I read "the Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins in 2012. I have to say, I'm not sure if the book is for everyone, but I learned something very valuable from reading the series. If you have not read the books and don't want me to ruin things for you, please don't read any further :)
SPOILER ALERT
What I actually loved most about the books was the ending. This might seem a bit counter intuitive, since the ending of the series is not very "happy". Actually upon finishing the books I felt rather unsatisfied and sad. At the time no-one I knew had read the books, so I couldn't discuss them with anyone. In a way this was a blessing. I kept thinking about the lingering feeling I had after reading the series and in the end I thought Suzanne Collins did something brilliant. I don't know if this was intended, but the feeling I was left with was something like a gaping hole. I wanted it to be filled with happiness but it hadn't been. Never having been to war myself, I can only imagine what that must feel like. I would think that even if you are happy, there is always going to be a part of you that will be touched by sadness for the things you've done, the things you've seen and the people you've lost.
The feeling Suzanne Collins left me with at the end of the books was this exact feeling.
It really made me appreciate that when we write a story, we should ask ourselves, "what do I want the audience to feel at the end of the journey?". I can only speak for myself, but I feel very honoured to have gotten this lesson out of reading the books.
