Bella was totally on the left. -nods wisely-
>>;

I used to think Twilight was one of those cliched, overrated, stereotypical lame vampire novels ( -shot- >>; ) and I kept telling my friends that it was just so overdone and stuff, from what I've seen, but then I read it. xD;;
-big fan now-
:'DD
>>;

-bounces-
There's a Twilight fan club group here on Mene~ :'D
You should join it! -prodprod-
Unless you're already in it. >>;
In which case you should stay. xD;


OH, and I read half of The Host ( also by Meyer ) last night! >w<
I like it, but some parts I feel are kind of filler...
Well, not really, but they'd feel like fillers if a small part of it didn't have to do with the plot...
It feels like of tedious after a while, you know? ^^;

And I wish she'd just like Ian back already. >P
-doesn't like Jared that much- >>;

For those who like the Uglies series ( Pretties, Specials, Extras, etc. ), I think they'd like The Host. :3

Tenten - Buh. >.> No she wasn't.
I'm preeeettty sure that when Edward was h8in on her, it said that he turned to the left to look away from her.
But turning to the left if she was on the left wouldn't be looking away from her. :P
I mean... unless he spun to the left in his chair until he was facing the other way.... But that's kind of silly. XD
"Grrr >:o ......*spins around* Weeeeeee~"

And, okay, I'll join ^^

I haven't read The Host. But my boyfriend's reading it.
I've got tooonnns of books that I need to read first. Like New Moon and Eclipse, and then the pile of books that's been growing while I've been distracted by Twilight and Pride and Prejudice. XD The Bell Jar, The Virgin Suicides, A Clockwork Orange, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.
I think I'm going to read The Virgin Suicides while I wait for New Moon to get here, though. So there's one off my list.

Oh, and speaking of lists.... *goes to update list*
I think I forgot to add a book to this, too....

My friend recommended that I read The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. I was not able to get my hands on it, though.

However, I was looking through my teacher's book case (she lets us do that XD) and I found The Mermaid Chair. I'm only on page 21 but I already like it XD

The Mermaid Chair? That sounds a bit odd. XD What is it about?

I didn't read the summary, so all I can say right now is that it's about a woman who has tired of her daily life and is waiting for an excuse to get away from her home. I just got to the part where she finds her excuse XD.. Her mother is a bit insane and she cut off her own index finger, so now the protagonist is going to go visit her to see how she's doing.

I think the mermaid thing has to do with a story her father told her, about how a mermaid's job was to help people who were drowning. It's sort of the big metaphor. The protagonist claims she "dove" into something... she fell in love with someone other than her husband, but I'm not sure about anything else just yet ^^;

Ohh, I see.
Well, once you've finished, tell me. :D Without spoilers, of course. ^^;

I sure will! ^^ and I'll do my best with the spoilers part. Hopefully I won't get too exited XD

So we just post all the books we've read so far this year?
If any one knows, send me a private message, I'm going to go watch "Darker Than Black."

I'm not sure.. XD

I just posted the books I've read since I first started this challenge (about a week ago), but I'm not sure XD;;;

OH, I figured out why my book is called The Mermaid Chair. There's a chair in it that has a carving of two mermaids with wings on it, that supposedly will grant you an answer from the Mermaid Saint.

Originally Posted by Chaitealatte

@Suki – What you said expressed just the sentiment I was trying to get at; with some books, you can tame things within your imagination to suit your own limits. However others, I’ve found, can get inside your head and genuinely unsettle you (War of the Worlds and Brave New World did this to me. >~<)

Chocolat the movie, or Chocolat the book? Actually, the movie follows the book generally pretty closely; there are only a few deviations, but I do prefer the book. It’s all about misperceptions and assumptions, good-intent, individuality, and acceptance. Although it’s Church against chocolate, it’s more about the misuse of power that comes with being a religious leader, and that we need to learn not to dehumanise and, unfounded, set ourselves against people because they hold different beliefs. The writing is very, very good if you like a lot of description and texture. It always left me hungry. In regard to The Lollipop Shoes, I reckon you could read them independently of one another… most of the background that’s necessary is explained, and I had a couple of years in between reading them. The only thing I’d say is reading Chocolat makes you feel the change in Vianne’s character from book-to-book more acutely.

As for Dracula, if you do ever decide to read it, I found it easy to get through. ^ ^ There aren’t any “I vant to svuck your blurd” bits. In fact, I can only think of one example of overt blood-sucking; the rest is only hinted at/aborted before anything can happen. And Dracula and his three females are more subtle than that. The few critical pieces I’ve read about it suggest it’s very sexualised – but that’s the point, ‘the power of the Gothic… is to use the supernatural as an image for real and carefully depicted social fears’. Taken in a Victorian climate, the vampires are just as wicked for representing promiscuity and deviance as well as being plain Satanic. >~< It’s cautionary, but still very enjoyable. I just adore Van Helsing.

Nothing I’ve said above constitutes a spoiler, does it? @~@ *just realised how much she’s getting in to it*

I read Enchantment by Orson Scott Card not too long ago and there's a part where Baba yaga is plucking the eyes out of a man and it was so disgusting and made me want to throw up. Yet, I just read a battle scene in the book I'm reading and I can handle death better if it's quick and not a slow torture.

I have Brave New World on my shelf...I'll probably wait awhile to read that one. I don't feel like being genuinely unsettled anytime soon. >.>

Well. either I guess. It sounds like something I might like. Is their any romance in the books? xD;

Oh, man...if my mom saw me reading Dracula I wonder what she'd say. I haven't even told her exactly what the Twilight series is about. She's tolerant of fairy tales but she doesn't like us to read them because of the witches and all the evil things because witches are obviously real.
She does trust my judgment I think but she just wishes I would read more...nonfiction I suppose.

I started reading New Moon yesterday. I'm already 300 pages in. @_@
The lack of Edward in this one is depressing. ._ .
Jacob's kewl and all, but... he just doesn't dazzle me. He's all like.... "hurr hurr ima wulf. hai."
In contrast to Edward who's like... "I'mmm too sexy for my love, too sexy for my love~"

New Moon is the hardest one to get through since Bella is so depressed. That depression really slows things down but it gives the right feel so more exciting things come later.
I don't think of Jacob like that. He's literally the light in Bella's life. She's so depressed and practically dead inside but she starts to come alive again because of Jacob. He gives her some happiness back and is Bella's best friend.
But I understand where you're coming from. Vampires are always the ones the "dazzle" you. It's impossible for them not to. And Jacob is more human like.

@ cherry:
; o ;
I know!
I didn't think it was as good without Edward...
But I think if we have too much of him, it gets old...
Like by the end of the third book, Edward was not as smexy as he was in the first book to me.
>>;

I like how Meyer, in The Host, gave us tastes of Ian, instead of smothering Wanda with him. It makes you want more, you know?
If she satisfied our longing for his company and loveydovey parts, he wouldn't be as intriguing and cool.
>>;

Well, I guess sexiness comes from the mysteriousness to the reader and he's less mysterious in the third book because we see what he's really like and find out more about his family. We get to know the real Edward and his true feelings. So, there is more love than lust to me which made me like him more. I also liked Jacob so much more in New Moon than in Eclipse.

I really want to read The Host but it's so expensive and in the surrounding libraries there are only two copies and both have at least 30 holds. x__x

@ suki:
Hmm, that could be a part of it... I don't know, he just seemed sort of old and outdated by then. >>;;
We were so used to this mysteriousness; we want more of him~ But by the end of the third book, when we're finally satisfied, we don't really want any more, you know?
^^;; It could just be me, of course. =P;

The Host is pretty good, and it's a lot different than the Twilight series.
What I've noticed about Meyer's writing is that she tends to use certain words a lot. I noticed it when I was reading, but now I can't remember which words they were. ^^;

Awww. D:
I was pretty lucky; I went to the library and lo and behold! It was sitting on the "Books on Demand" shelf. I squealed a bit inside. xD
The Books on Demand require a two dollar rental fee, and you have to return it earlier than usual ( you get about a week, whereas you almost a month for the other books ). The time limit isn't a big deal, though, since I've already finished it. >>;
It's not as intriguing as Twilight, and you're not as sucked into it, but I still liked it overall. >w<

I want to read too many things at the same time! @_@

-dies- Dx

They are making Twilight into a movie!!!! >.>
I saw the previews to it when I went to watch Indiana Jones yesterday.

Suki - Yeah, it was a bit slower. Like, half of the book was just building things up. >.<
It's not that I don't like Jacob. I was glad for what he was doing for Bella and all that. It's just that he's not Edward. XD
And then she almost kissed him and I was just headdesking going "BUT EDWARD COMES BACK AT THE END OF THIS." XD
I hate knowing things that the characters didn't.
And another thing that pissed me off.... Bella took FOREVER to figure out Jacob was a werewolf. >.< I mean, c'mon.
I mean, granted, I knew Jacob was a werewolf before I even read the series. BUT STILL!
Like, in Twilight when Jacob told Bella what he thought were scary stories, and it lead Bella to discover that the Cullens are vampires. You'd think that somewhere in her Edward-filled daze she might have thought "Wait. If he was right about the vampires, could he be right about the werewolf thing too?"
But noooo. <.< Have to go try to get raaaaaped. Not be smaaaaart. >.<

Tenten - Maybe.... I dunno, I've never been into "mysterious" stuff to start with. I think his allure for me is how much he loves Bella. It's so sweeeeet~ ^^
It's just like.... "*meltgiggle*" XD

And yes, Stephenie uses some words too much.
Edward always "chuckles." Occasionally he'll laugh, but most of the time it's just chuckling.
And everyone always rolls their eyes! I mean, seriously, who rolls their eyes anymore? Teens on 90s sitcoms? BUT EVERYONE IS CONSTANTLY ROLLING THEIR EYES! I can't picture it in my head. It doesn't look natural. XD

Oh, and I finished New Moon last night. XD And I got bored, so I read the sneek peak into Eclipse. XD
When I get home, I need to order that.
Then join the rest of the teen girl population in bashing my head in until Breaking Dawn comes out.

@Suki - I thought the worst - worst as in, most disturbing to the sensibilities - bits of Brave New World came towards the beginning. The stifling of the thirst for knowledge permeates the entire narrative, but by the end there are some real insights into Capitalist society which still apply today. .__. It's very, very clever. But more fitted to a time when you're excited about giving your mind a work-out.

xD Also, someone said trying to read the entire thing in one go is a bit like being on a psychedelic trip (I wouldn't know; I've never been on one), a very appropriate description, considering how everyone is so doped-up on soma.

There's great chocolaty mountains of romance in Chocolat, and it continues in The Lollipop Shoes. But Lollipop is also about growing up and motherhood as well.

The vampires from Twilight don't sound too evil to me! xD Dracula and Stoker's other vampires are, but the thing is, they're being used as an example of how we shouldn't behave, not just for a Gothic thrill. Their beauty is the antithesis of their character, which disturbingly turns the traditional idea that outer beauty is an expression of inner on its head. At the same time, the immortal soul suffers, being subjected to the necessity of committing murder. It becomes the leading characters' job to save souls. Maybe it's just that I haven't studied it in detail, and don't understand it, but I thought the final message was overwhelmingly more positive than that of Frankenstein and Wuthering Heights.

You can emphasise what is good by demonstrating what is bad. : )

-squirms-
I really wanna read the special edition of Eclipse so I can read the preview for Breaking Dawn. >>;
-sigh-
I call myself a Twilight fan, but I don't actually own any of the books. ><;;
I borrow them from my friends. xD

But seriously, like suddenly, EVERYONE was a Twilight fan at my school. Like EVERYONE was reading it. Like half the grade, everyone.
o0;;

No! Tenten! Don't buy the special edition for the preview! o_o
Some people have posted it online already. I probably shouldn't post links -I don't want to get in trouble-, but I know some people have posted it on deviantART. I read it before I even read Twilight. XD
Google could probably find it for you.

You're not missing much, though. It's just Bella running over things that have happened in her head. The most interesting part is her and Edward telling Charlie that they're engaged.

Gasp, really?
-runs off to dA and Google-
:'DDD
Thanks Cherry!

@tentenpuff: Well, I want more. I'm very excited to read the third book. By the end of Eclipse I'm rather attached to the characters.

I notice that with pretty much every author that I've read. They all use certain words enough to be noticeable. It doesn't bother me...it's just brought to my attention.

Oh, I wish I had that at my library. There just aren't enough copies and I don't have 25 dollars plus I never spend that much on one book. I usually go to used book stores although my sister's and I did purchase the twilight series books new, but those were also cheaper.

@jessieomer: Yeah, they finished filming last month I think.
It looks like it's going to be really good. Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson have great chemistry. ><

@Cherry: Heh, nobody except Edward is Edward. I completely understand and Bella can't help but feel more attached to Edward. They are soul mates.

Give Bella a break. She was going through more than most teenagers. She has already had to escape James and I doubt she was thinking anything about werewolves at that time. And anyways, most of the time she had Edward on her mind.

And I roll my eyes still. -shifty eyes-
I'm a 90's kid. xD

@Bergamot: They does sound like that would give my mind a huge work-out. I'm catching up on math through the summer so I have plenty already. I probably won't even read it until I believe I can truly understand it so not in a couple of years at least.

Chocolaty mountains of romance. I like that. xD

Well, not all of the vampires. The main characters, the Cullens, are very humane for vampires but many other still choose to feed on humans.

The vampires you describe remind me of my older sister. People believe she's so sweet because she's pretty but oh, they haven't met her truly although she is nicer to others before her family.

But I definitely don't mind evil in stories because it makes it realistic since there can be evil in everything but also good. As long as good overcomes evil in the end I'm content.

Tenten - No problem. :D Enjoy!
Then, if you'd like, you can use my door frame to bash your head in on while you wait for Breaking Dawn to be released. I'll be joining you as soon as I get and finish Eclipse.

Suki - I guess.... Just.... It bugged me. XD
At least, in her defense, she was really tired when Jacob tried to get her to piece it together, and she figured it out almost as soon as she woke up.
BUT STILL. She had DREAMS about him being a werewolf in Twilight! D: Her subconscious figured it out.....

Your face will freeze that way! :o Then you'll be looking up for the rest of your life!

I just finished reading The Dark Mirror by Juliet Marillier and I did like it. It had fantasy, romance, and history so a bunch of things I like. Something I didn't like was the opposing religion was Christian and it seemed a bad thing in the book compared to the "old gods" that the main characters believed in. But I did like the Christian priest. He had a strange personality and was open and friendly. Very humoring and really the rest didn't even act Christian, just claimed the religion I suppose. Anyways, there were a few important issues that didn't resolve themselves in this book but there are two sequels, not complete focusing on the main characters in The Dark Mirror but I do hope to see things turn around in the next book which I will be reading next.
This is the second book I have read by Marillier, the first being Wildwood Dancing and I have enjoyed them both although they have slightly different feels. I would recommend reading Wildwood Dancing first as it's one that I think anyone would enjoy. It has history but not quite as much and it has a fairy tale aspect to it since it is loosely based off of the Frog Prince and the Twelve Dancing Princesses.
All of her books are pretty long though but that's nice since I always want good books to last longer.

@Cherry: Yeah, I understand but I can't judge. I'm not Stephenie Meyer's character.
But her dreams are definitely unusual. I believe that if she's turns into a vampire a talent will have something to do with that...maybe.

My face hasn't frozen yet. xD