I posted this on the forum I share with my friends. But, I wanted a broader range of opinion on my musings so I decided to blog about it too.
I know some of you aren’t as gung ho about Twilight anymore (or never were for that matter). I understand completely because I’m not nearly as obsessed with it as I was anymore either. I still have a soft spot for the saga because it ignited my love for reading and gave me amazing opportunities–most importantly the friendships I’ve made and still have two and a half years later.
I do still enjoy the anticipation of the movies, even if/when they don’t meet my expectations. ;) And, I would also love to spend time with Stephenie Meyer on a more personal level if that opportunity ever became available. But, the only reason I think about Twilight now (if I even do) is because someone (or something) mentions it in passing (or when reading another book). And, the only reason I’m thinking so much about it now is because I’m listening to Twilight on audiobook at work right now.
I don’t feel a huge drive to read the books anymore, but that’s mostly because I have so many others I want to read. However, I’ve noticed that when I still take the time to read (or listen to) Twilight, I still get that giddy feeling I felt when I read it for the first time. That feeling isn’t nearly as strong as it was the first time because the mystery is gone now, but for some reason this story speaks to me.
I still find myself comparing other books to Twilight when I read them and I know it must get old for some people. I don’t compare the stories because they’re all so individual and I don’t always compare writing (sometimes it’s inevitable), but I do compare feelings. I don’t mean to, but for some reason if two characters have the same chemistry, angst, tension, etc. that Bella and Edward (or even Bella and Jacob) had, then I seem to be drawn to them much more. There’s just something about that type of chemistry that makes a good story in my opinion. (Some of the books I’ve recently read with those same feelings are The Dark Divine [my review] by Bree Despain, Graceling [my review] and Fire [my review] by Kristin Cashore, The Hunger Games [my review] and Catching Fire [my review] by Suzanne Collins, The Mortal Instruments trilogy [my review] by Cassandra Clare, and Shiver [my review] by Maggie Stiefvater.)
Anyway, I have an onslaught of questions I’d like to ask you because I want to see how different or the same we are. I know there are a lot, but I would appreciate it if you took the time to answer them. :D
- Do you ever do the same thing, meaning compare books to Twilight or another series that has meant a lot to you?
- Are there any books that seem to just speak to you?
- Why do you enjoy reading as much as you do? Or, what do you hope to get out of reading?
For those that are/were Twilight fans:
- How do you feel about Twilight now that all the hype (other than the movies) has died down?
- For those of you that had a hard time with Breaking Dawn, did it change your opinion of the entire saga so you can’t enjoy it as much as you did? Or, do you just ignore Breaking Dawn and/or enjoy it for what it is?
- Did the whole Midnight Sun fiasco (whether you view it as a black mark against the fans or a black mark against Stephenie Meyer) change the way you feel about the saga?
- Do you hope Stephenie Meyer continues to write?
- Do you just wish Twilight would die so you never have to hear about it again?
PS–I just realized that it may sound like I won’t like a book if it’s not like Twilight. That’s not the case at all. I just meant that if the feelings between characters are similar, then I’m more drawn to that kind of story. And, the only reason I compare most things to Twilight is because it was the first time I experienced those types of feelings while reading a book.
1. Do any of you ever do the same thing, meaning compare books to Twilight or another series that has meant a lot to you? I DO FIND MYSELF COMPARING SOMETIMES BUT USUALLY TO MY LOVE FOR HARRY POTTER, THAT SERIES IS LIKE “HOME”. IT’S HARD TO EXPLAIN BUT I’VE READ IT SO MANY TIMES I CANNOT COUNT
2. Are there any books that seem to just speak to you? SEE ABOVE
3. Why do you enjoy reading as much as you do? Or, what do you hope to get out of reading? IT IS MY RELAXER BEFORE BED, I CAN DRIFT OFF EFFORTLESSLY IN A DREAM WORLD INSTEAD OF LYING THERE TRYING TO NOT THINK ABOUT WORK AND BILLS…
For those that are/were Twilight fans:
1. How do you feel about Twilight now that all the hype (other than the movies) has died down? I’M KIND OF OVER IT ACTUALLY. I HAVEN’T EVEN SEEN NEW MOON AND I’M NOT IN A HURRY TO, THE MOVIES ARE ACTUALLY KIND OF EMBARRASSING TO ME IF I’M WATCHING THE TRAILER WITH A FRIEND WHO HASN’T READ THE SERIES. I KNOW THEY’RE THINKING “THIS IS WHAT YOU WERE ALL SO OBSESSED WITH??”
2. For those of you that had a hard time with Breaking Dawn, did it change your opinion of the entire saga so you can’t enjoy it as much as you did? Or, do you just ignore Breaking Dawn and/or enjoy it for what it is? “I KIND OF JUST FORGET ABOUT BREAKING DAWN AND FOCUS ON THE FIRST BOOK REALLY, IT’S MY FAVORITE.
3. Did the whole Midnight Sun fiasco (whether you view it as a black mark against the fans or a black mark against Stephenie Meyer) change the way you feel about the saga? ONLY THAT I LOVED THE PARTS I READ! I WISH WE COULD READ THE WHOLE THING.
4. Do you hope Stephenie Meyer continues to write? YES!!
5. Do you just wish Twilight would die, so you never have to hear about it again? NO, BUT I DON’T PLAN TO READ IT AGAIN ANY TIME SOON.
The only books I compare to Twilight are other vampire books. I also compare other wizarding books to Harry Potter. But I don’t do it too often.
I haven’t found books that speak to me for awhile. The last one that did was Momma Zen. I’m in a different phase in my life though. Before I had Evan it was Goodbye Tsugumi. I guess in a way Twilight sort of spoke to me, but it was only the beginning. Once she fell obsessively in love with Edward it left.
I wish I had more time to read, but I don’t. I read to escape reality and have a bit of a break. I read teen fiction because it’s funny and when I was a therapist, I needed a break from serious reality. The main reason is to escape.
Twilight:
Well, I still love reading the first 3 in the series, but Twilight always makes me smile. I hated breaking dawn though, but I’ll read it sometimes, I don’t know why, but I still read it. I don’t think it should have been written and I don’t consider it as part of the series.
As for the movies, they didn’t change how I thought of the series. I watch them just for a good laugh.
I think it would be interesting to read Midnight Sun, but I really don’t care if she continues to write. Part of me hopes she does, but I really don’t think about too often.
Cassandra Clare’s City of Bones replaced Twilight for me. I hope she continues to write and cannot wait for the next book. But I don’t wish Twilight would die. At least not the books, I could do without the movies. I’m actually scared of the Breaking Dawn movie, they will be filming it.
I guess I must be the only person in the world that liked Breaking Dawn. I think out of all four (5) books, that one was my favorite. While reading that book, I would dream that I was along side the charachters. And maybe that is why I enjoyed the books so much.
I also think that each movie gets a little bit better than the last. (Since there are only two to compare, the second was MUCH better than the first.)
1. I don’t compare. I treat each book as a new experience.
2. I LOVE Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Don’t know exactly why but I do. ^^
3. I love seeing the new stories and different kinds of writing.
1. I still like it. I don’t see why I have to change my opinion because of what others think.
2. I enjoyed Breaking Dawn. I liked the story.
3. No.
4. I sure hope so. I liked The Host by her. I want to see what else she comes up with.
5. No. xD
1. I used to, to The Hero and the Crown, which was my favorite book growing up. Even earlier, the Secret of the Unicorn Queen (now there’s some YA early fantasy!) Now I just kinda try to experience each one as I read them.
2. The first Twilight felt like that. The Hero and the Crown (generallly books about an outsider type female–I guess I never have completely gotten over feeling that way!).
3. As one who always felt a little bit of an outsider, reading is escapist for me. I love having whole stories and worlds slowly awake in my imagination and I get completely sucked it.
For those that are/were Twilight fans:
1. I still like twilight, although I am a little amused by all the ravenous fans ;)
2. I enjoyed Breaking Dawn (until the ending–the lack of a battle was a SERIOUS letdown), but really thought Renesme was the lamest name. It was such a distracting factor for me. I also thought that the problem with Breaking Dawn was that people couldn’t relate to it as well. To most teenagers (her supposed demographic) having a kid is SO outside their fantasies and dreams. I think she lost a lot of people with that one because that whole element was SO far from what the rest of the series had been. Having rambled on about that, I still enjoyed it (other than the anti-climactic ending). I kinda see it as seperate from the rest.
3. Wish she would write it, already! Didn’t change the way I feel about the saga, did think it showed a lot of disrespect to Stephenie to do that. Wish she’s handled it a little more smoothly, but hey, I’d have freaked out if I were her!
4. Yup
5. Nah, but I hope they continue to improve the movies. Wish they’d go back and remaster the first!
1. In my mind I only compare books that are similar in theme. Which basically means I compare all love stories together, so yeah, Twilight comes up a lot if I’m reading another love story. But so do several other love stories…
2. There are A LOT of books that speak to me. I’m a junkie.
3. I love to read because I love to be taken to another world. And I hope that when I do read I can learn something more about people. People in general, people I know, and myself.
1. I still love it. And I still pick up the books/audio books every now and again.
2 I can’t answer this because I loved Breaking Dawn. I think the reason so many people didn’t is because is because they decided they knew the characters and the story better than Stephenie Meyer did, and so thought they could better predict how the story should go. SM wrote the story she wanted, without concern for what her audience wanted, and I think that’s how books should be written. I enjoyed the journey she took us on.
3.I don’t really view Midnight Sun as a black mark, but I really do wish she would finish it.
4. I do hope so. She creates wonderfully flawed characters.
5. I certainly don’t wish for Twilight’s death. ;-)
My musings are on the forum. :)
Hmm…ok.
I know I sound like just about everyone else, but the Harry Potter books really speak to me, even though they may not be “fine fiction”. Sometimes I compare other books to them, but usually only fiction/fantasy books. It’s not the popularity of HP that I like; I’ve just always been in love with her characters. Another book I love (and I think I hold it up as somewhat of a standard) is The Count of Monte Cristo. It has every element of a great story: adventure, love, treasure, prison breaks, robbers, disguise, etc. It’s just Good.
I’ve always loved reading. I like reading non-fiction for knowledge and understanding, but I especially love reading fiction for the escape into another character’s mind and world. It’s like watching a movie, but better, because it’s personalized according to how you imagine things to be. Plus, it’s relaxing.
So, I have read all of the Twilight books. Probably my biggest disappointment with all of them was the absence of huge conflicts or sorrow. It seems like they got off so easy with the Volturi in the second book, and in the last book, they prepared for so long for this battle that never happened. Conflict and loss, even for characters that we wish would be spared from such things, just add texture and richness to a book. That’s just my opinion.
Anyway, it was great fun to see you and Corey yesterday! It’s too bad that we didn’t stay longer. We’ll have to get together another time!
I definitely always compare books. Not just to Twilight– to everything! I think that’s human nature– we kind of have to put everything in “order”. We always compare things to our favorites. Even food! Do I like this better than that? Would I want to read (or eat) this more than that? Etc. etc.
There are a lot of books that “speak to me”. Some (most of the ones you mentioned) are easy for me to identify with the main character, i.e. I can see parts of myself in the character. Some, I like the theme (like intense love). Some are just a good story.
Reading for me is most escapism. Imagining I’m somewhere (or someone) else. I like what someone else said earlier too– I read before bed so I can fall asleep thinking about something other than my to-do list or my long list of worries.
I still really like Twilight. It’s still a really good story, plain and simple. I take the movies for what they are and keep them separate from the books.
Okay, so I totally, absolutely LOVED Breaking Dawn. It probably helped that I was 9 months pregnant when I read it. However, I like that Stephenie wrote what she thought was the proper end without listening to anyone’s opinion. She said from the beginning that she likes happy endings, so of course that’s what she wrote! And whether she meant to or not, there’s a subtext there that says that people in love are complete when they get married and have a family. And that’s a message I think society does not get enough of.
I wish Stephenie would finish Midnight Sun! I don’t blame her for the way she reacted, but I think the fans would be supportive of it.
I definitely hope Stephenie Meyer continues to write! I really want to read a sequel to The Host and I’m sure she’s got some other great stories to tell, too.
I don’t want Twilight to die, but I do confess I’m ready for the teeny-bopper crowd to move on to something else.