[Raven]

How many have read the books? I own all of them, have read the first three, and I was wondering if anyone else had taken a look. I must say, I enjoyed them.

Thoughts?

[Bismarck1871]

Oooo, do you have them at BJ? If so, I may want to borrow them....

I'd like to read them, just to be up on the current cultural craze.

[Raven]

Oooo, do you have them at BJ? If so, I may want to borrow them....

I'd like to read them, just to be up on the current cultural craze.

I have the first three right now. The fourth one has been borrowed from me and not yet returned. Hopefully, I'll get them soon.

I like the characters in it. Personality wise, they're all pretty believable.

[AnaleenAelwyn]

I haven't read them. I don't plan to. I think, if I ever have children, that I would prefer that they didn't read them either. But I'm not going to look down on anyone because they have read them and/or enjoyed them. That would be duplicitous on my side because I've read and enjoyed Harry Potter and many [Christians] look down on that series as well. So, I have no views on the books because I haven't read them, but I would be interested in viewing a discussion by those who have read them on their merits and/or demerits.

[Zorchenhimer]

I was never really into burning books, but...

[Raven]

I was never really into burning books, but...

So you're all in favor of censorship?

Or...have you actually read them?

[Celtic Prince]

To be very honest, I have only been acquainted with one man who likes these books. The rest are all females.

To me, that basically screams 'do not read.' If I had enough good reviews from fellow males, I'd probably try them. Otherwise it's just glorified romantic sci-fi.

[Raven]

To be very honest, I have only been acquainted with one man who likes these books. The rest are all females.

To me, that basically screams 'do not read.' If I had enough good reviews from fellow males, I'd probably try them. Otherwise it's just glorified romantic sci-fi.

How are they sci-fi? *imagines Dracula with a ray gun...*

I actually know one guy who liked the movie.

My thoughts after reading them were that they were well written (having worked at a book store, I stocked enough trashy vampire formula romance to see that this one is a bit different). Also, I was struck by how, well, clean they were for a teen book, not too different from something I'd write. The characters were likable...and very round. They don't stay the same, they change in different ways, which is good. On a lighter note, after a week of reading textbooks (and don't get me wrong, I love my classes), while not a quick read (which is a good thing), they are a good distraction, something fun to plunge into.

That and...well, the male lead (Edward) reminds me very much of Xyie. I think it's the old-fashioned gentleman thing.

[Celtic Prince]

It may not be /star /wars sci-fi, but I think the key elements are still there, tossed in with "realistic" fiction.

The benefit of reading something off the beaten path of educational is also beneficial or relaxing, so I can't argue there. Guess it's an issue of taste over actual written quality. Seems like the appeal is mostly towards women, since I cannot find a long list of men who really liked the movie or books, but it's merely an observation. I've heard they're relatively clean, which is a plus in that genre, but I have grown weary of the constant barrage of vampire literature, both books and movies.

[Midnight]

I actually would either like to borrow the books to read or get them myself to read. Twilight sounds interesting to me. I never heard of "good" vampires before this series came out, so I want to check it out.

[Raven]

It may not be /star /wars sci-fi, but I think the key elements are still there, tossed in with "realistic" fiction.

The benefit of reading something off the beaten path of educational is also beneficial or relaxing, so I can't argue there. Guess it's an issue of taste over actual written quality. Seems like the appeal is mostly towards women, since I cannot find a long list of men who really liked the movie or books, but it's merely an observation. I've heard they're relatively clean, which is a plus in that genre, but I have grown weary of the constant barrage of vampire literature, both books and movies.

It's...fantasy maybe, but not really sci-fi. And you're right, there are a lot of books written about vampires. It's really annoying stocking those. I think it is mostly women who like it, or at least teenage girls. It does have that "mushy" quality, if you will, I suppose. Granted, the original novel Dracula is quite enjoyable, but both books have the advantage of a non-omniscient viewpoint. To me, both are just good fiction, one's just older and different.

[Celtic Prince]

I guess the whole vampire thing has been killed long before this series came about, so it's left bad taste in my mouth, on top of the fact that I don't like vampires--period. The whole concept was cool when Dracula was written, but there's not been much competition since it came about either...

[Raven]

I guess the whole vampire thing has been killed long before this series came about, so it's left bad taste in my mouth, on top of the fact that I don't like vampires--period. The whole concept was cool when Dracula was written, but there's not been much competition since it came about either...

Well...formula fiction has made the genre into something almost comedic. (And I'm talking mass market paperbacks here...usually in the Romance section. I laugh at them because they are hilarious and bought four at the time by stressed looking women towing several children. There is definitely a market, lol.)

I think the reason that I like Twilight is that it seems to me to be pretty fresh material. The nice guy, for once, does not have to be the nerdy friend. (Oy, but that one's killed, too.) And...none of the "hey, let's retell a fairy tale" or "I'm spunky and oppressed and I hate corsets."

[Bismarck1871]

Welp, I've officially finished Twilight itself, and must say that I liked it, much better than some fantasy I've read. Most fantasy, to me, gets a little contrived and kiddish, but this one wasn't bad. I agree with Midnight in that I'd never heard of a "good" vampire before this series, which makes it all the more interesting. And I do agree with CP that girls would probably be more attracted to the books than guys, due to the romance aspect, but there is adventure in there, too, that could keep a guy interested. I look forward to reading the other 3 books...and I'm curious to see how the author ends the series. That, whenever that day comes, will probably cement my decision on it.

[Raven]

I hoped this discussion would be more, well...populated. We need more people on this board.

Really, really wanting that fourth book back from the girl that borrowed it...it was a Christmas gift from my brother, and I don't like losing things that were given to me. But I also don't like confrontation. Gah, I'm undecided.

I enjoyed the movie, mostly because I was with Xyie the second time I saw it (), but I also thought it was a very good adaptation. Yeah, there were differences, but I've not much been able to say a movie was very close to its novel at all. Impressive.

As a writer, it's kinda good inspiration, and gives me a challenge. Will I be able to write characters that good, that developed? (People fascinate me so much that I love character driven stuff.) It's not that I would write for money, because in the world of novels, that's not very realistic. I just want to write something that's fresh and enjoyable, and it's nice to see a clean book or series that is not the same old thing, and that is enjoyed by a wide audience. I hope to provide that to readers, because I get downright frustrated because I can rarely find anything that fits my taste. While yes, the Twilight series is slightly different from what I like to read most of the time, it just appeals to me because I got that "finally!" feeling that I have when I discover something new.

[Midnight]

I have seen the movie and have completely read the first 3 books of the series. Very good IMHO. Side note: Raven, I will be wanting Book 4 sometime in the near future, so be prepared for hounding.

Oh, I even have a copy of Twilight now. Yay for a work supervisor who wanted to get rid of it.

[Raven]

I'm getting through the fourth one, finally, lol. I'm glad I gave this series a chance.

[Midnight]

I enjoyed the series very much.

[Der Nachtfalter]

I picked up the books at a friend's house and read a few lines and that was enough. The writing reminded me of my mom's cheesy Christian girl books (Zion Chronicles and all those Western romance type books), only without the Christian part.

I can't say so much about the content, but from what I've heard and read in multiple places, it sounds like material that's not really profitable (especially for the targeted audience of hormonal teenage girls). More mature readers probably can read it without problems, but it's not something I'm interested in or would recommend, and the literary quality of the books certainly isn't good enough to make me want to read it just for that.

I mean, even Steven King has called her a bad writer . . .

[Ria]

I have not read them...the whole thing at first glance screams "high school romance", which i am not too keen on. Then you throw in a vampire or two, which, as has been mentioned before, is a theme far overused. As for the movies, I've seen many of the the trailers on youtube and elsewhere; and while i'm impressed with the screenplay and effects, that's about it. And, as Analeen said, it isn't something i would want my kids reading, and that is where the books are targeted. Teenage girls have enough emotional issues as is...w00t for fueling the fire! As for the literary quality, i wouldn't know, having never broken open one of the books myself at all.

That's my opinion. But hey - i'm one of those ppl who aren't a huge fan of Harry Potter, even though there's a whale of a lot more hoopla out there about them than they prolly deserve. Then again...randomly...i didn't very well like The Count of Monte Cristo either.