This post is actually more of a book critique than things in my life. (****SPOILER ALERT****) I read a book called "hush, hush" this weekend by Becca Fitzpatrick. I was told that if I loved Twilight then I would love this book. I mean, it was good. I liked it. BUT I don't know that I loved it. When I read Twilight I felt it was pretty original- considering. I mean Meyers recreated vampires- vegetarian vampires? WHAT?! But the whole, innocent girl falling in love with the bad boy type or the forbidden love- that isn't anything new. Juliet falling in love with Romeo, the forbidden love theme has been around for forever. But this book I felt mirrored Twilight too much. There's a transfer student- this time it's not the girl. The boy is dangerous. Acts like he is annoyed with the girl as does Edward in Twilight. Bella and this girl are both annoyed with the guy, and have a love/hate thing going on inside of them. Against their better judgement they fall for the guy (don't get me wrong- I love Edward in Twilight and I actually like the guy in this book as well- but really?) The boys in both books are creepy stalkers, stalking around the girl's bedroom windows. Freak accidents. Even one where there's a car involved in both books. There's even a fateful trip out of town to the "big city" nearby. Anyways, for me there was a lot of similarities that I don't think I could ever call this book original.
What I DID like about it? In this book the bad guy is a fallen angel. He never directly tells the girl but tries to give her hints. He is definitely a bad boy type. But in the end, he overcomes the bad. He overcomes his evil side. He ends up changing his nature. Not just a vegetarian vampire- who is still somewhat dangerous by definition, but he is ACTUALLY changed at the end. The girl has to come to terms with him not being who his past defined him. Key word there was defined being PAST TENSE. In life we go through lots of things- things that help shape us into who we are. But our past doesn't have to define WHO WE ARE. What we learn from it, how we use it, how we change and the choices we make NOW and what defines who we are. That is what I gained from this book. Cheesy at times, and sometimes far from original, I liked the message that based on what we choose to do now, we can change. We can be forgiven. We can start anew. How far we may have come shows our strength and perseverance. What we've learned from it shows our wisdom we have gained. How we live now shows our wisdom and who we are- what we have become.
On one more critical note. I found an error on p. 320,
The girl is trying to call her mom and try to explain where she's been all evening in a way that her mom won't get too mad. I don't know where it should switch over, but it starts with the girl saying, "Here's the deal--" and then going on to say she had to turn back and get a room in Milliken Mills. But if you follow the conversation down, the MOM is the one who is in Milliken Mills, not the girl who the quote is attributed to. The girl is at home and becomes relieved to find that her mom didn't notice she was missing and left in search of her. Anyways, now that I've spoiled some of the story for you- read it if you wish. Just know that you will probably see similarities between this book and Twilight and I might've spoiled the ending for you- though I tried to be as vague as possible. I could only be so vague and still get my points across. So sorry if I have spoiled this experience for you!
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
"Dear John"
So I read the book "Dear John" by Nicholas Sparks. WARNING: this post may contain spoilers- if the movie follows the book....
My thoughts- I loved it, and I hated it. I loved it because it's a great story- I could relate to it. But I hated it because it reminded me of one of my relationships. I met this boy, once upon a time and there was a connection. I, like John, don't believe in love at first sight- but it was as if I had already met him before. Anyways, the story is different, but in the book they date for 2 weeks before he leaves to go back to the army. In my story, I knew him for a while, but when we dated, it was only for two weeks before I left. I can relate to both characters in some ways. We did the whole email and phone call thing and IMing for 3 months before I left on my mission. Then it was only letters- snail mail. No phone calls, no emails or IMs. Anyways, with only two weeks we were as serious as they were in the book. We had said I love you's and talked about marriage- and somehow I knew I would marry him. (For any of those who know my dating status and the book, you know what I mean... )
Well, in the story the girl was naive in some ways, and relatively innocent and religious- that was me. The boy, had a "dangerous" past but was a gentleman (or at least he was to me). Anyways, in the book the girl "Dear Johns" him. The same thing happened with me, but for different reasons. The stories differ here but not the feelings. She had fallen in love with someone else but still did love John. When I broke it off with the guy I still loved him. I thought I was doing the right thing though. Anyways, I broke it off, but in the book and in my story it was the guy who cut off contact- which really was best for me and for Savannah (the girl in the book). In her case he loved her enough to let her live her life with her husband and not break up their marriage. For me, we really had gone on different paths and it wasn't right anymore. He cut off communication for who knows why, but it was best for him and for me. I like the girl still think of him. He was my first in a lot of ways and I will always remember him and those times with fondness, but it didn't work out. And I AM glad for it. I know I'm better off, and I know he's doing well. I don't know what would have happened had I not sent the Dear John letter, but I no longer know if it would've worked like I once believed it would. Anyways, if I went through little by little I could probably draw endless conclusions but I think this suffices. I liked the end of the book but it was sad to me. She had moved on, and I wish he had moved on, at least a little more, if they could never be together. In the end, I feel like I'm in his position. I no longer wish to be with that guy, but I want to know that he's happy. I haven't seen him, but I know he is and that's what matters. And I know I'm happy too.
My thoughts- I loved it, and I hated it. I loved it because it's a great story- I could relate to it. But I hated it because it reminded me of one of my relationships. I met this boy, once upon a time and there was a connection. I, like John, don't believe in love at first sight- but it was as if I had already met him before. Anyways, the story is different, but in the book they date for 2 weeks before he leaves to go back to the army. In my story, I knew him for a while, but when we dated, it was only for two weeks before I left. I can relate to both characters in some ways. We did the whole email and phone call thing and IMing for 3 months before I left on my mission. Then it was only letters- snail mail. No phone calls, no emails or IMs. Anyways, with only two weeks we were as serious as they were in the book. We had said I love you's and talked about marriage- and somehow I knew I would marry him. (For any of those who know my dating status and the book, you know what I mean... )
Well, in the story the girl was naive in some ways, and relatively innocent and religious- that was me. The boy, had a "dangerous" past but was a gentleman (or at least he was to me). Anyways, in the book the girl "Dear Johns" him. The same thing happened with me, but for different reasons. The stories differ here but not the feelings. She had fallen in love with someone else but still did love John. When I broke it off with the guy I still loved him. I thought I was doing the right thing though. Anyways, I broke it off, but in the book and in my story it was the guy who cut off contact- which really was best for me and for Savannah (the girl in the book). In her case he loved her enough to let her live her life with her husband and not break up their marriage. For me, we really had gone on different paths and it wasn't right anymore. He cut off communication for who knows why, but it was best for him and for me. I like the girl still think of him. He was my first in a lot of ways and I will always remember him and those times with fondness, but it didn't work out. And I AM glad for it. I know I'm better off, and I know he's doing well. I don't know what would have happened had I not sent the Dear John letter, but I no longer know if it would've worked like I once believed it would. Anyways, if I went through little by little I could probably draw endless conclusions but I think this suffices. I liked the end of the book but it was sad to me. She had moved on, and I wish he had moved on, at least a little more, if they could never be together. In the end, I feel like I'm in his position. I no longer wish to be with that guy, but I want to know that he's happy. I haven't seen him, but I know he is and that's what matters. And I know I'm happy too.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Protector or Creeper?
So, with New Moon that came out a few weeks ago, I got talking to my sisters and my Mom about the movies. I love them because they are a representation of the books I love, but honestly I thought Twilight was REALLY cheesy. I mean there's a lot of scenes where the camera seems to be swirling around them as they're laying in the meadow, or laying in her bed and NO interaction. AND Edward, to me comes off as a creepy stalker in the movie and that wasn't the impression I got in the book. So, I'm an Edward fan- at heart, but when I watch the movies I become a Jacob fan.
Anyways, I have a few things that I want to say relating to Twilight, first off has to do with what my mom said when we were critiquing the movies. She was like, Edward IS a creepy stalker that Bella falls in love with. The whole book is about a girl who falls in love with the bad boy instead of what's good for her. I kinda see my mom's point, but at the same time I became defensive- that's NOT the Edward I know and love from my book reading experience. (I don't use love seriously. I'm not so much "involved" with him as some people. I do not expect people to live up to the expectations that Edward creates, nor do I fantasize about a real life Edward, but if a book is written well enough I become part of the stories as I read them. That to me, is a good book. So now, back to the current subject.) So, I started thinking that maybe Edward IS just as creepy as he comes across in the movie. Maybe I loved the books so much as a passing obsession, after all, I've only read them once. So I started reading them again. And I am STILL an Edward fan. Here's the thing, there are subtle hints all along the way of ways that Bella was MADE to be in his world. Yes, he's a vampire, there's a dangerous bad boy edge to his character. But in the books he has risen above it. He has become a "vegetarian" as they call it because he doesn't want to be a monster. He did not start off as a creepy stalker, from reading the books again and a SMALL amount of Edward's book from the brief version online you find out that Edward was attracted to her scent, and he hated her for it because he felt it brought out the monster in him. So what does he do? He leaves for Alaska for a little while and then realizes he can't stay away. Love or lust? I'm not going to go into it in this posting, but he's drawn back but still tries to keep his distance because he knows it's best for her. There's the whole scene where he saves her from being smashed by a car. And he can read thoughts, supposedly EVERY guy went after her, and clearly in the book you see at least 4 examples other than Edward, so how would he not think about her with her being the new commodity running through everyone's head. Once again back to the car incident and various other accounts that he witnessed through thoughts of her clumsiness she proved herself a danger magnet. So he leaves for a weekend and the first creepy stalker account happens after that weekend when he ends up watching her when she's in her backyard. Once again, not going into whether the attraction is more than surface deep or not, but he wanted to know she was safe. More of a protector than creepy stalker, after knowing her ability to find disaster. The incident in Port Angeles, he followed her, but gave her space keeping tabs on her from time to time. He didn't follow her when she went off on her own which is why she had to be rescued from her almost attackers. Then AFTER she basically admits to being obsessed with him, that's when he starts coming to her window and watching her sleep. So basically I'm still under the impression that he's more of a protector than creepy stalker.
On to another point I want to make. I was heading out from my dance class this semester and this guy is writing a paper on attraction- I don't remember full details or how it fulfills the writing requirements for his class, I just remember the basics. We were talking how, shallow as it may be, looks are what usually attracts people to each other, at least initially. He brought up Edward and Twilight and basically said that HE thinks Edward is a creepy stalker, but Bella is so entranced by his looks that she doesn't care. I don't fully agree with that, but maybe it's because I see similarities between Bella and I that maybe I'm in denial about. Either way, he asked a girl if she thought George Clooney was hott. She said yes, so he then asked if she would find it creepy if he was stalking her. She said no. He claimed that it's all based on looks, and I claimed, "well, you see if George Clooney were to stalk you, it would probably just come off as really good acting. Kinda like Jonny Depp, he can play the weirdest creepiest characters and still, I just think he's an amazing, talented actor. Same with Heath Ledger and playing the Joker. You watch that and you're not creeped out when you see Heath Ledger, you just think he was amazing to pull off the Joker. (I guess in his offense, those are ALSO good-looking examples, but still, to me Edward is not a creeper.)
Back to when my sisters and I were critiquing the movie Twilight, my sister and I talked about how we thought they should've replaced some of the boring camera swirls and techniques of just them lying next to each other with better scenes from the book. It's true, you see nothing of the day Bella fainted at the smell of blood (which is kinda important to understanding how she fits in his world- Edward says humans don't smell blood.) You don't see much of their interaction in Biology, you don't see the scene where Edward sits with her at lunch, just the two of them and they have their first real conversation. You don't see SO many things that would be better and go more into their actual relationship than just the surface, superficial staring at one another while laying down scenes.
So my conclusions: liking the books was not a passing obsession. They may not be the best books, but I still love them. And Edward in my mind is still not a creepy stalker. Edward and Bella were made for each other.
Anyways, I have a few things that I want to say relating to Twilight, first off has to do with what my mom said when we were critiquing the movies. She was like, Edward IS a creepy stalker that Bella falls in love with. The whole book is about a girl who falls in love with the bad boy instead of what's good for her. I kinda see my mom's point, but at the same time I became defensive- that's NOT the Edward I know and love from my book reading experience. (I don't use love seriously. I'm not so much "involved" with him as some people. I do not expect people to live up to the expectations that Edward creates, nor do I fantasize about a real life Edward, but if a book is written well enough I become part of the stories as I read them. That to me, is a good book. So now, back to the current subject.) So, I started thinking that maybe Edward IS just as creepy as he comes across in the movie. Maybe I loved the books so much as a passing obsession, after all, I've only read them once. So I started reading them again. And I am STILL an Edward fan. Here's the thing, there are subtle hints all along the way of ways that Bella was MADE to be in his world. Yes, he's a vampire, there's a dangerous bad boy edge to his character. But in the books he has risen above it. He has become a "vegetarian" as they call it because he doesn't want to be a monster. He did not start off as a creepy stalker, from reading the books again and a SMALL amount of Edward's book from the brief version online you find out that Edward was attracted to her scent, and he hated her for it because he felt it brought out the monster in him. So what does he do? He leaves for Alaska for a little while and then realizes he can't stay away. Love or lust? I'm not going to go into it in this posting, but he's drawn back but still tries to keep his distance because he knows it's best for her. There's the whole scene where he saves her from being smashed by a car. And he can read thoughts, supposedly EVERY guy went after her, and clearly in the book you see at least 4 examples other than Edward, so how would he not think about her with her being the new commodity running through everyone's head. Once again back to the car incident and various other accounts that he witnessed through thoughts of her clumsiness she proved herself a danger magnet. So he leaves for a weekend and the first creepy stalker account happens after that weekend when he ends up watching her when she's in her backyard. Once again, not going into whether the attraction is more than surface deep or not, but he wanted to know she was safe. More of a protector than creepy stalker, after knowing her ability to find disaster. The incident in Port Angeles, he followed her, but gave her space keeping tabs on her from time to time. He didn't follow her when she went off on her own which is why she had to be rescued from her almost attackers. Then AFTER she basically admits to being obsessed with him, that's when he starts coming to her window and watching her sleep. So basically I'm still under the impression that he's more of a protector than creepy stalker.
On to another point I want to make. I was heading out from my dance class this semester and this guy is writing a paper on attraction- I don't remember full details or how it fulfills the writing requirements for his class, I just remember the basics. We were talking how, shallow as it may be, looks are what usually attracts people to each other, at least initially. He brought up Edward and Twilight and basically said that HE thinks Edward is a creepy stalker, but Bella is so entranced by his looks that she doesn't care. I don't fully agree with that, but maybe it's because I see similarities between Bella and I that maybe I'm in denial about. Either way, he asked a girl if she thought George Clooney was hott. She said yes, so he then asked if she would find it creepy if he was stalking her. She said no. He claimed that it's all based on looks, and I claimed, "well, you see if George Clooney were to stalk you, it would probably just come off as really good acting. Kinda like Jonny Depp, he can play the weirdest creepiest characters and still, I just think he's an amazing, talented actor. Same with Heath Ledger and playing the Joker. You watch that and you're not creeped out when you see Heath Ledger, you just think he was amazing to pull off the Joker. (I guess in his offense, those are ALSO good-looking examples, but still, to me Edward is not a creeper.)
Back to when my sisters and I were critiquing the movie Twilight, my sister and I talked about how we thought they should've replaced some of the boring camera swirls and techniques of just them lying next to each other with better scenes from the book. It's true, you see nothing of the day Bella fainted at the smell of blood (which is kinda important to understanding how she fits in his world- Edward says humans don't smell blood.) You don't see much of their interaction in Biology, you don't see the scene where Edward sits with her at lunch, just the two of them and they have their first real conversation. You don't see SO many things that would be better and go more into their actual relationship than just the surface, superficial staring at one another while laying down scenes.
So my conclusions: liking the books was not a passing obsession. They may not be the best books, but I still love them. And Edward in my mind is still not a creepy stalker. Edward and Bella were made for each other.
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