Showing posts with label stephanie meyer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stephanie meyer. Show all posts

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Movie Review of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part One

It is the wee hours of the morning as I write to share my opinions and a movie review of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part One based on the bestselling novel Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer. A group of my friends, along with several thousand of my fellow Twi-hards, have stayed up late to watch the Midnight premier of this much anticipated movie event.

It's the final book of the Twilight series and they've broken the book into two movies. In this first movie Bella officially marries her Edward. They honeymoon on Esme's Island and it is paradise. I have envisioned what this island would look like in my mind for so long, and they painted my picture perfectly! I think someone should use that island and put a nice bed & breakfast there and rent it out as a vacation package! It's amazing! I hated Bella's white bathing suit though, ugh! Also, Edward didn't seem to sparkle at all the whole time they were on the island. Aren't vampires supposed to sparkle in the sun? For the most part, the honeymoon scenes were tastefully done as honeymoon scenes go. Didn't really need to see the bed breaking...but I know there are millions of screaming Twilight fans who disagree with me!

I think Taylor Lautner deserves an Academy Award for his performance when he learns that Bella has 'died' and for the scene where he imprints. It was my favorite part of the movie, by far.

Other thoughts: I wasn't impressed with the casting of the Denali sisters. They didn't fit what my mental picture held, and Bella's wedding dress was way too modern. I thought it was supposed to be from the early 1900's. I liked the lace, but that was about it. I loved seeing Stephanie Meyer smile at Bella as she walked down the isle! That was priceless. I didn't like all the references to drinking. That was not in the book, and I don't think it was what Stephanie would have wanted. I don't know...maybe that's just my prudish ways!

I can’t believe we have to wait until next year to see Part Two! If it’s as good as Part One, it’s going to be amazing! What's your opinion?

I look forward to the release of The Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn Part One: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion coming on December 13th, 2011. It can be pre-ordered here on Amazon!


If you’ve never read the Twilight series, check out these other Twilight books, music, and movies:

Twilight
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn
The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner
The Twilight Saga Complete Collection
The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide
Twilight: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion
The Twilight Saga: New Moon: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion
Twilight Soundtrack
Twilight: the Score
New Moon Soundtrack
New Moon: the Score
Eclipse Soundtrack
Eclipse: the Score
Twilight DVD
The Twilight Saga: New Moon DVD
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

I recently lost 42 pounds on the Take Shape for Life program! Want to check out my weight loss transition? Click here! -Julie L. Spencer

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Continued Look at the Nomads in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

Let's continue our evaluation of the nomad vampires in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide. Charles and Makenna are an interesting pair of nomads. They both chose to become vampires; Charles to stay with Makenna forever, and Makenna to follow with her family’s tradition. They felt that having a vampire in the family was a way to stay safe and prosperous. Every other century, someone from the family would be chosen to join “Uncle Luca” as family protectors. Makenna was one of these chosen individuals. Interestingly enough, Renata was a previously chosen member of the family who was later adopted into the Volturi clan. We meet her more closely in Breaking Dawn. Renata was who asked Charles and Makenna to come and “witness” on behalf of the Volturi when it was suspected that Renesemee was an immortal child. Once it was shown that she was not, Charles and Makenna chose not to stay with the Volturi.

Have you read The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide yet? What’s your opinion?

Complete book review of The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide:

The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide is here!

The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide (Review and Opinions, Part Two)

Third Day's Thoughts on The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

Day Four of Reading The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide - The Volturi Guard

The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide (Inside the Volturi lair, then South to visit the Amazon Coven)

From Twilight to Breaking Dawn: Religious Themes in the Twilight Saga

Discovering Alaska in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

Exploring the Egyptian Coven in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

Journey to Ireland with The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

James, Victoria, and Laurent in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

The Mexican Coven in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

The Seattle Newborns in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

A Few More Newborn Vampires in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

The Romanians in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

The Nomads in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

Questionnaire to Evaluate Your Level of Addiction


If you’ve never read the Twilight series, check out these other Twilight books, music, and movies:

Twilight
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn
The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner
The Twilight Saga Complete Collection
The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide
Twilight: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion
The Twilight Saga: New Moon: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion
Twilight Soundtrack
Twilight: the Score
New Moon Soundtrack
New Moon: the Score
Eclipse Soundtrack
Eclipse: the Score
Twilight DVD
The Twilight Saga: New Moon DVD
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

I recently lost 42 pounds on the Take Shape for Life program! Want to check out my weight loss transition? Click here! -Julie L. Spencer

Thursday, September 22, 2011

The Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn Part One: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion

Check it out! The Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn Part One: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion is now available for pre-order! It will be released December 13th 2011.



If you’ve never read the Twilight series, check out these other Twilight books, music, and movies:

Twilight
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn
The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner
The Twilight Saga Complete Collection
The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide
Twilight: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion
The Twilight Saga: New Moon: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion
Twilight Soundtrack
Twilight: the Score
New Moon Soundtrack
New Moon: the Score
Eclipse Soundtrack
Eclipse: the Score
Twilight DVD
The Twilight Saga: New Moon DVD
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

I recently lost 42 pounds on the Take Shape for Life program! Want to check out my weight loss transition? Click here! -Julie L. Spencer

The Nomads in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

Stephanie Meyer goes into greater detail about the Nomad Vampires in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide. They are such minor characters in the Twilight Saga that their character development is minimal. Makenna is probably the most interesting of them. She comes from a long family tradition of having vampires as protectors. Every other century one of her family members was chosen to become one of those protectors. She was honored and resigned to the fact that she had been chosen…until she met Charles. Charles was a law student in Barcelona when they met and fell in love. Because Makenna didn’t want to give up Charles or her heritage, he decided to join her and become a vampire. They live together as mates, but still visit Makenna’s family often.

Peter and Charlotte are another couple of nomads who travel as mates. Their stories are shared by Jasper in Eclipse, but not well developed. They were both transformed by Maria during the time when she was creating her newborn army. Peter was Jasper’s assistant in babysitting the newborns and he developed a close relationship with Charlotte. When Jasper was ready to ‘dispose’ of the vampires who were no longer of interest to him, Peter and Charlotte ran away together. Very few other details are shared about their physical characteristics and backgrounds. Peter is tall, Charlotte is petite. They enjoy travelling alone, but welcomed Jasper into their little coven for a short period of time. One tidbit that was not shared in Eclipse was that Charlotte was tempted to join up with Alice and Jasper to make a coven of four, but Alice’s dietary restrictions stopped her.

Have you read The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide yet? What’s your opinion?

Complete book review of The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide:

The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide is here!

The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide (Review and Opinions, Part Two)

Third Day's Thoughts on The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

Day Four of Reading The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide - The Volturi Guard

The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide (Inside the Volturi lair, then South to visit the Amazon Coven)

From Twilight to Breaking Dawn: Religious Themes in the Twilight Saga

Discovering Alaska in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

Exploring the Egyptian Coven in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

Journey to Ireland with The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

James, Victoria, and Laurent in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

The Mexican Coven in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

The Seattle Newborns in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

A Few More Newborn Vampires in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

The Romanians in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

Questionnaire to Evaluate Your Level of Addiction


If you’ve never read the Twilight series, check out these other Twilight books, music, and movies:

Twilight
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn
The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner
The Twilight Saga Complete Collection
The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide
Twilight: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion
The Twilight Saga: New Moon: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion
Twilight Soundtrack
Twilight: the Score
New Moon Soundtrack
New Moon: the Score
Eclipse Soundtrack
Eclipse: the Score
Twilight DVD
The Twilight Saga: New Moon DVD
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

I recently lost 42 pounds on the Take Shape for Life program! Want to check out my weight loss transition? Click here! -Julie L. Spencer

Friday, September 9, 2011

Book Review of The Host by Stephanie Meyer



I just finished reading The Host by Stephanie Meyer, and I had a hard time putting it down! That’s pretty typical of me when I’m reading a good book. I was apprehensive about reading it. Although I’ve loved every book from The Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer, the first time I picked up The Host I was less than impressed. I was standing alone in a bookstore in a mall and flipped through it. It didn’t look like anything I wanted to read. I asked others who have read it what they thought of it, and I kept hearing similar responses; if you can get through the first couple of chapters, you’ll love it.

I disagree with the people who have told me that the first few chapters are boring! They are background information, yes. But, they are the foundation for the story. When watching movies, I pay very close attention to the first five minutes. I can almost always predict the ending of a movie based on that alone. I’m always impressed by a movie that can stump me and cause me to not be able to predict the ending. That’s probably why I like M. Night Shyamalan movies so much. They always have a twist at the end! I didn't think that The Host had any real twist. What I did find was that it is a good idea to re-read the first few chapters after you’ve gotten to about chapter seven. You will have ingested a great deal of information at that point, and it will help to make it more understandable. I will tell you…things get a little romantic after that! That being said, and knowing most of you won’t re-read those chapters, I’ll give you some tidbits that might help clarify some things:

When they refer to a Soul, these are the ‘aliens’ that have been inserted into human bodies. At the start of the book, there are very few humans left on earth who do not have one of these aliens inserted into their bodies. The few that are left are on the run, scared of the aliens, have watched their fellow humans taken over; they are very much alone. Among the Souls, a Healer is the equivalent of a doctor, a Seeker is roughly like a police officer who is charged with finding leftover humans and giving them a Soul, and a Comforter is like a counselor or therapist. Soul’s have strange names that represent something about how they lived prior to coming to this (human) host body. Wanderer (the main character) was named such because she has lived now on six other planets but has not chosen to stay on any of them after her host body died. At the beginning of the book, she is ‘inserted’ into the body of a woman named Melanie. Melanie is one of the few remaining humans on earth, and is considered by the Souls to be an insurgent. They think she is one of many who are living in hiding and plotting against the Souls. The reason the Souls insert Wanderer into Melanie’s body is to try to glean information from Melanie’s memories, and hope that it will lead them to the insurgency. In reality, Melanie has lived on her own with just her little brother and her boyfriend, and is not part of a larger group. She was caught by the Souls while trying to locate her cousin, who she thinks is still human. In this respect, she is of little help to the Souls. Or is she…

There were several interesting themes to The Host. One of which, the ‘end of civilization’ theme reminds me of The Hunger Games in a way. The way the Souls operate is like collective thinking. It reminds me of how we think of the pre-mortal existence and/or the stories from the Garden of Eden. There is no betrayal or loyalty, the concept had no meaning. Kind of like in the absence of choice there is no good or evil. Everyone is perfectly honest. They don’t pay for things with money; they scan the items just to take ‘inventory.’ They have unity; they’re all working together collectively in perfect harmony toward one goal. However, they are only in harmony with each other, not with humans.

At one point in the book, Wanderer realizes that she is not social, which is not normal among her kind. She ponders that this may be why she has constantly left host planets and gone on to a different planet. She wonders if this planet (earth) has changed her…or revealed her for what she really is.

One quote I really liked was on pages 96-97 “I allowed myself to see the prison that was life without a body. To be carried inside but unable to influence the shape around you. To be trapped. To have no choices.” It reminds me of why we (as human souls) came to earth (to obtain a body), yet what Wanderer is really referring to is how Melanie must feel living inside the body that now belongs to her. Melanie is stuck there and now has no choice what happens to her. Normally a host body does not still contain the ‘spirit’ of the human it once held; it is merely a shell. Wanderer is confused to find that she can communicate with Melanie, and that makes the difference of how she relates to her host body compared to how the rest of her species relates to theirs.

Just when I thought I hated the way The Host ended...it changed. It didn't end. It kept going. Several more chapters in fact. I loved the ending, and I can see why Stephanie may someday write a sequel. Did you know that she's considering that? I saw an interview a while back where she mentioned that. She also knows how The Twilight Saga continues. But that's a story for another day...


My favorite M. Night Shyamalan movies:
The Sixth Sense

Signs

The Village


If you’ve never read the Twilight series, check out these other Twilight books, music, and movies:

Twilight
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn
The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner
The Twilight Saga Complete Collection
The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide
Twilight: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion
The Twilight Saga: New Moon: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion
Twilight Soundtrack
Twilight: the Score
New Moon Soundtrack
New Moon: the Score
Eclipse Soundtrack
Eclipse: the Score
Twilight DVD
The Twilight Saga: New Moon DVD
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

I recently lost 42 pounds on the Take Shape for Life program! Want to check out my weight loss transition? Click here! -Julie L. Spencer

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Complete Book Reviews of The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

Complete book review of The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide:

The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide is here!

The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide (Review and Opinions, Part Two)

Third Day's Thoughts on The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

Day Four of Reading The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide - The Volturi Guard

The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide (Inside the Volturi lair, then South to visit the Amazon Coven)

From Twilight to Breaking Dawn: Religious Themes in the Twilight Saga

Discovering Alaska in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

Exploring the Egyptian Coven in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

Journey to Ireland with The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

James, Victoria, and Laurent in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

The Mexican Coven in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

The Seattle Newborns in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

A Few More Newborn Vampires in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

The Romanians in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

Questionnaire to Evaluate Your Level of Addiction


I recently lost 42 pounds on the Take Shape for Life program! Want to check out my weight loss transition? Click here! -Julie L. Spencer

Friday, May 13, 2011

A Few More Newborn Vampires in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

The only two newborn vampires mentioned in Eclipse are Riley and Bree Tanner. Our last post discussed Riley in greater detail and if you want a crash course on everything Bree, I highly recommend The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner. There were quite a few other newborns in Riley’s coven, but the only ones that Stephanie Meyer describes in detail in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide are Diego, Fred, Raoul, and Bree.

As we learned in The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner, Diego became Bree’s mate but was ultimately destroyed by Riley and Victoria because he learned too much about Victoria’s lies. We don’t however learn much about who Diego was before he was changed to a vampire. He grew up in a lower-class, single parent home in Los Angeles, but moved to Portland while he was still in high school. He avoided joining a gang that pursued him and wanted to go to college. He was smart and hard-working, but in the end it was the gang that became his demise because they got to his younger brother and Diego avenged his murder. Riley interceded just before the gang destroyed Diego.

Another vampire Stephanie tells us about in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide is Raoul. He became a leader among the newborns in Riley’s coven. Prior to being transformed to a vampire, Raoul was a gang leader of a drug ring. He was just the type of soldier Riley was looking for!

“Freaky Fred” is one of those vampires who have a unique special ability. He makes people feel repulsed by him. They feel nauseated just looking in Fred’s direction. Before being transformed into a vampire, Fred was a science nerd who lived a solitary life. He avoided unnecessary attention, other than academically. After his sophomore year of college, Fred volunteered for a marine biology research project that caused him to camp by himself for days at a time on the beaches of Oregon and Washington. This is where Riley found him. Fred was one of only three vampires who survived his coven’s demise because he figured out what was happening and escaped before the coven reached the clearing. He now lives as a nomad, but you won’t be able to find him unless he wants you to; you’ll feel nauseated just looking for him!

Have you started reading The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide yet? What’s your opinion? -Julie

Complete book review of The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide:

The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide is here!

The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide (Review and Opinions, Part Two)

Third Day's Thoughts on The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

Day Four of Reading The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide - The Volturi Guard

The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide (Inside the Volturi lair, then South to visit the Amazon Coven)

From Twilight to Breaking Dawn: Religious Themes in the Twilight Saga

Discovering Alaska in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

Exploring the Egyptian Coven in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

Journey to Ireland with The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

James, Victoria, and Laurent in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

The Mexican Coven in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

The Seattle Newborns in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

A Few More Newborn Vampires in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide
The Romanians in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

Questionnaire to Evaluate Your Level of Addiction



If you’ve never read the Twilight series, check out these other Twilight books, music, and movies:

Twilight
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn
The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner
The Twilight Saga Complete Collection
The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide
Twilight: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion
The Twilight Saga: New Moon: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion
Twilight Soundtrack
Twilight: the Score
New Moon Soundtrack
New Moon: the Score
Eclipse Soundtrack
Eclipse: the Score
Twilight DVD
The Twilight Saga: New Moon DVD
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

I recently lost 42 pounds on the Take Shape for Life program! Want to check out my weight loss transition? Click here! -Julie L. Spencer

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

The Seattle Newborns in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

If you’ve read The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner, then you should know quite a bit about the newborn vampires in Seattle. If nothing else, I’m assuming you’ve read Eclipse where Bella gets a crash course in how to defeat an army of newborns. Unfortunately, because Eclipse is told from Bella’s perspective, we don’t learn a lot about the individual vampires in Riley’s coven. We know that Victoria created all of the newborns, and that Riley was in control of training them and keeping track of them. We also know from Eclipse that he didn’t do a very good job! But, in Riley’s defense, he wasn’t well trained either. We also meet Bree Tanner in Eclipse. If you haven’t read her story, The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner, I highly recommend taking a few minutes to get to know her. Once you become friends with Bree, you’ll wish her story ended a little differently. Warning: If you decide you’ll head upstairs to bed “at the end of this next chapter” you’ll be up all night. Bree’s story is called a novella, and it is all one long chapter. But it’s fabulous! So enjoy!

Okay, so back to Riley’s coven in Seattle. There were a few key things that the newborns did not know about. They didn’t know that there were rules to being a vampire. They had never heard of the Volturi and they were unaware that their behavior would eventually bring upon them the wrath of the Volturi Guard. They were told that they had to stay inside during the day or the sun would burn them. They had never met or seen Victoria. They didn’t even know her name. All they knew about her was that she was the source of the immense pain they had first felt during the vampire transformation, and that she could come back and hurt them again at any time.

Contrary to the movie The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, Riley was not from Forks, Washington; he was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Also, Victoria did not meet him in Seattle; she found him on campus at Oregon State University where he was in his freshman year of college. She claimed that she loved him, but what she really wanted was his protection because he looked large and strong. She kept him in the dark about a lot of the vampire rules, told him half-truths, and put him in charge of taking care of the newborns. Riley never knew about her repeated trips to Forks, her trip to see Laurent, her knowledge of the werewolves, or her reason for wanting to attack the Cullens. In fact, he thought she just wanted protection from the Cullens because they were after her for hunting on their land. Anytime Riley and Victoria discussed plans of attack, they were always in the abstract. She purposely never made any firm decisions, as she knew that would alert Alice.

There were three reasons why Victoria sent Riley to Forks to get Bella’s scent. First, she knew that by providing Bella’s scent to the newborns, she was marking her true target. Second, she sensed that Riley was getting impatient with her, and lastly she was testing Alice’s vision to see if Riley could get in and out of Forks without alerting Alice. It worked. Alice was not alerted to their coming until Victoria decided it was time for the newborns to attack. Riley helped finish the training, brought them to the field where they were to fight, and then left the newborns alone to help Victoria deal with the one "key member of the coven" who had hidden to avoid the fight. He never knew that the ultimate target was Bella, or why Victoria wanted her dead – until it was too late!

There were more newborns in Seattle. We’ll learn about them next time…

Have you started reading The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide yet? What’s your opinion? -Julie

Complete book review of The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide:

The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide is here!

The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide (Review and Opinions, Part Two)

Third Day's Thoughts on The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

Day Four of Reading The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide - The Volturi Guard

The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide (Inside the Volturi lair, then South to visit the Amazon Coven)

From Twilight to Breaking Dawn: Religious Themes in the Twilight Saga

Discovering Alaska in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

Exploring the Egyptian Coven in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

Journey to Ireland with The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

James, Victoria, and Laurent in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

The Mexican Coven in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

The Seattle Newborns in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

A Few More Newborn Vampires in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide
The Romanians in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

Questionnaire to Evaluate Your Level of Addiction



If you’ve never read the Twilight series, check out these other Twilight books, music, and movies:

Twilight
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn
The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner
The Twilight Saga Complete Collection
The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide
Twilight: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion
The Twilight Saga: New Moon: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion
Twilight Soundtrack
Twilight: the Score
New Moon Soundtrack
New Moon: the Score
Eclipse Soundtrack
Eclipse: the Score
Twilight DVD
The Twilight Saga: New Moon DVD
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

I recently lost 42 pounds on the Take Shape for Life program! Want to check out my weight loss transition? Click here! -Julie L. Spencer

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Third Day's Thoughts on The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide!

So, Stephanie Meyer, thank you. For changing the world – making it a better place – and reminding so many people that we love to read. –Shannon Hale

So this is day three of my reading The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide. Here are my thoughts:

As Stephanie describes vampires in the first main chapter, she describes them as if they actually exist not as if they are characters in a book but like they are real. This section goes into a lot more detail about the vampire characteristics. It is mainly information that someone who has read the entire Twilight Saga would be able to read between the lines. It is a good section for the casual reader of Twilight because it fills in a lot of the blanks left mainly to context clues in the books. It gives a crash course lesson about everything you ever wanted to know about vampires without having to gather it bit-by-bit by reading the whole series.

One of the things that I found interesting was that Stephanie said she has done very little research on vampires. She said the only research she did was the research that Bella did. Her vampires are just that: her vampires. They don’t follow any prior credence. I think we all sort of knew that, but it was fun to hear it from her perspective.

I like the map of the Cullen’s land. Just a random thought. I like maps.

Did you know that Carlisle knew Esme prior to her change? He had treated her for a broken leg ten years earlier. Another thing I didn’t know is that Edward owns his family’s home in Chicago and every fifty years or so he “inherits” his family’s fortune from himself!

That’s as far as I’ve gotten today. Have you read any of The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide yet? What’s your opinion? -Julie

Complete book review of The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide:

The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide is here!

The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide (Review and Opinions, Part Two)

Third Day's Thoughts on The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

Day Four of Reading The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide - The Volturi Guard

The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide (Inside the Volturi lair, then South to visit the Amazon Coven)

From Twilight to Breaking Dawn: Religious Themes in the Twilight Saga

Discovering Alaska in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

Exploring the Egyptian Coven in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

Journey to Ireland with The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

James, Victoria, and Laurent in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

The Mexican Coven in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

The Seattle Newborns in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

A Few More Newborn Vampires in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide
The Romanians in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

Questionnaire to Evaluate Your Level of Addiction


Complete book review of The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide:

The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide is here!

The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide (Review and Opinions, Part Two)

Third Day's Thoughts on The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

Day Four of Reading The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide - The Volturi Guard

The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide (Inside the Volturi lair, then South to visit the Amazon Coven)

From Twilight to Breaking Dawn: Religious Themes in the Twilight Saga

Discovering Alaska in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

Exploring the Egyptian Coven in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

Journey to Ireland with The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

James, Victoria, and Laurent in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

The Mexican Coven in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

The Seattle Newborns in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

A Few More Newborn Vampires in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide
The Romanians in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

Questionnaire to Evaluate Your Level of Addiction



If you’ve never read the Twilight series, check out these other Twilight books, music, and movies:

Twilight
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn
The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner
The Twilight Saga Complete Collection
The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide
Twilight: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion
The Twilight Saga: New Moon: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion
Twilight Soundtrack
Twilight: the Score
New Moon Soundtrack
New Moon: the Score
Eclipse Soundtrack
Eclipse: the Score
Twilight DVD
The Twilight Saga: New Moon DVD
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

I recently lost 42 pounds on the Take Shape for Life program! Want to check out my weight loss transition? Click here! -Julie L. Spencer

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide is here!

I just picked up my copy of The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide and I’ll be sharing my thoughts about it as I read. Here are my initial reactions today as I flip through the book. If you haven’t picked it up yet, you can get it here on Amazon for a lot less than at the store. I got my copy at Meijer for $17.49 and it is only $13.22 on Amazon. Click here to go to the site: The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide.

In the first section, Stephanie Meyer gives you every detail you ever wanted to know about vampires, what they look like, what they can do, transformation, history, etc. Next she discusses each of the different Covens in detail: the Cullen’s, Volturi, Amazon, Denali, Egyptian, Irish, James’s, Mexican, Riley’s, Romanian, Nomads, and Joham with the other Vampire Hybrids.

Section two goes into details about the werewolves, including comparing the Children of the Moon and the differences between them and the Shape-shifters (Quileute). It goes into the Black Pack, the Uley Pack, and the Tribe.

The third section of The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide goes into details about the humans in Bella’s life, her family and friends, teachers, other students at Forks High School, other residents of Forks, as well as residents of Seattle and even two humans who we meet in Brazil (do you remember who they were? Hint: they cleaned up feathers!).

The fourth section deals with timelines, plot, cars (oh yeah, I want that yellow Porche) and the music that inspired Stephanie as she was writing each of the books. The book closes with some Fan Art, photos of International Covers, Outtakes (scenes that were cut from the books because of time/space constraints, like watching deleted scenes from a movie as part of the Special Features on a DVD) and frequently asked questions. One of the questions deals with a question I’ve had for a long time: What do the cover photos represent? Other questions involve vampires eating pizza, a heart-shaped crystal that is anything but, and how Bella fell in love with Jacob.

If you don’t already have a copy of The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide, you can get it here on Amazon or go to your local book store.

Post a comment below to tell me what you like about The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide! What’s your opinion? -Julie

Complete book review of The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide:

The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide is here!

The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide (Review and Opinions, Part Two)

Third Day's Thoughts on The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

Day Four of Reading The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide - The Volturi Guard

The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide (Inside the Volturi lair, then South to visit the Amazon Coven)

From Twilight to Breaking Dawn: Religious Themes in the Twilight Saga

Discovering Alaska in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

Exploring the Egyptian Coven in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

Journey to Ireland with The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

James, Victoria, and Laurent in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

The Mexican Coven in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

The Seattle Newborns in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

A Few More Newborn Vampires in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide
The Romanians in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

Questionnaire to Evaluate Your Level of Addiction



Not addicted to Twilight yet? Here’s a whole list of Twilight books, movies, and music to get you started!

Twilight
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn
The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner
The Twilight Saga Complete Collection
The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide
Twilight: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion
The Twilight Saga: New Moon: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion
Twilight Soundtrack
Twilight: the Score
New Moon Soundtrack
New Moon: the Score
Eclipse Soundtrack
Eclipse: the Score
Twilight DVD
The Twilight Saga New Moon DVD
The Twilight Saga Eclipse DVD