Young Adult Fiction for Adults discussion
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Twilight series by: Stephenie Meyer
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message 1:
by
Julie
(new)
Jan 15, 2008 02:34PM
I just read this series in December and could not put the books down. My husband made me take a break between each novel to get some laundry done!
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You're not alone, Julie. 8th-graders (well -- half of them: the girls) are eating this series up, too. The books are big but the pages go down in a hurry. I'm treated to the reading journals. You know. The usual sort of thing in America: Girl falls for vampire. Girl falls for werewolf. Girl must make a bloody choice. Girl creates a hairy situation. And so forth.
Vampires are hot in YA, that's for sure. I try to tell them Bram Stoker's DRACULA is a great book, but who has time for THAT when there are so many hot (apparently) vampires and werewolves loping around in YA circles?
No one said teaching is easy (checks window for full moon...).
I recommend this book for anyone 12 and up. This means everyone! Mom's, teachers...anyone. All my coworkers and I read it and we range from 18-40s. I gave it to many people for xmas as well. Love it. I love how there is a subtle abstinence message within the book without ever coming out and really saying it. I think that is rare in YA lit.
I'm 53 and I loved these books! I've also enjoyed both movies and am dragging my friend with me to Best Buy tonight for the midnight release of New Moon! My husband says I'm 53 going on 14!
I also loved the series. I read it a few years ago, at the recommendations of my then-16 year old sister. She said that I'd loove Edward. I really liked the series. I finished Eclipse a few months before Breaking Dawn came out, so it was good timing.
Now the movies are a different story. I can enjoy the movies as long as I forget about the books. To me, the books are so much better.
The only way I can enjoy ANY movie that originated from a book is to forget about the book. Twilight is no exception. I love the books and the movies though. :)
I'm really nervous about all of these young adult to movie things going on right now. I really liked "Wicked Lovely" and "Fallen", and I'm afraid they'll just mess it up. :(
Amanda wrote: "I'm really nervous about all of these young adult to movie things going on right now. I really liked "Wicked Lovely" and "Fallen", and I'm afraid they'll just mess it up. :("The rights have been sold to SHIVER, too, and I don't know what I think about that. I actually liked that book more than TWILIGHT and while I enjoy the Twilight movies, they are not the books. A screwed up movie version of SHIVER would just be a total crime.
Love the books. The movies infuriate me, along with the actors. Makes me sad that they did such a bad job on the movies. :(
I used to be a proud skeptic of Twilght when a read it a year ago, but after I saw Vampires Suck (a great movie) I decided to try them again. Now, as impossible as it might have seemed to me a year ago, I love them. I can see the flaws in it clearly, but I am only a teenage girl, not a 58 year old book critic. The movies are horrible when compared to the books. I think it was mostly Kirsten Stewart's fault though. But the bottom line is, can someone ship me the rest of the series because I love it!
I saw a trailer for Vampires Suck this weekend. I like Twilight, but that movie looks hilarious!
I'm at the other end of the spectrum: I do not like the Twilight series at all. I think they're badly written(Stephenie Meyer needs a thesaurus), and I hate how they send the message that obsessive love is good. Also, Bella and Edward have to be 2 of the most boring characters ever written.Vampire Sucks was pretty funny. The actress who plays Becca Crane definitely had Kristen Stewart down.
What it comes down to is that there are so many great YA books out there. If Twilight leads them to other books, great. But the people who are obsessed to the point where they think its real need a wake up call.
She did definitely got Kirsten Stewart down. I mean the whole twitchy thing, and putting the hair back, how she talked and her expressions, it was perfect.
I read the first book before the film was out so i didn't get dragged into all the hype, and i've read the sequels since. They aren't the worst vampire themed books i've ever read but they certainly aren't the best. As Newengland said it is your typical: Girl meets boy, girl falls for boy, boy turns out to be blood sucking vampire, but don't worry he only drinks animal blood so it's okay.
Personally, for me, the last book was an outright disappointment. It lacked a good fight scene, non of this wishy washy 'oh nevermind, we'll leave you alone then'.
For what they were (angsty teenage romance) they're okay. I was dragged to see Twilight, now there's two hours i won't get back, maybe in a few years when the world has forgotten the Twilight Hype i might watch the next one's, but for now... theres only so much self inflicted punishment a person can take!
I'm also not a big fan of the series, even though I remember reading Twilight the month it was released and enjoying it immensely. Sure, the first book had a lot of plot holes and the writing wasn't the best, but she really had something special. The fact that her series has touched so many people and has such a varied fan base (no matter how crazy some of them get) proves to me that the books have a certain... je ne sais quoi. The problem I had with her series was that with each new novel published, the more I found myself disappointed. I also worried about losing my eyesight from all the eye-rolling I was doing.
Frankly, there are tons of better written and solid YA series out there to enjoy, but the first Twilight novel holds a small spot in my heart for being what it was, at a certain time in my life, 6 years ago.
Well I think we can all agree, whether we liked to books or not, that the movies were terrible and far worse than the books.
I can't hate on Twilight too much because it is what brought me my love of reading. I've since read tons of books that have better plots, characters, and writing. But as Eimy said-the series will always hold a place in my heart, because it made me open my eyes to all books had to offer.The movies are worse than the books, but what movie can possibly capture the intricate story weaved in a book.
I think it's hard for anyone to say they truly hate the book.Twilight is like a gateway book for people to get into YA!
I love Twilight (the books!) and have read them all many many times but I get that them being YA and meant for the younger generation can start a debate about appropriate messages for teenage girls. However I am not a teenage girl so for entertainment purposes they were great. I know they weren't written particularly well but I can get past that because I was swept away with the story.
Isabelle wrote: "She did definitely got Kirsten Stewart down. I mean the whole twitchy thing, and putting the hair back, how she talked and her expressions, it was perfect."But did she constantly lick her lips? jk:)
Tracy wrote: "I'm at the other end of the spectrum: I do not like the Twilight series at all. I think they're badly written(Stephenie Meyer needs a thesaurus), and I hate how they send the message that obsessive..."Tracy you took the words right out of my mouth.
Katry - If you loved Twilight, you should read Midnight Sun (especially if you like Edward). I loved reading from his point of view.
I have no interest in reading the Bree Tanner one but Midnight Sun is really interesting - even if it is unedited and unfinished.
Oh yeah. I read Midnight Sun, and I loved it.
Tracy, saw Vampires Suck on Friday and while it wasn't quite hilarious, it was pretty funny. I think the three main actors captured Edward/Bella/Jacob to a 'T', especially the one who was Becca Crane. I like the movies, the books were OK and I have doubts that Breaking Dawn will do as well since some parts may disturbed people that aren't familiar with the series.
I am bumping this thread so we can move off the other thread about fictional crushes :) Personally I done talking about this series though!
I always fel that way too, until the conversation is going and then I get heated all over again.I'm trying to bury it back into the recesses of my brain.
Wendy wrote: "I always fel that way too, until the conversation is going and then I get heated all over again.I'm trying to bury it back into the recesses of my brain."
Ha! I feel your pain Wendy :)
Emily wrote: "I think it's hard for anyone to say they truly hate the book.Twilight is like a gateway book for people to get into YA!"
I truly hate the book. It turned me OFF of YA until my co-worker suggested some good titles, now I'm hooked again.
When anything (or anyone for that matter) is on the top, there are those who will hate it. It's human nature. I have disliked books but can't say I have ever hated one unless it was truly evil or gross. Can't think of any of those actually.I would appreciate any book that brought so many people to a love of reading as Twilight has even if I didn't care for it myself.
LOL, that's the first time I actually said I hate it. (Had to be devil's advocate, wink--Emily) I've got to be somewhat subjective as a librarian. I don't ever tell people IRL that I disliked it so much, because I NEVER discourage a child from picking up a book. I don't care what they want to read as long as they are reading. If they ask what I thought about it, I usually say I liked "such and such" better. I have a list of books that are along the same lines as Twilight, but were much better IMO. I actually had a woman come in last week who liked Twilight b/c she usually reads books in a different language. Twilight was easy enough for her to understand that she wanted more like it. Her son and I had a wonderful time choosing some more simplistic YA books out for her with lots of dialogue.
message 33:
by
Brittany (finally graduated and can once again read for fun)
(new)
Courtney, that's interesting that you say that because I have been contemplating trying to read books like Harry Potter and other YA material in Spanish to brush up on my skills and hopefully learn a few things too. Twilight was another one I was thinking of doing this with because the language is so simple I thought it was would easy to understand.
I loved Twilight when I was reading them, but I've definitely cooled off after reading so many other YA series. BD frustrated me because I felt like her pregnancy lasted a lifetime and the end was very anticlimatic.As much as I despise Kristen Stewart I will still be at every opening night screaming along with the teenagers. Sigh.
Look how good I have been since Shannen went on vacation. I have not come on this thread once to bash Twilight. When is she due back anyway??? Who knows how long my resolve can last.
Lol! Me too Heidi, me too. But we can do it!
I've never understood why people get on a thread to bash something. I don't like The Hunger Games and apparently am quite alone in that - so I stay off the threads where people who like it want to gather and talk about it.
Terry Terry Terry I was totally joking! Geez!
I wasn't aiming it at you, Heidi. I see it all the time and not just on book sites. I just saw some really negative stuff on a list that has nothing to do with books or entertainment so guess it struck a nerve. Hanging my head in shame....
It's ok :) I have never been shy about my feelings for this series, but I am trying here!
I enjoyed the series and think it is a great light read for entertainment. This is one series I read in about a week and a half.
I agree, good for entertainment. I started reading them before they became extremely popular––and yes, the hype has made me annoyed at the series. But I did enjoy them when I was reading them. Is it a great piece of literature? No. Is Bella a fantastic role model? No. But I thought the story was exciting. And it really depends on how you view the series. I know a lot of people criticize it because they say Bella is such a poor role model … I see it more as a sort of cautionary tale. Like … Wow, I am never going to throw my life away for some guy I just met. … I guess I have kind of an odd view on the Twilight books. But in a strange way, I do like them.
That is a healthy way of looking at it, and that is exactly how I felt when I was reading them. Unfortunately not all girls see it like that. Alot of girls rationalize the relationship between Bella and Edward as romantic despite the control and selfishness going on.Still, I wouldn't wipe them off the shelves, lol. I do not believe in lit censorship. It's just an opinion.
Yeah, that is a bad thing. And it's sparked a lot of similar paranormal romances that I think are affecting how a lot of teenage girls see romance. Like, a lot of them might walk away from the series (and other romance books) thinking that boyfriends are supposed to fall out of the sky and start stalking you and BAM there's your future husband. Not so good …Haha same. I hate censorship :P
Just to let everyone know, there are leaked Breaking Dawn pics out at the moment: http://robs-closet.blogspot.com/2011/...
THE LAST PIC D: In the book, this scene is completely skipped. I might actually watch the movie after all.
No, I'm joking.
But... Damn, it looks like he's going to break everything in there. Adn when you think his skin feels like marble.
Are these real? I just might start watching the Twilight movies again too Cecilia haha...
Laraine wrote: "Are these real? I just might start watching the Twilight movies again too Cecilia haha..."I think most, if not all, are real. Summit started removing them claiming copyright infringement.
Someone is sooooo getting fired at Summit!
I started the series when the Twilight movie came out and I thought I was in love! I think that was because I hadn't read a book in about 5 years (I thought I had better things to do when I was in my late teens/early 20s). I devoured them! Now I definitely see the flaws and don't think they are as amazing as I once thought they were but they got me back to my love of reading and that to me is the great part about them. The movies are quite bad but that doesn't stop me from owning all of them :)
