The Hunger Games

To say the least, gripping. I finished it (in three days) wanting more and wondering where Collins might be taking Katniss in the rest of the series. I can see why B&N allow the first in a series to be loaned out (or is it more than the first? So far I've only seen book #1's): it'll keep ‘em buying the rest of the series, at least in this case.
Collins ably evokes the horror of placing young people in violent situations. Weaving in a variety of approaches to preparing the young to kill or be killed, she ultimately finds them all wanting. Reading Collins' prose I found myself rooting for the protagonist and constantly checking myself, saying of course only in context. A horrifying and somehow still endearing story. Quite an achievement.