A Sad Report

Alas... I have found a set of vampire books that I am just not that into. I never thought I would see the day when I couldn't wait to be done reading a vampire book because I just wanted to move on to something a little more exciting...


That's right... it's the book series that the new CW television show is based off of: L.J. Smith's The Vampire Diaries. You see, here's the really disappointing thing. I sort of enjoy the television show. I do get sick of the back and forth romance thing. But honestly, Ian Somerhalder as evil, twisted Damon Salvatore and Paul Wesley as sexy, brooding Stefan Salvatore makes the show. I adore them.

But this isn't a review of the show. I am talking books here. The heroine of the novels, Elena is a beautiful girl whose parents just died tragically in a car accident. That should inspire sympathy for our heroine. Instead, Elena proves to be the queen bee Regina George of the school. She's a princess who gets whatever she wants and will step on people to get it. That includes Stefan, who just so happens to be a vampire. People start dying in the community, and eventually all fingers point to Stefan. Elena finds out he's a vampire and vows to remain by his side for as long as he wants her. Blah blah blah. These books came out years before Stephenie Meyer even began to dream up The Twilight Saga, and thank goodness she did. Because these books just don't fill that craving for a good vampire novel.

Sorry, L.J. Smith. But your other work is quite good! These just aren't up to snuff, I'm afraid.

Devastatingly, Inhumanly Beautiful

You have spoken! The votes are in, we have a winner who won by a landslide! The most swoon-worthy "book boy" is none other than my personal favorite, Edward Cullen.

For those of you who live under a rock and do not know who he is, Edward Cullen is Stephenie Meyer's creation. He is Bella Swan's love interest in her best-selling Twilight saga and is a vampire. Upon first seeing Edward, Bella describes him as being "devastatingly, inhumanly beautiful." As you read through the series, you learn that Edward is an accomplished pianist (swoon), is strong and protective (swoon), has all of the qualities of being a good father (swoon), and is ultimately a sucker (no pun intended) for love (SWOON SWOON SWOON). And perhaps one of Edward's greatest appeals is that he can live forever. The idea of possibly living forever in love with him is enough to make any female want to trade in her heartbeat for a life of hunting in Washingtons state's damp woods. (You'd have to read the books to understand that... and you should go read them if you haven't already!)

Oh, and if you need a visual for just how beautiful Edward Cullen really is, I've provided you with a collage of Robert Pattinson's portrayal of Edward in Twilight, the movie. Do I really need to say "swoon" again? The second movie is due out in theatres in late November of this year and is currently filming.

So Edward Cullen, you are the most desired "book boy" out there! But here are our other honorable mentions:

1. Edward Cullen .................... 48%
2. Jamie Fraser ....................... 24%
3. Fitzwilliam Darcy ................ 18%
4. Frederick Wentworth ........... 6%
5. Rhett Butler ......................... 3%

All You Need Is Love

Valentine's Day may have a reputation for being an excuse for greeting card companies to make money, but I still think it is a fun excuse to celebrate your love for someone. Whether that someone is a husband, boyfriend, best friend, or family member, it's always important to tell that someone that you love them.



So in the spirit of Valentine's Day, I decided to think back on some of my favorite couples in literature. Some of them have burning passion for each other. Others more or less have love that appears to be obsession. And others just seem to be the perfect married couple. Whatever they are, these couples bring a smile to my face and represent what love is. Who's your favorite couple?

*Romeo & Juliet
*Rhett Butler & Scarlett O'Hara
*Fitzwilliam Darcy & Elizabeth Bennet
*Jamie Fraser & Claire Beauchamp
*Captain Frederick Wentworth & Anne Elliot
*Noah Calhoun & Allie Hamilton
*The Chairman & Nitta Sayuri
*Arthur & Molly Weasley
...............and last, but certainly not least:
*Edward Cullen & Bella Swan

Happy Valentine's Day!

I Can't Live If Living Is Without You

Cheryl over at Cheryl's Book Nook (see my links section to visit her wonderful site) proposed an interesting question that I simply had to address in a post because it made me take a step back and think. Even as I have formed my answers, I still question it. Anyways, here is the question:

If your book collection were on fire and you could only save three books from burning, which three would you save and why?

Talk about a Sophie's Choice moment! How in the world do you pick? You have to assume that you will never be able to replace these books, that is the only way that it works. My choices make me feel incredibly juvenile. But if I am being perfectly honest, these are the three books right now that I would absolutely cry over losing:

1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - I could never part with this book. It's adventure, a little romance, and is just an emotional roller coaster. I told you that it makes me feel like I am incredibly juvenile, but I really do enjoy reading about Harry's adventures, and this book is the one that I would definitely hold on to assuming that I would never be able to replace my books if they were lost for some reason.





2. Pride & Prejudice - It's historical fiction and romance, what more could a girl ask for? I love the story of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy's romance, not to mention Jane Austen's writing. I've read this story quite a few times and have seen movie versions more often than I can count. I don't think that I could ever part with my copy of this book. It would be a tragedy to lose such a wonderful novel.






3. Twilight - Again, it is a juvenile choice, but this book won my heart the first time I read it. It's no wonder either, since Stephenie Meyer wrote it with influences from Austen's Pride & Prejudice. Edward Cullen is the greatest literary "heartthrob" since Fitzwilliam Darcy, in my humble opinion. Yes, I definitely would have to save this book also.








I invite all of you out there to address this question! Which three books would you save from your collection if there was no hope of ever replacing them?

A Post About The Host

The Host is considered to be Stephenie Meyer's first adult novel. An alien species, called Souls, invades Earth and takes uses human bodies as their host bodies. One soul, called Wanderer, inhabits a girl named Melanie's body. But Melanie is not so willing to just hand herself over to her new host. The two despise each other immediately. However, Melanie gives Wanderer access to her memories about her true love, Jared. Soon, Wanderer finds herself falling in love with the memory of Jared. Together, Melanie and Wanderer make the dangerous journey to find him. Once she does, will Jared believe her that Melanie still lives on within her? Will he still love her? Or will he want to kill her since Wanderer is technically the alien enemy? The Host is an emotional and exciting story and deserves the classification of "Sci-Fi Lite."

I got this as a Christmas gift this year and I must say that I really loved this. I was hesitant about reading it because I thought there was no way that Stephenie Meyer would write a better story than Twilight storyline. And while I think Bella and Edward's story is better, this was still very good. It begins a little slowly with explaining the alien's ways of life, but begins to pick up once her and Melanie have a common goal. I found myself flipping page after page for hours without even looking up. I really enjoyed the story. If you liked Stephenie Meyer's writing style in the Twilight books, then this is definitely worth reading. Warning: do not read this immediately after reading any of the Twilight books. Give yourself a break first and then dive into this. She seems to have the outlook that true love is a physical need that is controlled only by fate. The Bella/Edward fate is played out much better than the Melanie/Jared fate. Hence the reason I suggest a break between reading the two. I found that her secondary male character, Ian, was much more lust-worthy.

I don't usually think about books being turned into movies while I am reading them. But this time, I just couldn't stop thinking about how much I would love to see the events played out on the big screen. As far as who I think should play who, I have no idea. I just really think this would make a wonderful movie. Come on, Steph, make it happen!

I Fell In Love With The Lion

So I know it's not a book review... but since I am such an enormous Twi-Hard, I feel it necessary to pass on the word about the movie version of Twilight to all of those doubters out there. Let me put it simply. Do you like the book? If yes, you will love the movie. I personally know that Robert Pattinson will haunt my dreams for a while after seeing his intense Edward stares. He was even better than I thought he would be. The entire cast was chosen perfectly. I cannot wait for them to film the rest of the books. In all seriousness, it really was wonderful. More than likely, I will see it again in the theatre just to catch things that I may have missed the first time around. I did that with the last Harry Potter movie and was very happy about it. So please, go see the movie. Get over the hype, because this movie really did live up to it. I promise. And if you are living under a rock and haven't read these books yet, do it. No joke. You'll finish them in no time at all. They're all quick reads and are wonderful reads.

On another note, the previews to Twilight were also something to be wondered at. A new trailer for the sixth Harry Potter movie was shown. It looks even better than I had previously thought. I hope I never grow out of loving these things. I may be 23, but I guess I'm a 14 year old little girl at heart.