Grab the Totally Twilight Button!
In honor of the upcoming release of Breaking Dawn Part 1, I am featuring an entire month of Twilight posts on Alison Can Read.
Totally Twilight Posts
- Book reviews - I've never formally reviewed Twilight on this blog
- Soundtrack reviews
- Guest Posts
- Fan Fiction - Mostly mine, since I need to find some way to show it off (or embarrass myself)
- Twilight shopping
- Discussion Posts
- And more...
First...the origins of my
*This is a re-post from June 2010, a few weeks after I began blogging.
I got hooked on Twilight in October 2008 when I was visiting my parents in Arizona. My dad bought Twilight for my mom on a whim for Mother's Day the previous May. They'd both read it (yup, even my dad has read the entire series). They thought it was okay; interesting enough, but a little silly. I was intrigued by the book, but wasn't sure if I'd like it. I'd heard so many good and bad things. And my only knowledge of the movie was irritation that it had pushed back the 6th Harry Potter film.
I started Twilight Sunday afternoon. I rolled my eyes at the writing at first, but the story kept me interested. I finished the book at 9 AM on Monday morning and immediately got in the car, drove to Barnes & Noble, and bought the other 3 books. Spending $50 on books at one time is a big deal to a cheap library-girl like me. But I knew I'd die if I didn't immediately read the other three books. I finished Breaking Dawn on Thursday and immediately started re-reading the series. My parents thought I was crazy.
Twilight has changed my life. It's affected the music I listen to, the websites I visit, the movies I watch, the books I read...everything. I highly doubt I'd be doing a purely YA blog if it wasn't for Twilight. Not since the Babysitter's Club in 2nd grade has a book series changed me so dramatically, although Harry Potter comes pretty close. And I love it!
Why I Love Twilight
1. The Cullen Family - I love the Cullens. I love Bella and Jacob and the wolf pack too, but the magic of Twilight is really about the Cullens for me. Each member of the family is so different but together they form an unbreakable unit. They are the big, mostly happy, loving family everyone hopes to have.
2. Alice and Jasper - If I could have a relationship like of the couples in Twilight, I would go for Alice and Jasper's love. It's quiet, subtle, but unbreakable. Alice is my favorite Twilight character. She is the perfect best friend. She brings light and energy to Bella's more quiet and serious life. But unlike many literary best friends, she doesn't spend all her time joking. She's smart and fiercely devoted and protective of Jasper, Bella, and her family. Jasper is introverted, thoughtful, and troubled by knowledge of his past and the weight of the world's emotions. I relate to him in my quiet moments.
2. Vampire Mythology - Stephenie created a vampire mythology widely divergent from any before. I especially like the addition of special powers - mind-reading, torture by glare, future-telling, emotion-controlling. And the politics and history of the vampire world is fascinating. The dictatorial Volturi add a richness to the mythology that the Cullens alone can't bring. I also think Jasper's back-story is fascinating - the newborn armies and Mexican wars.
3. Edward - Swoon...I'm am totally 100% Team Edward. Funny enough, I would never date a guy like Edward in real life (especially because I'm married :-) ). He's intelligent, kind, reflective, romantic, funny, sarcastic, devoted to family... On the negative side, he is jealous and possessive in a way I would never tolerate. Especially in Eclipse. But he learns from his mistakes; he protects Bella as best he can but learns to give her freedom. In real life, I would be much more attracted to someone like Jacob, but for whatever intangible reason, he holds no magic for me. A lovable sweet guy, but I'm all about Edward.
4. Bella - Bella is a stubborn, determined girl...in a good way. Too many Twi-haters only focus on how frequently she capitulates to Edward's viewpoint, but I see her differently. She knows exactly what she wants. She gives in to Edward both because she's the type of person who lives to serve others, but also because she wants to become a vampire. Many of her actions are concrete decisions to further her path toward eternity with Edward and vampire-dom. But I do wish she spent a little less time simpering about Edward's god-like beauty.
5. Carlisle and Esme - Carlisle and Esme are models of generosity and compassion. They hold the family together. Their relationship is subtle and quiet, but feels more mature. They really do seem like the parents. Carlisle's back-story is fascinating. To be so kind and compassionate to turn your back on your body's natural desires is about as admirable as you can get. His only flaw is, I suppose, loneliness. By turning Edward, Esme, Rosalie, and Emmett, he gave four people lives they never chose (although Emmett was turned at Rosalie's request). It turned out very well for him but could have gone badly.
6. Rosalie and Emmett - Rosalie is selfish and vain, but has such a sad back-story that I pity her. She's also forthright and outspoken in a way I wish I could be. I like that she protects her family and Bella even when she doesn't really want to. I especially love her sparring with Jacob in Breaking Dawn. Emmett is fun and kind - the paragon of a big brother.
7. Jacob - I love the idea of Jacob as a contrast to Edward. He provides a window into the life Bella gives up. He is Bella's sun. But he does play just as dirty as Edward in Eclipse and holds the same prejudices. I enjoyed seeing him grow and learn acceptance as the series went on. He has a great sarcastic humor. I'm really glad that he will stay in the Cullens' lives. I'd love to see how that works out.
If you are a Twilight fan, what do you like best about the series?
I love this post. Looking forward to the Twilight month. Like you I got caught up in Twilight and reread the whole series two times in a row and looooved it for a long time. I feel like I'm a bit over it at the moment and I can't quite pinpoint why, but I think this month will help me reignite my love!
ReplyDeleteI can't believe your dad has read the series! That's great.
I'm so glad you are doing Twilight month!! I also love the books and have read them MANY times. I know some people don't like the movies, but I could watch them over and over. In fact, FX has played Twilight for like 4 days straight this weekend and I've somehow ended up watching it each night (even though I own all the DVDs). Hubby just walks in and rolls his eyes :-)
ReplyDeleteOh, and I also love (love.) the music in all the movies and listen to it on my ipod. I agree that it has totally influenced my music preferences.
Can't wait to see all your posts!
I love all things Twilight....its a family tradition with Lizz and I to go see the movies at midnight and we already have our tickets to Breaking Dawn. As far as what I like about it...on word...Edward..yep Im a crazed Edward fan girl..I will admit it...he makes me swoon =o)
ReplyDeleteOMG! Our stories are so similar. I pickup Twilight August because everyone was making a big deal of the newest book's release BD, and I just had to know what the fuse was about. I read it in record time, then went to Walmart and bought the rest of the books, too. I spend the entire month re-reading then in Sept, when my sister borrowed my Twilight books, I signed up on fanfiction.net to read more Twilight stories, then I started writing my own. It was insane!
ReplyDeleteWhen November rolled around, I was at that midnight showing of the first movie and Loved Every Minute of it. LOL
Man girl you pretty much nailed it on the head i love everything you commented on. I feel the exact same way. I love Twilight and it will always have a special place in my heart because its the book that got me back into reading, and reading YA. Looking forward to your Twilight posts :)
ReplyDeleteWow, I can't imagine a world where my parents have read Twilight. I mean,my Mom has seen the first two movies and wants to see the new one. I'm really suprised she likes it.
ReplyDeleteI read Twilight after seeing it on on Fandom Secrets when I was 19. We were driving to Disney World, and I read all 3 books on the way there. Then the 4th came out one month later. It was all kind of a blur because I read them all at the same time.
I'm a big fan of this series myself, especially the first book. I picked up the first three novels after I saw a trailer in the movie theaters for the first movie. I was a little late to the bandwagon. Funnily enough, I'd picked up the novels a million times before and always put it down to buy something else. I was wrong (I'm willing to admit it) but I was so glad I just went on ahead and bought them all.
ReplyDeleteWhat I wasn't expecting is to be swept up into the story the way Harry Potter did for me. Twilight was magic. When the fourth novel came out, I went back to my hometown and to the bookstore I used to work and ran the event (with my best friend) for the final book since no one at the store had read them. It was awesome!
I read "Twilight" in December 2005. I joined the Twilight Lexicon in 2006 and found a wonderful group of friends whom I like to call my second family. Now I'm actually an admin for the Lex. :)
ReplyDeleteFrom there I delved deeper into the paranormal romances and actually got interested in the "traditional vampires".
Unfortunately, with the release of the movies, I've found my enthusiasm for the books wane. I guess I lost the feeling of imagining what the TW world looked like. I do, however, cherish my reading experiences and will always look upon that fondly.
I'm a Twilight fan, I even took my kids to the midnight party for the last book, I couldn't risk not getting one of the books. I've got stickers and posters from that night. My poor little ones fell asleep in a chair waiting for the sale of the books at my beloved Borders! (hubs was out of town). My favorite was the second book, New Moon. I loved the way she did the depression, just listing the months.
ReplyDeleteAnd I absolutely loved what was released by Stephanie Meyer's website of Midnite Sun!! I just wish she would write the rest. Know anything about that?
Heather
Fantastic post. You summed up the reasons I love Twilight so well. I especially love what you said about the Cullens and Edward.
ReplyDelete"[T]he magic of Twilight is really about the Cullens for me." Me too. I don't mind the werewolves, but honestly, werewolves are my least favorite paranormal creature. So, the Cullens are much more captivating and intriguing to me. Also, I love the Volturi as the bad guys. They show what the Cullens could be like if they gave in to their natural desires.
"In real life, I would be much more attracted to someone like Jacob, but for whatever intangible reason, he holds no magic for me. A lovable sweet guy, but I'm all about Edward." So so true! I'd never date a guy like Edward. Honestly, I think I'd be too scared to. Jacob is so much better of a "real" person, but he holds no magic for me. When I first read New Moon, I hated him. I've finally made my peace with him and can tolerate him as a good friend for Bella and Renesmee's match.
I'm so excited for your month of Twilight! I love hearing your talk about Twilight. You're so thoughtful about all of the reasons you love it.
ReplyDeleteI'm so confused about my own feelings. I think I can safely say that it's a guilty pleasure for me. Sure I can find a lot of things to roll my eyes about, but I can't deny how much I enjoy talking about the books and characters.
I can't wait to read your fan fiction!! This event is going to be so much fun :D
My favourite thing about Twilight is the vampire mythology, which, like you, I felt was completely new and different from anything I'd read before. Most importantly, Twilight vampires just seem infinitely more dangerous than normal vampires. In normal vamp culture, a bite never kills unless that is the vamp's intention (and it usually isn't), plus they can mind control the person into seeming everything is okay. The victim forgets about everything and continues on with their life, no big deal. With Twilight, the vampires were actually scary (in addition to be super dreamy, heehee). They are the ultimate killing machines and I really liked that.
ReplyDeleteAnd in combination with that, the werewolf (or shapeshifter) mythology in response to the vampires was super interesting too.
I love this post and am definitely lookfing forward to stalking your blog this month. You are so on point with everything you say (except for the team edward thing...i love me some jacob...although i'll admit that I love the relationship between him and bella) I love how you said you rushed out to the store to buy the books and spent all this money because thats exactly how it happened for me (between me and you, thats probably why i dont mind spending a lot on books now...because I started out spending a lot). I read each book 1 day each....the book went with me EVERYWHERE...i ate with it, slept with it, you name it I did it. I couldnt put it down, and like you...once I was done, I wanted to read it again. It was like I was caught up in a tornado that I never wanted to end!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a lot of fun! I love Twilight too :)
ReplyDeleteI love anything Twilight, I am looking forward to your posts this month. Happy to do a guest post if you need it!
ReplyDeletereadingwabc(at)gmail(dot)com