In addition to yesterday's post I found a very funny clip online illustrating what would happen if Edward Cullen crossed paths with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, who apparently is the only girl immune to his obsessive yet smouldering personality. Don' worry I'm all Twilighted out for now.
Wednesday, 24 June 2009
Tuesday, 23 June 2009
Twilight rules, I'm serious
I have one week between jobs so I decided to indulge myself by finally reading Breaking Dawn, the conclusion to the beloved and excellent Twilight series. Over the past few months, I have to admit, I've become quite a fan. A year ago Twilight, Stephanie Meyer,... didn't ring a bell for me at least and suddenly it became a phenomenon that could no longer be ignored. The first installment of the series already dates back to 2006 and had quite a following but because of last year's movie adaptation starring the godlike Robert Pattinson and the publication of the conclusion Breaking Dawn, the Twilight saga entered a new and unparalleled stratosphere of succes which made me curious.
Last November I got round to reading Twilight and wasn't that impressed really: girl meets boy, boy turns out to be vampire and forbidden / potentially fatal romance follows. Your run of the mill teen romance novel with a twist. Meyer's style isn't all that, don't get me wrong she's great at portraying inner turmoil but the story was pretty bland. What did make it interesting however were the characters and this is probably my inner teenager talking, the love story. I'm just a sucker for forbidden love and tormented men. Bring them on! Oh, and I have to confess I also have a thing for vampires. That being said, it was an entertaining read but not worth all the fuss in my opinion.
And then I saw the movie which is the reason I got hooked and literally sucked into the phenomenon despite being a tad older than you average Twilight freak. Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson (who is actually very yummy despite his age) really made these characters come to life. What can I say, they became real people and had me yearning for more. I simply had to know what was going to happen to them after the credits.
Cue New Moon, in which Edward decides to leave Bella seeing as their relationship is becoming quite dangerous to say the least. Not much action except the fact that her best friend Jacob turns out to be a werewolf. Why the hell not? A lot of anguish and soul searching ensues making the characters even more real and relatable resulting in a big and action-packed ending where Bella and Edward are finally reunited.
Then along comes Eclipse which is the most exciting and racy novel of the series filled with vampires, werewolves, secret romance between Bella and ..., old rivals and oh my god it was good. If you're expecting beautiful prose, detail and meaning, just don't go there. This series is great and Eclipse has it all but in the end this is character-driven action-packed entertainment. Nothing more, nothing less.
Sadly, it all ends with Breaking Dawn which was equally good but alas, the final one. The reason I put it off for so long was because I knew there would no longer be any Edward / Bella stories and I wasn't ready to say goodbye to them. I'm still in denial. Twilight is basically the equivalent of your favorite guilty pleasure TV show: it may not be groundbreaking but it's good, familiar and fun and then it ends. After "years" of getting to know these people / characters, they suddenly seize to exist. Sure there are re-runs and re-reads but nothing can top that initial acquaintance. I'm kinda getting off track here.
Breaking Dawn was everything it was cracked up to be and a little more: Bella finally becomes a vampire and gets busy with her beloved resulting in, get ready, mutant spawn. This is were it becomes a little weird, in other places it gets even freakier, but it still seems to fit in the intricately created Twilight universe. Again, there's action, romance (at last the good stuff), some uncanny twists and the ending we all expected but don't want to acknowledge, or I don't atleast.
I thoroughly enjoyed this series and can't wait for the next movie no matter how many funny looks I get when I proudly admit that yes, I am a Twifan!
Last November I got round to reading Twilight and wasn't that impressed really: girl meets boy, boy turns out to be vampire and forbidden / potentially fatal romance follows. Your run of the mill teen romance novel with a twist. Meyer's style isn't all that, don't get me wrong she's great at portraying inner turmoil but the story was pretty bland. What did make it interesting however were the characters and this is probably my inner teenager talking, the love story. I'm just a sucker for forbidden love and tormented men. Bring them on! Oh, and I have to confess I also have a thing for vampires. That being said, it was an entertaining read but not worth all the fuss in my opinion.
And then I saw the movie which is the reason I got hooked and literally sucked into the phenomenon despite being a tad older than you average Twilight freak. Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson (who is actually very yummy despite his age) really made these characters come to life. What can I say, they became real people and had me yearning for more. I simply had to know what was going to happen to them after the credits.
Cue New Moon, in which Edward decides to leave Bella seeing as their relationship is becoming quite dangerous to say the least. Not much action except the fact that her best friend Jacob turns out to be a werewolf. Why the hell not? A lot of anguish and soul searching ensues making the characters even more real and relatable resulting in a big and action-packed ending where Bella and Edward are finally reunited.
Then along comes Eclipse which is the most exciting and racy novel of the series filled with vampires, werewolves, secret romance between Bella and ..., old rivals and oh my god it was good. If you're expecting beautiful prose, detail and meaning, just don't go there. This series is great and Eclipse has it all but in the end this is character-driven action-packed entertainment. Nothing more, nothing less.
Sadly, it all ends with Breaking Dawn which was equally good but alas, the final one. The reason I put it off for so long was because I knew there would no longer be any Edward / Bella stories and I wasn't ready to say goodbye to them. I'm still in denial. Twilight is basically the equivalent of your favorite guilty pleasure TV show: it may not be groundbreaking but it's good, familiar and fun and then it ends. After "years" of getting to know these people / characters, they suddenly seize to exist. Sure there are re-runs and re-reads but nothing can top that initial acquaintance. I'm kinda getting off track here.
Breaking Dawn was everything it was cracked up to be and a little more: Bella finally becomes a vampire and gets busy with her beloved resulting in, get ready, mutant spawn. This is were it becomes a little weird, in other places it gets even freakier, but it still seems to fit in the intricately created Twilight universe. Again, there's action, romance (at last the good stuff), some uncanny twists and the ending we all expected but don't want to acknowledge, or I don't atleast.
I thoroughly enjoyed this series and can't wait for the next movie no matter how many funny looks I get when I proudly admit that yes, I am a Twifan!
Sunday, 14 June 2009
Finally!
When I read that one of my all-time favorite novels, the bittersweet, magical and simply gut-wrenchingly brilliant The Time Traveller's Wife by the immensely talented Audrey Niffenegger was being turned into a movie, my heart skipped a beat. It was supposed to be released in 2008 but kept getting pushed back, at one time it was even rumoured be to released in 2010 but today, oh happy day, the trailer was finally put online just in time for its August release. Enjoy! I know I will...
Firmin, the vermin
The cutest book I've seen in a really long time entered the bookstore this week on a non-suspecting rainy Tuesday afternoon. It's name was Firmin by Sam Savage and I simply had to have it. Inside a neat little box with the fury protagonist on the cover is an adorable little book full of gorgeous drawings of rats and what not.
Rats you say? I did indeed. Firmin is the sad and beautiful story of a little rat who was born in an old bookstore. He isn't your run of the mill rat however seeing as he loves books, he even devours them, literally. Due to his uncanny hobby, Firmin tries to become friends with his fellow book loving creatures namely the humans that also inhabit the store. Not only does he become intellectually stimulated, his emotions also start to take him places he didn't even know existed and soon he finds out that the world is no place a unique literature-loving furball like himself.
If the cover and the drawings are anything to go by, I'll be in for a wild and highly original ride with a hint of magic and a dash of melancholy. This is an unusual ode to literature as well as a tail (pun intended) about the decay of hope and individuality in modern day society with one of the most endearing and unforgettable protagonists I've encountered in a while.
I can't wait to read it! Sadly he's got to wait in line with a couple of dozen other books that were lucky enough to make my "to be read this summer" pile.
Rats you say? I did indeed. Firmin is the sad and beautiful story of a little rat who was born in an old bookstore. He isn't your run of the mill rat however seeing as he loves books, he even devours them, literally. Due to his uncanny hobby, Firmin tries to become friends with his fellow book loving creatures namely the humans that also inhabit the store. Not only does he become intellectually stimulated, his emotions also start to take him places he didn't even know existed and soon he finds out that the world is no place a unique literature-loving furball like himself.
If the cover and the drawings are anything to go by, I'll be in for a wild and highly original ride with a hint of magic and a dash of melancholy. This is an unusual ode to literature as well as a tail (pun intended) about the decay of hope and individuality in modern day society with one of the most endearing and unforgettable protagonists I've encountered in a while.
I can't wait to read it! Sadly he's got to wait in line with a couple of dozen other books that were lucky enough to make my "to be read this summer" pile.
Thursday, 11 June 2009
Update
I am happy to announce that I officially quit my job today! Hooray! Months of whining and rejection finally came to an end last January when I started at Standaard Boekhandel. Little did I know then that more months of whining and utter frustration were just around the corner but no more...
From 29 June I'll be responsible for the external communications of the University Hospital of Antwerp which means I'll be writing leaflets and articles for their magazine. It's a part-time job which means I'll finally have enough time for my "stories" and other interesting articles ;) I'm really psyched!
From 29 June I'll be responsible for the external communications of the University Hospital of Antwerp which means I'll be writing leaflets and articles for their magazine. It's a part-time job which means I'll finally have enough time for my "stories" and other interesting articles ;) I'm really psyched!
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