My shameful confession about Twilight

Niiicola said:

I am a shameless fangirl of the Darkling in Shadow and Bone.

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He is the ONLY REASON I read Storm and Siege, which he's barely even in. >/ I'll probably read the third book for him, too. I'm not crazy about Leigh Bardugo, so I hope she doesn't ruin his character. I like him.

Another vote for the Darkling. The fact that he's not in Siege and Storm very much kinda breaks my heart a little. I'll get around to reading that eventually.

Katallina said:

Another vote for the Darkling. The fact that he's not in Siege and Storm very much kinda breaks my heart a little. I'll get around to reading that eventually.

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Yeah. I wouldn't rush to the bookstore for it. >__> You've got plenty of time before the third book comes out.

Kats said:

My own example is The Secret Circle books by L.J. Smith. I read them as a teen and love, love, loved them. I wanted to be Cassie! I reread them when they were rereleased a few years ago and although I can see now that the writing is not great, I still love them (oh, the makeover scene!). I think you get the fangirl wish fullfillment thing more when you read these sorts of books when you're young.

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Yes. Yes, I think you do.

I fangirled HARD over Teddy Kent from the Emily of New Moon series when I was 8 years old. I reread those books so many times because of him. I still think he's dreamy!

I also fangirled over the world of Harry Potter that way, in almost the same way you fall in romantic love. When you find things you love when you're young, they stick with you in a way older-you doesn't ever let go of. Those attachments are hard to form when you're older than 16 or so, IMO.

Cyia said:

I honestly enjoyed Twi1ight, book 1. I've said some unflattering things about the rest of the books in the series, but book 1 was a fun, light read. And I still maintain that the "reveal" scene with the runaway truck was one of the better OMG - you're not human!!! reveals I've seen.

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Yes, actually, the reveal scene is great! I admit to fangirling over the first Twilight book. Yes, I loved Edward. I'm not sure exactly why, in retrospect. Maybe I imagined him more attractive in my head -- Robert Pattinson is just NOT hot to me.

zeragon7 said:

I always struggle to understand why writing, when it does things like this, has to be considered "bad"....

For me, if it causes reactions like that, it's good writing. Period.

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Agreed.

I read a review that said Ms Meyer was "a bad writer, but a good story teller," I'd argue that to be a good/great writer you have to be a good story teller.

Ms Meyer was "a bad writer, but a good story teller,

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Yes but the opposite doesn't apply. You can be a good storyteller, as in tell a good story, but do it with writing that is bad.

And 'good storyteller' is ambiguous in itself.

It can mean be good at telling stories or tell a good story. I think the second is what a lot of people mean when they say SM is a good story teller.

It is not a shameful confession. You're allowed to enjoy books you like, no matter what people think of them.

Torgo said:

It is not a shameful confession. You're allowed to enjoy books you like, no matter what people think of them.

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I agree. Enjoy whatever you enjoy, and be happy you enjoy it.

Now if you're reading like a writer and noting things done well or things you'd do differently, you'll experience a lot of books differently.

Torgo said:

It is not a shameful confession. You're allowed to enjoy books you like, no matter what people think of them.

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Absolutely. I'm a 54 year old guy who read Twilight to see what the fuss was about, and was gob smacked how it kept me going to the end, all those heaving bosoms and bared necks.

Taylor Kowalski said:

He is the ONLY REASON I read Storm and Siege, which he's barely even in. >/ I'll probably read the third book for him, too. I'm not crazy about Leigh Bardugo, so I hope she doesn't ruin his character. I like him.

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Must be a girl thing... He's so creepy. Eww.

(I'm not, like, judging people for liking him, just to be clear.)

wilchris said:

Absolutely. I'm a 54 year old guy who read Twilight to see what the fuss was about, and was gob smacked how it kept me going to the end, all those heaving bosoms and bared necks.

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Uh huh.....

Goodness, he is. So are Edward, and to an extent Jacob. And yet, I mostly enjoyed my first read through of Twilight and I noticed none of the problematic things happening that would make me shake if I paid more attention - except that Edward was a hundred years old and hanging around children and lusting after one. But it was fairly easy to ignore because the story compelled me to read on.

I think some things are bad and we don't notice because we're engrossed, not looking from a distance and wondering 'hey, why is he forcing a kiss on her while she's trying to push him away and he won't move despite her protests'.

I liked Twilight too. No shame here. I started it on vacation one year and had to make myself put it down so I could enjoy the rest of my vacation.

I think that Meyer herself felt Twilight strongly and was able to convey her fascination with Edward to many, many readers. However, there are successful books I find utterly insincere, so sometimes you CAN pull the readers' strings without feeling so much as a pluck on your own.

Me, I'm fangirling Thomas Cromwell now, and, in YA, Levi from the aptly named FANGIRL.

Becca C. said:

Yes. Yes, I think you do.
I admit to fangirling over the first Twilight book. Yes, I loved Edward. I'm not sure exactly why, in retrospect. Maybe I imagined him more attractive in my head -- Robert Pattinson is just NOT hot to me.

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Me too. I flew through all four books in like a week and I felt like Edward was my new boyfriend or something, lurching stomach and all (god, that's embarrassing to type).

I agree with you about the film version. RP just didn't pull it off. I switched to Team Jacob for the movies. Well, until the imprinting part, which was just gross in book and film.

Taylor Kowalski said:

He is the ONLY REASON I read Storm and Siege, which he's barely even in.

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Oh dear, this makes me very sad indeed.

Not at all ashamed to say I liked Twilight. Book one in particular. And I was over thirty when I read them. Got a few colleagues hooked too.

The Twilight books are on display in my bookshelves, next to some very serious works of literature.
I have an eclectic taste.

I didn't have that issue with Twilight, but I did with Fallen. ALL of them. Gah... I can't even look y'all in the eye right now...

... Sofya Semyonovna Marmeladov,
in Crime & Punishment

I was so not into Twilight. It lost me from the first page.

On the other hand, I dream of someone having a fangirl experience over something I've written, like so many people did with Twi. I doubt it will ever happen.

In terms of a recent example, I got TOTALLY swept up by Quintana of Charyn by Melina Marchetta. By the end of it I actually really wanted to write fanfiction about a couple of the minor characters, which isn't an urge I've felt in a while.

lucyfilmmaker said:

While laying in bed last night I was thinking about writing (shocker, I know) and somehow got on the topic of Twilight.

I really do think the writing went further downhill with each new book in the series, but I remember when I first read the VERY FIRST Twilight book I had a serious fangirl freakout. I was pretty well convinced that Edward was the most perfect imaginary boy I'd ever read and my life was meaningless because he wasn't real (I was very dramatic in my youth).

What I'm interested in is that reaction, that gut feeling when you're reading something (specifically YA fantasy/romance). Maybe it isn't "good", but makes your inner fangirl do cartwheels... Anyone else have something like that? Or am I the only resident of crazytown?

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Obviously hundreds of thousands of girls/woman had it but I don't understand it with this book, I stopped halfway through because I was so bored and gave it to a 12 year old (no that isn't snarkiness but what I actually did.) I bought it from a second hand store so I could do this. Unfortunately her Chinese parents did not approve and fired me from teaching her English. :-(

mirandashell said:

Uh huh.....

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But it wasn't in any way erotic and no way did I fancy Bella!

I have to say, I loved SHIVER. I hate pnr romance in general, particularly because of the 'dark, dangerous bad boy who wants to kill you' trope, and I think part of the reason that SHIVER is the only pnr romance I've ever liked is because Sam is a bit more sensitive, respectful, sweet etc - he doesn't patronise Grace with all this 'I have to protect you, you are a pathetic frail girl and I'm a big bad wolfie/vamp/angel' crap, he treats her as an equal. That's a good relationship. Plus, he wasn't a physically intimidating letch like Patch in HUSH HUSH, or a Guardian Of Her Super-Speshuuul Virginity like Eddy - Grace chose when she was ready and he was fine with that.

I admit the lyric and leaky womb thing is a bit weird, though! I suppose of the pnr romance groupie books, SHIVER fills a gap because it targets the girls who like their guys a bit more sensitive.

In reality, Edward would be a creep, Sam would be a wimp, and Patch would be locked up in a Juvinile Detention Centre for date-rape or sexual harrassment, but a lot of people seem to be happy to suspend disbelief a little bit for an addictive book and romance... :s

wilchris said:

But it wasn't in any way erotic and no way did I fancy Bella!

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Uh huh......