In 2008, I finally read the original "Twilight" book by Stephenie Meyer. It came out in 2005, but I waited a few years to buy it for several reasons. The granddaughter just turned 12 last year and I knew she was *sigh* leaving her Junie B. Jones series behind for more grownup reading. She, of course, loves "Twilight" and loved the movie when it came out. And while I am pretty fond of the supernatural genre, vampires have never been at the top of my list. But we're talking about a beloved local author -- Ms. Meyer lives in Arizona -- and I'm all for supporting local talent. (Visit her website at www.stepheniemeyer.com.)
So the granddaughter asked me recently to buy her the second book, "New Moon," which will be out in theaters on November 20th. I think she's already standing in line to see it. :-) Then all of a sudden, and very surprisingly because she hates anything supernatural, my youngest daughter decided she wanted to read the series. She sends me an urgent text about how she is nearing the end of the second book and will I run out and buy her the third -- "Eclipse" -- so she can just keep reading. Being the absolutely awesome mother that I am, of course I did. Then she decided to finish the series and bought the fourth book, "Breaking Dawn." She really enjoyed them all.
So here I am, with all of the books in my house, a total of 2,444 pages of reading bliss! I picked up "New Moon" and just got lost in it. I read in bed at night and a lot on the weekends (all knitting screeched to a halt). I managed to blast through "New Moon" and "Eclipse" in one week. My eyeballs were literally burning. Had to slow down some on the last one because of our house painting project, but finished "Breaking Dawn" in a week.
They were so great! I enjoyed every second. Escaping to their diverse world of humans and vampires and werewolves was like being on a supernatural vacation for several weeks. Even when I wasn't reading, I was thinking about the books and the characters and wondering what was going to happen next. I swear there were moments when I could smell the woods and hear the crunching of leaves underfoot in Forks, Washington.
So thank you, Stephenie Meyer, for the entertainment and for sharing your wonderful imagination with the world! And, please, keep on doing the amazing thing that you do ...
6 comments:
Okay, after that glowing testimonial, I just might have to break down and start the series. I am a horror/supernatural nut and tend to like my vampires sensual and sexy a la LeStat in Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles, for example. After hearing about the Twilight series and seeing the movie trailers, it seemed just too chaste for me. But everyone I talk to can't believe I haven't read them. (Just like I can't believe the people who haven't read Harry Potter.) Add to the fact filming was actually done in my neck of the woods, (i.e., Madison High School in Portland, nearby St. Helens, and several scenes in the Columbia River Gorge pretending to be Forks, Washington), I suppose I should climb on the ol' bandwagon.
On a general note, I do know what you mean about getting comfortable with a series -- I was like that with Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series. It really is like visiting old friends.
I am so embarrassed to admit that I have never read any of the
Harry Potter books -- or seen the movies. That will go on my Things To Do list right now.
Since the Twilight books are about high school kids, they are geared more toward tweens and teens and are somewhat tame. I just think the author did a really nice job of fleshing out the characters and making them real. And a lot happens by the time you're into the 4th book (I am not going to give any spoilers, though). And as fast as you read, you'll breeze right through them anyway!
Diana Gabaldon is another Arizona author. I did read her first Outlander book years ago, but had not continued on with them. That would probably be another good series to read now since she's coming out with #7 -- and they're huge! Lots of pages!!!
Hello Aunties!
Since you are talking about my new favorite subjects, i decided to jump in the conversation!
We'll start with Twilight first!
First off Aunt Sara, you have to see the movie! They are some pretty sexy vampires! But I always prefer books over movies, because then you can imagine them to be way more beautiful than they could ever be in real life. I agree with Aunt jayaycee though, and I am glad that they are tame because there are so many young kids reading the books/watching the movie. Stephanie Meyer did a fabulous job with this series. It's like an uncommon fairy tale, everyone wants to be Bella Swann or Edward Cullen (who is a very beautiful man, by the way!!!!). I am super duper excited for New Moon, but I have to admit it was my least favorite book. I won't say anymore cuz I don't want to ruin it for Aunt Sara! Aunt jayaycee, what was your favorite book?
Now for Harry Potter!
I am only on Book 3 so don't ruin the ending! But I have seen all 5 movies, and just recently saw the 6th movie and loved it! This story was also very well written, and the movies go along pretty well with the books! Has Ash read/seen these? Robby and I like to play Harry Potter trivia and we normally end up speaking with British accents by the end of the game! Aunt Sara, my favorite movie is Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. What was your favorite?
Love you both!
-LJ
My favorite Twilight books were the first and the fourth, although you certainly need the two in the middle to keep the story going. For some reason, the granddaughter doesn't like the Harry Potter books or movies. I think she got scared watching one when she was tiny and now just thinks they're scary.
i love the twilight books
Me, too. I'm hoping she writes many more for the series!
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