YA and Beyond discussion

I want to know why people can't admit Peeta is the best choice for Katniss. Oh wrong group!

Heidi, people can't admit that because Gale is the best choice! Oh yeah wrong group. Hahaha.

Chachic, are you Team Gale? Because... *shifty eyes* I am (8


But overall - TEAM KATNISS :)

I'm Team Gale! Although yeah, more on TEAM KATNISS!

:D YAY! I have a feeling, though, that our team isn't gonna get the happy ending...but that's just a (hopefully incorrect) feeling.

I know! Actually, I don't want to think too much about it because I don't want to be disappointed. I mean yeah I'm more into Gale than Peeta but I don't want to get too attached because I still don't know what's going to happen. Oh I really hope they get a happy ending. They all deserve to have one!

Team Katniss !

Gale is going to die fighting for freedom and Katniss and Peeta will lively happily ever after. The End.

Just kidding! They all deserve a happily ever after so I'm just hoping no one dies. :)

Yeah, but Bluemoon, did you say you STILL haven't read Catching Fire???

I admit I wasn't full on Team Gale after The Hunger Games, but something just would have seemed off if she were with Peeta at that point (for me anyway).

Someone is def. going to die in Mockingjay. I have every faith Suzanne is not going to take the lame Stephanie Meyer route and have everyone live happily ever after with no real consequences. Out of the two boys, I think Gale is the more likely to die, but we shall see, perhaps they both live and Katniss dies! I def. think Haymitch is going to die, so don't get too attached :)

I also think Haymitch is going to die. A Stephenie Meyer ending would make ME very happy. LOL!

Shannen wrote: "I also think Haymitch is going to die. A Stephenie Meyer ending would make ME very happy. LOL!"

Of Course it would Shannen, Of course it would.

I love Haymitch too but I think that's what is going to happen. :(

Someone's got to die Bluemoon. That is just how it has to be or it will be lame. It best not be Cinna though!

Lets chit and chat about how I have no life and am on Goodreads all the time. Not to mention that this site is about books, but I am on here too much to read :)

Ladies, be kind to Bluemoon, she STILL hasn't read Catching Fire. She can't see these things coming yet. (although I can't believe she hasn't gotten the book yet)

Heidi wrote: "Lets chit and chat about how I have no life and am on Goodreads all the time. Not to mention that this site is about books, but I am on here too much to read :)"

I'm with you Heidi, I'm actually at work at the moment, but have decided to limit my goodreads time while I'm home. One night (I kid you not) I had a lovely 3 hour block planned for nothing but reading... I spent 2 hours of it on goodreads. It was bad. I'm still testing it out, and I haven't really been home all that much at night lately, but the theory is sound, I just need to put it into practice.

I don't want someone to die! But I have a feeling that you guys are right. Suzanne Collins tends to do things to her characters that will make you pause and think "Whyyyyyy is this happening to him/her?"

Haymitch is the only one who has nothing to lose.

Me too.

I don't think anyone is really safe. Well, except for maybe Katniss, because I really don't see how a first person present-tense narrator can die. I'm sure it's possible, but I don't think I've ever seen it.

And I absolutely love the fact that the chat thread has been entirely about The Hunger Games. Why is it that I'm not terribly surprised? lol

Hey, don't beat up Bluemoon too much. She's not the only one who hasn't read Catching Fire... yet.
*grins sheepishly* It's on my very, VERY long TBR list!

A.M.Y., you've got to bump up Catching Fire in your list! You're probably going to read it anyway before Mockingjay comes out, rigt? :)

not sure if I want to read Catching Fire...

Polkweed, why not?

Not. Want. To. Read. Catching. Fire. ???

The scene on the last page made me so angry I don't want to keep going. It ruined hat was otherwise a decent book.

Hi Polkweed - Would you mind being more specific about why you didn't like the last scene? Not to give you the third degree, but just curious! Ironically, I think the ending of the book made me more eager for the sequel.

Heidi wrote: "Not. Want. To. Read. Catching. Fire. ???"

ditto... does not compute... I don't understand.

Brittany wrote: "Heidi wrote: "Not. Want. To. Read. Catching. Fire. ???"

ditto... does not compute... I don't understand."

Ha!

My boyfriend only gave The Hunger Games three stars and said that he might read Catching Fire. I'll tell you, that was almost a relationship deal-breaker. Hahaha

I could see that Laura! p.s. Do you watch 30 Rock? Because, that was totally a Liz Lemon statement.

Hey Polkweed, I wonder why you didn't like the last scene?

Heidi, I do watch 30 Rock! Love that show and Tina Fey in general.

Laura wrote: "Hi Polkweed - Would you mind being more specific about why you didn't like the last scene? Not to give you the third degree, but just curious! Ironically, I think the ending of the book made me mor..."

The author employs a common but loathsome trope in which the girl is a fault for not using physic powers or something to penetrate the massive web of lies and realize that the often hostile male protagonist really does love her.
Katniss is blindsided by Peeta's affection, then she's told by Peeta and others that it's all an act. After the games she and Peeta are both told that their lives depend on them convincing everyone they're a loving couple regardless of reality. There's a few instances of honest affection and Katniss does get an inkling at one point that the game might mean more to Peeta than he's letting on but that doesn't outweight the sheer amount of manipulation and deception their relationship has been founded in. And of course at the very end when they've barely gotten out with their lives, Peeta starts sulking like an ungrateful brat because Katniss didn't save his ass with the purest of intent. Fuck Peeta; he's not a stoic just a coward who can't tell a girl he likes her unless it's burred under layers or deceit. I doubt Gale is going to be much better so reading about Katniss getting jerked around by two of these jerks doesn't really appeal.

Wow. Tell us how you really feel Polkweed! p.s. It is actually my hope that Katniss ends up with neither, even though I have a much higher opinion of Peeta than you obviously do :)

Ummm wow Polkweed. I guess you're entitled to your opinion. Then again, I think you were asked to explain. I see your reasoning, although I disagree with it.

Thanks for sharing.

Aww Polkweed, too bad you didn't like it. But yes Brittany is right, you're entitled to your opinion. There are books that are like that, they just end up disappointing you even though a lot of people loved them. Thanks for explaining your side!

The worst part is I did like it. I liked everything else about the book but that thing at the end just pissed me off so much...Chances are I will read Catching Fire and Mockingjay eventually but until then I just be a little cloud casting shadows on everyone else's joy. BWAHAHA!

No worries there! It's okay if you let us know what you think of the other books. :) I just hope you like them too and you don't get put off by the ending or some other part of the book.

You have no secrets from us Bluemoon. We all know!

Chachic wrote: "No worries there! It's okay if you let us know what you think of the other books. :) I just hope you like them too and you don't get put off by the ending or some other part of the book."

I figured. Actually I've been trying not to swamp the "you've been warned" thread because I take a sort of twisted pleasure in reading really bad YA and kvetching.

Polkweed, go ahead and post your thoughts in that thread!

So, a weird thing happened today. I went to the library to pick up Unwind and was perusing the YA shelves which, in this location, were in the children's area. I'm used to the occasional raised eyebrow when browsing YA but this time I got absolute stink eye. This mother glared at me for a few minutes then went to hunt down a librarian. After much gesturing and not quite whispers she stomped back to the kid's section and watched me till I left.

How rude Polkweed. Did she think you were a child molester or something?

There's a library that I visited once that had a sign at the doorway to their YA area that said something to the effect of "Teen Only Zone" and that really put a damper on my visit. Now, don't get me wrong, I can completely understand giving teens a space of their own and preventing other patrons from taking over their seating area and computers. But seriously, other people besides teens read YA literature, or if a parent was sent to pick up reading material for their child, or a college student was browsing for a class assignment, then they should not be restricted from browsing the collection. Whenever I see those signs, I feel very self-concious about entering and browsing the collection, especially when the teens themselves give you the stink eye, like "Can't you read the "Teens Only" sign?".

Good for the librarian for not kicking you out, and bad on the mother for giving you the stink eye! Let her experience the evil eye one day when she's checking out sex books when her kid starts asking questions. See how she likes it.

Boo for that mom, Polkweed! Don't mind her. She's just being mean because there's nothing else to do. People shouldn't judge you for want to read YA books. If she had any sense, she'd be aware that it's such a great genre and adults could learn a lot from reading YA.

Is anyone else falling way behind on their reading schedule, or is it just me? I've actually been returning books to the library unread, which is soooo unlike me. For instance, two people are waiting for Fablehaven #4, and I haven't finished #3 yet. Hopefully I can catch up this weekend, but I don't know....

A.M.Y., are you having a reader's slump? So far, I'm okay with my readings but I am a bit slow. I've only read two books this month because I'm catching up on some of the TV shows that I watch.

Polkweed - That really sucks! Sorry that happened to you!

A.m.y - My local library has the same thing. Maybe you visited my hometown?