Sunday, March 27, 2011

Twilight



Twilight By Stephenie Meyer


Category: Must Read (If you are reading this blog, the chances are that you have probably already read it at least twice)

Borders Book Description


Isabella Swan's move to Forks, a perpetually rainy town in Washington, could have been the most boring move she ever made. When she meets the mysterious, alluring Edward Cullen--a vampire--her life takes a thrilling and terrifying romantic turn.Isabella Swan's move to Forks, a small, perpetually rainy town in Washington, could have been the most boring move she ever made. But once she meets the mysterious and alluring Edward Cullen, Isabella's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. Up until now, Edward has managed to keep his vampire identity a secret in the small community he lives in, but now nobody is safe, especially Isabella, the person Edward holds most dear. The lovers find themselves balanced precariously on the point of a knife -- between desire and danger.


OK. My thoughts. That's why we are here, right? Well, I could start by saying that this book changed my life, but I don't want to sound overly dramatic. Except in a way it did. It definitely changed my expectations of a book. I can not tell you how many times I have googled the phrase "what to read after twilight". After reading Twilight, an ordinary book just didn't hold my interest in the way that it used to. I kept thinking back to Bella, Edward, and Forks...


Before Twilight, I guess you could call the books I liked "chic lit". My favorite authors were Jane Green and Sophie Kinsella. I haven't read one since Twilight.  It's not that I think there is anything wrong with them. They were good books, but they just can't hold my attention like they used to. I found that I now need books that have a compelling love story, a little suspense, and even some action.


Another way it changed my life: ROBERT PATTINSON. I mean,come on.  Without the books, we wouldn't have the movies. Without the movies, who knows if we would have ever been introduced to the creation that is Robert Pattinson.  Personally, I had no trouble accepting that this was my Edward....

I can relate anything to Twilight. Sad, but true. It just seems like my brain can find any relation possible with the books and / or movies.  Here is an example:


Having Just Watched Red Riding Hood:

Izzy: So, that was a pretty good movie.
Sassy: Yeah, I thought so too.
Izzy:All these movies are jumping on the Twilight Wagon. Seriously, like there's a love triangle, an exciting slightly dangerous love interest vs. the good wholesome (maybe boring) love interest. Then you have the werewolf, which by the way, that wolf looked like he was part of Jacob's wolf pack...
Sassy: Exactly, but on the plus side - I felt like I got a little Twilight fix (lol). But of course, like always, the relationship didn't compare like I wanted it to...


As for the overall reason that I love the book, I feel like I can't put the reason into words. Stephenie Meyer created a world I wish I lived in. She made Bella to be such a relatable character. She made Bella's flaws "cool". Since when is it OK to be clumsy, completely average, and shy. Well, it is now. She wasn't made out to be a beautiful, larger than life character. Because of those flaws, you can relate to Bella in a way that you feel like you know her, and what normal girl wouldn't want the hottest guy in the world to love her?


I watched the movie first because honestly I had never heard of the books. (I know shame on me!) I am one of the fans that loved the movie. Whereas, Sassy, not so much. She stayed away from the Twilight Phenomenon because of the movie. (That is until I got ahold of her.) Something about the movie intrigued me. I watched the movie like 3 times in a week (I know what you are thinking...loser...hah). Then for a reason unknown to me, I googled the movie. I really don't know why, but I am glad I did.  I discovered the world that is Twilight. I found that there were 4 books and they were continuing making the movies as well.  I was so excited. I overnighted all the books to my house and read Twilight in a day.


The book and the movie to me are completely separate entities.  I like the movie for completely different reasons. It is in no way as good as the book, but that is normal for book adaptations.  Heck, I probably like the movie so much just because we are introduced to Edward Cullen as he enters the cafeteria. My god, the hair, the smirk, the walk! Honestly, who doesn't... 
The book was so different from anything else I had ever read. It had the right balance of suspense and romance. I had never before been so invested in the characters of a book. I felt personally attached to Edward and Bella.  To me, it wasn't a vampire love story. It was a gripping love story between a girl and a boy (who just happened to be a vampire). Stephenie Meyer threw all the rules out the window with this series. You want to keep reading just to know more about the Cullens. I found her vampires very intriguing. Since the book is from Bella's perspective you have to keep reading to unravel the mystery that is the Cullens. She made Edward to be the perfect boyfriend. We all know he has his flaws as well (can we say overprotective?). But even with the flaws, every women still wants to find their own Edward Cullen(hah...or believe their husband is their Edward!...I still you love you Mr. Izzy!)


Overall, I feel like I can't pinpoint the reason that this is my all time favorite book. I became completely engrossed in the book immediately in a way that no other book did. I didn't want to put the book down (and when I absolutely had to, I couldn't stop thinking about it.)  If you haven't read the book yet, stop whatever you are doing and join the club!


Now, I want to know what you think....Tag your it!


-Izzy

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