About a month ago, Elana Johnson and I were chatting (shocking I know) – she sprung this newest brain child of hers on me…a tribute to some of the all time best books and authors EV.ER.  In her usual fashion, Elana grew this idea to an amazingly HUGE list of bloggers all heralding their fav authors and books today. Check out the full list of bloggers and books here. Pretty AWESOME, isn’t it!

Which brings me to my choice for today…

SUZANNE COLLINS, Author of Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and the soon to be released, Mockingjay.

I distinctly remember reading Hunger Games. I thought I was possibly the last person on the planet who had NOT read the book. A librarian friend of mine shoved it into my hands saying, “I don’t care how busy you are. As a writer of YA lit, you NEED to read this book.”

Man, I am so glad I did.

I read it in one sitting – and LOVED every single word. Not only did I find the story compelling, but Suzanne literally changed me as an author. I can’t really explain how – but something in the way she strung words together, the way she wove the backstory into the plot, changed the way I write stories. Forever.

When Catching Fire came out, my same librarian friend gave me a copy to read. I devoured it as quickly as the first…enjoying it just as much.

And again, I picked up ideas for my own stories, for my own writing style.

I know I’m not the only one with a serious fangirl crush on Suzanne. Just look at this great article in Time magazine. That’s right, Ms. Collins made Time’s 100 Most Influential People list.  Told ya she was AMAZING!

Did I also mention there is much talk of a Hunger Games movie??

So, to celebrate the Awesomeness that is Suzanne Collins and her Hunger Game series, I am giving away not one, not two…but THREE books by Ms. Collins. Three lucky winners will get their choice of any of Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Game books – including Mockingjay (though I obviously won’t ship that until its August release date).

Here are the contest deets:

  1. Leave a comment and tell me what you love about books – any books
  2. Follow my blog and/or fan page on FB and get an extra entry
  3. Get even more entires by tweeting, blogging, or otherwise spreading the news on this contest (1 extra per thing you do)
  4. Contest closes on Friday, 5/7 and I’ll announce the winners on Monday, 5/10.

For more awesome books, check out the Awesomeness on Lisa and Laura Roecker’s blog (Amazing Authors themselves) and check out the whole list of participants here.

SPREAD THE AWESOME!!!

74 thoughts on “Spreading the Awesome – A tribute to Suzanne Collins”

  1. Awesome choice for sure – I also devoured Hunger Games and Catching Fire and cannot WAIT for Mockingjay. One thing I love about books is how I can completely disappear into the storyworld for a while – coming back is the hard thing 😀

    Left a comment, I’m a follower, and I tweeted your giveaway, so 3 total! Thanks for the awesome post 😉

    Reply

  2. I LOVE LOVE LOVE both The Hunger Games and Catching Fire. August won’t get here quick enough when we can finally get our hands on Mockingjay.

    Spread the Awesome is awesome!!

    Reply

  3. Okay, I have these books sitting on my table in the tbr pile, so you’re not the last person to read them. I really need tackle that pile faster… Since I’m so late, I’m kind of waiting for the third book to come out so I can sit down and read them all at once! I can’t wait though!

    Reply

  6. I love that you say ‘a tribute to SC’. Well done. These two books make up my third and fourth favorite books of all-time and your reviews have done them proud.

    What I love about books is that they make me think, life, and happy. They transform an ordinary day into something extraordinary. They can consume a whole week and you have no guilt about it. Books are just flippin’ awesome.

    Reply

  8. GREAT choice and I concur with everything you said. She is pure brilliance. I can’t wait for Mockingjay!! I won’t enter myyself in the contest b/c I own both and plan to own teeh third (they MUST be on my bookshelf).

    Reply

  10. One could put on a writing workshop just using Suzanne Collins’ books and nothing else. The characterizations, settings, plot structure…everything is spot on. I use these books like a textbook, highlighting passages and taking notes.

    Excellent choice!

    Reply

  12. Fantastic choice!! This is one of my favourite series. The only thing I don’t like about it is having to wait those long months for Mockingjay! Suzanne totally deserves her spot on the Time list.

    What I love about books… I love that with a turn of a page, you can be transported into another world. Whether it be magic, an epic tale of love, a bleak and distorted take on the future… no matter the journey, you can be guaranteed an amazing adventure. Although it’s no less emotional than reality!

    +1 Fan on facebook
    +1 Tweeted – http://twitter.com/peacelovebooksx/status/13307129399

    I would LOVE to win Mockingjay if this is open internationally 🙂

    Thanks!
    hanging.by.a.moment_@hotmail.com

    Reply
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  17. Strange as it may seem, I haven’t read this series yet. Lately hearing all the great reviews I’m wanting to.

    I’m following you now. Thanks for the opportunity! (Hugs)Indigo

    Reply

  18. I love these books and devoured them faster than anything else this past year. One thing I love about reading is visiting new worlds and knowing they all started out with an idea in an author’s head. It’s magic when those ideas come to life on the page.

    Reply

  19. Loved those books. Suzanne Collins has a unique ability to keep people reading. I could literally not put them down. At the end of each chapter, she gave you a little something to keep it going.

    She’s amazing. What a great tribute ;o)

    I tweeted (I’m ericawrites) and “liked” you on facebook!

    Reply

  24. Suzanne Collins is one of my favorite authors ever. I already own every single one of her books so don’t enter me in the contest 🙂 I actually avoided Hunger Games because of all the buzz. But when someone gave me a copy, I realized how deserving the buzz was! I think Suzanne Collins is SO talented. Can’t wait for Mockingjay!!

    Reply

  25. This is so generous. I would love to own these books. I love when books make you believe in and care about another world. And for certain Suzanne Collins has done that!

    Reply

  26. You know, I haven’t read these yet either. 0_o I really, really want to, I just haven’t purchased them yet (and my library doesn’t have them)…

    I love holding the book in my hand, turning pages, the smell of new books &, of course, the stories & the dialogue & the characters. As you can tell, I haven’t succumbed to the e-reader craze yet. : )

    I follow you through RSS (Google Reader). : )
    Tweeted: http://twitter.com/wordsrollon/status/13313924544
    Blogged: http://wordsrollon.blogspot.com/2010/05/i-heart-contests-may-1st.html

    Thanks for the giveaway.

    Reply

  28. I haven’t read these because… I’ve been waiting! Everyone loves them and I don’t know if I can handle the stress of waiting for another! So after Mockingjay .. yeah. But I’d love to enter the contest in the meantime!
    +1 FB Fan
    +1 Tweet

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  29. What I love about books – they’re cheaper than movies, and they last longer! (Paperbacks, anyway, or library…)

    +1 Follower.

    🙂

    Reply

  30. I am in reading heaven right now, lol. All these new blogs to visit, all these books to add to my TBR (and to move up in the TBR’s!). As a reader what I love about books is how they literally fill my head with people and places-and they do it in a way that allows me to work my imagination in there, too! As a writer, I love how reading these books can show me how it’s done.

    I’ve tweeted. I blogged about this. And I’m adding you to my google reader (also ticked the “notify me of site updates), great blog!

    Would love to win a copy of MOCKINGJAY!

    Reply

  32. I love a book that makes me forget time and chores. One that shows me new worlds or a different thought. And the best ones leaving me thinking and reorganizing my brain for days after I read it.

    i twitted this but have no idea how to prove it 🙂 my twit name is taffylovell.
    I follow your blog.

    Reply

  33. I predict a well-deserved run at midnight for MOCKINGJAY. I loved these books for creating a sort of dystopia that we could relate to where romance takes a backseat to surviving (at first…) and media steals the limelight, underlining the bizarreness of life.

    Spreading the Awesome!!

    Reply

  34. I love, love, love the first two books. I read Catching Fire in one sitting on a plane, devouring it so quickly on the first leg of the flight that I had to buy something at the airport for the next leg. And, I’ve had Mockingjay on pre-order since it was announced. So, great choice!

    Reply

  35. I haven’t had a chance to read these books but I heard from another writer friend of mine that they are amazing.

    Reply

  36. What an awesome contest, Christine! Way better than my Spread the Awesome giveaway.

    And I love these books. I shove them into everyone’s hands that I know. Kids or Old Farts both.

    Can’t wait until Mockingjay comes out!

    Reply

  37. I haven’t yet read The Hunger Games, but it is high on my list of “to read”s. If I can lose myself in a great story, that’s all I ask for in a book.

    Thanks for Spreading the Awesome!

    Reply

  38. I checked her out on Amazon and read the first few pages of several of her books. I guess I’m the only who is annoyed by the first person/present tense way of writing? I don’t mind first person/past tense, but reading the first few pages of the Hunger games books made me want to strangle something. I noticed she didn’t use that method in her Underland series. I’m not meaning to bash her talent in general–obviously she is very talented. I just feel like I’m reading a dream sequence when I am reading present tense and I’m waiting for the regular part of the story to begin.

    Reply

  39. Ooh, I think I’m the last person on earth who hasn’t read THE HUNGER GAMES! *cringes while waiting for angry gasps* But it’s on my next bout of Amazon to-be-ordereds!! And why do I love books? Because they ignite in me that frisson of excitement when I know I’m tucking into a great freakin’ story. Ahh.

    Reply

  41. I totally adore Suzanne Collins. Her Gregor the Overlander series is amazing. What an incredible author she is. I recently re-read her books (for educational purposes) and lost myself in the story, like the first time.

    Reply

  42. Okay, so you only picked one of the best YA books every written!! Superb choice. I have only read Hunger Games so far, but I’m aching to get into Catching Fire. My daughter just finished it, so it’s definitely on the To Do list!

    I’ll add your contest to my sidebar! I’m hoping to get the third book! And I’ll tweet. Yay for super contests!!

    Reply

  50. My most favorite thing about books, aside from the story, the escape, the suspense, and the ability to transport to other places in a single page? I love when a writer’s particular word choice resonates with something deep inside. Giving words to a notion or a feeling perfectly.

    I have FB fanned you!
    I have tweeted you! (twitter.com/corinneoflynn)

    Reply

  51. I have yet to read these and can’t wait to start! I have heard nothing but stellar reviews. Your review just bumped this series up on my tbr list.

    Reply

  53. Ah yes, Hunger Games and Catching Fire. Sheer genius Suzanne Collins.

    I actually read Hunger Games during a teacher inservice day (shh – I know teachers make the worst students!) and went out and bought Catching Fire during my lunch break and read it the next day!

    Best. Books. Ever.

    Reply

  56. I love books because they can take you anywhere, anytime, any place. I’m following here and facebook. I think I might be one of the last people on Earth that hasn’t read these. I’m holding out to do all three in one weekend. It’s happening…wrap your head around it. 😉

    Reply

  57. I agree. These books changed me too, as well as how I write. Collins is definitely a master. Can’t wait for Mockingjay! I already have it preordered. But I don’t own the other two, so definitely put me down for your contest.

    And thanks for helping to spread the awesome.

    Reply
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  62. Sign me up for the contest! I ❤ books because I learn so much about life and love and being a good person and they're just plain awesome. Oh, and the escape from my real life. 😀

    I ❤ The Hunger Games! Am anxiously awaiting the third book.

    Oh, and I get +1 for following via RSS. :o)

    Reply

  63. I love how books can bring you to another world, and how you can just enjoy the ride. I love that! And it’s great to be ‘peeking’ into another life.

    Reply

  67. Hi, Christine!

    Great contest…and I totally love the whole “Spread the Awesome” idea.

    I have signed up to follow your blog and your fan page on FB (I would appreciate follow-backs on mine, as well). Furthermore, I “tweeted” about your contest on Twitter, here: http://twitter.com/Acushla712 and I posted a comment on my FB page, here:
    http://www.facebook.com/acushla712?ref=profile

    I’m also going to be posting about “Spread the Awesome” on my blog, “Cynde’s Got The Write Stuff”, by tomorrow, at: http://cyndes-got-the-write-stuff.blogspot.com/

    You might want to hurry over to my blog and check out my posting about “Blog Jog Day”, if you haven’t heard of it before, because TODAY is the very LAST DAY to sign up for it. The event is on Sunday, 09 May 2010, and there are over 100 blogs that are participating. It’s going to be AWESOME, so please check it out. It will mean more visitors and “followers” for your blog, PLUS other long-term, positive benefits. Check it out!

    Sincerely,
    Cynde (Cynde’s Got The Write Stuff)
    http://cyndes-got-the-write-stuff.blogspot.com/

    Reply

  68. I just got notice from interlibrary loan that Hunger Games, long at last, is waiting for me! Can’t wait to read it after the raves I hear all the time.

    But I’d be thrilled to win it and the other two! Regardless, I’d still follow your blog. Interesting posts.

    Reply

  69. The Hunger Games was one of those books I couldn’t go to sleep without finishing. Looking forward to Mocking Jay.

    Reply
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  71. What do I love about books? They’re an excellent form of entertainment and escapism. I can go to places in my head that would difficult or impossible for me to go to in real life. They’re also very educational, giving me a greater knowledge of the English language and of the subjects being read.

    Thanks for the contest! Here are my other entries:

    **I’m a fan on the Facebook page

    **I tweeted:

    **Blog post:
    http://calicocritic.blogspot.com/2010/05/wednesday-contest-report-may-5th.html

    Laura Hartness
    The Calico Critic

    Reply

  72. I love the level of intensity. The books have a clever, fast paced plot that kept me reading it in one sitting.

    Reply

  73. I know it’s a good book when I’m sad it’s finished. I love that! It’s a little escape into another life, another place, and when it’s good I’m sad to see it end. 🙂 The Hunger Games are on my list to read, maybe I need to bump them up to the top. I’m a facebook fan.

    Reply

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