Originally published on MySpace, Nov 21, 2008
Twilight? NOT
Current mood:
confused
Am I the only person in the world that is not completely head over heels in love with Stephenie Meyers and her Twilight books/now movie?
For me it all started at Barnes & Noble in Utah. One of the employees was a Twilight fanatic and it hadn't even become the mega hit it is now. At that time there was only one book out in the series and she begged EVERYONE to read it. I thought she was annoying (sorry J) and refused for a long time. Just to reiterate how obsessed this girl is with Twilight, she had the cover tattoo'd on her. Twilight tattoo
Then my daughter gave in and read it.
"Oh, Mom! You have to read this book!" Okay, so I gave in and read it. It was a cute story but not particularly gripping or developed as far as I was concerned. The thing I liked most about it was the location. It takes place in Forks, WA. I know that area. Hubby and I were in that area on our first anniversary and it was completely stormy and the power was out. We were in a small resort just west of First Beach, mentioned in the book. There is also a Second Beach and a Third Beach. As a child we camped in the area and hiked to all three beaches. As an adult with our first newborn baby, G'ma & G'pa camped in the RV and took care of baby while hubby and I backpacked up the beach. The area is rich with indian history, including petroglyphs on the beach.
So, yea, a story taking place in that location was kinda cool. Too bad SM had never even been there!
Working at the bookstore in a the center of the LDS universe and SM being LDS - well of course there were a number of people that shopped there that had to tell you they were related to Stephenie, or went to school with her at BYU.
So what is the attraction to these books and stories of hers? I don't know. I'm not a vampire fan, even if they don't suck human blood. I'm just not into these books, and SM is as famous as JK Rowlings now because of them. Maybe there is a pattern here - I didn't get past the 3rd HP book either....
Kudo's to you Betsy. I as well came into the Twilight phenom. from miss "J". I resisted as long as I could be eventually picked them up. I almost feel guilty still when people come in and ask what I thought, clearly thinking that I am going to start screaming and drooling over my love for them, and I dash their expectations. I highly recommend it everyday, but not for serious readers who want something more than just a fun read.
I know that you aren't a HP fan, but I swear to you that if you finished them, you would be appalled at the compairison. I am a HP fan FOREVER, and would never even think that they were even close to the same level.
Pick up the book "Dead Until Dark" by Charlaine Harris. This book inspired the new HBO series True Bloods. The overall premise is very similar to SM novels. Female mind reader can't read her love interests mind. Sound familar?!
I love the fact that not EVERYONE is enthralled by this series. Makes me feel like not so much of a loser.
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2 years agoI'm back because I just read a blog about Twilight by one of my other favorite bloggers, and I really liked what she had to say - particularly this part. I think she's on to something:
"When I first wrote about the book I said that it wasn't high brow reading. That the dialogue wasn't great. But something about the book tapped into that teenage girl I used to be. I remembered what it was like to be excited to go to school the next day just to be with your new love/crush. The feeling of "will this day ever end" when he's not around. What Twilight captured was this amazing first love experience for those that never experienced it. When you're of a certain age (teens) your worldview is shaped by the environment you're in, the type of books you read, and/or what you see on T.V. More often than not, teenagers base their opinions on what's hot, funny, how love should be, how marriage works, the best way to talk to boys, etc., on media because real life usually isn't as exciting. Then, when you know better (get older) you do better."
BTW I did wonder while reading if Forks was a real place or not. (Yeah I could have looked it up but I was lazy!) How cool that you've been there! I bet it'll become a pretty hot tourist spot! (Did you know they actually do Harry-Potter themed tours of England now?) ;o)
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2 years agoHa! I *am* a huge vampire-novel fan (love Anne Rice, Laurel Hamilton, etc) but I resisted reading Twilight for a long time because it seemed like much more of a young-teen novel than the Harry Potter series. And it definitely IS aimed more at young teens. I don't think SM is as good a writer as Anne Rice or JK Rowling. But I can definitely see the appeal in the story for young teens. She does capture the realm of teen fantasy and teen angst quite well, particularly in the second book. I see it as a modern-day Romeo and Juliet story; star-crossed lovers and all that. It's very...what's the word I want...archetypal in it's appeal. And if you love stories about vampires and werewolves, all the better. I'm not surprised it's popular, but I am amazed at what a HUGE phenomenon it's become. I would have said the same about the book - good, not great - the depth of the angst inspired a bit of eye-rolling at times, although again, I can see how teens would relate. But I found that the characters do suck you in (no pun intended) and I confess that I am getting very excited about seeing the movie!! I guess I'm still a teen at heart! ;o)
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2 years ago