Book Blogger Hop: July 23 to 26

I don't always participate in the Book Blogger Hop, but I do often have a look at the blogs on the list. It really depends on whether or not I have time over the weekend to spend some time hopping from one blog to another as it isn't enough to post about the Hop, the idea is to spend time looking at other blogs!

I was initially also a bit worried about the fact that the post would be the same every week as well, but over the last few weeks Jennifer has started asking questions which makes it a little bit different each week. This week's Jennifer asks us to talk about the book that we are currently reading.

I am still reading, and enjoying, The Passage by Justin Cronin, but I have talked about that a couple of times already. The other book I am reading at the moment is The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer. Luckily it is short and I should be done with it soon. The only problem with it really is that it doesn't have any chapter breaks, which is one of my pet peeves for books! It upsets my reading patterns! I am planning to talk about this a little more in my Sunday Salon post tomorrow. Unfortunately, my next read is also from an author who doesn't seem to like chapter breaks either!

Want to know more about the Hop. Here's some information, but for all the details head on over to Crazy-for-Books.com.

In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and find new book-related blogs that we may be missing out on!  This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books!  It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs that they may not know existed!  So, grab the logo, post about the Hop on your blog, and start HOPPING through the list of blogs that are posted in the Linky list !!

Twilight: The Graphic Novel Vol 1 - Stephenie Meyer and Young Kim

When Isabella Swan moves to the gloomy town of Forks and meets the mysterious, alluring Edward Cullen, her life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. With his porcelain skin, golden eyes, mesmerizing voice, and supernatural gifts, Edward is both irresistible and impenetrable. Up until now, he has managed to keep his true identity hidden, but Bella is determined to uncover his dark secret...

Beautifully rendered, this first installment of Twilight: The Graphic Novel is a must-have for any collector's collection.

The current trend to turn successful novels and series into graphic novels is one which has passed me by to a certain extent. Whilst I know for example that there is a graphic novel of Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter series, I haven't yet managed to read it. In fact, most of the graphic novels that I have read have all started out as graphic novels and not been converted from an existing series. I actually think I prefer the idea of the upcoming Outlander graphic novel a bit better. Rather than a straight retelling of one of the existing books, it is a companion story and will have new events to share with the reader.

This graphic novel was a pleasant surprise, in that it tells the story that is familiar that is told in the first of the Twilight novels and in a some what altered fashion in the movie, it was good to see that the imagery used in the graphic novel didn't seem to have been influenced by the movie in terms of the way that the characters were portrayed. The only thing is that I still like the way that Charlie Swan looks in the movie! I can't remember who the actor is that plays him, but for me he is still one of the best parts of the movies.

Young Kim has done an excellent job of illustrating the events in the book, and bringing Stephenie Meyer's words into a new medium. 

I would say that I would happily drool over the Edward from the graphic novel more than I would ever drool over Robert Pattinson. Jacob not so much.

One thing that Bella from the graphic novel and the movie do have in common is that they both have good hair! I know that for graphic novel Bella was drawn that way (to paraphrase Jessica Rabbit), but it doesn't stop this hair-challenged person being envious!


This book counted for the Vampire Series challenge, and I have now completed that challenge. I will do a wrap up post later this week.

Actually, yesterday was a bit of a Twilight day really, because in addition to reading this, I also went and saw Eclipse with a group of friends. I liked it a lot. The movies have definitely improved a lot. I do look forward to watching Breaking Dawn, but I must confess that I am concerned with how a few things are going to be portrayed given that there were a few moments in the book that had me wanting to throw the book at the wall! I guess we will see in due course how I like the movie.

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of their human hosts while leaving their bodies intact, and most of humanity has succumbed.

Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, knew about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the too vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn't expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of the man Melanie loves-Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from her body's desires, Wanderer yearns for a man she's never met. As outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off to search for the man they both love.

Featuring what may be the first love triangle involving only two bodies, THE HOST is a riveting and unforgettable novel that will bring a vast new readership to one of the most compelling writers of our time.

Late last year when I was reading the Twilight saga, I noticed that Stephenie Meyer had added a new book to her website which she was saying was Sci Fi for those people who don't read Sci Fi. I must confess to being very intrigued by the cover, but more than a little sceptical because I am one of those people who doesn't really read much science fiction, although I did read another book in this genre earlier this year when I participated in the Sci-Fi Experience that Carl hosted.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that this book really was excellent. Not that I didn't already know that Stephenie Meyer knows how to write a story, but simply because normally the whole alien body snatcher aspects really wouldn't do very much for me.

Our story opens when our alien (soul), who is known as Wanderer, is being transplanted in Melanie Stryder, her new host. Her species are almost symbiotic in that they come to a new planet and then slowly take over by being transplanted into the home species and then improve life. For Earth those improvements have meant the end of wars, to illness, to violence. Not all their changes have been improvements. For example, because the aliens don't appreciate or even understand competitiveness in sport due to their passive nature, a game of basketball has become a game of apologies and of the opposing team trying to politely give the other team the ball when it goes out of court.

Wanderer is somewhat unusual amongst her race, because she has lived on many different planets. Where most of the souls find a home for themselves within one or two planets, Wanderer has lived on 8 planets, and in as many different body types but is yet to find the world where she truly feels at home.

What should happen when a soul is implanted in a new host, is that the host's personality disappears and the soul takes over every aspect of their life including their memories. When Wanderer is implanted within Melanie things don't quite go to plan because Melanie just won't go away. Part of the reason why Wanderer was chosen to host Melanie was that the Seekers wanted to use Melanie's memories to track down a group of human rebels but Melanie is strong enough to block her memories thus protecting her younger brother, her lover Jared, and the other humans who are hiding out in the desert.

Slowly but surely, Wanderer and Melanie get to know each other, and begin to like each other, enough for Wanderer to begin to give some thought as to what it must be like for Mel. Eventually she agrees to help Mel try to find out what happened to her loved ones, leading Wanderer away from everything that she knows, and into a strange and hostile environment.

For me, the real strength of this novel is in the relationships, and the fact that Meyer successfully manages to negotiate what could have been very difficult is testament to her skill. Not only is there the relationship between Mel and Wanderer, but also Mel's individual relationships with Jamie and Jared (her brother and lover), and Wanderer's relationship with them, and her growing friendship with Ian (my favourite I think!), who is one of the other human rebels. There is also interesting dissection of the nature of acceptance when Wanderer does meet up with the rebels. In the beginning the reception is very hostile and threatening, but gradually the barriers begin to break down as Wanderer (who becomes known as Wanda) interacts with the people within the compound, and gradually strives to become an integral part of the group, but not without plenty of opposition.

Another strength of this book is the world building. Whilst the novel's setting is Earth, and as such doesn't require a lot of world building, Meyer hasn't taken the easy way out and left it at that. The rules of the soul's society are complex, and she allows us to see glimpses of the other very strange and different worlds that the souls have taken over both in her thoughts, and through the talks that Wanda shares with the group.

As I was getting closer to the end of the book, I admit that I was a bit concerned about how the author was going to manage to bring all the loose ends together in a satisfactory way, but she completed managed to do so.

Whilst I knew I would like this book, I was surprised that I enjoyed it so much. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I graded it 4.75/5, but given that I don't do the quarter grades, I rounded it up to 5 out of 5 - my first for the year (but not my last!)


Other Blogger's Thoughts

Book Binge
Stephanie's Confessions of a Book-a-holic
Kailana's Written World
The Bluestocking Society
Rachel Reads
Maw Books
So Many Books, So Little Time
Savvy Verse and Wit
Books and Musings from Downunder
Katrina Reads
Melissa's Bookshelf
Hey Lady! Watcha Readin'?



If you have reviewed this book, leave a comment and I will link to your review.

Breaking Dawn cover

I was messing around tonight on Amazon when I saw that the cover for Breaking Dawn, the fourth book in the Twilight saga by Stephenie Meyer, is now up



I've really loved all the other covers in this series, but this one is really plain and boring. Maybe the cover doesn't matter as much because they already know it is going to be a bestseller regardless??

Stephenie Meyer mini-challenge

You know that I can't help myself when it comes to challenges don't you?

When I saw that Becky had put up another mini challenge, this time for Stephenie Meyer, I found it very difficult to resist, even though I have made it a bit harder for myself but having already read the three books that are out in the Twilight Saga already. There is still however The Host, and then Breaking Dawn to come before the challenge finishes up, so there are still options for me! All you have to do to complete the challenge is to read two of Meyer's books between 1 June 2008 and 30 January 2009. Becky also has a couple of other options available. You can get full details from the link above.

So when I went to the library tonight and one of the books I picked up was The Host, it seemed like the perfect time to sign up for the challenge!

I promise that I am actually working my way towards finishing some of these challenges. No...really I am!

I don't recall seeing that before

I am as big a fan of the Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer as anyone, but I must confess that I am a little concerned at how much hype there is going to be around the release of Breaking Dawn.

Today I was browsing through my Amazon recommends list over and Breaking Dawn was one of the things that was recommended. Nothing unusual there...until you look at the cover image. Normally if the cover hasn't been released yet, then there is a No Image....errr.....image. But not for this book! This is what is shown for Breaking Dawn.


In case you can't read it, the bottom right hand corner says "Cover to be Released Summer 2008...".

I don't think I have ever seen that before. A sign of the hype to come?

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer

As Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob -- knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella has one more decision to make: life or death. But which is which?

Please note that there may be spoilers for those who have not read the first two books in this series......Sorry!

With all the talk a couple of months ago about Stephenie Meyer knocking Harry Potter off of the number 1 on the bestseller list, I have been somewhat surprised to see so many average reviews of this book around the place. Having now finished this book, I can however see where this is coming from.

Bella is just about to graduate from high school, and that also means that the time where she will be turned from human to vampire is rapidly approaching too. Edward is still not really happy at the prospect of turning Bella so soon, and has imposed his own conditions on this happening, which Bella is not sure that she can meet. She also has to try and reconcile her relationships with Jacob and Edward, as it turns out that they are actually mortal enemies, whose species are fore sworn to fight to the death!

So while Bella is constantly being reminded of the reasons why it is either good to be human, or why it would be difficult to be a newborn vampire, there is a big problem in nearby Seattle with a series of murders. The police are convinced that they are looking for a serial murderer, but the Cullens are convinced that the problem is not a human one, rather a vampire one.

Things change when it is determined that the vampire problem in Seattle is linked to Forks, and that in the end, will end up targeting Bella, and suddenly the vampires and the werewolves must learn to work together to save themselves, and to protect Bella.

There is much that is familiar about this third book - we have a main female who is apparently irresistible to all paranormal creatures (maybe Bella is actually related to Sookie Stackhouse who seems to be just as irresistible to vampires, werewolves etc) and we have a love triangle that include sworn enemies and a beautiful girl.

As to how reviewers are reacting to Bella, I do see where they are coming from. Bella seems determined to put herself in situations where either Jacob or Edward need to either save her, or where Edward in particular has to be the person who shows the maturity and self control to take control of the situation and bring it back under control. Yes, Edward is much older than Bella, but she did seem determined to push him to the limits of his control all the time. She also was quite insecure in many ways, but I am not sure that that is not understandable given the previous events, and that she is marked for death...in more ways than one! Yet despite that, Bella also seems to take any opportunity she can to deceive Edward, or dupe the people who care about her most. Then again, it is very much normal for me to be more hero focussed than heroine focused, and in this case I like both Edward and Jacob. I think that Bella will have to end up with Edward, but I would like to see Jacob happy as well!

Having said that, there was still much to enjoy in this book. The writing was still good (it kept me up until 2am reading last night) and there were plenty of fun moments, including when Edward could read Jacob's thoughts. The night that the three of them spent in the tent was really well written and quite poignant, as two very strong and very different males wrestled with their feelings for Bella.

It was interesting to me when the news stories were happening a while back, how there was such emphasis on the fact that there was no sex in these books, but sex was very much present in this book, maybe not as in the fact that any of our three main characters were having it, but there was certainly a lot of thinking about it and talking about it.

One other thing to mention. Someone on a board that I am on mentioned that she felt that Meyer really laboured the point about Edward being really cold to the touch. To be honest, I don't recall noticing it before, but once it was pointed out to me, it was very much obvious that it was constantly mentioned, but at least in one scene it did mean that Jacob (who is a highly heated creature) gets to do something for Bella that Edward can't, bringing an interesting dynamic to the story.

In conclusion, I did quite enjoy this book. Maybe not as much as Twilight, but it was certainly on a par with New Moon in my opinion. I will still be reading the next book in the series! I will be looking forward to seeing the next cover as Meyer has been quite lucky in the cover stakes in my opinion!


Rating 4/5

Other Blogger's Thoughts:

The Bookworm - Naida
Where Troubles Melt Like Lemon Drops
Melody's Reading Corner
Books Love Me

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

For Bella Swan, there is one thing more important than life itself: Edward Cullen. But being in love with a vampire is more dangerous than Bella ever could have imagined. Edward has already rescued Bella from the clutches of an evil vampire, but now, as their daring relationship threatens all that is near and dear to them, they realize their troubles may just be beginning....

Passionate, riveting, and deeply moving, this vampire love saga is well on its way to literary immortality.

Yes, I know....everyone else in the world is currently obsessing on the next book in the series, Eclipse, but I have only just read New Moon (a couple of months ago), and now have to try and put a review together! I took this to Adelaide with me when I went to visit, and it was a nice way to escape from things when interactions with my mother and the ex got a bit much!

Edward decides that it is for the best if he and Bella split up, because when she gets a paper cut on her finger when opening a present on her birthday she is suddenly more than just attractive to her vampire family. Bella is absolutely devastated that Edward has left her, even though she can still "hear" his voice in her heart, and the book is very good at portraying that devastation. The only person who can seem to get through to Bella is her friend Jacob. The only problems are that Jacob has more than just friends feelings for Bella, and, well, he's going through some changes of his own, and these changes mean that he is destined to be the mortal enemies of the vampires.

When Edward finally returns to Bella's life, it is because this time she needs to save him from himself, as he has decided if he can't have Bella then it isn't worth living. What follows is a desperate flight to Europe to find him, and save him before he gives himself up to the powers that be. Bella seems determined that she needs to be turned into a vampire so that they can now be together, but Edward manages to talk her out of it. I guess it is a theme that will continue to be present through the next book in the series as well.

With it's cast of vampires and werewolves, this book is still an enjoyable read, but for me, not quite as compelling as Twilight was. Despite some of the average reviews that are around, I am still very interested in reading Eclipse. Hopefully I will get to it soon.

I do have to say that I love the covers in this series. So simple but beautiful and effective! Not so keen on the UK cover for Twilight but still!

Rating 4/5

Other Bloggers Thoughts:

The Bookworm - Naida

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Isabella Swan's move to Forks, a small, perpetually rainy town in Washington, could have been the most boring move she ever made. But once she meets the mysterious and alluring Edward Cullen, Isabella's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. Up until now, Edward has managed to keep his vampire identity a secret in the small community he lives in, but now nobody is safe, especially Isabella, the person Edward holds most dear. The lovers find themselves balance precariously on the point of a knife -- between desire and danger.

Deeply romantic and extraordinarily suspenseful, Twilight captures the struggle between defying our instincts and satisfying our desires. This is a love story with bite.

I wish I could remember where I first saw this book mentioned so that I could thank them! Being a relative newcomer to vampire books (only having read one other), this book was completely fresh to me.

When Bella Swan moves to Forks, she goes from being a non entity in Phoenix, to being mega popular in her new school. Unfortunately the only boy she is interested in is Edward Cullen, and well, he's not really a boy. The fact that he disappears on sunny days, and never seems to eat anything, are the first clues as to his real...um, identity I guess!

As for Edward, he is instantly attracted to Bella, and goes out of his way initially to avoid her, because when you are attracted to someone, that tends to end quite badly! Gradually though, Bella and Edward gravitate more and more to each other and Edward begins to learn that he has more control over his desires than he initially thought. As Bella gets herself into more and more scrapes Edward becomes almost like her bodyguard.

Whilst most of the town of Forks has no idea that the well respected Cullen family are anything other than the fine standing citizens that they seem, albeit with very impressive cars, there are certain people who do know and who are trying to warn Bella away from Edward. Edward is also dealing with some resistance from within his own family, but gradually they begin to accept her. However that acceptance nearly turns to a tragedy when some newcomers come to town and find Bella with the Cullens.

The characters in this book are delightful, and there are several very funny moments, including some charming moments when there is a sense of tiredness around living as an immortal. For example, at one point Edward is talking to Bella about two of his brothers and sisters, who have chosen to be each others life partners, and he says something along the lines of "I suppose we'll have to go to their wedding in a few years...again".

Edward and his family are able to be integrated into society as the vampires in Meyer's world don't have to sleep all night in coffins, can be seen in the sunshine and can live on something other than human blood. Having so integrated has the added benefit of allowing them to occasionally take on very human traits.

This was a very enjoyable read, and am looking forward to reading more about Bella and Edward when the sequel is issued later this year. Oh, and both this book and the sequel (called New Moon) have really nice covers in my opinion.

Rating 4.5/5


Other Bloggers Thoughts:

The Bookworm - Naida
Passion for the Page
Not Enough Bookshelves
Paperspine
Katrina's Reads
Sophisticated Dorkiness