Twidays: WTF Just Happened Here?

So, with all the discussion about when, or *gasp* IF, Summit is going to announce they are making Breaking Dawn into a movie, I've been thinking about possible marketing tools they could use to help promote it. You know - teeshirts, bumper stickers, etc. I'll get us started...

Breaking Dawn: Where a werewolf falls in love with a baby!


Breaking Dawn: We can't show you sex, but we'll give you a cracked spine!

Breaking Dawn: PG-WHAT???

Breaking Dawn: Teen Pregnancy never looked so chaste.



Breaking Dawn: Fading to black in a theater near you!

or this one, from my good friend @twiljediknight:

Breaking Dawn: Where sex is forbidden but it it totally okay for your husband to eat your baby outta your belly.


Breaking Dawn: Because "Breaking Bella" was too literal.







Breaking Dawn: Nessie Lives!







Breaking Dawn: Yeah, we think it's creepy too.







Breaking Dawn: Where nothing really happens in the end.

or my favorite from @twiljediknight:

Breaking Dawn: WTF just happened here?



Breaking Dawn: Because an Epic Battle would have been unrealistic.

Forks WA: Home of the Vampire UN





And for the DVD release...

Breaking Dawn Director's Cut: Freaky birth scene in it's entirety!

And how about the movie posters? I'm sure we'd all love for it to look like this...

photo source

It will probably be something more along these lines...

photo source

Oh my eyes! They're burning!

Meadow and I would love to hear your Breaking Dawn taglines - we know you have some good ones! Leave them for us in the comments!

The Love Triangle: Gale or Peeta?

sidebra with mockingjays: This post may contain subtle spoilers for The Hunger Games. If you haven't finished The Hunger Games and Catching Fire, please do so - it should only take you two days because you won't be able to put them down. Unless you're Spank. And then it will take you forevah. *blows kisses at Spank*

Since Meadow is out of town this week, *cries a little* we are waiting until later to talk about our favorite Happily Ever Afters (as was promised). But, since Meadow has not read The Hunger Games or Catching Fire, I thought it would be a good time to discuss them in relation to the love triangle.

I've received a bunch of emails from friends (who I may have forced to read The Hunger Games) with the question: Gale or Peeta? Now I know this isn't the central issue to the books, but let's face it - we all love a good love triangle. Think about it - we have Edward-Jacob-Bella from Twilight, Jace-Clary-Simon from The Mortal Instruments, and I keep seeing more and more pop up in YA literature. Our choices in "teams" has even come to be a marker of some sort. I was recently talking to a 17-year-old about Twilight and she stopped me and said, "You should know, I'm Team Jacob," as if it defined an important part of her and how she read the books. And in a way, it does.

I've always been Team Edward and Team Jace - in those cases, it was easy for me to "take sides." But when it comes to The Hunger Games, I am much like Katniss - torn and confused between Gale and Peeta. And I think that's the wonderful thing about the love triangle in The Hunger Games: there is no easy answer. Well, at least there isn't for me. I'm sure some of you have picked your 'team' already (and I'd love to hear why).

Gale and Katniss have a relationship built upon their need for survival. Their drive to keep their families fed and alive is what brings them together and fuels their need for each other. Similarly, Peeta and Katniss's relationship is based almost solely upon their survival - in relation to the Games, the Capital, and President Snow. So, in a sense, both relationships are forced upon Katniss. This doesn't lessen the intensity of either relationship, but makes the choice all the more difficult.

Most of the time, I lean towards Peeta. He is selfless and caring, and there is no doubt that he loves Katniss. It's easy to be Team Peeta when he and Katniss are in the arena, or facing President Snow, fighting for their lives. But then I think of Gale. He knows Katniss. He has been by her side 'fighting' for survival long before Peeta and Katniss were forced together.

You see how I'm confused? And as much as I love happy endings with a neat bow tied on top, I'm not expecting this from Suzanne Collins. She has not made anything "easy" up to this point, so I'm extremely curious to see how she'll end The Hunger Games trilogy.

So, tell me - what team are you on? Are you confused like I am? How do you foresee this ending?

And, just for fun, since they are making a movie from the books *squeee* here are my current choices for actors to play Katniss, Gale, and Peeta. I'm easily swayed, so leave your picks in the comments if you have them!

Katniss: Emily Browning
Peeta: William Moseley
Gale: Ben Barnes

(And yes, I know that I've picked two actors from Prince Caspian, but they just seem "right" to me.)

Reading Rain-bow: Candor by Pam Bachorz

Candor by Pam Bachorz

Candor was recommended to me by my twitter book-pusher @katarinasmama. She sold it to me as a dystopian story, which instantly made me want to read. I love dystopian fiction - Margaret Atwood is one of my favorte writers, after all. I think I'm drawn to them because they force the reader to consider the fictional world presented - that it could exist - and then contemplate the possiblities - what if? In that way, Candor did not disappoint.

Just to give you a quick idea of the storyline, a man creates his version of a Utopian community, called Candor, by forcing Messages upon it's inhabitants through auditory means - the Messages are hidden in music that is played throughout the town. No one knows the extent of this man's control, save his son, Oscar Banks. Oscar works within the system by helping young people escape Candor by using Messages of his own. (Read a full synopsis and review at Reverie Book Reviews.)

The thing I liked about Candor was that the whole dystopian world was one that I could easily relate to and imagine existing. It isn't set thousands of years into the future, bur right now, in present day. Candor could be the next gated community over from yours, and how would you know? It brings up questions about free will and basic personal freedoms, which are definitely relevant in YA, but can also be relevant to a reader who isn't a young adult. I found myself wondering how far I would go for perfection, and what exactly is it that defines perfection? And, how far would I go to fight against the system?

Another thing I really liked was the ending. I'm not going to go into details here (for obvious reasons!) but I like that this book stands alone - it is not a part of a series. The end is, in fact, the end, but it allows the reader to form their own ideas about what happens after that end. Truth be told, I usually hate this sort of ending, but it was so well done in Candor, that I loved it.

Have you read Candor? What did you think? Did you want more? Were you satisfied at the end? And, as always, remember to ***SPOILER ALERT*** in your comments if you include spoilers.