Jay back to talk about the others once he's read them.

Anything Else You Want To Say?:

Jay: I like how eerie it all felt when the games were over. They made the capital seem really powerful and there seemed to be this constant need to watch your back.

Kat: Jay, you do realize that this book could not exist without Peeta's love for Katniss, right?

Jay: Of course, Kat. The audience is suppose to know Peeta means it. It's only Katniss who remains clueless.

And that's it for this book! I'd like to take a moment to thank Jay for agreeing to do this with me. I think it went pretty good for our first attempt. Our next book (big surprise here...) is going to be Catching Fire. Talk to you later!