Twilight Read-along! discussion

Hey guys!!! This is where we can discuss the first 5 chapters!!
Isn't this exciting?
I started last night and I'm already nearly done with my reading for this week!!

I started last night, thought I'd only get through a few pages and got through about half of this week's reading instead. Would have read more if I didn't start dozing off!

HAPPY JULY 1ST!!
I definitely got a jump start at midnight last night lol I have a feeling most of us did
I'm super excited to discuss all of the things and to relive this book with everyone!

Just finished this weeks section. I'm surprised how easy it was to fall back into.

Edward is so sassy! LOL

I love Bella's temper. Why don't I remember how pissed off she was all the time? Haha.

People always complain when they say that Bella is too whiny but think about it...how many times a day do you complain about something

LOL!! Yes!
*possible spoiler*

"You have quite a temper don't you?"
Or something like that, after she gets all sassy about him evading all of her questions. I Lolled

Is that how you spell it? Or is it
LOLed

Also, did anyone else catch the irony when she talked about how high his level of influence was on her and how unhealthy it was?

Exactly Kelli!

Selena wrote: "LOL!! Yes!
*possible spoiler*

"You have quite a temper don't you?"
Or something like that, after she gets all sassy about him evading all of her questions. I Lolled"

Haha right? I like hotheaded Bella.

Lol yes Red! It's so clear that she agrees her obsession with him is strange

But when you think about it, we all kind of get a little crazy when we're infatuated!!

Somehow this self-awareness makes her Edward obsession a little more bearable.

One thing that has bugged me that I didn't catch when I read it when I was fifteen...just how grammatically incorrect this book is. I'm totally an English nerd, so that's probably why it irks me. There was one sentence in there (I can't find it now) that clearly had an extra word that wasn't supposed to be there.

*some more possible spoilers**

I loved when Bella was all upset about having to go on a stretcher and Edward got to walk out of there all casual!!
Man, poor Bella
I forgot how funny this book could be!!!
"Stupid shiny Volvo owner"

Yeah red! I saw a few now too
I think there

Selena wrote: "*some more possible spoilers**

I loved when Bella was all upset about having to go on a stretcher and Edward got to walk out of there all casual!!
Man, poor Bella
I forgot how funny this book co..."

I know! The movie totally influenced my memories, and I remembered her being way more flat than she really is. Some of her comments I'm like "Haha that's so what I would say!"

Oops sent that before I could finish
At the beginning of the fifth chapter she actually uses "till" instead if until...is that alloud? I don't effin know

That was one of the things I caught too! I must have reread that like seven times because it bugged me so much.

I forgot how much I loved Stephenie Meyer's writing style! Honestly so many people complain about it, but it's really funny and just flows correctly, like I'm actually in Bella's head and a lot of authors screw up first person perspective.

I'm starting it right now! I'm excited to read Twilight again

I started my reading a little before July 1st and I'm so happy I did. I wasn't much of a reader when these books came out and when the movies did, so I've only seen the movies. I'm beyond happy that I'm doing this read along. I'm not a booktuber, but I definitely watch booktubers now thank's to Emma :) can't wait to discuss everything!

I finished the reading for the week...... But now I just want to read the rest of it :(

Anna (Unquenchable Reads) wrote: "I finished the reading for the week...... But now I just want to read the rest of it :("

ITS SO DIFFICULT

Gaby wrote: "I started my reading a little before July 1st and I'm so happy I did. I wasn't much of a reader when these books came out and when the movies did, so I've only seen the movies. I'm beyond happy tha..."

Gaby's one of my real life friends and she's making me so happy that she's doing this lmao

Red wrote: "Somehow this self-awareness makes her Edward obsession a little more bearable.

One thing that has bugged me that I didn't catch when I read it when I was fifteen...just how grammatically incorre..."

Red wrote: "Also, did anyone else catch the irony when she talked about how high his level of influence was on her and how unhealthy it was?"


I didn't catch that many errors this time around -- or ever, as a matter of fact. I love Stephenie's writing. I think it's more a matter of words being omitted or added unintentionally by the editors.

Check out page 232 of the book; there's a very beautiful passage there, in which Bella's trying to describe to Edward the stark beauty of the area she used to live in. This in in Chapter 11, though. Lol.

You know, I think it's SO ridiculous that Twilight haters keep saying that Bella has a very unhealthy obsession with Edward, how she's so passive, how he's a controlling stalker. I don't think they read the first book closely enough!

As Red and Selena both mentioned in comments above, Bella does have a temper. When Edward practically has to drag her to his car after the blood typing incident, she yells at him, "You're so pushy!"

Furthermore, even though she's very much attracted to Edward, she tells herself that it's a little over the top. But is it, really? I remember that, when I first fell in love, I couldn't even think straight most of the time! Lol. Besides, it's very clear that Edward is just as helpless against the attraction as Bella is. In fact, he even tells Bella that he's tired of trying to stay away from her. He also warns her that, if she were smart, she'd avoid him. But again, love has a mind of its own....

♥♥Mari♥♥ wrote: "You know, I think it's SO ridiculous that Twilight haters keep saying that Bella has a very unhealthy obsession with Edward, how she's so passive, how he's a controlling stalker. I don't think they..."
I'm literally thinking the same thing! Like everyone complains about "instalove" in YA, but this is not instalove! Yes, there's a certain mutual attraction, but that doesn't mean they're already head over heels in love with each other! Like Edward gets under her skin SOOOOO much lmao there's no way they're in love with each other within the first few chapters. Infatuated, Attracted, Curious, Intrigued? Yes. In love? Not quite.

Emma wrote: " ♥♥Mari♥♥ wrote: "You know, I think it's SO ridiculous that Twilight haters keep saying that Bella has a very unhealthy obsession with Edward, how she's so passive, how he's a controlling stalker...."


Exactly! You've nailed it! There is indeed a mutual attraction. Yes, it's a very strong one, but it's not "insta love". But you know, I just think the Twilight haters haven't got a romantic bone in their bodies, so they will look for ANY excuse to dis The Twilight Saga.

Besides, these books did NOT become popular because they tell the story of vampires who are monsters (well, the Volturi definitely are), but because the vampires -- the Cullens -- try their best to avoid killing humans. They rise above their natural instincts, helping humans, instead. They are heroic. And THAT is why these books are so popular! (Well, of course, the romance definitely helps!) But the Twilight haters just don't get it, do they? Lol.

Exactly Mari! I remember when I got my first like real crush I followed him around like a lost puppy!! So the fact that Bella recognizes she's being ridiculous is not only realistic, but it's relatable! I bet every girl out there has been infatuated at one point, and knew they were being crazy but didn't care. We're girls.... We like to stare at hot guys. Give us a break lol!!

Plus do people totally forget about teenage hormones? Think back to high school (or currently if you're still in it) and how often do you see your friends or classmates saying they love their boyfriend of two-to-seven days. No exaggeration. Now THAT'S insta-love. Besides, the development of their relationship and interaction happens over a period of weeks and months. Just because she decided not to write out the boring parts in between we wouldn't care about doesn't mean they fell in love overnight. There were weeks in between their first meeting and their second alone.

I absolutely agree with you guys. I love the way Stephanie wrote this book and expressed the way Bella feels and her self-awareness of her infatuation with Edward. It is extremely relatable, to me at least, and although there seems to be some grammatical errors, I feel that they are supposed to be there. People don't speak, or think, with proper grammar, and we're reading Bella's thoughts. I personally love that, and I really feel like I'm inside Bella's head.

Gaby wrote: "I absolutely agree with you guys. I love the way Stephanie wrote this book and expressed the way Bella feels and her self-awareness of her infatuation with Edward. It is extremely relatable, to me ..."

I, personally anyway, don't think the poor grammar was a way of being in someone's head. I just think proper grammar is a fading writing standard since it's rare someone deliberately challenges grammatical structure (and even then, it is generally done by someone with a thorough understanding of grammar in order to do so successfully.) That being said, grammar aside, I do think her word choice and actual syntax is very effective and I totally agree that she does a good job of keeping us inside Bella's head. I love books that can actually pull off a first-person narrative. A lot of authors try, but break their own character illusions when there are clear opinions that belong to the author...not the character. Stephenie Meyer doesn't do that, and I absolutely love that, because it keeps us in Bella's head, not Stephenie's.

Red wrote: "Gaby wrote: "I absolutely agree with you guys. I love the way Stephanie wrote this book and expressed the way Bella feels and her self-awareness of her infatuation with Edward. It is extremely rela..."


Have you read the passage I mentioned, on page 232 of the book? It's absolutely beautiful! I sure didn't find any grammar errors there.

I agree with you regarding the difficulty of first-person narrative. An author needs to make sure it's the character's thoughts and opinions that are being presented, instead of the author's own. And yes, Stephenie definitely succeeds in this doing this!

Selena wrote: "Exactly Mari! I remember when I got my first like real crush I followed him around like a lost puppy!! So the fact that Bella recognizes she's being ridiculous is not only realistic, but it's relat..."


Selena, your comments are hilarious!! Yes, we girls LOVE to stare at hot guys! They stare at hot girls, after all. Lol.

I can definitely relate to the "following a guy like a lost puppy". That's exactly what happened to me when I fell in love for the first time -- in my twenties. And I remember the guy smirked a lot at me. He felt very smug, because he had me wrapped around his little finger. Lol.

Red wrote: "Plus do people totally forget about teenage hormones? Think back to high school (or currently if you're still in it) and how often do you see your friends or classmates saying they love their boyf..."

Red, you bring up another important point -- teen hormones. That's definitely a factor here! Oh, those high school crushes!! And how terrible when they didn't even know you existed, right? In my case, I was unfortunately sent to an all-girl school, so I never had a boyfriend in high school...

This is actually the FIFTH time I read "Twilight" (once in Spanish, but it wasn't the same), and I made sure I noticed Bella's reactions to Edward, and vice versa. I found them to be very realistic; they both reacted like normal teenagers, except for the fact that Edward was tormented by the possibility of hurting Bella. Other than that, I thought everything was just right!

♥♥Mari♥♥ wrote: "Red wrote: "Gaby wrote: "I absolutely agree with you guys. I love the way Stephanie wrote this book and expressed the way Bella feels and her self-awareness of her infatuation with Edward. It is ex..."

I do agree it is a beautiful passage, and I still believe she has beautifully chooses words. She isn't grammatically incorrect in every sentence, but it is frequent enough that I notice. I try to overlook most of it though, but not everyone might have that problem. I'm just acutely observant when it comes to grammar in publications to the point it annoys myself; I'm totally aware of that haha.

Red wrote: " ♥♥Mari♥♥ wrote: "Red wrote: "Gaby wrote: "I absolutely agree with you guys. I love the way Stephanie wrote this book and expressed the way Bella feels and her self-awareness of her infatuation wi..."

I agree and disagree with you, lol. I happen to be an ESL teacher (English as a Second Language), so I, too, am aware of grammatical structure, syntax,etc.

I've noticed that Stephenie uses at least one structure correctly, and that's the second conditional. For instance, on page 1, there's this sentence: "I knew that if I'd never gone to Forks, I wouldn't be facing death now." This is correct, because, as you know, the past perfect is supposed to be used in the "if" clause in such sentences. So, "if I'd never gone" is indeed the proper form. (This is at the bottom of the page.)

On a closer reading, I discovered the following error, on page 10: "Even my mother, WHO I was closer to...." The correct word is "WHOM". (This is at the bottom of the page.)

This error appears again on page 17: "My Trigonometry teacher, Mr. Varner, WHO I would have hated anyway..." (Toward the top of the page.) I hear people, especially teenagers, make this mistake all the time in conversation. Hmm....maybe Steph was trying to sound like a teen here? Still, it IS incorrect.

I'm sure there are more examples of correct and incorrect usage in the four books. Whatever mistakes she's made, though, I don't think they're so bad that someone like Stephen King should label her as a poor writer.

Bottom line: Steph has created a very imaginative, romantic, totally irresistible (to females, anyway) series that will NEVER be forgotten!! We Twi-hards LOVE The Twilight Saga!!! That's why we keep re-reading it!! : )

I don't disagree at all and I think calling her a poor writer is extreme, judgmental, and far from the truth. I think Stephen King is so far removed from adolescence that I don't think he realizes a well-captured teen voice when he reads it and criticizes it just because it is not a book to his tastes. After all, if the love was supposed to be mature she would have created a completely different story surrounding a different age. If she was a poor writer, she would not be as successful. I love my Stephen and my Stephenie...even if they don't always get along haha.

Oh and I realize how small this is, but Edward is the only one that can make asking someone to go to Seattle as cute and charming as asking them to a dance.

Lol Red!!! (About the Seattle thing)
I just snorted!

Red wrote: "I don't disagree at all and I think calling her a poor writer is extreme, judgmental, and far from the truth. I think Stephen King is so far removed from adolescence that I don't think he realizes..."

What really mystifies me is that King does praise J.K. Rowling. I wonder why he likes her, but not Stephenie....

And you're so right about Steph perfectly capturing the teen experience! She's nailed it, for sure! And of course she wouldn't have become as successful as she now is, if she were indeed a poor writer!

Ironic, isn't it, that Stephen and Stephenie don't "get along"? Lol.

Selena wrote: "Lol Red!!! (About the Seattle thing)
I just snorted!"

True though right? XD

Officially my new dating standard. If you want to go out with me, you have to ask me on a trip to Seattle.

♥♥Mari♥♥ wrote: "Red wrote: "I don't disagree at all and I think calling her a poor writer is extreme, judgmental, and far from the truth. I think Stephen King is so far removed from adolescence that I don't think..."

Totally ironic! Haha.

Even writers get catty I guess. The fact that we are all here and can even discuss our admiration just goes to show that three very different writers can be just as successful and talented even if they don't want to admit it. ;D

♥♥Mari♥♥ wrote: "Red wrote: "Plus do people totally forget about teenage hormones? Think back to high school (or currently if you're still in it) and how often do you see your friends or classmates saying they lov..."

Even when they are normal relationships, people worry about hurting each other so it is a normal reaction, it is how it works, just in this case it has a little bit of a paranormal side.

Emma wrote: " ♥♥Mari♥♥ wrote: "You know, I think it's SO ridiculous that Twilight haters keep saying that Bella has a very unhealthy obsession with Edward, how she's so passive, how he's a controlling stalker...."
And I really like how Meyer builds their relationship, and it might seem like they are so fast interested in each other but it is not like that at all, it´s actually because of the worry of Edward and how it is new to him that he can´t "read" her, so is like how we make friends we are interested in knowing what they like and so..

I was reading "Twilight" last night, and had to actually stop so I could watch a few scenes from the movie before going to bed, as it was VERY late....lol.

Needless to say, I've gone way past the reading for this first week! These books are EXACTLY my brand of heroin! Ha, ha!! I just can't take them in small doses!

I LOVE how Steph makes the reader feel such wonderful, beautiful things....sigh.... Although I know what's going to happen, I still feel as though I'm reading this book for the first time!!

I watched the meadow scene from the movie, and then Bella's first meeting with the Cullens. Everything was so perfect.....I compared the movie scenes with the same ones in the book, and loved them both. They're just different, although in the movie, Rosalie's dislike of Edward and Bella's romance is made more dramatic.

I went to bed with a HUGE smile on my face!! : )

Paola wrote: "Emma wrote: " ♥♥Mari♥♥ wrote: "You know, I think it's SO ridiculous that Twilight haters keep saying that Bella has a very unhealthy obsession with Edward, how she's so passive, how he's a control..."

Right! It's very obvious that she builds their relationship. It might seem as if it's moving along too fast, but it's actually not. Steph does a GREAT job of showing the reader how Edward and Bella tentatively reach out to each other. And the fact that Edward is very worried about hurting Bella is very well done. It's amazing, considering that vamps don't exist. Even more amazing is the fact that this is Stephenie Meyer's first novel!

I just think she's a highly talented writer!!

I love how into this conversation you guys are! And the best part about today is that tomorrow I get to start reading again muahahahahhahhahaha

Emma wrote: "I love how into this conversation you guys are! And the best part about today is that tomorrow I get to start reading again muahahahahhahhahaha"


Heck, I haven't stopped! Lol. I think I'll have the book finished WAY before the end of the month!

And OF COURSE we're into it!! All of us in this read-along LOVE these books!!!