Monday, October 27, 2008

A New Addiction


...Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Series

If you haven't read them, start NOW! They are fantastic. I can't wait to get home to pick up the third book.

11 comments:

Melissa said...

I have a love/hate relationship with those books. Read the first two then swore off of them. Then my momma bought them all and I read the last two, because hey, free books! I liked the series more as I read on. The third book may have been my favorite (they blend together in my mind, so I'm not sure now). I loved Jacob. He's why I kept reading. Edward drove me crazy through the first two books.

This series made me feel old when I realized I related more to the dad, Charlie, than the teenaged protagonist, Bella. I would faaa-reeeak out if my teenaged daughter was that into a boy. Unhealthly, I tell ya. Unhealthy.

I have adult friends who went to midnight book release parties for the 4th book. They're obsessed!

I'm glad you're enjoying them, though! I wish I liked them more than I do. It's kind like when NKOTB got back together and I was disappointed I hated them the first time around because it would've been fun to relive my youth. ~sigh~

I'm The Chez said...

One of my favorite novels in the world is Wuthering Heights. Did you like it? They have very similar themes, as Meyers deliberately points out in the third book. Can happiness ever truly come to fruition without the eternal loss and suffering of something? A Romantic idea-not as in the icky romance novels, but as in the movement.

First of all, I never really thought of any of the them as being teenagers. Though they are chronologically, they aren't emotionally and mentally. They all carry too much weight and burden to ever be considered typical. That is why, I believe, there is such a laughable distinction between Bella, The Cullens, and Jacob compared to the Mike, Jennie, etc characters... Edward has walked the Earth for 90 years, he wouldn't half heartedly pick a typical teenage girl, as he is not a typical teenage boy.

Secondly, Charlie never was a father prior to Bella moving in with him. He is learning how to be a dad. He tries hard, but has no frame of reference when it comes to women, let a lone a teenaged daughter who is as difference as Bella is. We see that at the end of the third novel when he suspects that something is going to change and he askes her to properly give him advanced warning so that he may say goodbye.

Off to go grab the fourth book!

I'm The Chez said...

Also...

I think that the idea of loving two people simultaneously isn't so far fetched either. I believe that in some people there is a duplicity that can attract similar but different from not only you, but from each other. Not that one is better for you or worse. It all depends on which side of ourselves we need to hold on to the most at that moment.

Melissa said...

I haven't read Wuthering Heights because I HATED the movie when I watched it in high school (no, I wasn't skipping assigned reading!). Perhaps that is the key to appreciating Twilight. I don't think I'm that type of romantic, but now I'm curious to test our theory. Wuthering Heights is now towards the top of my "to read" list.

Even though Bella and Jacob were a little deeper than the kids at school, I still saw them as teenagers. Edward, definitely not. That added to the Bella-Edward creep-out factor and strange power dynamic. That's what bothered me the most. Edward's dominance. I know he was in love with Bella, too, but it felt like he always had the upper hand and Bella LET him have it, wanted him to have it. Snap out of it, Bella!

I thought Charlie did a great job. I think any parent, no matter how long they'd been at the job, would freak out in the face of such an intense teenage relationship.

If I continue, I'm going to spoil the story for someone, but I will say that I liked the relationships as the developed in the last book. I just won't say why so I won't ruin it for anyone!

Sure, I suppose it would be possible to love two people at the same time, but it's probably not a good idea to let yourself go there. And yes, I think you can control such emotions.

Off to finish my current read so I can go check out Wuthering Heights!

I'm The Chez said...

I am now officially finished with the series. It took 5.25 days to finish all four books. I stopped for work, food, sleep, and showering. I now have absolutely no idea what to do with myself or time now! I miss them, Edward, Bella, Jacob, Nessie, Charlie...I miss them.

Melissa said...

I'm still waiting for the Chez take on the movie!!

I'm The Chez said...

I'm going this weekend!

Melissa said...

Oh, and I just started reading Wuthering Heights the other day. I'm only about 50 pages in (and my library version has pretty big pages). So far so good. Haunted moors are cool. This could be good.

Melissa said...

I can't believe you haven't seen it yet!!! One of my obsessed friends in Georgia has already seen it twice. Yep, she loved it.

I'll be hitting "refresh...refresh...refresh" until I find your review. :)

I'm The Chez said...

I went and saw the movie by myself on Saturday after Thanksgiving. I really liked it. I like most everyone that they picked to play each role. With the exception of Bella. I couldn't stand how she played her like a 'put off' teenager. I wanted her to be a bit sweeter and clumbsy. I didn't dislike her; it just left me feeling blah. I like how they have left it in limbo for the next installment!

Melissa said...

Bella's casting didn't bother me, although I see your point.

I wasn't happy with Jacob. He's a little (okay, a lot) too pretty, his teeth were distractingly white (put down the crest white strips!!!), and his hair was short in the first book. Not long.

My mom despised Dr. Cullen's casting. That's not how I pictured him, but I didn't have such strong feelings. She just thought he was a horrible actor.