Waiting on Wednesday #9

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted at Breaking the Spine where bloggers post spotlights on upcoming releases that they're eagerly anticipating.

This week, my pick is The Princess of Iowa by M. Molly Backes. Publication Date: May 8th 2012 by Candlewick.

Goodreads summary: What does it mean to do wrong, when no one punishes you? A smart and unflinching look at friendship, the nature of entitlement, and growing up in the heartland.

Paige Sheridan has the perfect life. She's pretty, rich, and popular, and her spot on the homecoming court is practically guaranteed. But when a night of partying ends in an it-could-have-been-so-much worse crash , everything changes. Her best friends start ignoring her, her boyfriend grows cold and distant, and her once-adoring younger sister now views her with contempt. The only bright spot is her creative writing class, led by a charismatic new teacher who encourages students to be true to themselves.

But who is Paige, if not the homecoming princess everyone expects her to be? In this arresting and witty debut, a girl who was once high-school royalty must face a truth that money and status can't fix, and choose between living the privileged life of a princess, or owning up to her mistakes and giving up everything she once held dear.

The Hunger Games

I was a little bit leery about starting this trilogy. First, I prefer books with a first person point of view. Second, I don't like present tense. Third, I thought it was a little rip-off of the concept of Gladiators and this one book I can't remember the title of but was basically about children being forced to fight to the death. When I come up with the title, I'll get back to you. Promise.

So as you can see, there were many things piled up against The Hunger Games. Add to the fact that I think the 'dystopian' genre is a bit irritating since it's basically YA Science Fiction (personal opinion, feel free to calmly state why you think I'm right/wrong) and you get one book that I really shouldn't like.

But ... I liked it. I mean, liked it so much I couldn't put it down. At all. I finished it yesterday and I'm buying it tomorrow so I can go to work, come home, and ignore my social life so I can finish book 2. And then, when I'm finished with that, I'll buy book 3 and repeat the cycle.

Show of comments: Who's seeing The Hunger Games when it comes out on March 23rd?