| | ok. So, I know that it is totally cliche, a Harry Potter fan loving Twilight, but, seriously, OMG, this book is soooo good. I can't wait to get the next books in the mail, and 'til the fourth one comes out in August! They are so amazing. Alright, I have been a gushing fan girl long enough. Twilight, written by Stephanie Meyer, is the story of Isabella Swan, a girl who grew up with her mother in Phoenix, but is moving in with her dad in Forks, Washington. Her mother, who is kind of scatter-brained, recently got remarried to a professional baseball player, Phil, and wants to be able to go on the road with him. Her father, Police Chief Charlie Swan, is basically married to his work, and loves fishing with his friend Billy Black, who lives on the nearby reservation. Bella leaves her posh high school and advanced classes in Phoenix and travels to live with her dad in Forks, so that her mother can travel with Phil and not feel guilty about leaving her daughter behind. Bella is determined to hate everything about Forks, especially that it rains all the time, and is overcast more days out of the year than any other place in the US. She becomes intrigued by a beautiful boy in her Chemistry class, Edward Cullen, but it seems that he will have nothing to do with her. She can't quite figure out why Edward Cullen won't talk to her or even look at her, which makes being his lab partner very difficult, but why he risks his life to save a car from hitting her in their school parking lot. Little does she know that this is just the first in a series of things that she does not know about him. When finally Edward stops ignoring her, Bella is shocked to discover a secret about Edward and the Cullens that will change how she looks at them, and her future. I absolutely loved this book. At first, I was a little skeptical to read it, because, even though I had been hearing about it from Harry Potter readers, I wasn't sure if 1) it was as good as they said, and 2) I wanted to get drawn in to another series. However, if my sister recommends a book to me, I generally try it, because I value her opinion when it comes to certain things - books, movies, CDs, musicals, etc - and her opinion is usually reliable about these things. So, I read the first book in the series (Twilight), and since then, have actually gone to Amazon and ordered all three books that are out. I am currently waiting (im)patiently for the second book (New Moon) to arrive, because I am anxious to find out what happens next, not that I haven't already read summaries and excerpts online already. Anyway, I am not a snob when it comes to books. I don't care that the series is found in the "Teen Section" of the public library, because it is very good. I think this attitude has come from my determination to promote reading of all kinds of books in whatever classroom I end up teaching. Because they are young adult literature, they are a quick read. My only regret with the series is that I could not get the second and third books in paperback, and that I had to get hardcover. But, really, that is hardly a complaint for a serious bibliophile, like me. I am now super excited to see the movie, to see how they play up the characters, and the Cullen family. And, Robbie Pattinson, who plays Cedric Diggory in the Harry Potter movies, plays Edward Cullen. Yay! I shall put the link for Amazon up on the side, so you can purchase one or two or three of these delightful pieces of literature. I think the next entry that I write will include exciting details of the New Orleans relief trip that I am taking this June, but I don't know if I am going to get lots of details pre-trip, other than that we are leaving June 8. Whatev. I'll see what I can do. Whitney |
