A lot of people are excited to see the Hunger Games. A. Lot. In fact, the odds are definitely in favor of this movie being the runaway blockbuster of 2012.

But for me, this movie is so much more.

Back in 2009, my “insider” at Barnes and Noble recommended one book. “You HAVE to read this.” I was starting a book club with two other friends from high school and we certainly needed an excuse to get together and gab each month (thus, book club.) So Suzanne Collin’s Hunger Games was what started it all.

Years later, dozens of books, my book club is going strong. The group has been divided by graduate school, mission trips and life in general, but we’ve held on. We all read Catching Fire with equal fervor and we gathered at the Mockingjay book release party at Powell’s.

 The Hunger Games series has ultimately been an anchor for us. It’s so much more than just a book.

There are articles, blogs and theories all over the place as to what made this book such a blockbuster and what we should really make out of all this hype. These are all great articles. Great voices. Great insights.

But for me, I know the Hunger Games is so much more than a book. To see the book from 2008 on the full screen is a culmination of years of anticipation and memories with the hope of only more years to come.

My book club and other Hunger Games addicts will all be there opening night and opening day. I’ve done my patriotic duty and spread the book around, circulated the audiobooks and blogged to my little heart’s content. (I may or may not have even downloaded Rue’s whistle as my ring tone…)

So here I am, counting down the minutes until the midnight release of the movie. (Nerd alert.) What about you? Will you be going to see HG on the Big Screen?

PS – Of course, after March 23rd, I can say with quite certainty that we’ll all be anxiously anticipating Catching Fire – scheduled for 2013 according to IMDb. 🙂