About Book Blog 6: Twilight

Author: Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Young Adult/Supernatural Romance

Introduction

Twilight is the first in a four book saga. I will eventually do blogs on the other books, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn. I thought about doing one for the entire series. Then I realized it would be the longest blog I’ve ever written. This is already the longest blog I’ve ever written, which is why I’m only going to do one book at a time.

Summary

17 year old, Bella Swan, moves to the small rainy town of Forks, Washington. There she discovers that the vampire myth is… well… not so mythological. She later realizes she is falling in love with said vampire, Edward Cullen. Relationships are always fun when the one you love is tempted to drain your blood. Not!

What I Thought Of This Book

I was not at all surprised that I loved Twilight. Why, you may ask. It has vampires in it. Anybody who knows me well knows I’m a sucker for almost anything dealing with vampires. (Pun completely intended.)

For me Twilight’s appeal centers around the fact that it is an excellent escape from reality. The world in which it is set and its mythology are intriguing. The characters are engaging and beautifully flawed. Stephenie Meyer’s writing style has the witty sarcasm of comic books, a type of humor I adore.

Even though the books are marketed to young teens, it is a story that communicates to all ages. The novel’s fan base is generally female, but I think men will like it too, if they give it a chance. They would merely have to get past the book’s one minor snag. Bella has this habit of describing how beautiful Edward is a bit too much in the first book. Skim past it as I do, and you’ll be fine.

A warning before you read. Twilight can be highly addictive. This can be proven by the fact that I have read it four times within the span of two years. I’ve also been given the nickname “Twilight Pusher” since I started letting my dance students borrow my second copy of the book. Can you say obsessed?

Facts I Found Interesting

1. The idea for Twilight came from a dream Stephenie had on June 2, 2003. She wrote the events of the dream down and later it became chapter thirteen of the book.

2. Bella’s physical appearance is not described in detail. Meyer felt that by doing this, it would make it easier for the reader to step into Bella’s shoes.

3. Meyer has stated the apple on the book cover represents the forbidden fruit of Genesis. It represents the choice Bella has, of partaking of the “forbidden fruit,” Edward, or choosing not to see him.

The Movie

I apologize for this rant. I do realize that this is a book blog, not a movie review. However, I must state my opinion because the quality of this film frankly disturbed me.

I am not one of those Twilight purest people. Things are going to change when books become films. I have seen many film adaptations of books that were nothing at all like the novel, and enjoyed them immensely. When I say that I dislike the film, it is not because I had some misguided delusion that it would be exactly like the novel. It is simply not a good film in general for five reasons.

1.The screenplay was mediocre at best. I suppose it followed a very basic summary of the source material, but it was filled with plot holes, cheesy dialogue, and half-formed sub-plots.

2. I was not fond of the directors vision for the film. It seemed unorganized to me. At points it reminded me of a very bad production of Romeo and Juliet I saw in 9th grade.

3.There are an excessive amount of technical problems with the cinematography and editing. Examples: The over use of slow motion, lopsided camera shots, the lack of audio/visual synchronization, and lighting which revealed the ring around the actors contact lenses.

4. I did think that some of the actors are rather talented. However, because of the things listed above they occasionally looked like they were floundering. The poor things. It’s not their fault. I blame it all on the director and poor editing choices. The actors actually did fairly well considering the terrible dialogue they had to say.

5. There are hardly any vampires in it. As a vampire film enthusiast, I was annoyed. The whole movie seemed to focus on Bella’s relationship with her father and her human friends. That (while mildly amusing) is not the core story of Twilight. I wanted vampires dang it!

On a whole I can only describe the film as a few moments of brilliance, surrounded by several ridiculous, and down right terrible moments. I’m disappointed because I love the book so much. On the bright side it’s not boring. If you are a Twilight fan already, I suggest you see it at least once. If you are not a fan yet, please, I beg of you, read the book first.

Sigh…I feel better now. Keep in mind that this was all just my personal opinion. Here’s the trailer. I think the trailer is really good. If only the film had been as fabulous as the trailer.

Twilight Teaser Trailer

Music To Read By

Favorite Albums

My hands down favorite album for Twilight is Version 2.0 by Garbage. Many songs are about the dark obsessive side of love, a theme that is explored in the novel. The song Temptation Waits might as well be Edward’s theme song.

I often find myself listening to Confessions on a Dance Floor by Madonna when reading Twilight. It doesn’t seem like it would work but trust me it does.

Any album by Linkin’ Park is wonderful as well. Stephenie Meyer claims that the unnamed band Bella listens to in chapter 7 is Linkin’ Park. Of course, as with all works written by this author, you are always safe if you listen to Muse.

Twilight Playlists

Here are the links to Stephenie Meyer’s playlist for Twilight, as well as a fan site that features songs that fit the novel.

Stephenie Meyer's Playlist

His Golden Eyes Playlist

My Twilight Playlist

My goodness this is a long play list. I didn’t mean for this to happen.

Embryonic Journey - Jefferson Airplane
Why does it Always Rain On Me - Travis
Strange and Beautiful - Aqualung
The Walk - Imogen Heap
Crashed - Daughtry
Dumb - Garbage
(Note: I wasn’t going to put this on the playlist. Then I heard this lyric: “A masochistic lamb to slaughter.” I couldn’t resist. You’ll see why when you read the book.)
Clair De Lune - Debussy
(Note: Edward and Bella listen to this song in chapter 5.)
Rainy Days and Mondays - Emmy Rossum originally performed by The Carpenters
The First Taste - Fiona Apple
Flutter Girl - Chris Cornell
Session - Linkin’ Park
Hero/Heroine - Boys Like Girls
Temptation Waits - Garbage
Fast As You Can - Fiona Apple
Insomniatic - Aly & AJ
(Note: Obviously insomniatic is not a real word. Aly & AJ have defined it as: A state of mind where one becomes addicted to the deprivation of sleep caused by an epic revelation of joy.)
You Look So Fine - Garbage
Friday I’m In Love - The Cure
Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol
Endlessly - Muse
Blush - Plumb
Forbidden Love - Madonna
Lay Down Beside Me - Allison Krauss ft. John Waite
Lullaby (Goodnight My Angel) - Billy Joel
Sleep - Imogen Heap
My Big Secret - Michael Nyman
Yellow - Coldplay
Hunter - 30 Seconds To Mars Originally performed by Bjork
Run - Snow Patrol
Closing In - Imogen Heap
Forever May Not Be Long Enough - Live
Time Is Running Out - Muse
Time Of Dying - Three Days Grace
In Your Eyes - Peter Gabriel
Lullaby - The Spill Canvas
Dreams - The Cranberries
Love Song - The Cure

Thanks for reading this incredibly long blog. Keep it shiny!

Next About Books Blog: Stardust by Neil Gaiman