Sunrise on the Reaping (The Hunger Games)
Sunrise on the Reaping Suzanne Collins, 2025 Premise: Another Hunger Games prequel, this one following Haymitch when he was a kid sent to the games. Largely about propaganda, power, and the difference between appearances and the truth. Oh ouch. This was a hard read. If you read/watched The Hunger Games, you knew this couldn't end well for Haymitch in order for him to be a bitter, broken drunk by the time he meets Katniss 25 years later. But still... ouch. The book, of course, introduced characters who did appear/will appear in other books, but not in a way that felt too much like fanservice. More like: look, here are the forces that make this character who they will be in the future. From the start, when Haymitch isn't initially called for the games but forced to sub in after the name ceremony is disrupted, there's a strong theme about appearances. The Capitol spends a lot of energy appearing faultless - in video, dress, coordination, everything. And that pays off for...