Tanner Life

Reading in July & August
(aka: Twilight & Sisterhood)

I repeat again that this has been the strangest summer for me ever, where reading is concerned. I love to read and summer is when I seriously pack in the favorite books! I have a basket full and two stacks in the guest room floor of books that I want to read, the stacks haven't budged the summer. The books I have read are books that I picked up other places. I blogged awhile back asking for suggestions and got some great ones. There are still a couple that I want to get and read. Then there were a few suggestions that I dove into.

I had to grab books to take on our surprise beach trip a few weeks ago. I went with a new James Patterson, "Dangerous Days of Daniel X". I love James Patterson, one of my favorite authors for sure. I normally read through those in a day, two tops! I love his books written for teens/young adults and was excited about this new book. Strangely enough, I couldn't get pass the first handful of chapters. I put it down and have yet to pick it back up. I also took along "Marley & Me". It's a book about a dog, I love dogs. It's going to be made into a movie, surely it's a great story, right? I read through the first 4ish chapters and put it down. It just wasn't keeping me interested.

Then I decided to give a book a try that I was sure I wasn't going to "love". Larilyn, Larelle, Hillary and Holly swore they were great books and the Ls were very insistent that I'd love them. Jo said she couldn't finish it on her first try because of the "teen angst", hmmm.... teen angst is usually right up my alley. (Do you know my favorite shows on TV past & present??) Then again, it's no secret that these are about vampires. Vampires? Seriously? I am NOT into vampires! But I picked it up and headed to the pool..........

And I was hooked!!!!

"Twilight" is one of my new favorite books (and series) of all time. I am putting it high up there on the list. It had me hooked from the first chapter and I couldn't put it down. Bella moves across country and in with her Dad for her brand new year as a Sophomore in high school. (I think she's a sophomore in the first book) She makes new friends and runs into a guy who seems to hate her from first sight. Is it possible for "hate at first sight" to occur? It seems like it to Bella. As the story unfolds, you fall madly in love with the characters (some more than others) and you find that vampires aren't as strange and out there as you once thought. I absolutely could not put it down. My copy is trashed, as beach books always are, with torn pages, water wear and blue popsicle remains. I couldn't wait to head to Walmart in Gulf Shores for book #2.

"New Moon" was possibly my least favorite of the 4. It wasn't "bad" and I read through it just as quickly, it just wasn't what I expected. I love how the author (Stephanie Meyers) portrays some feelings there on a few pages . . there near the beginning ish... If you've read it, you know the pages. If you haven't, I don't want to give it away. I thought it was neat though. Still, it leaves you wanting so much more.

"Eclipse" & "Breaking Dawn" are sort of smushed together in my mind. We went to Books A Million, still in Gulf Shores, to pick up the 3rd. I didn't have a chance to start it until we got home and I just gave up life in general and devoted the entire day Saturday to reading. It was fantastic and I was ready to run out immediately Sunday morning to pick up the final book in the series. (That had just come out the day before) So Sunday was devoted again to reading the entire last book! It was fantastic. I couldn't have asked for more. It was a little different than the other books and I had mixed feelings as I read it. What direction were we going in? What were we building towards? But when it was all said and done, I think it was done just right and can't imagine it any other way. I especially loved the middle of the final book, called "Book 2" in the book itself.

There were tons of fantastic quotes in the books, but I hate to share those in case you haven't read them. I don't want to give anything away and it surely would. Pick up Twilight, read it. Forget what you think you feel about wierd vampire books, forget what you think about how cheesy a book about teens is, read it..... You'll love it!!! I didn't tell my Mom a word about the books, just took them to her house and left them. I told her simply "I read each one in one day, yes they are huge and thick, read 'em" She has read them all in record time as well and loves them as much as I do!!



Did I fail to mention the movie "Twilight" comes out 12/12/08? I'm counting down the days!! If you are a "behind the scenes" reader, like me, visit the authors website. (After you've read the books!!!!) She has some "out takes" of things that didn't fit, some explanations, etc.. Be sure you wait until you're read them all though or you'll read spoilers and that takes the fun out of these for sure!



"Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" has been on of my favorite books for quite awhile. I read the first book twice, once before and once after the movie came out. I love the movie and it's one I put in when nothing is on TV. Great movie and has inspired my desire to visit Greece someday! I read all other 3 books as soon as they came out, loving them all! I have looked forward to the next movie coming out for quite awhile. In anticipation I thought I'd reread book #2, afterall it's the second movie. As I read through it in a day, I realized that previews of the movie weren't just coming from book #2. So, I picked up #3 and reread it again as well. I read it in a day and remembered why I loved the books so much in the first place. Super great and easy summer reading. I'm glad I started this again. After a little research and still thinking about the previews I'd seen, I realized that the movie is a summary of books 2-4, with a heavy focus on #4. Who knew? (I guess the girls are getting older and we just can't keep making the movies of each book) Anyway, I read them all again and absolutely loved them. I'm glad I picked them back up and they were the perfect way to really wrap up the summer reading that had been strange so far. They were easy to read, sweet, heart warming, made me laugh and made me cry. I can't wait to see the movie. (This afternoon with Mom)