The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins

I'm rather embarrassed to admit that I haven't read this series yet, since YA fantasy is totally my thing, and that I've already seen the first two movies before reading the books. I was first a little surprised by the novel; I wasn't expecting it to be in first person, but I like the ambiance it creates. And it sure was engaging as all get out. I had a hard time putting it down, though it isn't, by any means, the best YA book I've ever read. I understand the changes and deletions they made for the movie, which is what I had heard from friend who had read it before seeing the movie. And though I love Jennifer Lawrence, she definitely isn't the same physical type as Katniss in the book: she should be quite small, thin from years of eating at a barely subsistence level, where Jennifer Lawrence is quite healthy looking. But I loved the book, and I can't wait to read the next two (hopefully, I'll finish the third before those movies come out).