It’s time! Discussion post number two! We are going to talk about Hunger Games and oh my goodness, that ending. Just like last time, the same rules apply. Remember, on the right hand side of this post you’ll see Book Talk’s own WORDS WE LIVE BY – so please, keep it friendly and fun Comments with spoilers for Catching Fire will not be approved, let’s keep it within the confines of Hunger Games. Thanks!
Let the games begin!
Also, we have give-away number three! We’re giving away two MORE Mockingjay pins! In addition to the pins, the two lucky winners will get a copy of Catching Fire so they can get started for next week. As with the first round, to enter be sure to comment on this post with the phrase “I want a Book Clubs Mockingjay pin!” in the body of your comment. You must be over the age of 18 and a valid U.S. resident, click here for complete rules. You will have until tonight August 6th, 2010 at 9pm EST to enter. We will draw two (2) names at random tomorrow 1pm EST. Please only submit the phrase one time, and leave the rest of your comments for good ole’ fashioned book talk.
So, the question we’re all thinking: will Katniss really fall for Peeta, or is she content with it being a ruse to go against the Capitol? Okay, that might just be the question that I’m thinking… but I want to know!
Well, there are certainly plenty of things to talk about – how could the Capitol change the rules? How can the dead tributes come back as bloodthirsty mutts?
What did you all think? What was your favorite part? Tell us!
Book Talk 
Whyyyyyy do you have to be over 18??!? Ugh. Darn.
That ending broke my heart. I knew Peeta had to know that they were playing the love games for the Capitol even if he had a little hope that what Katniss felt for him was real. But when she finally told him that it was all fake it was so sad.
Turning Rue into a mutt was just horrible. That ending I always look back to because the Capitol keeps going about questioning her intentions about the berries. Of course Katniss did it to defy their rules – just like she was reverent at Rue’s death. But I think it was half that and half wanting to get her and Peeta out of there alive! That rule change at the end was sooooooo uncalled for!
Oh yes and very much so “I want a Book Clubs Mockingjay pin!”
I want a Book Clubs Mockingjay pin! I think Katniss does love Peeta for many reasons but her heart is truly with Gale.
I agree! Peeta is so sweet and loyal, in a way you want them to be right for each other. But I think Katniss’ heart belongs with Gale.
Couldn’t agree more.
I want a Book Clubs Mockingjay pin!
Loved the ending of The Hunger Games. The Games are over, but damage has been done. Katniss was able to outsmart The Capitol and turn their rule changes against them, but what will their reaction be?
I think Katniss has the tendency to push away her feelings because, well, she has too much to deal with in her life. Also, I believe she sees her feelings as a weakness that she can not afford. She has said before she’s not interested in bringing a family into the world they live in. Romance seems to be the last thing on her mind and even seems to be a burden to her.
I want a Book Clubs Mockingjay pin!
I want a Book Clubs Mockingjay pin!
I didn’t think that Katniss really thought about “actually” falling in love with Peeta. I would like to think Peeta really meant it from the beginning. He must have had some feelings (if nothing else compassion) to burn the bread and get a beating from his mother to give her that bread.
The berries at the end I think were her payback for him originally saving her life with the bread. She seemed surprised when Haymitch said the Capitol wasn’t happy with her and what she had done. She knew the berries would help them both survive, but she didn’t realize the total scope of what that one action would have on the other people of nation.
As for my favorite part, I think it was when she made the ulitmate sacrifice for her sister and took her place in the Hunger Game. Katniss knew her sister would never survive the game. It was the act of a true hero to do that. I think at this point the only person Katniss truly loves is Prim. The idea of love wasn’t really part of Katniss’s character until it was suggested that she “loves” Peeta. Survival was more important than finding love.
I have not read the secong book yet. I want to read it right before the final one comes out that way it is all fresh in my mind!
Thanks for the opportunity to discuss. I look forward to others comments!
I agree with you. I truly believe Peeta has been honest and forthcoming the whole time. He has loved Katniss since they were kids. I believe he falls deeper in love with her as the games continue. The moment I knew he was being candid the whole time was when Katniss revealed the mess they were in. I can image Peeta’s face and heart disintegrating when he realized that Katniss was just playing a game.
Katniss’ ultimate goal is to survive and maybe win the hunger games. As a result she is so concerned with not trusting people, even Peeta, that she gets caught up in thinking everyone has ulterior movtives. She is unable to see past her “overthinking.”
I think the books are more about the revolution than the romance. However the romance is more fun to discuss. I agree with InfernalHeart that Katniss isn’t interested in romance. We’ll see if she changes her feelings about it as the series continues. Gale seems to be the more romantic handsome hero, but we really don’t know him or his feelings for Katniss very well. Peeta is so sweet and so self sacrificing for Katniss. I think he deserves her. I want a Book Clubs Mockingjay pin!
I do think she loves Peeta, but more in a deep friendship…they’ve been through so much together.
I want a Book CLubs Mockingjay pin!
I want a Book Clubs Mockingjay pin!
I’m don’t think she is quite in love with him at the end of the book. She just doesn’t want him to die. She’s sick of death at that point.
I want a Book Clubs Mockingjay pin!
I want a Book Clubs Mockingjay pin!
I can’t wait to see how the story plays out. So many things going on!
I want a Book Clubs Mockingjay pin!
Though I’d love for Katniss to truly love Peeta, I don’t think she ever will…at least not in the way the Capital people want her to. I’m not sure she’ll ever allow herself to get in the position to condemn children of her own to risk of the Games. Sad, so sad. For Gale, too. 😦
I think that Katniss will have a difficult time deciding between Peeta and Gale. I would, I know that. I personally think she should choose Peeta. He is such a great guy that cares only for Katniss’ safety, wouldn’t you want to be around someone like that for your whole life? I was so angry when the Capitol changed the rules at the end of the Games, and freaked out when they popped those berries in their mouths. The Mutts were just another horrible trick from the capitol to hurt Katniss and Peeta.
“I want a Book Clubs Mockingjay Pin!”
I want a Book Clubs Mockingjay pin!
As for the ending, I’m just glad I waited to read it until I had “Catching Fire” at the ready, so I could proceed immediately. If only I had waited even longer for the next book…
I was quite sure that Katniss was playing the game by playing up the romance with Peeta, although I also believed she also cared for him very much, even if her heart was still with Gale.
I want a Book Clubs Mockingjay pin!
I want a Book Clubs Mockingjay Pin!
LOVED this book and the ending left me with so many questions!! I so want to know what damage she has done to her friendship/love with Peeta? He is such a wonderful guy but maybe (like the Bella, Edward, Jacob love triangle) there is a better girl out there for him. She lives in such a difficult place/time and cannot think of love/marriage – just survival. I wonder how Gale will react to her new fame and fortune? This is such a good series – one I may reread a few times i the future 🙂
I want a Book Clubs Mockingjay pin!
I want a Book Clubs Mockingjay pin!
I want a Books Club Mockingjay Pin! 🙂
I ❤ the Hunger Games!!! XD!!!!
I agree with some of the previous posts. Katniss is young and views romance as a weakness. It is not anything that she has ever allowed herself to consider. She equates marriage with children and doesn’t want to bring children into the world. And, she is so busy trying to help her family and Gale’s family survive, she doesn’t have time to think about what love is. But, ironically, her life is surrounded by love and devotion from others. She just has to learn what love is for herself. I don’t think her feelings for Peeta are faked–I think they are undeveloped. She needs to mature some more and get beyond worrying about survival before she can figure this all out.
“I want a Book Clubs Mockingjay pin!”
I agree with J-Lynn. Romance does form in the unlikeliest of circumstances, and it is something you cannot help. However, Katniss’ main focus is on survival. Who can blame her?
The ending left so many unanswered questions and it was terrifyingly real and unpredictable and even throughout the whole book that was carried through, keeping you guessing, making you want to read more until your fingers were covered in paper cuts from turning the page so fast xD
CAN’T WAIT TO START THE SECOND…AGAIN! =D I want a Book Clubs Mockingjay pin!
I want a Book Clubs Mockingjay pin!
I always feel bad that Katniss even has to consider boyfriends and all that, what with everything else she has to deal with.
“I want a Book Clubs Mockingjay pin!”
i think Katniss is deff. in love with Peeta, but she loves Gale also.. it’s like all the epic love triangles! (Strange Angels, The Mortal Instruments, and of course Twilight). It’s awful that she did fall in love with both of them, but she didn’t really realize that she was falling in love with Peeta because she didn’t realize what love felt like. She didn’t realize her feeling for Gale were more than friendship, and the only reason she did recognize those feelings was because she also had them for Peeta. It’s unfortunate that she didn’t understand she loved Gale before the Hunger Games because that would have saved Peeta, Katniss, and Gale alot of heartache.:( Love sorta sucks..
I did not think I would like this book at all, but by the end, I was ready for more! I would like a pin, and I am not quite two times eighteen…
I think that Katniss will find that she and Gale have less in common than she thinks. When you go through something like she did with Peeta, you have a special bond that never goes away. Who else could understand such a formative, and emotional, event? You can’t help but be changed.
Oh yes, and I want a Book Clubs Mockingjay pin!
That ending was the saddest thing ever. I felt like giving Peeta one giant hug (and possibly not letting go ever). I knew that he would eventually find out that Katniss acted the way she did as a means of surviving, but it was just so sad. Everything leading up to that ended just made it so much worse (i.e. Katniss freaking out when they took Peeta away and then the interview) Ughhhh, it still breaks my heart. I think that last line did it for me though. It was such a good way to end the book.
Also! I want a Book Clubs Mockingjay pin!
I want a Book Clubs Mockingjay pin! . . . And I think Katniss is already falling for Peeta, whether she knows it or not.
I didn’t read The Hunger Games right away, and I’m so glad I didn’t because by the time I read it, Catching Fire was already out. Whew! I didn’t have to suffer with the ending of The Hunger Games for long . . . but now the wait for Mockingjay is agony! 😉
“I want a Book Clubs Mockingjay pin!”
I think she loves Peeta, but only because they’ve been through so much together. I loved the ending. She came up with a great idea! 🙂 The mutts at the end were just awful.
I want a Book Clubs Mockingjay pin!
Peeta broke my heart when he realized it was all an act for Katniss – but I have hope that she will become aware that her feelings are real and they now share something unique after what they went through.
“I want a Book Clubs Mockingjay pin!”
I think she cares about Peeta butmost importantly she understands the power of the media and how public opinion would force the govt to allow a rule change in this case. She is very shrewd.
I think it was sad that Peeta didn’t realize how he was being played by Haymich via Katniss. I don’t think that Katniss loves him as much as she values the support that he was during such a challenging time!
oh and “I want a Book Clubs Mockingjay pin!”
Thanks for the chance to win!!!
I want a Book Clubs Mockingjay pin!!
I loved the end of this book. Katniss made a HUGE gamble by eating the berries, but it paid off!!….or did it?
I want a Book Clubs Mockingjay pin!
I want a Book Clubs Mockingjay pin!
I want a book clubs mockingjay pin so very badly!!
I can’t wait to read catching fire! I think she will leave peter once he returns to her distict. I was torn between the guys. It’s so good I almost don’t want to find out because I can have both scenarios play out. If I read it then I have to accept one version.
Peeta and Katniss are destined to be together. That is, if she can find that peaceful meadow where she could imagine herself with a husband and children. That won’t happen unless the Rebellion comes, and the Capitol is overthrown. So, I say, Let The Rebellion Come!
I want a Book Clubs Mockingjay pin!
I want a Book Clubs Mockingjay pin!
Personally, I think her loyalty to Gale hasn’t allowed Katniss to really explore her true feelings for Peeta. I think she has convinced herself that she’s “acting” with Peeta just to sheild her own emotions. I don’t doubt that she loves Gale, but I wonder if it is more a sense of almost familial obligation; ie. she loves him like a brother. I think if she gave herself a chance to really *feel* that she might find there’s true feelings there with Peeta afterall.
“I want a Book Clubs Mockingjay pin!”
As for the mutts, with all the high-tech stuff we’ve seen so far (hovercraft, tracker jackers, fireballs, precision launchers) it seems very probable the Capitol simply mutated the mutts so they had the tributes’ eyes.
Katniss is faking. I’m sure of it. Why, I don’t know, but it’s some gut feeling that tells me she doesn’t love Peeta. I don’t trust him either; he is so persuasive and manipulating. I think Katniss only saved him because of the sponsors and because she would be despicable if she let him die.
Gale, on the other hand, seems far more real. We’re thinking too much Twilight; our brains automatically align Gale with Jacob and Peeta with Edward. They have no relationship with Twilight; all those Team Gale and Team Peeta stuff is sickening. Katniss is only sixteen! She doesn’t need a boyfriend, especially with conditions poor as this.
What I think is that since a lot of us have read Twilight, we see Gale as Jacob. (Who, of course, he is not.) When I read the Twilight Saga, Jacob was a horrible character. I didn’t like him. In fact, I didn’t like any of the characters. But there are so many Edward fans out there, and if Peeta sounds like he’s Edward, then what do you know? Team Peeta galore.
I definitely agree with you, Phacelia: it’s a mistake to try to fit this series into that mold. We run the risk of missing what’s here, which is pretty remarkable.
For the record, though, I think both boys in THG are better choices than any we meet in Twilight, especially Edward (whom I personally could not stand!). For one, the way to prove one’s “love” (whether genuine or orchestrated) in THG is to stay alive, not give up one’s life for ever-lasting romance…
I think at this point she is just going to use it as a ruse against the Capitol, but there are two books left so she could realize she has actual feelings for Peeta in one of those. We just have to wait and see.
I want a Book Clubs Mockingjay pin!
I think Katniss feels too guilty about using Peeta to realize whether or not she has feelings for him in HG. She figures out early on that she can get gifts from Haymitch for playing to the audience. Even though she seems to develop feelings for him over time, the guilt of using him clouds her ability to separate true feelings from manufatured ones. I think Suzanne Collins included the incident with the bread from their childhood to suggest that the connection existed prior to the games and is therefore based in reality and not the world of the games>
Oh yeah, I want a Book Clubs Mockingjay pin!
I want a Book Clubs Mockingjay Pin!
The Hunger Games + Catching Fire + Mockingjay
= Pure Happiness.
I agree with Sandra, Katniss just might fall for Peeta in Mockingjay, however Katniss has a lot of other things to worry about besides romance! Anybody agree? 🙂
I want a Book Clubs Mockingjay pin!
Absolutely, Maddy. See my comment below yours. 😉
I know that this series appeals to a wide age range (and I also know that I am “old”), but I wish the conversation were not so focused on romance. This series offers powerful social critique–what kind of world is Panem to sacrifice children!?!?? Who cares about the romance angle? Love is not a luxury in the districts (indeed, it’s essential), 17 year-olds shouldn’t be worrying about finding “true love.” They should be focused on figuring out who they are–for themselves, not for someone else. One of the best things about this series is that it’s NOT a Twilight-esque love story.
I agree, Kara! There are so many other elements that make this story so great – just the idea of such a twisted government is stomach churning. They use their children for entertainment purposes! Not mention the idea that children can be killers – it’s very Lord of the Flies-esque in its look at what children are capable of doing. It’s terrifying!
“I want a Book Clubs Mockingjay pin!”
I think that Katniss loves both Gale and Peeta for different reasons. I hope that the bloodthirsty mutts were really not the dead tributes, I think that it was just to play with the remaining tributes mind. A mean and dirty game by a government not to be trusted.
I want a Book Clubs Mockingjay pin!
Haven’t finished HG yet, but enjoying every minute of it!
One of the things that really struck me in this reading, was the “cleaning up” of the winners. Not only is Katniss’ skin clean and sparkling, it is free of all scars. They robbed her of her identity as a District 12 tribute. How would you feel if all your scars were erased? I wear most of mine as badges of honor.
I am very glad Haymitch did not allow them give Katniss breast implants. Young women struggle enough with appearance and identity. I believe that surgery would have scarred Katniss is a bad way. Surgery should be a personal choice if at all possible. I think in Peeta’s case that his was necessary.
P.S. I want a Book Clubs Mockingjay pin!
I want a Book Clubs Mockingjay pin!
Katniss hasn’t had time to think about a relationship – she’s been keeping her family alive. Both Gale and Peeta are ahead of her on feeling in love. That kiss with Peeta where she felt something (when they were in the cave) was the first real feeling she had regarding a relationship, and she definitely didn’t have time to figure out how she felt about it.
I think Peeta has been great giving her time to sort through what’s going on and not giving up on her. Gale also to some degree. It’s got to be painful from their perspectives.
“I want a Book Clubs Mockingjay pin!” I read this book at the suggestion of a reading teacher… I wanted to preview for my 12year old and I was hooked.
I think that Katniss will fall for Peeta, but at the same time keep up with the ruse. The love will probably come from how he knows what she is going through. Plus when she goes home, no one else will understand except Haymitch, but that doesn’t count.
My favorite part of the ending was how they were both willing to kill each other for the other to win. At that moment you could tell who love who more. It was really emotional until Katniss figured out how to keep both of them alive, well dead at the moment.
“I want a Book Clubs Mockingjay pin!
I want a Book Clubs Mockingjay pin!
As of the end of The Hunger Games, I don’t think she is in love with Peeta yet. Not in the way they make everyone believe. Will she fall for him? Yes, I think so. She still sees love as something she cannot afford with the world the way it is. Honestly I think she’s afraid to see it any other way. Admitting to herself that she has feelings for either Peeta or Gale means admitting to herself that she has more to lose should something happen. The scars from her fathers death run deep. She doesn’t want to open herself to the possibility of love and even marriage or kids while the reality of how easily she could lose someone still weighs her down so much.
Agreed! Well said.
Katniss and Peeta are so great together, but Gale is so right, also! It’s sooooo hard for me to decide!!!!!
I want a Book Clubs Mockingjay pin!!!
I want a Book Clubs Mockingjay pin – actually, I’d rather the books, but I don’t think that was an option. LOL!
I just picked up Catching Fire at my local library yesterday and am ready to ignore all other aspects of life to get it read asap. 🙂
I want a Book Clubs Mockingjay pin!
I felt such sympathy for Peeta realizing all between he and Katniss was an act.
The ending gave me crazy dreams the day I read it. The muttations supposedly being the dead tributes is something I never would’ve saw coming and thoroughly disgusted me to think of tearing Cato apart.
When the announcement that the rules couldn’t be changed like they said I was sure that Peeta would end up having killed himself. When they took out the berries I got excited about how great of an ending I thought the book had….
And if I thought that was a great ending, then it really ending letting you know the Capitol was going to be out to get Katniss and not knowing if I should expect another book or not beforehand I was ecstatic to finally read a current author’s work and be eager as heck to read more as soon as possible!
I want a Book Clubs Mockingjay pin!
Right…this is just on THG. Haha, its hard having read both books to keep comments spoiler free. 😛 I was sad at the end of THG though, but I thought that we needed to see Gale more before I officially decided who I thought Katniss should be with.
I want a Book Clubs Mockingjay Pin!!!!!
I’m not sure Katniss knows how she feels about Peeta at the end of Hunger Games… Her “game play” mind had taken over. She cares for him, yeah sure – else why worry about whether or not he lives… but love? ‘meh – they’re teenagers – “love” is different with the passing of the seasons at this point – and Katniss is a prime example of that!
I want a Book Clubs Mockingjay pin!
I love how these books are not as predictable as most young adult novels. I am also happy to see how many adults are enjoying the books as well!
I want a Book Clubs Mockingjay pin!
Katniss loves Peeta! She’s just too confused right now with Gale over here ruining everything!!! I think she will end up with Peeta and also, the muttations thing interests me. Maybe they use the body’s DNA or something? Who knows what the capitol can do, Suzanne Collins never really explains it.
I want a Book Clubs Mockingjay pin!
Have no interest at all in Twilight (and thus, no interest in making this series fit any “Twilight mold” as some have suggested). Besides, Katniss could whip Bella any day.
I want a book clubs Mockingjay pin! I agree with many! I do think that Katniss is falling for Peeta. I am looking forward to this next book. Keep them coming!
Darn three minutes past? An hour past? Oh well! I want a Book Clubs Mockingjay pin! In the spirit of saying it.
I want a Book Clubs Mockingjay pin!
I think Peeta does love Katniss. I think Katniss is just struggling to determine if his feelings are real or just playing the game. I want a Book Clubs Mockingjay pin!
I want a bookclubs Mockingjay pin!
I think Peeta really does care for Katniss, and I think Katniss wants to care for Peeta, but is scared. She is definitely playing the role for her and Peeta’s safety, as well as the rest of her District, during the games. Also, as someone mentioned above, Mrs. Collins writes in the scene when Peeta gives Katniss the bread, I believe, to show that the relationship is pre-games.
I want a Book Clubs Mockingjay pin!
I would like to see her with Peeta but her heart belongs to Gale. Peeta would be the right one to end up with. It’s what the capitol wants.
“I want a Book Clubs Mockingjay pin!”
She appreciates what Peeta has done for her but Gale is her true love. I think Peeta will die in Mockingjay in some sort of sacrifice for Katniss that will allow her to forever be grateful to him but be able to stay with Gale, the true revolutionary.
I want a mockingjay pin!
Coming back home after the games should have been a happy, triumphant time, but the emotions of all involved got it all messed up. But with no tension to end the book, no second book, so ok by me
I want a Book Clubs Mockingjay pin!
I think Katniss seems to not care about love at this point. She still has the mindset of survival, which can lead to not caring about those kind of things.
So when do we know who won?
We’ll have a post up this afternoon w/ the winners – but they will have already gotten an email from us. Thanks for checking in and participating!