In the first book it explains all of these three symbols so I won't give it away. The first book was A-MAH-ZING! Loved, loved, loved it. The second book has so far been slow. The third I hear is like the first very fast paced.
What I love about this book is it's universal. It's about a teen girl named Katniss whom is basically raising her kid sister Primrose while her out of sorts mom is grieving the death of their father. It's set in apocalyptic US now called Panem and houses 13 Districts (instead of states) with the Capitol being the capitol of the entire country. Each district is has it's own subculture and income classes. They range from very wealthy that have endless supply of grain and running water to impoverish living in huts and hunting rabbits and wild dog for food.
The startling part is you relate it to your own life. At least I did. Katniss is a dreamer set in reality. She has dreams and aspirations but does what she has to to take care of her family. HELLO does Suzanne Collins know me? LOL
Anyways if you have read The Twilight Series and not jumped off a bridge from Bella's incessant whining and cooing then you'll LOVE Katniss. She is the complete opposite. The relationships she encounters are different. She's stronger than Bella and much more likely. You can follow her train of thought and you care about her from chapter one on!
Ps. the movie to the first book The Hunger Games comes out March 2013. Read it first then do a Wikipedia search on the cast. PERFECTLY casted!