Masterpiece Monday (Week 5)

Masterpiece Monday! (Week 5) 

Izzy Reads from Chapter 4 - Gesture

Enjoy our reading of the altercation between Jacob and Bella at the wedding reception. Hope this helps start your week of right - or at least end your Monday with a smile.

Masterpiece Monday (Week 2)

It's that time again. 

Get ready for a chuckle or two with this week's Masterpiece Monday! Sassy reads from Breaking Dawn, Chapter 1 (Engaged). 

The last fitting...don't you worry Bella, we KNEW what you were thinking when you said "Happy Place".

*21 Weeks to go*

Wanna See Something FUNNY!

 OUR  MANIC MONDAY  POST...

is US!

This is MY reaction to the Breaking Dawn trailer that was released last night on the MTV Movie Awards (which in-itself, should have it's own post to discuss the numerous embarrassing moments by Mr. Rob Pattinson). After deliberation and an accidental watch from Izzy earlier in the day (thinking that she was just watching the "teaser-trailer" again), I decided I must watch in order to discuss (curiosity killed the cat - or so they say). 

Please keep in mind I am "slightly" drunk, and do NOT typically act like a pre-teen drama queen (comma however) this particular mix of 'things' (alcohol/Twilight/Pattinson/sleeping child/ new release) tends to bring out a different side. Enjoy!

Eclipse

The Twilight Saga Eclipse

Borders Book Description


Readers captivated by "Twilight" and "New Moon" will eagerly devour the third book in Meyer's riveting vampire love saga. As Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger. Readers captivated byTwilight and New Moonwill eagerly devour the paperback edition Eclipse, the third book in Stephenie Meyer's riveting vampire love saga. As Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob --- knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella has one more decision to make: life or death. But which is which?


Category: Must Read


Eclipse was probably my favorite book of the series aside from Twilight. Twilight is where the love story started and detailed Edward and Bella falling in love. New Moon tore that all apart and introduced Jacob and the wolf pack and then put it all back together. Eclipse picks up where New Moon left off with Edward and Bella back together, but it isn't the same. Edward cause a lot of damage while he was away so everyone must deal with the consequences of his actions. 


That's where everything gets interesting. We have a full on love triangle throughout Eclipse. Who will Bella choose? (I never doubted Bella's decision, but I could see the appeal of choosing Jacob at times).  Bella would be able to grow old with Jacob and both of their families. She could have a relatively safe and NORMAL life. But, is that enough, ummm, NO. Sometimes the safest choose isn't the best choice.

The reader gets to experience an increased hostility between Edward and Jacob throughout the book. Personally, I felt at times it almost provided a bit of comedic relief.  The underlying tone of the dialogue is hostile, but the actual context is humorous.


"But if you ever bring her back damaged again — and I don't care whose fault it is; I don't care if she merely trips, or if a meteor falls out of the sky and hits her in the head — if you return her to me in less than the perfect condition that I left her in, you will be running with three legs. Do you understand that, mongrel?" - Edward Cullen, Eclipse

We also see a new side of Edward, over-protective, jealous, and controlling.  Which in real life, I might have told my boyfriend to take a hike. But in the world of Twilight, I might just be OK with this side of Edward. It's kinda hot (lol). He just loves Bella so much that he can't handle the thought of anything happening to her. 


A couple quick reasons why I absolutely love Eclipse....

LEG HITCH (let me know if you have no clue what I am referring to, but chances are you are well aware unless you live under a rock...lol), nothing more needs to be said here...


 The Proposal - "I promise to love you forever- every single day of forever. Will you marry me?' -Edward Cullen, Eclipse pg 460


The Tent Scene -  I can't include a favorite quote here because I love ALL of it.  You get some humor and a lot of insight from both Edward and Jacob on their feelings for Bella. OK OK...just one quote because it always makes me laugh...
I don’t see you making yourself useful. Why don’t you go fetch a space heater or something? - Edward Cullen, Eclipse

We get closure on a lot of things that have stemmed right from the very first book.  The book was intense and kept me reading until early hours of the morning. I will even confess to getting up an hour early for work in the morning just so I could squeeze in just a little more reading time (lol...I know I am not the only one..cough cough...Sassy). Sometimes, you have to do what you have to, we did tell you that we have toddlers, right? I am sure there are others out there that have to get creative with their reading times...taking a long bath, lunch breaks, traffic (just kidding)...

The Movie -


This movie seemed the most main-stream if that is the right word. It targeted a wider audience in the sense that it had more action.  Mr. Izzy said he liked this one the best - the story line was better and there was some action. I guess I can see that.  All around it was a great movie. I felt it was well done.  One critique though - can we say close ups? There are so many shots throughout the movie that are zoomed right in that I thought it took away from the scenes.  But, that is hardly enough to deter me from watching it multiple times! 

My favorite scenes in the book translated well to the movie. I loved the proposal / leg hitch scenes.  The tent scene held the right amount of tension. One of my favorite scenes and I can't explain why is the fight training scene. I love it!

They must be doing something right with these movies since they are making billions of dollars! I can't wait for the next two movie installments of Breaking Dawn.

What did you love about Eclipse? What did you hate? Let me know...tag your it!

-Izzy

The Twilight Sage: New Moon

New Moon By Stephenie Meyer

Borders Description

Star-crossed lovers Bella and Edward face new obstacles in this vampire love story--the second installment of Meyer's #1 "New York Times"-bestselling Twilight saga. Meyer's runaway #1 "New York Times" bestseller is another irresistible combination of romance and suspense with a supernatural twist. Star-crossed lovers Bella and Edward face new obstacles in this vampire love story--the second installment of the Twilight Saga. Legions of readers entranced by Twilight are hungry for more and they won't be disappointed. In New Moon, Stephenie Meyer delivers another irresistible combination of romance and suspense with a supernatural twist. The "star-crossed" lovers theme continues as Bella and Edward find themselves facing new obstacles, including a devastating separation, the mysterious appearance of dangerous wolves roaming the forest in Forks, a terrifying threat of revenge from a female vampire and a deliciously sinister encounter with Italy's reigning royal family of vampires, the Volturi. Passionate, riveting, and full of surprising twists and turns, this vampire love saga is well on its way to literary immortality.

Be prepared…I am a little chatty today…

This was my least favorite book of the series.  That being said, it truly still is a great book.  I am just Team Edward all the way.  I was never one that was on the fence on whether Bella belonged with Jacob.  It never occurred to me the first time through the series that Jacob was ever even a serious candidate. It took me three times through the series to even realize that Bella actually did love Jacob more than a brother.  I was blissfully oblivious to this.

New Moon breaks my heart every time I read it. Stephenie Meyer conveys the pain Bella experiences with such emotion that I feel like my heart breaks along with Bella’s.  I do not cry often…however, every time I read the break up scene, I can’t help but let a few tears slip. The thought of having your soul mate ripped away from you with no choice but to accept the decision is horrible. Then to be told that he doesn’t love you or want you, yeah, I think Bella handled it better than I could have. Seeing hallucinations would have been the least of my worries...(lol)

“There were no footprints, the leaves were still again, but I walked forward without thinking. I could not do anything else. I had to keep moving. If I stopped looking for him, it was over. Love, life, meaning… over.”
Bella Swan, New Moon, Chapter 3, p.73

I thought Edward was an IDOIT! Why would he think it was all his decision and give Bella no choices?  But, I do realize that it had to be done. In the end, both Edward and Bella learned so much from the separation.  They realized that they truly cannot live without each other. It also gave the characters a chance to grow and learn about themselves.  It also gave their intense love for each other more credibility. The reader can believe the depth of it because they have seen the result of their separation.

Stephenie Meyer brought another supernatural element into the series in this book….the werewolves.  They are the polar opposite of the vampires and for good reason. Bella was left heartbroken by the vampires and a werewolf is there to pick up the pieces and protect her when the vampires aren’t.

I can give credit to Jacob for cleaning up the mess that Edward left. He brought some life back to Bella. As I said before, I was oblivious to the extent of the love that Bella developed for Jacob. I was however, well aware, that Jacob was head over heels for Bella.  Their relationship was light.  Jacob was good for Bella, but he was never enough. Could you blame someone for refusing to accept less when they know what true love really is?

He thought time and patience would change me, and, though I knew he was dead wrong, I also knew that I would let him try.
Bella Swan, New Moon, Chapter 9, p.219

The reunion scene was perfect. Stephenie portrays it with just the right amount of suspense. My heart was actually racing as Bella ran toward the clock tower to save Edward in time (And I knew pretty much how it would turn out since there were 2 more books in the series…so that is saying something, right?) And then finally they are reunited and it was heaven (cue the angels singing)…until it wasn’t due to the Volturi.

Side note here, one thing I thought was clever in the book was the fact that Bella and Edward did not kiss until after they returned to Forks (as opposed to the make out session in the movie – which I love for different reasons). But back to the cleverness, Bella could have been so freaking happy that nothing else mattered, but she didn’t want Edward to kiss her. Why, because it would make it just that more difficult when he left her again. Now as the reader, I figured there was no way in hell he was leaving her side again. But this was a perfect example of just how damn broken Bella really was.

Even though the overall mood of the book is somber, new elements are brought in and keep the suspense coming so the overall depressive mood did not drag the book out.

I couldn’t put the book down. I just couldn’t… I needed to know how Stephenie Meyer was going to make it right with me after she broke my heart when she took Edward away from Me (ummmm) Bella. I couldn’t imagine how she was going to make a book without much of Edward as good as the previous book where the epic love story started. But, she did it and she did it well.

“Before you, Bella, my life was like a moonless night. Very dark, but there were stars--points of light and reason...And then you shot across my sky like a meteor. Suddenly everything was on fire; there was brilliancy, there was beauty. When you were gone, when the meteor had fallen over the horizon, everything went black. Nothing had changed, but my eyes were blinded by the light. I couldn't see the stars anymore. And there was no more reason for anything.” ~Edward Cullen, New Moon pg. 514

On to the movie…just a few quick thoughts...

I felt that this movie is so much closer to the book.  There were a few liberties taken, but I think they did a great job. The pain and anguish Bella experiences is portrayed well. The almost comatose scene is Bella’s bedroom was genius. The movie passes the months just as Stephenie passed them in the book…with nothing. Another thing, the letters to Alice…Genius again. I love that.  We were kept up on what was going on inside Bella’s head without Bella just talking to herself or voice over.

The movie was honestly beautiful. The color scheme was so much warmer than Twilight. Another beautiful thing, or rather beautiful things....

.




Edward looks great, but Sassy said it well, "I'm Team Edward unless Jacob is SHIRTLESS!"








I need to quit now, I have made this into an epically long blog post. 

To sum it up...I loved the book, I loved the movie...read it, watch it! And then do it again! :o)

As ever, let me know what you think....tag your it...

-Izzy