King Arthur Movie Tristan

title: Twilight

author: Stephenie Meyer

pages: 498

published: 2005

genre: young adult paranormal romance

first line: I'd never given much thought to how I would die-though I'd had reason enough in the last few months-but even if I had, I would not have imagined it like this.

rated: 4 out of 5






Ahhhhhh....Twilight. There's a little of everything I enjoy in this story. Vampires, romance, rainy days.


I thought it was about time for a re-read of one of my favorite books.



17 year old Bella Swan moves to a small town called Forks in Washington to live with her father Charlie. Bella is socially awkward, sometimes moody and unsure of herself.
When she meets the mysterious and achingly beautiful Edward Cullen, she is instantly taken by him.




As usual when I re-read a favorite book, I pick up on little details that may have escaped my attention the first time around. For instance, I never liked Bella in the series but she didn't start to annoy me until the second book. Upon re-reading Twilight, she annoyed me right away. She's very defensive, childish and way too clingy with Edward.

So why do I love this book, though I dislike one of the central characters? Edward Cullen.

He's gorgeous, rich and aloof. I like how Edward has that dangerous edge to him as well.



For me Twilight is a fun, romantic read, not too be taken to seriously or analyzed too deeply, but definitely enjoyed. It's pretty much one of my guilty pleasures. I am a Twilight fan and I will openly admit it. I like vampires who sparkle in the sunlight and have honey colored eyes dammit.

And for the record, Robert Pattinson does not look anything like the Edward I envision while reading the book. The Edward I envision is divine.




I enjoy reading Bella describe Edwards beauty page after page. Here's just a few ways she describes him:

I was in danger of being distracted by his livid glorious face. It was like trying to stare down a destroying angel.

-pp. 65

or how about:

He was too perfect, I realized with a piercing stab of despair. There was no way this godlike creature could be meant for me.

-pp.256

ok, this had me giggling like a teenager with a schoolgirl crush:

"The blush on your cheeks is lovely," he murmured. He gently freed his other hand. My hands fell limply into my lap. Softly he brushed my cheek, then held my face between his marble hands.


"Be very still," he whispered, as if I wasn't already frozen.

-pp. 275

One of my favorite scenes in the book is when Edward takes Bella hiking in the woods on a rare sunny day and reveals that he glistens in the sunlight.

Edward in the sunlight was shocking. I couldn't get used to it, though I'd been staring at him all afternoon. His skin, white despite the faint flush from yesterday's hunting trip, literally sparkled, like thousands of tiny diamonds were embedded in the surface. He lay perfectly still in the grass, his shirt open over his sculpted, incandescent chest, his scintillating arms bare. His glistening, pale lavender lids were shut, though of course he didn't sleep.


-pp. 260

So there you have it. Twilight remains one of my favorite reads. I like the romance between Edward and Bella. I also like the Edward's vampire family as well as the idea that they don't harm humans. Meyer touches on some of their backgrounds and how they came to be vampires and I always found that to be an interesting part of the series.




I'm glad I re-read it and probably will again someday. I should also say that I enjoyed the first three books in the series, but was dissapointed by the fourth and final installment.

title: New Moon

genre: drama, fantasy, romance

release date: November 20 2009

rated: 4 stars out of 5




I went on opening night with a few of my girlfriends to watch the second installment of the Twilight films. I survived the long lines and the screeching teeny boppers and am here to tell the tale.


In this second film, it's Bella's birthday and as she celebrates at the Cullens home, she has an accident and hurts herself, bleeding badly. After she is almost killed by the vampire Jasper, Edward decides to have his family leave town and leave Bella (for her own good of course). So Bella becomes depressed, and starts hanging out with Jacob Black. She also realizes that whenever she does something dangerous, she has visions of Edward. So of course, she decides to become an adrenaline junkie, so she can see him. She also finds out that Jacob is a werewolf.
Edward, on the other hand, becomes misinformed and thinks that Bella has died. So he goes to Italy, to sacrifice himself to the Volturi, who are the vampire mafia, if you will. Alice comes back and tells Bella that since Edward thinks she is dead, he's going to kill himself. Bella then heads out to Italy with Alice to stop him.



I'm a fan of the Twilight books, mostly the first three, being that I didn't enjoy the fourth installment too much. I thought the first Twilight film was kind of cheesy with bad acting. I must say, this second movie was better. The special effects were much better in this one. I was really looking forward to seeing the wolves, which did look really good. Some of the scenes were great, like when the werewolves are chasing Vittoria through the woods. Another scene that was really well done is when Edward fights one of the Volturi.

In this scene below, Bella finally finds Edward in Italy.





I also like how they portrayed Bella's depression after Edward leaves her. They just show her sitting in a chair in her room as the months go by. Not that I agree with the thought of a teenager being severely depressed for several months after her boyfriend leaves her, but I thought they did a good job translating it on screen.







I think Jacob Black fans really have some eye candy in store for them, he's shirtless for about the second half of the film. What are they feeding this boy?





All in all, I enjoyed New Moon, much more than I expected to.

title: Breaking Dawn


author: Stephenie Meyer



genre: YA fiction

pages: 754

published: 2008

first line: I'd had more than my fair share of near-death experiences; it wasn't something you ever really got used to.

rated: 4 out of 5






Being a big fan of the Twilight Saga since the beginning, I was eagerly awaiting the release of 'Breaking Dawn', the fourth and final installment of this wonderful story.
Read on for my review, which I purposely did not include any spoilers with. I don't want to ruin it for anyone who hasn't read it yet.



'Breaking Dawn' starts off where Eclipse left off, with Bella getting prepared for her wedding day. And Stephenie Meyer has a great knack for adding just the right touch of humor when you least expect it. So the story started out really well.




There's plenty of romance involved. But in this one, it gets gory. I found myself cringing at parts. Stephenie Meyer hiked it up a notch with this book, it's not the squeaky clean, PG-rated story she's been telling during the past three books. I can imagine if they made this one into a movie, it would be scary. As usual, I couldn't put this book down, that always happens to me when I'm reading a Twilight book.





And I don't like Jacob anymore. I used to be on the fence about him, but now I don't like him at all. He's still got the whole 'unrequited love' going on with Bella, which slightly annoys me, Stephenie Meyer does add a creepy twist to the storyline between Bella & Jacob. I still don't like Bella's character. I hoped that maybe in this book she would mature a bit, but that didn't happen.



As far as Edward goes, he's still perfect.
I'm an Edward kind of gal. He always reminded me of Mr. Darcy from Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice.

'It was a surprisingly sensual experience to observe Edward hunting. His smooth spring was like the sinuous strike of a snake; his hands were so sure, so strong, so completely inescapable; his full lips were perfect as they parted gracefully over his gleaming teeth. He was glorious. I felt a sudden jolt both of pride and desire. He was mine.'

This last installment to the series was not my favorite. Of course Twilight is one of my favorite books, but this last one kind of felt like Stephenie Meyer wanted to tie up everything quickly. Some of the plot didn't really make any sense to me and some of the storyline was just plain unbelieveable. I know it's fiction, but still, you have to give your readers a bit more credit than that.



All being said, I did enjoy this book, so much so that I didn't read nothing else for two weeks. I needed to know what happens. I wanted to see if Edward made Bella into a vampire. Being the final installment, I just had to read it.

"Don't be afraid," I murmured. "We belong together."

I was abruptly overwhelmed by the truth of my own words. This moment was so perfect, so right, there was no way to doubt it.


His arms wrapped around me, holding me against him, summer and winter. It felt like every nerve ending in my body was a live wire.

"Forever," he agreed, and then pulled us gently into deeper water.

About the author:

'Stephenie Morgan Meyer (born December 24, 1973, in Hartford, Connecticut) is an American author. She is the author of the books The Host and Twilight, along with Twilight's sequels New Moon and Eclipse. Breaking Dawn, the fourth and final book is written primarily from Bella's perspective, with sections written from different character lenses. In the Twilight series, Breaking Dawn was released on August 2, 2008. She has also written about half of the first draft of Midnight Sun, a companion novel in the series retelling "Twilight" from the perspective of Edward Cullen.'

-quoted from wikipedia

visit the author's website:
Stephenie Meyer.com





related links:

Twilightlexicon.com


BellaandEdward.com



Twilightfanz.com

I just had to post this, I'm hoping the movie will be good. I loved Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Series.
I can't wait for Breaking Dawn to come out.




Here's a trailor for the Twilight movie, it looks decent. Only I don't know who could ever play Edward for the movie. In the books, he's perfection.

title:The Host

author: Stephenie Meyer


pages: 619




first line: 'The Healer's name was Fords Deep Waters.'

genre: science fiction

rated: 5 out of 5 stars











Being a big fan of Stephenie Meyer's 'Twilight' series, I was excited to grab a copy of her first novel for adults, 'The Host'. And I'm happy to say I enjoyed this one so much, I was pleasantly surprised at the romance involved in the plot.



'The Host' begins with an Earth inhabited by creatures that have taken possession over human bodies. Melanie Stryder's body has been injured to the point of death, but these creatures healed her body, then put a soul into it, one called 'Wanderer'.
Wanderer has lived on several planets and has inhabited several species. However, she has never been to Earth and has never been inside a human host before. But once she is placed inside Melanie's body, she can hear Melanie's thoughts and dream her dreams. Wanderer thinks this is a sign of her own weakness, and refuses to leave the host body. Instead she decides to fight against Melanie's thoughts and mind, and take over the body completely.

'With the truest instinct of my kind, I'd bound myself securely into the body's center of thought, twined myself inescapably into its every breath and reflex until it was no longer a seperate entity. It was me.'

Wanderer soon finds out that Melanie's will is very strong. Melanie 'speaks' to Wanderer and convinces her to travel in search of Melanie's little brother, Jamie and love interest, Jared. Melanie shows Wanderer her memories of Jared and Jamie,and soon enough Wanderer begins to love them, just as Melanie does.




Wanderer is supposed to dig into these memories and find out if there are any more humans in hiding that they can overtake. Yet Wanderer is having a hard time with this, she doesn't want anyone Melanie loves to get hurt.



Risking much, Wanderer heads out, following a set of directions Melanie's uncle, Jeb, left for her. Eventually Melanie and Wanderer reach Jeb, and find that there is a group of several humans living in hiding underground, in caves, including Jamie & Jared. However, once Melanie and Wanderer find the group, these humans do not trust Wanderer, and want to kill her. They know that once an alien soul invades the host body, the person that the host once was, is gone forever. The only reason she is kept alive at first, is because of uncle Jeb, who gives Wanderer, the nickname Wanda. Jeb and Jamie everntually see that Wanda and Melanie are two people in one body. They know Melanie is still there.



This novel was wonderful, it was hard to put down, especially towards the end. Classic Stephenie Meyer's style, it was pretty much squeaky clean. She found a way to keep Melanie & Jared from getting too intimate.



I also like how the author adds a second love interest, a guy named Ian, to the story. Ian also lives hidden in the underground caves with the rest of the group, and slowy but surely he falls in love with Wanda. Then there's the jealousy between Jared and Ian, then add jealousy between Wanda and Melanie....what do you have? A foursome :P I really like Wanda's character. And I much prefered Ian to Jared.





I like Wanderer, and the idea of how she almost becomes human living in this host, how she comes to love Jamie, Jared & Ian and even Melanie. Wanda begins to make connections with others living in the cave as well and considers them her family.


The stories she told about living on other planets were entertaining too. She was once a bear, a flower, a bat and a spider. It was creepy how these aliens take over the planet, live like regular humans and make sure to eliminate any real humans left. They have 'Healers' that heal all disease, 'Comforters' who act as counselors and give advice and 'Seekers' who find humans and use them as hosts. Yet for the most part, these aliens are against violence & claim to have made Earth a better place.




I enjoyed the plot, the characters were well written and I recommend this read. Even if you're not a big fan of science fiction, you might enjoy this one.
It's a story about love, compassion & hope.







visit the official Host website: http://www.thehostnovel.com/




this read has been part of the following reading challenges:

RRC

suspense & thriller

TBR

100 +

triple 8

Here's a few books I am looking forward to reading soon:




Odd Hours by Dean Koontz

Coming May 20, 2008!! *yes!* can't wait to get my hands on the next Odd Thomas book. The books in this series are wonderful, and I'm very curious to see where the next book goes. Odd Thomas is such a likeable character.

The legend began in the obscure little town of Pico Mundo. A fry cook named Odd was rumored to have the extraordinary ability to communicate with the dead. Through tragedy and triumph, exhilaration and heartbreak, word of Odd Thomas's gifts filtered far beyond Pico Mundo, attracting unforgettable new friends and enemies of implacable evil. With great gifts comes the responsibility to meet great challenges. But no mere human being was ever meant to face the darkness that now stalks the world--not even one as oddly special as Odd Thomas.



http://www.oddthomas.tv/

The Host
by Stephenie Meyer available May 6


I am a big fan of Stephenie Meyer since reading her "Twilight" series.

I'm running to the bookstore for this one next week...it sounds great! I've been wanting to read a good sci-fi novel.

Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of their human hosts while leaving their bodies intact, and most of humanity has succumbed.


Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, knew about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the too vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn't expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

Breaking Dawn
by Stephenie Meyer available August 2!!

Oh my goodness...*taking a deep breath*.....must calm down....sooo excited for this one!

I'm a big fan of the Twilight series, I fell in love with Edward right away and cannot wait for the next installment. I predict losing sleep at night while staying up late reading this one.

Twilight tempted the imagination. New Moon made readers thirsty for more. Eclipse turned the saga into a worldwide phenomenon. And now, the book that everyone has been waiting for...


Breaking Dawn, the final book in the #1 bestselling Twilight Saga, will take your breath away.

http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/

any books you are looking forward to reading?

Book Four in the Twilight Series BREAKING DAWN WILL RELEASE ON AUGUST 2, 2008!!!


I am beyong excited about this one. I'm a big fan of the Twilight series, fell in love with Edward right away and cannot wait for the next installment.

http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer

rated 4 out of 5:






This is the third book in Stephenie Meyer's vampire love saga.
Oh my goodness, juicy, juicy, juicy. I have to say, there is quite the love triangle going on here.

I keep liking Bella less and less though. To me she seems spoiled and childish.
My favorite characters are Edward of course, and Jacob.





'His mouth was not gentle; there was a brand-new edge to conflict and desperation in the way his lips moved. I locked my arms around his neck, and, to my suddenly over heated skin, his body felt colder than ever. I trembled, but it was not from the chill.

He didn't stop kissing me. I was the one who had to break away, gasping for air.
Even then his lips did not leave my skin, they just moved to my throat. The thrill of victory was a strange high, it made me feel powerful Brave. My hands weren't unsteady now; I got through with the buttons on his shirt this time easily, and my fingers traced the perfect planes of his icy chest. He was too beautiful. What was the word he'd used just now? Unbearable-that was it. His beauty was too much to bear...'





In this book Victoria is still after Bella. And there still the threat of the Volturi.
And another vampire has been killing several people in Seattle. So there's plenty of action in this book. You also get to see more about Rosalie & Jasper's past and how they became vampires. You also learn how the werevolves came to be and why they are ememies to the vampires. Bella also graduates high school.







'And I didn't care that I was supposed to be angry with him. I didn't care that I was supposed to be angry with everyone. I reached out for him, found his hands in the darkness, and pulled myself closer to him. His arms encircled me, cradling me to his chest. My lips searched, hunting along his throat, to his chin, till I finally found his lips. Edward kissed me softly for a moment, then he chuckled'







Without giving away too much, Edward and Jacob are full on fighting for Bellas love now. And you definitely gotta like Jacob. His character has matured now and he does seem like a good match for Bella. He's also funny and charming in his own way.






'"No." Jacob shook his head, "I'm exactly right for you, Bella. It would have been effortless for us-comfortable, easy as breathing. I was the natural path your life would have taken..." He stared into space for a moment, and I waited. "If the world was the way it was supposed to be, if there were no monsters or magic..."

I could see what he saw, and I new he was right. If the world was the sane place it was supposed to be, Jacob and I would have been together. And we would have been happy. '





I can't wait for the next installment....


http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/



this book has also been reviewed by: my reading adventures


savvy verse & wit


eclipse

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

rated: 4 out of 5:









As soon as I was done with Twilight, I had to get New Moon, the second book in the series.

I couldn't wait to find out what happens with Edward and Bella.


The book starts off with Bella's birthday and Edward taking her to his home, where his family has a small party for her. There Bella gets a papercut while opening one of the presents, and Edward has to restrain his 'brother' from attacking Bella at the sight of blood from the cut. After this Edward begins acting cool towards Bella and after a few days, he tells her he and his family are leaving town. And that it will be as if he never existed. He acts like he is tired of her and needs to leave it all behind. He does not say where they are going. Bella is heartbroken and spends the next couple of months depressed over Edwards leaving.






'As much as I struggled not to think of him, I did not struggle to forget. I worried-late in the night when the exhaustion of sleep deprivation broke down my defenses-that it was all slipping away. That my mind was a sieve, and I would someday not be able to remember the precise color if his eyes, the feel of his cool skin, or the texture of his voice. I could not think of them, but I must remember them.

Because there was just one thing that I had to believe to be able to live-I had to know he existed. That was all. Everything else I could endure. So long as he existed.'




Months pass and Bella doesn't hear from Edward or the Cullen family. She begins to spend time with her younger friend Jacob Black. He has always had a crush on her. You can kind of see how Bella is on the 'rebound' and begins to have some feelings towards Jacob. And after spending more and more time with him, Bella starts to come out of her depression. She feels a bit happier and he is obviously in love with her.



Bella spends each day with Jacob, and she starts to do dangerous things, like riding a motorcycle and even cliff-diving. The reason she wants to do these things is to get back at Edward for leaving her and breaking his promises to her. She wants to break her promises to him and put herself in danger. But then, she notices each time she is doing these things, she hears Edwards voice clearly in her head warning her. So this almost becomes an obsession with her. She does dangerous things just to her his voice. She thinks she is going crazy.



Reading this book, you get to see alot more of Jacob. There is an unrequited romance between the two of them. Jacob is in love with her but Bella is still in love with Edward.
Bella sees him more as a best friend, she even wishes he was her brother so she wouldn't have to feel guilty over spending so much time with him and not having the same romantic feelings he has for her. At one point she considers trying to force herself to love him in that way, since she is convinced Edward does not love her anymore.




'I stared back at him. He was not my Jacob, but the could be. His face was familiar and beloved. In so many real ways, I did love him. He was my comfort, my safe harbor. Right now, I could choose to have him belong to me.'




There's werewolves involved in this story and I did find it interesting. I liked the romance between her and Jacob. But I would have wanted to see more of Edward in this book. It's like he is such a main part in book one, that then reading this, you kind of 'look' for him to turn up in the story, yet he doesn't make an appearance for quite a while.





"Before you, Bella, my life was 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."



(sigh)...This book has alot of sweet romantic scenes, excitement and
I have to read the next book in this series....I'm officially hooked.


visit http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/



this book has also been reviewed by: my reading adventures


savvy verse & wit


maw books