My Twilight Thoughts

Don't Forget

2010-06-14T22:46:00.004-05:00

to read
The Short Secret Life of Bree Tanner

before going to see Eclipse on June 30th!
You can read it free here until July 5th.

Eclipse Trailer and Novella

2010-03-31T13:53:00.002-05:00

It had been awhile since I went and checked out Stephenie Meyer's site and when I just did there was a load of goodies on it!
The first trailer for Eclipse was released earlier this month (I completely missed that)...

And Stephenie is releasing a short story that goes along with the Eclipse movie apparently (called The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner).
She explains more about it on her site, but it will be available to read for free between June 7th and July 5th on breetanner.com.
I'm curious and can't wait!

Not Good News :-(

2009-11-21T20:59:00.001-06:00

I just finished reading through the latest Q&A session with Stephenie on her official site and was very disappointed with the answer she gave to the last question:

"To address the many, many questions about Midnight Sun:
I've found that there really isn't any answer I can give that changes the substance or tenor of the myriads of requests, pleadings, and demands I get for Midnight Sun to be finished, so I feel a little silly answering that question at all. But it's the most popular question, so I'll take another stab at it.
I am not working on Midnight Sun now. I don't have a plan for when I'll get to it; I don't know now what the right time for it will be.
In your questions, there were some erroneous conclusions about the situation which I'll try to set straight. First, Midnight Sun is not finished and locked in a safe, waiting for me to be done angsting over the leak. If it were done, I would be throwing it on the bookstore shelves myself. I'd love to be able to give it to all the people who are anxiously waiting for it. Second, I am not upset about the leak. I haven't been for a long time; I was over it after about three weeks. Third, and most important, I am not trying to punish anyone. Not the persons who leaked it, not the people who read the leak, nobody. As I said, it would make me very happy to be able to give it to anyone who wants it.
So why the hold up? Because it's not finished and lying in a safe. It's not done, and finishing it is not a simple matter of sitting down in front of my computer and typing out the words; the words have to be there in my head to type out, and right now, they're not. I have to be in the zone to write any story, and trying to force myself into that zone is a waste of time, I've found. I'll get back to Midnight Sun when the story is compelling to me again. Just because people want it so badly does not make it more write-able; kind of the opposite, actually. I need to be alone with a story to write, and Midnight Sun feels really crowded, if you know what I mean.
People write for different reasons. I have always written to make myself happy. If I'm enjoying a story, feeling the creativity flow, engrossed in a world, then I write and I write fast. If I'm not into it, I can't write. I've never been someone who writes on demand and I can't imagine working that way. As cool as it would be to say to my favorite author, "You know, I'd really like to read a great book about a narwhal mafia. Write that for me, 'kay?" or even "I'd love a sequel to that last one," that's not how it works. How it works is that my favorite author writes a new book about whatever he/she is interested in. Maybe it takes a year, maybe it takes five. If it's something I want to read, I buy it or I check it out at the library. If not, I find something else to read. The end.
(All of this goes for writing about vampires in general, too. Vampires and I? We're on a break.)..."

New Moon Movie Night

2009-11-21T20:33:00.002-06:00

So, last fall I became slightly obsessed with the Twilight series...
ok, ok, I definitely needed some counseling, but at least I can admit it right?!
I hadn't really wanted to read the books and when I finally gave in (reading all 4 in 3 days time) I LOVED them. I then read them again and then read Twilight one more time while I waited for the movie to come out. I was understandably majorly disappointed with the movie...SO many things were wrong. We did have quite a girls' night though and we were all excited about New Moon this year.
I could tell from the trailers that they had put more money and effort into this one and I loved almost everything about it (except can they get Edward to hit the gym PLEASE before they make movie #3...seriously dude, you know you have to take your shirt off and you are supposed to be a vampire comparable to marble...not sickly, withered, and hairy...so get to work!). I still have obsessive issues with Twilight...I can't read the books, listen to the soundtrack or watch the movie without partly going back into my "I just want to run away and be a vampire" funk, so it had been over a year since I read them and I think that helped me not be too overly critical of the movie this time around.
I do think that overall this movie followed the book much better, the acting (especially at the beginning of the movie) was much better, the special effects were much better, and the cinematography was much better. I loved the colors in the scenes in Italy, I thought Aro was perfection - just what I imagined, Jacob was awesome, the wolf scenes were amazing, and Bella managed to not start irritating me until about half way through.
It was a fun, but exhausting night. I got home at 4am (because the true fans hit Denny's afterwards for more discussion) and I am just not cut out for all-nighters anymore! Mike left that day for California so my mom came to my rescue and spent the night at my house and helped me in the morning as I tried my best to wake up. I would have been heart-broken if I'd had to miss the show after all the anticipation, so thanks mom!!! (she and Hope also babysat for 5 hours yesterday while I went to work...I owe you guys!)

Most of our group met up at Mckell's last night. As I walked up to the front door I found this sign...

First photo-op of the evening :-). I really felt like I was going into this movie as a more mature fan, and apparently so did everyone else. No shirt-making, no driving in fast cars, just heading over to the theater.
Mckell, Allie, Leighanna, April, me and Emily

After the craziness we endured at Cinemark last year, Emily had the brilliant idea to head to the Alamo Drafthouse for the movie this year. It is a theater that serves food and drinks, and because of the drinks has an age requirement. This meant far less crowds, fewer teeny-boppers gushing over Edward and Jacob during the movie and a less-claustrophobic theater atmosphere because every row of seats had a table in front of it for your food.

It was almost a perfect scenario, except somehow I ended up sitting on the end of the line next to a 50-something year old woman who yelled out inappropriate things to Jacob during various parts of the movie, which was wrong on so many levels.
We ordered food and chatted while waiting for the movie to start. I ran into Ella's preschool teacher from last year too, it's so funny to see just how many people love these books.
Shannon and Cathy met up with us later at the theater.

I was very disappointed that half our group didn't stick it out and go to Denny's after the movie this year. I figured, I'm already going to feel like crap in the morning, so why not live it up :-).
Allie, Emily, April and I had a great time and since there wasn't as much to complain about this year,
we actually mostly just had fun girl talk instead.

Who's ready for Eclipse?!?!

The Newest New Moon Trailer

2009-09-14T06:04:00.001-05:00

It looks SO much better than the first movie...I can't wait!!!

New Moon Trailer

2009-06-01T07:35:00.002-05:00

I was worried about how the wolves would look, but based on this trailer, they look pretty good.

Breaking Dawn, Chapter 39

2009-03-06T11:15:00.002-06:00

-There is talk of the Volturi eventually trying to pick them off one by one...I think Stephanie should write another book in the series and follow up on that :-)!
-I had completely forgotten about Sue and Charlie getting together.
-"Not that I'd want to repeat the last several weeks, but I had to admit they'd made me appreciate what I had more than ever."
-Love, Love, LOVE the end of the book when Bella is able to share her thoughts with Edward! I don't know how many times I have re-read those two pages. I'm all for happy endings :-).

Breaking Dawn, Chapter 38

2009-03-06T11:14:00.000-06:00

-Alice returns
-the other halfing is venomous

Breaking Dawn, Chapter 37

2009-03-06T11:11:00.002-06:00

-Interesting that when the Alpha is within the shield, all the wolves are protected.
-Aro seems to be the good guy to me again in many ways.
-"This was the ploy. He had not wanted Irina's complaint; he had wanted her defiance. His excuse to destroy her, to ignite the violence that filled the air like a thick, combustible mist. He had thrown a match."
-Oh how I loved Garrett for calling out the Volturi to their own witnesses!

Breaking Dawn, Chapter 36

2009-03-06T11:09:00.002-06:00

I can't read the first thing I wrote down about this chapter...something about the Volturi witnesses?
The only other note I made was that Aro was disappointed that Alice wasn't there, proving that many were correct in their assumptions that Volturi had an ulterior motive for their visit.

Breaking Dawn, Chapter 35

2009-02-21T10:26:00.001-06:00

-Bella assumes (correctly) that Alice gave her the bad address so she'd figure out what she was there for.
-I too wonder what Jasper has done to J. Jenks that he is so afraid of him.

Breaking Dawn, Chapter 34

2009-02-21T10:23:00.002-06:00

-A sweet moment...Edward sitting playing the piano and then changing the song to her lullaby to welcome her home when he hears her coming.
-The theory of Remesmee's talent...that she has taken the talents of Edward and Bella and flipped them.

Breaking Dawn, Chapter 33

2009-02-21T10:20:00.002-06:00

-An observation from a mother...Renesmee doesn't use a carseat. Which I suppose isn't a big deal when you are driving around with a vampire (and she is part vampire herself), but I would think Charlie, being a cop, would have an opinion on the matter.
-"I was starting to get irritated with Alice. Did I really have to be quite this blingd? She could have given me one or two more words..."

Breaking Dawn, Chapter 32

2009-02-18T19:47:00.001-06:00

I just liked this quote about the way the Cullens treat Jacob:
"They treated him the way people who are not animal-lovers treat the pets of their friends."

Breaking Dawn, Chapter 31

2009-02-18T19:44:00.003-06:00

-Bella discovers her true talent is being a shield. When Edward tells Eleazar that he has never been able to hear Bella's thoughts (even as a human), Eleazar is shocked. "Never? Interesting. That would indicate a rather powerful latent talent, if it was manifesting so clearly even before the transformation."
-The group decides the Volturi are probably coming to acquire new and talented members...just using Renesmee as an excuse for the visit.

Breaking Dawn, Chapter 30

2009-02-18T19:42:00.002-06:00

-Bella is curious about her "gift" and thinks it is the fact that she has never really been a newborn vampire. If only she knew just how much her actual gift would come into play.
-Edward wants to take out Demetri to protect Alice despite thinking she had abandoned them...I just think that says a lot about Edward!

Breaking Dawn, Chapter 29

2009-02-18T19:36:00.002-06:00

-"My eyes had not moved from his since Alice's departure. We'd stared at each other all night, staring at what neither of us could live through losing: the other."
-Alice "leaves," causing much pain for everyone, but she knows what she is doing.
-It is a good thing Bella is so perceptive or Alice's plan wouldn't have worked. I know I would not have figured everything out!
-"Suddenly, I knew that this was all I wanted anymore. The rest I would bear if I had to, but not her life being forfeited. Not that."

Breaking Dawn, Chapter 28

2009-02-16T12:31:00.002-06:00

-Bella thinks Irina is only upset about seeing Jacob.
-"Renesmee was the reason why, I was sure. Somehow I'd known from the very beginning that they would come for her. My subconscious had warned me before I'd known I was carrying her. It felt oddly expected now. As if I'd somehow always known that the Volturi would come to take my happiness from me."
-"Was this the limit, then? I'd had more happiness than most people ever experienced. Was there some natural law that demanded equal shares of happiness and misery in the world? Was my joy overthrowing the balance? Was four months all I could have?"

Breaking Dawn, Chapter 27

2009-02-16T12:15:00.002-06:00

-"And then Edward hugged me tightly, because nothing pleased him more than my overwhelming ecstasy in this new life."
-Alice sees a "possible visit of reconciliation from Irina" in her visions but none of them think it is of any importance to their future.

Breaking Dawn, Chapter 26

2009-02-16T12:13:00.002-06:00

-I love Emmett's personality and his suggestive jokes had me laughing.
-"So this was really different. I was amazing now-to them and to myself. It was like I had been born to be a vampire. The idea made me want to laugh, but it also made me want to sing. I had found my true place in the world, the place I fit, the place I shined."

Breaking Dawn, Chapter 25

2009-02-16T12:07:00.002-06:00

The whole aspect of Charlie being a part of Bella's life so soon after her transformation bugs me a little bit. I would say it just doesn't seem very believable to me, but since the series is about vampires I guess that doesn't seem fair :-).

Breaking Dawn, Chapter 24

2009-02-12T13:35:00.002-06:00

-Edward says, "I wish I could hear it." about Bella's thoughts. Which is one reason why I love the end of the book so much.
-"It would be hard to find someone less sad than I am now. Impossible, I'd venture. Not many people get every single thing they want, plus all the things they didn't think to ask for, in the same day."

Breaking Dawn, Chapter 23

2009-02-12T13:34:00.001-06:00

"I felt irritated again, like Jacob was stealing my lines - and delivering them all wrong."

Breaking Dawn, Chapter 22

2009-02-12T13:33:00.001-06:00

-Edward is mad about Jacob's imprinting
-Bella's strange need for Jacob is gone
-I LOVE Bella's reaction to the imprinting (and the comment about Nessie).

Breaking Dawn, Chapter 21

2009-01-07T22:03:00.002-06:00

-I love that Bella is a natural vampire.
-We are able to understand much more about what it's like to be a vampire by reading her self-discovery as one. It makes you appreciate Edward and his amazing self-control even more.
-"He was glorious. I felt a sudden jolt of both pride and desire. He was mine. Nothing could ever separate him from me now. I was too strong to be torn from his side."
-"I hadn't imagined that I could love him more than I had. My old mind hadn't been capable of holding this much love. My old heart had not been strong enough to bear it. Maybe this was the part of me that I'd brought forward to be intensified in my new life....Maybe I would just love Edward more than anyone in the history of the world had ever loved anyone else."

Breaking Dawn, Chapter 20

2009-01-07T21:58:00.002-06:00

This is one of my favorite chapters of the whole series.
I LOVE reading about Bella's impressions of Edward with her heightened senses, their first kiss as a vampire and how naturally she transitions into her new self.

"How many times had I stared at Edward and marveled over his beauty? How many hours-days, weeks-of my life had I spent dreaming about what I then deemed to be perfection? I thought I'd known his face better than my own. I'd thought this was the one sure physical thing in my whole world: the flawlessness of Edward's face.
I may as well have been blind.
For the first time, with the dimming shadows and limiting weakness of humanity taken off my eyes, I saw his face. I gasped..."

Breaking Dawn, Chapter 19

2009-01-07T21:34:00.002-06:00

-I wonder why Renesmee's skin is as hot as Jacob's.
-"Edward. Edward. My life and his were twisted into a single strand. Cut one, and you cut both. If he were gone, I would not be able to live through that. If I were gone, he wouldn't live through it, either. And a world without Edward seemed completely pointless. Edward had to exist."
-Bella describes the pain of the venom very clearly and we know from the conversations she hears that some discussion is happening about Jacob imprinting on Renesmee. Her senses also are already beginning to sharpen.

Breaking Dawn, Chapter 18

2008-12-29T11:56:00.004-06:00

-Jacob doesn't look at the baby...just at Bella (so he doesn't imprint yet).
-"I knew it was too late. I knew she was dead. I knew it for sure because the pull was gone. I didn't feel any reason to be here beside her. She wasn't here anymore. So this body had no more draw for me. The senseless need to be near her had vanished."
-Jacob imprints.

Breaking Dawn, Chapter 17

2008-12-29T11:54:00.003-06:00

-Is Jacob seriously just now thinking about hoping to imprint on someone else?!
-He agrees to honor the treaty still.
-I forgot how horrible the descriptiong of Bella is at the end of the chapter!

Breaking Dawn, Chapter 16

2008-12-29T11:47:00.002-06:00

-"I know it's going to bad for you, Jacob. I understand that-maybe better than you think. I don't like her, but...she's your Sam. She's everything you want and everything you can't have."
-I was hoping Leah and Jacob would end up together my first time reading this...and actually my second time too.
-"Imprinting is just anohter way of getting your choices taken away from you."
-Bella and Edward have their moment with the baby and when Edward sees Jacob in such pain as a result he helps him by giving him a way out.

Breaking Dawn, Chapter 15

2008-12-22T09:23:00.002-06:00

-Poor Edward is so upset :-(.
-"Also funny how, even knowing that it was almost over, the hold she had on me only got harder to break. Almost like it was related to her expanding belly-as if by getting bigger, she was gaining gravitational force."
-"...You're supposed to be part of my life-I can feel that, and so you can you."
-At this point I was thinking the baby might be like a werewolf somehow.

Breaking Dawn, Chapter 14

2008-12-22T09:19:00.002-06:00

-I still don't understand why Jacob can't EVER go home...of course not now, but it seems once things settle down a little it wouldn't be a problem. He does know the other pack of course.
-"I heard Edward chuckle as I pulled the door shut. His mood seemed to improve in exact correlation to Bella's health."
-I forgot the baby clouded Alice's view of Bella.
-"This was the problem with hanging out with vampires-you got used to them. They started messing up the way you saw the world. They started feeling like friends."

Breaking Dawn, Chapter 13

2008-12-21T09:15:00.002-06:00

-As Jacob watches Edward and Bella interact it reminds him of Sam and Emily and he realizes that he understands what Leah has been going through and he feels compassion for her that he hadn't before.
-"Jeez, how did anyone stand living with him? It was really too bad he couldn't hear Bella's thoughts. Then he's annoy the crap out of her, too, and she'd get tired of him."
-I like the little moments Bella and Edward still have occasionally...when she says she wants eggs and she and Edwards exchange smiles.

Breaking Dawn, Chapter 12

2008-12-21T09:14:00.002-06:00

-Leah joins Seth and Jacob.
-Jacob says he "hates the thing that is hurting her" (Bella)

Breaking Dawn, Chapter 11

2008-12-20T09:12:00.002-06:00

Jacob separates from his pack to go on his own. Sam is really annoying in this chapter, especially after being so understanding when Jacob first wanted to attack the Cullens.

Breaking Dawn, Chapter 10

2008-12-20T09:02:00.002-06:00

-Jacob asks Bella, "What was the point of me loving you? What was the point of you loving him? When you die how is that ever right again? What's the point to all the pain? Mine, yours, his!"
We know that in the end they will all be connected through Renesmee, but I still think Bella could have been a little better about distancing herself from Jacob once Edward came back...it still could have worked out in the end.
-Jacob seems to feel a little for Edward too, although he may just be saying some of it to get to her.
-"It's not some pretty baby in there, Bella." (he changes his mind!)
-"It burned my mouth to beg for him, but I knew this angle was probably my best bet for keeping her alive."
-"But I knew that I had to quit Bella, quit her cold turkey, before she killed me, like she was going to kill him."

Breaking Dawn, Chapter 9

2008-12-19T07:28:00.000-06:00

-"It was Edward. It was the expression on his face...this was beyond agony."
-"For a second I was just a kid-a kid who had lived all of his life in the same tiny town. Just a child. Because I knew I would have to live a lot more, suffer a lot more, to ever understand the searing agony in Edward's eyes."
-"Even you, Jacob Black, cannot hate me as much as I hate myself."
-Edward loves Bella so much he would rather her be with Jacob than hurt herself with his baby.

Breaking Dawn, Chapter 8

2008-12-19T07:25:00.000-06:00

The beginning of Jacob's section...
-I forgot that Paul had imprinted on Jacob's sister Rachel.
-It must have been very hard for the wolves who couldn't tell their parents what was happening to them. Since Billy knows it is easy to forget that all the parents didn't come from the same background.
-Once again Jacob is immature and wants to kill all the Cullens. Thankfully it is Sam who is the leader and not Jacob at this point (and that Sam had changed his mind about the Cullens).
-Jacob decides to attack alone.

Breaking Dawn, Chapter 7

2008-12-18T07:19:00.002-06:00

-Bella's eating habits have gotten strange...eating lots of eggs, the chicken throw up incident, etc.
-"The phone kept ringin. I wished Edward would answer it-I was having a moment. Possibly the biggest of my life."
-"This child, Edward's child, was a whole different story."

Breaking Dawn, Chapter 6

2008-12-18T07:15:00.002-06:00

-Bella is already hungry all the time and more tired than usual.
-I wonder if Alice had seen any of what was going to happen on the island.
-Her vivid dreams continue...particularly of the baby.
-She is extra emotional.

Breaking Dawn, Chapter 5

2008-12-12T13:50:00.002-06:00

"Don't be afraid. We belong together."
-Edward had spoken to Carlisle about what to expect and he hadn't foreseen any problems (nor mentioned any possibility of pregnancy).
-I like hearing Bella's happiest memories, "I've never been so happy in all my life-I wasn't this happy when you decided that you loved me more than you wanted to kill me, or the first morning I woke up and you were there waiting for me...Not when I heard your voice in the ballet studio or when you said 'I do' and I realized that, somehow, I get to keep you forever."
-She's already super hungry.

Breaking Dawn, Chapter 4

2008-12-12T13:46:00.002-06:00

-Why is Edward so nice about Jacob ALL the time?! It's their wedding day for crying out loud! The better question is, why can't Bella just leave it alone?! ("...and I knew he was leaving us, giving me this gift of his own-this moment with Jacob.")
-"So many different kinds of love, harmonious in this one moment. It seemed a very hopeful picture to me."

Breaking Dawn, Chapter 3

2008-12-11T14:17:00.001-06:00

The Wedding :-)!

"And then, at last, I was there. Eddward held out his hand...I touched the cool miracle of his skin, and I was home."

Breaking Dawn, Chapter 2

2008-12-11T14:13:00.002-06:00

-"It made no sense when he looked at me that way. Like I was the prize rather than the outrageously lucky winner."
-I hadn't realized they (Edward and Bella) talked about pregnancy before the wedding...that there was no possibility of it happening for her.
-We learn about Tanya's mother and the immortal child.
-Ella first dreams of the little boy.

Breaking Dawn, Chapter 1

2008-12-10T20:13:00.002-06:00

-Edward has Bella driving in around in the safest car possible.
-Did Bella ever find out about the note and invitation Edward sent to Jacob?
-The funny account of how they broke the news of their upcoming marriage to Charlie.
-"My little middle-aged child. Luckily, you seem to have found another old soul."
-"I didn't care, for the moment, that the whole town was talking about me. I didn't think about the spectacle I would have to star in much to soon. I didn't worry about tripping on my train or giggling at the wrong moment or being too young or the staring audience or even the empty seat where my best friend should be. I was with Edward in my happy place."

Breaking Dawn, Preface

2008-12-10T20:04:00.002-06:00

This is possibly my favorite book of the Twilight series, and definitely my favorite preface.

"When you loved the one who was killing you, it left you no options. How could you run, how could you fight, when doing so would hurt that beloved one? If your life was all you had to give your beloved, how could you not give it?"

Feeling Hopeful!

2008-12-10T20:03:00.000-06:00

Hopefully this news, along with a bigger budget, ensures a better movie the next time around:

SUMMIT BEGINS SEARCH FOR NEW MOON DIRECTORLos Angeles, CA, December 7, 2008 — Summit Entertainment and director Catherine Hardwicke jointly announced today that the filmmaker will not be directing the next installment in the newly minted TWILIGHT film franchise. Summit's targeted end of 2009 or early 2010 release of the film, NEW MOON, does not work with Ms. Hardwicke's required prep time to bring her vision of the film to the big screen. Thus as has been done before with many successful film franchises, the studio will employ a new director for NEW MOON.

New Moon Movie Announcement

2008-11-26T19:34:00.001-06:00

So, I just read this (apparently I'm a little behind my movie news):

SUMMIT ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCES TWILIGHT SEQUEL - NEW MOONLos Angeles, CA November 22, 2008 — Summit Entertainment announced today that the studio is officially moving forward with the production of NEW MOON, the second installment of its filmed franchise TWILIGHT, the action-packed, modern day vampire love story. The movie will be based on the second novel in author Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series titled, New Moon. The first movie in the TWILIGHT franchise, the self-titled TWILIGHT, arrived in theaters this weekend to sold-out showings.
Stephenie Meyer stated, "I don't think any other author has had a more positive experience with the makers of her movie adaptation than I have had with Summit Entertainment. I'm thrilled to have the chance to work with them again on NEW MOON."

It can only get better, right?! And I'm up for another crazy night when it comes out :-).

Also, I'm half way through Breaking Dawn, but I just haven't felt like sitting down to type up my notes from the chapters...one of these days...I know everyone is anxiously awaiting :-).

Midnight Movie Madness

2008-11-21T10:26:00.003-06:00

Ok, first a recap of the night...then my thoughts on the movie...
Getting up this morning was difficult, but editing these pictures made feeling sick and gross worth it because it really was so much fun (despite the movie). We all met around 7:30pm last night at Emily's house to begin our preparations - the shirt making :-)!
Emily, Allie, me and Leighanna pretending like we know what we are doing but really wanting to wait for Mckell to come and help us so our shirts don't look too awful...
Leighanna then had the great idea to trace the shirt Mckell had done for Stephanie - I was all for it...
Shannon, Allie, and Mckell...
My finished product (thank you Mckell for also writing the back of my shirt for me...she helped us all and then had to run home because Livvy was having a meltdown and didn't have time to finish her own...so self-sacrificing...just like Bella :-)

The whole gang: Leighanna, Stephanie, me, Emily, Shannon, Mckell, and Allie (and yes, Emily is the only Jacob representative - somehow in all our Twilight conversations I had missed this fact - I probably wouldn't have been friends with her if I had known, but it's too late now)...

Our original plan was to eat at la Madeleine since it is right by the theater, but we didn't head out until nearly 10pm, which is when it closes, so we had to settle for Taco Bell instead. I'm really wanting la Madeleine still though...anyone up for lunch?!
Emily drove us in her husband's car, since it was the closest thing to Edward's silver Volvo (ok, that was her idea...not mine...but it was a good one). She did freak us all out a little when she tried to drive like Edward though :-)...
Thank you Mckell for capturing our Taco Bell worker, who probably HATED us. What is it about being out late and with girlfriends that suddenly makes you act like you are in high school again :-)?!
So, we pull up to the theater a little after 10pm and this huge line starts moving into the theater. I had ordered our tickets online and needed to pick them up still and all I remember is hearing Mckell scream at me from the back seat, "Marci, RUN!!!! They're moving!!!" So, I jump out of the car, in my "I love E.C." shirt, all by myself mind you, and RUN as fast as I can past all these people waiting in line and go wait in the ticket pick-up line...again, all by myself. I'm ashamed to admit, I was feeling slightly self-conscious, I know I should be proud to show my love for Edward :-).
The line had stopped moving so we felt some relief, but the line inside the theater was huge as well (packed full of teenagers...who have school the next day, hello! Go home and get some sleep). I asked the ticket guy how many theaters it was showing in and it was definitely good news when he told me 3, but still, we were way at the end of the pack (that Jacob reference is for you Emily)...
Living in Houston I forget that it DOES get cold sometimes and I was FREEZING! (I was going to make another Edward reference, but I'll spare you) Luckily, we didn't even finish our Taco Bell before they had moved us all inside (definitely a perk of the midnight showing is that it was the only movie they were worried about and we were sitting in the theater not too long after 10:30pm)...
We were a little too close to the screen for comfort, but not front row, so I'm not complaining. What I am complaining about is all the screaming teenagers...what was I expecting though, right?! THANK YOU to the Cinemark employee (with the cop by his side) who gave a little speech about getting your screams out when the excitement of the first scene came on and then trying to keep it down later...
The hundreds of girls in our theater did a pretty good job keeping their emotions in check for the most part...although there was the romantic "ahhh" whenever an actor quoted any line directly from the book, the squeals of delight whenever Edward showed up suddenly and the "Go away!" and "I hate you!" directed at Jacob from a girl sitting in the row behind us :-) (Emily was more than slightly offended by this).
There was much disappointment to be sorted through after the movie, so some of us headed to,where else?!...Denny's, to talk through our emotions :-).
I ended up getting home at 4am and despite being woken up at 8am by Addie (thank you Mike for shutting our door and Ella's door so I couldn't hear her playing all morning...and thank you Ella for not coming in to wake me up), I'm actually feeling much better than expected!

So, obviously all-in-all a great night! And on to the movie review...
I KNOW a movie is never going to be as good as a book, I KNOW a movie will never follow a book exactly and I KNOW the characters and places will never look exactly how I picture them in my mind. So, I went in to the movie expecting disappointment, but hoping to be pleasantly surprised...and I wasn't.
Let's start with the positives:
-Edward and Bella look pretty close to the part in my opinion (as do quite a few of the other characters).
-There are some funny/entertaining moments in the movie that are not in the book, that I didn't mind being added.
-The baseball game scene I really, truly loved...best scene in my opinion, hands down.
-I got to have a fun night out since they made a movie version, so thank you for that.
Here's the long list, the negatives:
-The acting...aaahhh! And really, I try not to over analyze this stuff, but really, it was pretty awful.
-The movie did not flow at all! It was choppy and jumped around. I understand you are going to cut things and add things, but I have no idea for the reasoning behind the choices made in which to cut and which to add, and then they didn't piece it all together well.
-Edward's chest hair and not-at-all-toned arms!!! Ok, Edward is supposed to feel like cold marble and last I checked, marble was smooth, NOT fuzzy! And really, the actor either needed to do some push ups before his short-sleeved scenes or just go with long sleeves at all times! There was no definition in his arms at all...I think I could beat him up. His face I was happy with though.
-The sparkly scenes were completely and utterly ridiculous... absolutely horrifying to tell you the truth!
-They threw in aspects from book 2 (New Moon) and then cut important Edward-Bella moments from Twilight...why?!
-This goes back to the acting, but Bella and Edward act weird with each other through out the movie and I never felt like they were building the intense bond that they do by the end of the book.
-Bella's pj's (if you see it and have read the book you'll know exactly what I am talking about) and her prom dress (note to Stephenie...if you have a picture of the dress on your website, you should probably go with something similar for the movie).
-There was one other thing at the end, but I don't want to give away things for people who haven't read or seen it, so once you do let me know and I'll tell you.

Other fun moments of the night:
-Emily and Stephanie getting yelled at for running into the theater when we finally got in.
-Finding out that Shannon thought Mike was way older than me (because I look like I'm 15 - that's a quote - but at least she also mentioned that I do look older with my shorter hair).
-Emily trying to dissect the relationship of an older married couple (who came to the movie together and sat in front of us) by asking them way too personal questions.
-A teenager in the bathroom telling me she liked my shirt and that the back was funny (I felt REALLY cool for just a moment :-).
-A car of guys yelling something to us as we were leaving to which I yelled back that we were married and had kids.
-Mckell's depression after the movie was over caused by her severe disappointment and hate for the movie...how are you doing today Mckell?! :-)
Let me know if I missed anything girls.

Eclipse, Epilogue

2008-11-20T10:32:00.001-06:00

Our first glimpse through Jacob's perspective and it doesn't make me excited for his turn in the next book. I'm trying to keep an open mind though and really I did like him so much more after re-reading New Moon...then re-reading Eclipse took me right back to my original feelings again. Although I do love Edward, I'm not sure exactly how I feel about the fact he sends the note and invitation to him. Part of me thinks he should have respected Bella's wishes, it is her mess and her decision ultimately, but the other part of me thinks he really was just trying to think of what Jacob would want based on what he himself would want in that situation.

I can't wait to start the last book now :-)!

Eclipse, Chapter 27

2008-11-20T10:32:00.000-06:00

-I wonder if while Edward holds Bella and she falls apart after saying goodbye to Jacob, he is thinking about what she must have been like when she believed he had said goodbye to her.
-Bella makes herself a promise..."I would never make Edward see me shed another tear for Jacob Black."
-I'm glad that Bella decides to go with Edward's terms and doesn't change her mind when he tempts her. It makes me begin my liking for her again after a long downward slope through much of this book :-).

Eclipse, Chapter 26

2008-11-20T10:19:00.002-06:00

-It is explained that it is only the "talents" that work inside the mind that Bella is immune from, which is why Jasper's talent still works on her...it deals with her body's physical responses. ("You see, Bella? You are safe inside your mind. No one can reach you there.")
-Charlie finally gives Edward some credit over Jacob..."And I couldn't argue. Edward's more mature than Jacob when it comes to your safety, I'll give you that much."
-Charlie is also impressed that Edward was truly concerned about how Jacob was doing. Edward loves her so much it doesn't seem fair. That he wouldn't want Jacob hurt because he knows it would hurt Bella...despite the fact that both of them hurt him immensely that day.
-I think this is the first time the Charlie stuff starts to be too much for me (it gets a little worse in the last book)...that he seems so insightful and just "feels" like he's going to lose her soon, etc.
-I don't know that I'm buying that Bella and Jacob were soulmates in a normal world. They got along well, sure, but soulmates is going a little far..."He was my soulmate in that world--would have been my soulmate still if his claim had not been overshadowed by something stronger, something so strong that it could not exist in a rational world."
-Bella finally briefly mentions imprinting.

Getting Excited

2008-11-19T20:06:00.003-06:00

After reading this I am really, really excited to go see the movie tomorrow night...even if it is at midnight :-)!

Eclipse, Chapter 25

2008-11-19T10:18:00.002-06:00

All I wrote down while reading this chapter is that Jacob gets hurt and that I had completely forgotten that the Volturi make an appearance in this book as well.

Eclipse, Chapter 24

2008-11-19T10:11:00.002-06:00

-How can Edward be so nice ALL the time, about EVERYTHING?!
-"When I left you, Bella, I left you bleeding. Jacob was the one to stitch you back up again. That was bound to leave its mark--on both of you. I'm not sure those kinds of stitches dissolve on their own. I can't blame either of you for something I made necessary. I may gain forgiveness, but that doesn't let me escape the consequences."
-Edward never finishes with his fifth reason and they never go back to it in the book to tell us what it was.

Eclipse, Chapter 23

2008-11-18T13:40:00.002-06:00

With the exception and Bella and Edward discussing their "top 10 nights" this is my LEAST favorite chapter in any of the books.
I'm glad that Edward finally acts somewhat normal and tries to get to Jacob a little bit after all Jacob has done to cause stress in his life...especially after having to listen to Bella call him "my Jacob" in her dreams that night. For example when he says to Jacob, "But, if I had been able to take your place last night, it would not have made the top ten of the best nights of my life. Dream about that." Then later of course it upsets Bella that Jacob is hurt ("Pain for feeling pain over Jacob. Pain for hurting Edward, too. For not being able to watch Jacob go with composure, knowing it was the right thing, the only way.") and Edward runs off to find him for her. There is the slight comic relief of Bella being frustrated by not being able to understand Seth, but then I'm back to hating her again in this moment...and Jake too for that matter. He is a jerk for guilting her into kissing him and she is a jerk for kissing him back. Especially right after she can tell Edward is in pain and decides that her "mission in life" will be to "never hurt him again" to never be "the reason for this look to come into his eyes"...way to go Bella!

Eclipse, Chapter 22

2008-11-18T13:35:00.002-06:00

These next two chapters are some of the most difficult for me to get through! It is nice to hear Jacob and Edward's heart to heart in the tent, but the rest of it is painful. Edward having to watch as Jacob keeps Bella warm and hear his thoughts at the same time.
Some quotes:
-"'You know exactly how much I hate to accept this,' Jacob whispered slowly, 'but I can see that you do lover her...in your way. I can't argue with that anymore.'"
-Edward DOES finally bring up the imprinting thing with Jacob...I'm gld someone does! "You see, Jacob, you might leave her someday. like Sam and Emily, you wouldn't have a choice. I would always be waiting in the wings, hoping for that to happen."
-"You know, Jacob, if it weren't for the fact that we're natural enemies and that you're also trying to steal away the reason for my existence, I might actually like you."

Eclipse, Chapter 21

2008-11-17T13:31:00.002-06:00

-Funny Bella and Edward are both such "sucker(s) for guilt trips." No wonder everything always works out with them; they both end up agreeing to whatever the other wants :-).
-Edward tells her he got over being around her blood..."I lived through an entire twenty-four hours thinking that you were dead, Bella. That changed the way I look at a lot of things...having expereinced the way it feels to think I've lost you...my reactions have changed. My entire being shies away from any course that could inspire that kind of pain again."

Eclipse, Chapter 20

2008-11-17T13:26:00.003-06:00

-Bella tries to seduce Edward, but he ends up using it to his advantage.
-Poor Edward is so excited to see her wearing the ring..."I stared into his eyes, trying to decipher the emotion that smoldered just under the surface. He gazed back, and the casual pretense suddenly slipped away. He was glowing--his angel's face brilliant with joy and victory. He was so glorious that it knocked me breathless."
-He makes his proposal..."I promise to love you forever--every single day of forever. Will you marry me?"

Eclipse, Chapters 18 and 19

2008-11-17T13:21:00.002-06:00

-Everyone meets at the same field where this whole mess started for their training which is slightly ironic.
-Edward and Jacob are finally able to work together when they have the same goal of keeping Bella safe.
-Bella justifies why Edward can't give her gifts by saying: "You're more important than everyone else. And you've given me you. That's already more than I deserve, and anything else you give me just throws us more out of balance."
-I had totally forgotten about the drama of not knowing who Embry's real father could be and I don't think we ever find out do we?
-"I wondered if I was a monster. Not the kind that he thought he was, but the real kind. The kind that hurt people. The kind that had no limits when it came to what they wanted."

Eclipse, Chapters 16 and 17

2008-11-17T13:19:00.002-06:00

The main events of these 2 chapters:
-Bella figures out how all the pieces fit together...her intruder and the killings in Seattle.
-Jacob gives her the graduation gift.
-The werewolves and Cullens decide to work together.

Eclipse, Chapter 15

2008-11-15T13:28:00.002-06:00

-"He was right. If I wasn't mean--and greedy, too--I would tell him I didn't want to be friends and walk away. It was wrong to try to keep my friend when that would hurt him. I didn't know what I was doing here, but I was suddenly sure that it wasn't good."
-"But he's not your whole life, either. Not anymore. Maybe he was once, but he left. And now he's just going to have to deal with the consequence of that choice--me."
-I get beyond mad when Jacob forces her to kiss him and then when he is so annoying about it afterwards! I love that she punched him afterward, even if she did end up breaking her hand.
-If Charlie were my dad and was laughing about Jacob kissing me and my resulting broken hand I would be furious.
-I do like Edward's reaction....especially, "But if you ever bring her back damaged again--and I don't care whose fault it is; I don't care if she merely trips, or if a meteor falls out of the sky and hits her in the head--if you return her to me in less than the perfect condition that I left her in, you will be running with three legs...And if you ever kiss her again, I will break your jaw for her."
-"Emmett grinned. 'Fall down again, Bella?' I glared at him fiercely. 'No Emmett. I punched a werewolf in the face.' Emmett blinked, and then burst into a roar of laughter."
-Bella asks herself if there is a human experience that she is NOT willing to give up. We find out later that there is. For the first time she also begins to wonder if she will feel differently about Edward after she is changed.

Eclipse, Chapter 14

2008-11-15T13:23:00.002-06:00

-Newborns are so strong because they are full of not just the human blood they consume, but their own blood still as well.
-Edward makes the request for Bella to challenge Emmett to an arm wrestling match once she is changed.
-Why doesn't Bella kiss Edward goodbye when she leaves to get in the car with Jacob?!
-"There was just something about him being the one to make the choice--to want to keep me enough that he wouldn't just allow me to be changed, he would act to keep me. It was childish, but I liked the idea that his lips would be the last good thing I would feel. Even more embarrassingly, something I would never say aloud, I wanted his venom to poison my system. It would make me belong to him in a tangible, quantifiable way."
-Although part of me doesn't understand why Bella cares so much about marrying Edward, I can understand the embarrassment of getting married young to an extent. I think I felt that partially getting married at 21, but the thing with Bella is that she will be cutting off ties with everyone anyway, so it really shouldn't matter.

Eclipse, Chapter 13

2008-11-15T13:20:00.002-06:00

-We learn Jasper's back story. So now we know everyone's except Esme's.
-It is interesting that vampires make such deep connections with their partners...that they are willing to die fighting for revenge if someone does something to the other. It is similar to the imprinting of the werewolves it seems, and maybe also because they are together for so long as well.
-I had forgotten that Jasper not only controls the feelings of those around them, but that he FEELS them himself as well.

Eclipse, Chapter 12

2008-11-15T13:17:00.003-06:00

"You see, Bella, I was always that boy...If I had found you, there isn't a doubt in my mind how I would have proceeded. I was that boy, who would have--as soon as I discovered that you were what I was looking for--gotten down on one knee and endeavored to secure your hand. I would have wanted you for eternity, even when the word didn't have quite the same connotations."

Eclipse, Chapter 11

2008-11-14T09:46:00.003-06:00

-"Hanging out with no one but extremely dexterous people all the time was going to give me a complex."
-I think Jacob definitely is coming to at least respect Edward for how much he loves Bella although he still wishes he would go away to Bella could be with him. There is the helmet idea in this chapter and his surprise when she explains to Jacob in Chapter 5 why Edward left her in the first place. Jacob would not have done the same for her and I think that is the biggest difference between the two.
-"Just a human woman, with no special gifts or powers...but she had been the key, the solution. She'd saved her husband, her young sons, her tribe."
-I don't understand why the passage left open in her book by Edward doens't make more sense to her. It seems so clear to me how EXACTLY it applies to what is going on between them all. Did he leave it open there on purpose for her to find?

Eclipse, Chapter 10

2008-11-14T09:44:00.003-06:00

-If I was Edward I would definitely hang around outside so I could hear what Bella and Jacob talk about together, but he of course doesn't.
-Although he does breath all over her so she'll stink to Jacob :-).
-My heart breaks a little bit for Edward when he gets his own motorcycle so he and Bella can ride together :-(.

Eclipse, Chapter 9

2008-11-14T09:42:00.001-06:00

Charlie is hilarious...waiting for Edward to be back to tell Bella that Jacob called and being happy when he thinks they are arguing. I'm sure it is quite irritating to live with, but it's funny to read for sure.

Eclipse, Chapter 8

2008-11-14T09:33:00.002-06:00

-The whole imprinting subject begins to drive me crazy at this point because no one ever brings up the fact that obviously Jacob is NOT going to imprint on Bella. Everyone (myself included) feels so badly for Leah and what happened when Sam imprinted on Emily instead, but fails to see that if Bella did ever love Jake that way the same thing would end up happening to her. You would think Bella would bring that up with Jake as some sort of defense to help him begin to get over her.
-"But why wouldn't she choose him, in the end? He'll be her perfect match. Like he was designed for her alone." In a way Bella and Edward have gone through their own kind of "imprinting" on one another.
-When she leaves Jacob mad at what he has said I wish she could just leave it at that and not talk to him again!
-"And I didn't care that I was supposed to be angry with him. I didn't care that I was supposed to be angry with everyone. I reached out for him, found his hands in the darkness, and pulled myself closer to him. His arms encircles me, cradling me to his chest."
-More reasons why I love Edward:
"I decided you were right...I'm going to try to be more reasonable and trust your judgment. If you say it's safe, then I'll believe you."
"Glad over something that's hurt you? I don't think so Bella."
-And my favorite and most-cheesy quote:
"Sleep, my Bella. Dream happy dreams. You are the only one who has ever touched my heart. It will always be yours. Sleep, my only love."

Eclipse, Chapter 7

2008-11-14T09:31:00.003-06:00

-Hearing Rosalie's story definitely helps you to understand her and not be so critical of her. It also explains her reactions to everything that happens with Bella in Breaking Dawn.
-How can Bella run off from school with Jacob after Rosalie telling her the night before, "...don't give him too bad a time when he gets back. He loves you more than you know. It terrifies him to be away from you."?!

Eclipse, Chapters 5 and 6

2008-11-14T09:14:00.002-06:00

-I didn't write down anything particular about chapter 5, but it is an important chapter because Jacob tells Bella a lot more about the werewolves (imprinting, etc.)
-I still really like Angela.
-"I am a neutral country. i am Switzerland. I refuse to be affected by territorial disputes between mythical creatures. Jacob is family. You are...the love of my existence. I don't care who's a werewolf and who's a vampire. If Angela turns out to be a witch, she can join the party too."
-So, Edward is being a little controlling, but he only wants Bella safe...I'm sure their is a hint of jealousy there as well, but I really think her safety is main concern. What does Bella expect though, really?!

Eclipse, Chapter 4

2008-11-12T19:48:00.002-06:00

Lots of comic relief in this chapter...
-Emmett (who becomes one of my favorite characters at this point) tells Bella, "I'm really glad Edward didn't kill you. Everything's so much more fun with you around."
-Alice says, "Haven't you noticed yet, Bella, that Edward is just the teeniest bit prone to overreaction?"
-I was thinking the note passing between Bella and Edward was in this chapter, but it was actually chapter 3. I thought it was fun to see another side of their relationship aside from the intense, we are soulmates stuff.
-Although I do of course enjoy the lovey-dovey parts, like the note Edward leaves on Bella's pillow..."I'll be back so soon you won't have time to miss me. Look after my heart - I've left it with you."
-It seems this is discussed later, but I can't remember for sure...the fact that Bella can be influenced by Jasper's gift and seen in Alice's visions, but she is immune to the others. It seems like they mention something about it having to do with those that deal with the mind, but to me Jasper's falls in that category as well. We'll wait and see what is said later on.

Eclipse, Chapter 3

2008-11-12T19:38:00.002-06:00

-So, Edward CAN see Renee's thoughts...I asked that question early in the series and hadn't remembered that it would be answered.
-"When he moves, even a little bit, you adjust your position at the same time. Like magnets...or gravity. You're like a...satellite, or something. I've never seen anything like it."
-Why must Bella refer to Jacob as "my Jacob"?!
-I definitely remembered Jacob using his memories of Bella in pain to hurt Edward. Although I do love Edward and don't want him to suffer, I'm glad that he is able to see just how tortured Bella was.

Eclipse, Chapter 2

2008-11-12T13:55:00.002-06:00

-I don't remember what Alice's vision at lunch was about, although I remember it is important...Edward avoids Bella asking him about it and then plans the Florida trip to get her out of Forks.
-Another Bella-ism that makes her seem more vampire than human already: "I could taste his scent on my tongue."

Eclipse, Chapter 1

2008-11-12T13:51:00.003-06:00

I was planning on taking a little break before starting this one up again, but my mother-in-law needs to borrow the book so I'm just getting right into it so I can finish it before next weekend.

-Edward is definitely NOT ok with Bella and Jacob right now. Partly because he is a werewolf and is dangerous and partly because I'm sure he must be a little jealous. I had forgotten this and just remember how nice he is about everything later on (when Bella is driving me crazy with her back and forth), so I'm glad he acted normal for a little while.
-I am surprised that Edward and Carlisle had never considered the possibility that it was their presence that caused the reemergence of the werewolves. They both seem like the type who might have drawn a connection there.

New Moon, Epilogue

2008-11-11T15:13:00.003-06:00

"The fairy tale was back on. Prince returned, bad spell broken. I wasn't sure exactly what to do about the leftover, unresolved character. Where was his happily ever after?"
-Jacob acts immature again, leaving her motorcycle at her house so she'll get in trouble. It was "so petty and just plain mean" exactly as Bella states. Now that Edward is back Jacob is already becoming an annoyance to me again, despite what he did for her while Edward was gone.
-I had forgotten that although Alice cannot see the werewolves in her visions, Edward can still hear their thoughts.
"I squared my shoulders and walked forward to meet my fate, with my destiny solidly at my side."

New Moon, Chapter 24

2008-11-11T15:07:00.004-06:00

-"The worst the Volturi can do is kill me...You can leave mean. The Volturi, Victoria...they're nothing compared to that."

*"Option three: Edward loved me. The bond forged between us was not one that could be broken by absence, distance, or time. And no matter how much more special or beautiful or brilliant or perfect than me he might be, he was as irreversibly altered as I was. As I would always belong to him, so would he always be mine."

-We learn a little about the agony Edward was experiencing while away and how similar it was to Bella's. I really do hope she (Stephenie) writes all the books from Edward's perspective, this one would be very interesting.
-Bella's marriage hang-up baffles me a little. I suppose I can understand that based on her parent's marriage and her mother's opinions she would have some reservations, but if her love for Edward is as intense and special as it seems to be, I still can't understand why she cares so much whether or not they get married.

New Moon, Chapter 23

2008-11-11T15:02:00.002-06:00

I think this may be my favorite chapter of the series so far. I just noted two quotes that I particularly liked and otherwise just enjoyed it :-)

"I could see it in your eyes, that you honestly believed that I didn't want you anymore. The most absurd, ridiculous concept-as if there were any way that I could exist without needing you!"

"You will always be the most beautiful thing in my world. Of course...If you outgrew me-if you wanted something more-I would understand that, Bella. I promise I wouldn't stand in your way if you wanted to leave me."
That must be why he is so patient with her and Jacob in the next book. I don't know if I can read it again, Bella playing with both their hearts, but I will of course.

New Moon, Chapter 22

2008-11-11T15:00:00.002-06:00

-As I read this chapter it seems so silly to me that Bella doubts Edward's love for her so much, but what should she believe I suppose when he left her the way he did?
-"It was heaven-right smack in the middle of hell."

New Moon, Chapter 21

2008-11-11T14:03:00.002-06:00

-Alec notes Edward is in a better mood and Bella can't understand how it could be any darker than it is now...he must have been more upset than we know when he thinks she is dead.
-Alice must communicate to Edward that things will work out, they will all leave alive, if it was something that could stop him from attacking Felix in that moment.
-Marcus is surprised at the intensity of the relationship between Bella and Edward...and he's been around a LONG time.
-Aro is surprised at how strongly Bella's scent appeals to Edward and is amazed at his self control. "But your restraint! I did not know such a strength was possible. To inure yourself against such a siren call, not just once but again and again - if I had not felt it myself, I would not have believed." Proves just how unbelievable Edward's control really is, especially considering that he was able to stop himself when he sucked James' venom from her.
-I actually like Aro for most of this chapter. He seems jolly and not out to destroy them needlessly like the rest of the Volturi.

New Moon, Chapter 20

2008-11-10T14:37:00.002-06:00

"I'd never seen anything more beautiful-even as I ran, gasping and screaming, I could appreciate that. And the last seven months meant nothing. And his words in the forest meant nothing. And it did not matter if he did not want me. I would never want anything but him, no matter how long I lived."

"...I felt well. Whole...It was like there had never been any hole in my chest. I was perfect-not healed, but as if there had been no wound in the first place."

How come all vampires use the phrase "be reasonable" all the time?

New Moon, Chapter 19

2008-11-10T14:34:00.002-06:00

Obviously I can't wait to see Edward again...I read WAY too much yesterday.

In this chapter we learn more about the history of the Volturi and I made a note about this quote...
"I was no different, no more special than I'd been before. There would be no new reason for him to want me now. Seeing him and losing him again...I fought back against the pain. This was the price I had to pay to save his life. I would pay it."

New Moon, Chapter 18

2008-11-10T14:30:00.002-06:00

-Bella notices Jacob is becoming more like Sam...is it just werewolf traits she is noticing or is it because Jacob is really supposed to be their leader?
-I had completely forgotten the timing of Edward's call! If had known Jacob was going in for the kiss he couldn't have timed it better!
-I wish we could know Edward's thoughts as he speaks to Jacob and hears that Charlie is "at the funeral." Obviously, he didn't think about it for long because he immediately makes the decision of what he will do. It is only moments later that Alice comes downstairs having seen the vision of him in Italy.
-A characteristic about Edward that is funny...Alice says, "If he gives into his more theatrical tendencies...we might have time."

New Moon, Chapter 17

2008-11-10T14:14:00.002-06:00

-Alice returns!
-We find out Edward had told Alice not to look for Bella's future, but still! Wasn't he worried?! Shouldn't he at least have wanted her to make sure Bella wasn't suffering the way she was?! Especially as we hear Charlie describe to Alice what things had been like since he left her there...he should have seen it coming.
-Interesting even Alice had no idea she couldn't see werewolves before now...of course, why would she have ever found out?

New Moon, Chapter 16

2008-11-10T14:04:00.002-06:00

-This qoute made me laugh: "Was I dying again, then? I didn't like it - this wasn't as good as last time."
-Bella spots the red in the water, the "fire".
-She has a normal dream for the first time in a LONG time, but at the end she sees the flame in the black water.
-Juliet is on Bella's mind when she wakes up. She is thinking of Jacob of Paris of course ("If Romeo was really gone, never coming back, would it have mattered whether or not Juliet had taken Paris up on his offer?") but her jump is seen as acting out the part of Juliet perfectly. Her true love is "dead" to her and she has nothing else to live for so she doesn't care if she lives anymore (which although she didn't intend when she made the jump, she did admit to when she was drowning) and thinking she is dead will cause Edward to try and take his own life as well.
-Interesting Bella is only now considering Jacob as a back-up for her life, right as everything is about to change again.
-It is sad that Jacob loves her so much that doesn't care that she could never love him the way Edward does. As Bella says, "...I knew he would take me in spite of it all. He wouldn't even pause to think it through."
-Although I do feel badly for Jacob, it still makes me happy to here her admit that it isn't the same. "He (Edward) wouldn't begrudge me this: giving just a small bit of the love he didn't want to my friend jacob. After all, it wasn't the same love at all."
-I had completely forgotten that Edward's voice comes clearly to Bella again and tells her to be happy.
-All the sympathy I was feeling for Jacob is nearly erased when he reacts so immaturely to one of the Cullens showing up again. Especially when he just leaves her there and says, "I hope you don't die."
-Bella figures out that the water she saw in the water was Victoria.

New Moon, Chapter 15

2008-11-09T07:54:00.002-06:00

I get excited reading this chapter knowing what is going to result from it :-).
-Mike asks Bella about being Jacob's girlfriend and she tells him they're best friends. He says, "Don't kid yourself, Bella. The guy's head over hells for you." She replies, "Life is complicated." and He says, "And girls are cruel." Really she is being cruel. Of course at this point, with her life in danger her options are more limited. I still wish she would work a little harder to separate herself from Jacob though.
-She reflects later that she is getting in deeper and deeper with Jake, but doesn't ever make any plans to deal with it or fix it.
-I do like Jacob more the second time through because I have paid more attention to him. When he finds Bella curled up on the beach and is so kind to her, I want him to be happy too.
-In the water Bella decides she doesn't want to fight anymore. I don't blame her. She has been fighting for so long and it doesn't seem to be paying off.
-She sees Edward as she is dying, which reminds me of Edward thinking he is dying when he sees Bella later on.

New Moon, Chapters 13 and 14

2008-11-09T07:49:00.002-06:00

I didn't take many specific notes in these 2 chapters, but Bella and Jacob finally discuss everything about werewolves and vampires. As all the pieces come together they realize they can help each other.

Bella meets Emily, Sam's fiance. Watching Emily and Sam together, feeling the true love between them, makes Bella hurt worse than any romantic movie and she can't stand to be around them in those moments as a result.

New Moon, Chapter 12

2008-11-09T07:43:00.002-06:00

Some random stuff from this chapter (he comes to her window this chapter)...
-"Sometimes, it's not your secret to tell."
-Jacob suddenly wants to know all about her secret, which irritates Bella.
-She hates anything that causes Jake pain fiercely.
-Bella tells him he doesn't have to they guys anything when he leaves her room but he tells her "All the same, I will." We know it's because they can hear one another's thoughts.
-He also tells her he won't get hurt and she doesn't yet know about their healing process.
-Bella dreams of Jacob as a wolf tonight and that helps her figure things out. She has some pretty prophetic dreams. If she was better at interpreting them initially they could really help her out! :-)
-"What did this say about me? I knew the answer to that one. It said that there was something deeply wrong with me. Why else would my life be filled with characters from horror movies? Why else would I care so much about them that it would tear big chunks right out of my chest when they went off along their mythical ways?"

New Moon, Chapter 11

2008-11-08T21:32:00.002-06:00

-Poor Charlie...he doesn't relate emotionally well to anyone, let along a teenage girl, and then it seems every guy she is with causes her all this pain. He is probably so frustrated and feels very helpless that he can't "fix" things for Bella.
-I don't remember what was really happening to all the missing hikers...was it vampires and that's why the wolves continue to multiply?
-So the werewolf transformation process does begin early on (Quil is already noticeably bigger), but I wonder how early on.
-"There was a darkness in Jacob now. Like my sun had imploded."
-Wanting to be a vampire made Bella hurt even more because that future is lost to her forever.
-She feels better when Sam can't see her and Jacob when they go to talk, but he will know everything that happens anyway.
-Jacob is graceful now.
-Edward's voice comes (hooray) when she and Jacob and arguing and she doesn't know why...doesn't understand that she could be in any danger at that moment.
-Jacob "barked out a bitter laugh." A not so subtle hint at what he has become.
-My heart truly does ache for Bella at the end of the chapter...feeling so alone, that everything has been lost that she cares for and then dealing with her fears at the same time.

New Moon, Chapter 10

2008-11-08T09:24:00.002-06:00

-Bella is immediately suspicious of Billy's story about Jacob.
-I was surprised that her pain was just as intense as it had been before she began hanging out with Jake...it seemed so much progress had been made, but it was all just a distraction.
-She finally finds the meadow again. She notes that it looks like someone "intentionally created the circle"...did Edward make it? or one of the other vampires? so they could enjoy the sunlight in privacy?
-The pain she is brought down into is of course interrupted by Laurent and she thinks, "Here was the connection I'd sought. The proof, however remote, that - somewhere in the same world where I lived - he did exist."
-It must have hurt badly for Bella to hear Laurent tell her, "...it wouldn't be the revenge she imagine, since you must not mean very much to him if he left you here unprotected."
-My question is why did they leave her unprotected? Shouldn't Alice at least be checking on her to make sure she isn't in danger even if they aren't physically coming to see her? Why didn't Alice see this threat but sees the cliffs later?
-Interesting that Bella thinks of Jacob when he is right by her as a wolf and is thankful that she had come alone so he wasn't in danger also.

New Moon, Chapter 9

2008-11-08T09:16:00.002-06:00

-"I was like a lost moon - my planet destroyed in some cataclysmic, disaster-movie scenario of desolation - that continued, nevertheless, to circle in a tight little orbit around the empty space left behind, ignoring the laws of gravity."
-Bella comments that the boundaries are getting blurred with Jacob a lot and that they seem to be connected in an odd way.
-This is when I start to get annoyed with Bella for being selfish. Yes, you feel bad for the pain she is going through, but at the same time she is causing Jacob pain and doesn't care because he is helping her through her trial.
-Jacob is obviously playing close attention to everything she says and does. He says she doesn't like music and I'm wondering if he is drawing that conclusion from noticing that she had ripped out the stereo in her truck?
-Towards the end of the chapter I do respect her a little more again because I had forgotten these details: She and Jacob DO discuss where they each stand and Bella clearly tells him that she will not change her mind (she also tells him the problem is that things mean something different to him than to her). Bella also admits to herself that it is out of pure selfishness that she hangs around Jacob anyway, so I must give her credit for that. These admissions though also show how selfless Edward was to be able to put aside his needs and desires and try to think only of her best interests (although I still am mad at him for leaving).
-Jacob's transformation REALLY begins.
-"He was my best friend. I would always love him, and it would never, ever be enough."

New Moon, Chapter 8

2008-11-07T14:34:00.002-06:00

- "I tried to tell myself that the fear was pointless. I'd already lived through the worst thing possible. In comparison with that, why should anything frighten me now? I should be able to look death in the face and laugh."
- Hearing Edward's voice, even through Bella's thoughts, makes me want him to be back in the story again already :-)!
- Riding the motorcycle reminds her of riding with Edward through the forest.
- Jacob isn't cold while Bella is freezing...has his transformation begun already? I noted some other werewolf characteristics in a previous chapter as well so maybe things had begun long before we knew of it or even he did. How long does becoming a werewolf take?
- The search for the meadow begins.
- Billy is not concerned about the "bear" sightings like everyone else...because he obviously knows it is NOT a bear and that they are in no danger.
- The last lines of the chapter though are a little too cheesy for me this time around:
"...I bet you'd taste good."
"Thanks so much," I said, looking away. He wasn't the first person to tell me that.
I could have done without that :-).

New Moon, Chapter 7

2008-11-05T19:11:00.002-06:00

Just a few from this chapter...
- Jacob tells Bella he gets "obsessive" when he has a project. I thought that was worth nothing since he definitely becomes obsesssive about her later on.
- "It reminded me so clearly of my first months in Forks. I'd come full circle, and now everything felt like an echo - an empty echo, devoid of the interest it used to have."
- Cute that Jacob put bows on the handlebars of the motorcycle when it was ready for Bella.
- We know why Sam is treating Jacob differently and also find out that not only was Sam most likely looking for Bella out in the woods, but also Jared and Paul.

New Moon, Chapter 6

2008-11-05T18:07:00.003-06:00

I am trying really hard to just appreciate Jacob for being Jacob this time around. And really, in this book (at least so far), he hasn't done anything to irritate me yet and neither has Bella. Their friendship has started innocently enough and he is helping Bella come out of her "zombie" state.

Bella's description of Jacob here (page 145) makes me like him more:
"It was Jacob himself. Jacob was simply a perpetually happy person, and he carried that happiness with him like an aura, sharing it with whoever was near him. Like an earthbound sun, whenever someone was within his gravitational pull, Jacob warmed them. it was natural, a part of who he was. No wonder I was so eager to see him."
I would probably like being around him too.

It does still make me glad to know that Bella hasn't forgotten why she started hanging out with him in the first place though...to hear Edward!

Interesting observations she makes about Jacob...his warm hands and his great strength, yet he is still just plain old Jacob at this point.

Bella has the crazy dream that pretty much tells her Sam is a werewolf. In it he has a secret he won't tell, and she seems to see him shivering and changing shape out of the corner of her eye.

Also, Angela tells of her wolf spotting, which she of course thinks of as a bear.

I hadn't noticed the first time through that the day Bella is "back" mentally and as a person at school is the one-year anniversary of her first day in Forks.

New Moon, Chapter 5

2008-11-04T07:20:00.003-06:00

And so it all begins with Jacob :-).
-"The physical evidence was the most insignificant part of the equation. I was changed, my insides altered almost past the point of recognition."
-It really is Edward's fault that she and Jacob develop such a bond...not only because he left, but because she can hear his voice when in danger and that is what initially makes her seek out friendship with Jacob.
-Bella comments on feeling "strangely comfortable" at the Black's house because there were no painful reminders there...it really is a fresh start for her that she couldn't have found anywhere else in Forks.
-And as she says at the end of the chapter, Jacob is the only person who would agree to her plan and not question whether any of it were a good idea..."a gift from the gods" for her.

New Moon, Chapter 4

2008-11-03T20:46:00.002-06:00

Does Edward really never go check on Bella?! Or at least have Alice check on what will happening to Bella in the future?!

Some quotes from the chapter:
- "Time passes. Even when it seems impossible. Even when each tick of the second hand aches like the pulse of blood behind a bruise. It passes unevenly, in strange lurches and dragging lulls, but pass it does. Even for me." (the chapter intro)
- "It was depressing to realize that I wasn't the heroine anymore, that my story was over."
- "...he stood with the assurance of someone who thought of himself as quite good-looking. I couldn't tell whether he was or not. I was prejudiced."
- "Because there was just one thing that I had to believe to be able to live - I had to know that he existed. That was all...
In a place where I could never imagine him, the conviction might fade...and that I could not live through. Forbidden to remember, terrified to forget; it was a hard line to walk."

New Moon, Chapter 3

2008-11-03T12:40:00.002-06:00

*Aahhh, this chapter was painful to read...even knowing how things end. It is definitely the one time I hate Edward. How could he say the things he does when he loves her so much, even if he is doing it only because he thinks it is what is best for her?!
*I thought it was interesting reading it a second time through that although Bella definitely knows something isn't right, the thought never even crosses her mind that he would leave her.
*"I had to keep moving. If I stopped looking for him, it was over. Love, life, meaning...over."
*I hadn't picked up on the foreshadowing of the werewolves at all. Bella hears a "snuffling, an animal sound" and then says that when he calls her name later it isn't as if he is searching for her, but just acknowledging that she has been found. So he obviously found her while in wolf form and then went back for her. He probably also could smell that Edward had been there with her and that was the reasoning for the way he framed his question about her being hurt differently than the doctor.
*I also thought it was interesting that despite what the Cullens had obviously just put his daughter through, he is still defensive of them when the Quileutes are celebrating their departure.

New Moon, chapter 2

2008-11-02T19:02:00.002-06:00

Some quotes...
-"Like everything in life, I just had to decide what to do with what I was given."
-"I'd grown attached - always a dangerous thing to do considering the fragile nature of humans."
-"I felt no sense of relief at its end. Almost as if something worse was coming tomorrow."
If only Bella knew how right she was about that last one. It is clear that Edward has already deciding that he must leave her to "protect" her. The last kiss he gives her actually makes me a little mad. It seems that if he knows he is going to break her heart the next day it would be kinder to not give her something like that to remember, although I understand his wanting to.

New Moon, Chapter 1

2008-11-02T06:51:00.002-06:00

I'm not sure if I can handle reading this book again. I just finished the first 2 chapters and I'm already stressed about Edward leaving Bella. Anyway, here are my notes on chapter 1...
-Bella's dream. Not a lot to say about it other than I think it's understandable for her to not want to get older while Edward stays young forever.
-There is TONS of foreshadowing of Edward's decision in this chapter and the next.
...Alice asking Bella "What's the worst that could happen?" at the party that night.
...Edward, while talking about Romeo, asking Bella if he "could have destroyed his own happiness any more thoroughly"
...the discussion about the Volturi and how Edward had figured out how to die if something happened to her.
...Edward vowin that this won't be Bella's last birthday
-Charlie seems fine with Edward at this point in the story, so some trust must have been gained back over the summer, of course it won't last for long though.
-The incident at the party is definitely a turning point for Edward and makes me want to just skip to the end of the book. I am curious to read it again though because I read an interview with Stephenie where she said that she thinks people need to read New Moon twice to really appreciate Jacob and his story(since the first time through many of us are just waiting for Edward's return).

Extended Twilight Trailer

2008-10-27T13:58:00.002-05:00

The embedding isn't working for me, but click HERE to view it!