Laurie and Ian
May 13, 2008 7:39 PM
Belatedness by Laurie and Ian
Sorry about my slow response to the threads I'm in; just suddenly got very busy with graduation, job hunting, and grad school considerations. That, and I most unfortunately started the Stephanie Meyer's Twilight saga, and the angst has me addicted to the terrible writing. I'm nearly finished with the third book, so thankfully, this too shall pass.
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Laurie and Ian
Belatedness
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Stephen
May 14, 2008 5:49 AM
You say that now... by Stephen
...but she's just stuck out a new book (admittedly not related) and there's another that is related due out some time... this year? I think it was this year. Or next. One of those.Congrats on the graduating.
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Stephen
You say that now...
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Alexis Ashwood
May 14, 2008 7:01 AM
Helping the info by Alexis Ashwood
Breaking Dawn, the next book in the Twilight Saga, comes out in August. I love the books, counting down the days.
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Helping the info
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Stephen
May 14, 2008 7:04 AM
Stephen
May 14, 2008 7:13 AM
Hmm... by Stephen
That last post's subject and contents are proof positive my brain is in need of some rewiring. Two thoughts = a bit of confusion.
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Hmm...
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Laurie
May 14, 2008 2:18 PM
Excepting. . . by Laurie
. . .I loathe the books. They're amazingly addictive guilty pleasures, and I hate that they've ensnared me. Totally not cool. Eh, but at least it's moving away from the whole moon-themed titles.Sigh. The movie's going to be amazing, too. Sometimes, I pity myself.
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Excepting. . .
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Irene
May 14, 2008 2:30 PM
Really? by Irene
Any book that gives Harry Potter a run for its money always makes me a little uneasy about reading it. The Twilight books have been rumored to be the "New Harry Potter" which is obviously ridiculous! It is the same reason why I haven't read the Lord of the Rings.I know that Delany's author reads the books and loves them. Me, not so much.
However I look forward to seeing Robert Pattinson in the movie! *sigh*
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Irene
Really?
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Laurie
May 14, 2008 5:14 PM
Sickened. by Laurie
Bestseller doesn't always equate to exceptional reading. Twilight and its companions are excellent examples of that. The heroine reminds me of every emo Mary Sue female character ever written: she cannot walk three steps without falling (this is no exaggeration, it's something the character mentions like every five seconds) which is of course just a device for throwing her into ridiculous danger everywhere she goes. She continuously refers to herself as ivory skinned, which, when written in first person, is just grating. Who describes themselves as ivory skinned? It's just unhealthy, that's what being that pale after living in Phoenix means. It means: crazy. Oh god, and then she vacillates every five seconds about every little tiny thing. Every male encountered is in love with her, despite her having the personality of a flea. Seriously, I think my kitchen tile has more depth.And then we have our male protagonist who is also devoid of any personality. His only tragic flaw is his taste (chuckle, chuckle) in women; he could do so much better Seriously. I mean, when you've read other vampire stories, or even any story in which a character has some fantasy element to himself, it's just disappointing. Ooer, and his eyes change color. Geez. It's just annoying pitfall after cliched pitfall.
I might be able to forgive all that, if the back up characters had some depth, because, after all, I love Charles Dickens and lord knows his side characters are always far more interesting than the main ones. But even there, Meyers grants us only more flatness. I don't believe there is a single round character in any of the books. Not a one.
And yet. . .the secret to the best selling part of it? It's angsty tween drama; you can read it without any hardship, there's no worry of actual connection with the characters or the plot, and you're able to forget that you're on a bus surrounded by twenty other commuters. It does have that ability.
I just finished the third book and now I am thoroughly disgusted with myself. I need to go douse myself in the Dark Tower series or re-read Nine Stories just to reassure myself that the name Esme hasn't been completely tarnished.
Incidentally, Irene, you need to read The Lord of the Rings. To even compare the Twilight beach-books to The Trilogy is sacrilegious.
Okay, I finished my rant. It's off to watch Speed Racer and then To Esme- with Love and Squalor.
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Laurie
Sickened.
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Stephen
May 14, 2008 7:25 PM
And Yet.... by Stephen
...For some reason you can't help reading them. Clearly there is some kind of brainwashing experiment going on.That said...
Irene - Are you saying that Lord of the Rings has been called 'the next Harry Potter'? Because, if so, that's one of the most ridiculous claims I've ever come across. If not, why haven't you read it?
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And Yet....
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Irene
May 14, 2008 8:28 PM
Furthermore... by Irene
I was saying that Lord of the Rings has been compared many many times. People debate with me why it is so much better. I hear their arguements, so I'm afraid to prove them right by reading it xDTwilight has been called the "Next Harry Potter." Which is ridiculous. Nothing can touch that legacy. From what I hear from Laurie, I will probably only be watching the movie. I was never keen on reading them in the first place because of the supposed competition xP
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Furthermore...
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Stephen
May 14, 2008 8:34 PM
Silly of them by Stephen
As nothing is really 'the next so-and-so' and everything deserves the chance to be judged on its own merits. Or demerits, if that is indeed the case.As for Lord of the Rings they're good enough reading. Although half of The Two Towers nearly sent me to sleep. And they can be a bit dry. The thing to remember about them, though, is that most of modern fantasy derives at least in part from what J.R.R. Tolkien achieved when he authored his books set in Middle Earth. And some of it blatantly rips it off ;)\r\n\r\n
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Silly of them
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