Original -- I'm not even going to attempt to put into words how much I love this novel. It would be rambling, fan-girlish, and incoherent, at best. 
 Update 4/1 -- I reread this in preparation of the movie. I believe this was the third or fourth time I've revisited the story, and there's something to say for a novel that can keep you glued to the pages even after you've read it multiple times. I've come to appreciate everything leading up to the games more, I think, in my later reads. The first time I was just so anxious to see if Katniss would survive that I flew through those first pages. But now, I find the scenes in the Capitol particularly creepy. Creepy, but brilliant -- the commentary on reality television and greed and corruption. Genius stuff. God, I love this novel.