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In case you've been living under a rock (which I don't blame you for, that honestly sounds very cozy), the latest Hunger Games book, Sunrise on the Reaping, has set Libby alight. The prequel book is a successor to The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which was adapted into a stellar film starring Rachel Zegler in 2023. As it turns out, Sunrise on the Reaping has its own movie adaptation that's due out next year. So as you would imagine, it's like the Olympics for Hunger Games fans right now. 

According to Book Riot, checkouts for Sunrise on the Reaping on Libby are up a whopping 515%. Libby, in case you need a refresher, is an app and website used by libraries around the country where patrons can check out eBooks and audiobooks. I love Libby and its user-friendly interface, it's the rock that I personally would like to live under at all times, and it's evident that Hunger Games fans feel the same way. In fact, Sunrise on the Reaping has been performing even better than its predecessor, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, on the site. It's also worth noting that Ballad came out in May of 2020, when everyone was at home with plenty of time on their hands. So for Sunrise to be performing this well in the year 2025 is astonishing. 

Sunrise on the Reaping's takeover of Libby has also extended to other books in the series. Book Riot noted that The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay "have experienced anywhere from a 120% to a 166% year-over-year checkout increase." The future and present for The Hunger Games is looking bright. 

So why has Sunrise on the Reaping been so successful? Aside from the fact that it's a good book with themes salient to the world we're living in, The Hunger Games has benefited from a crossover audience that extends beyond young adult-aged readers. Their parents are also fans of the book series, their grandparents, their older siblings, their aunts and uncles. Considering how J.K. Rowling continues to come up with more and more ways to punch down at vulnerable groups in society, it's good to see a series like The Hunger Games continue to thrive. 

Just like yourself, the Popverse staff spends a whole lot of time with our respective noses in respective books. It's why we've come up with stuff like:

• The hottest upcoming fiction
• Queer romance to add to your reading list
• A reading guide to Cassandar Clare's Shadowhunter Chronicles

...and a whole lot more. Join our metaphorical library, won't you? There are no late fees and you can be as loud as you want, so long as the people you live with are OK with it.