Get ready for Part 2 of Mockingjay!

For the past four Novembers, I've looked forward to two things, and not necessarily in this order:

1.) Thanksgiving (who wouldn't?).

2.) The latest Hunger Games movie release.

This November is certainly no exception, as I eagerly await the fourth and final installment of the Hunger Games movie franchise. The movies are based, of course, on the The Hunger Games trilogy written by Suzanne Collins. While there are, or will be, four Hunger Games movies, there are actually only three Hunger Games novels. They are, in order of release: 1.) The Hunger Games, which was released in 2008; 2.) Catching Fire, which was released in 2009; and 3.) Mockingjay, which was released in 2010.

The series follows Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark as they fight through a deadly battle royal forced upon them by the government, which is led by the evil and despicable President Snow. There are four movies, as opposed to three, because the final book, Mockingjay, has been split into two parts for the motion picture. Part 2 of Mockingjay will be released on Nov. 20, and I couldn't be more excited.

Here's an interesting fact regarding the novels: In August 2012, the series ranked second in an NPR poll of the top 100 teen novels. Harry Potter ranked No. 1 in the poll. Also in August 2012, Amazon announced that the Hunger Games trilogy was its top seller, surpassing the record previously held by -- you guessed it -- Harry Potter. Take that, Harry!

Through the end of 2014, the Hunger Games trilogy has sold more than 65 million copies in the U.S. alone, which, when broken down by actual book, breaks down this way: more than 28 million copies of The Hunger Games, more than 19 million copies of Catching Fire, and more than 18 million copies of Mockingjay.

As for the movies, so far my favorite has been Catching Fire, the second movie of the four. But ... the trailers for Part 2 of Mockingjay look awfully good. I can't wait to see it. It's been November ritual for the past four years. The only sad part about it all is that this is the last November that I'll have a new Hunger Games movie to look forward to.