Susan Hated Literature

So I bought my shiny shiny Nintendo DS Lite last night. And got a great deal from Argos. €149 for the console, a game^[1] and an accessory pack. So basically I paid for the console and got the rest of the stuff for free. I also bought one of those Brain Training thingies. Which was supposed to cost 30 quid, only they only charged my 15. Score!

And I’ve gone ahead and ordered my R2 card plus 2gb micro card so once that arrives I’ll be well sorted for all my gaming needs.

In other news Carl’s RIP Challenge comes to an end today. And for it I read Fool Moon by Jim Butcher, The Prestige by Christopher Priest, Danse Macabre by Laurell K. Hamilton, Wormwood by Poppy Z.Brite, Lost Souls by Michael Collins, and The Road by Cormac MacCarthy. And I’ve just bought Stephanie Meyer’s Eclipse^[2] so I’ll read that this evening. And there are plenty more reviews for you to investigate here.

Author: Stephenie Meyer
#2 in Twilight verse
ISBN: 0316160199
DDC 813.6

I was ninety-nine point nine percent sure I was dreaming.
The reasons I was so certain were that, first, I was standing in a bright shaft of sunlight - the kind of blinding clear sun that never shone on my drizzly new hometown in Forks, Washington - and second, I was looking at my Grandma Marie.

This is such an easy book to enjoy, I have a feeling it, and the first in the ‘verse Twilight, will be one that can be reread and enjoyed time and again. In essence it is a teenage paranormal love story. With all the melodrama and hormones that might imply. Bella, the protagonist from Twilight is still in Forks, and still in love with Edward Cullen, and yes, he is still a vampire. Things like that don’t really change.

But things don’t really get any easier either, especially not when a little paper cut can turn a vampire from a relatively normal individual into a blood crazed fiend.

I really enjoy Meyer’s writing; it is gripping and entertaining. A real page turner.

Author: Stephenie Meyer
ISBN: 1904233805
DDC: 813.6
See also: LibraryThing ; Official Site

My mother drove me to the airport with the windows rolled down. It was seventy-five degrees in Phoenix, the sky a perfect, cloudless blue. I was wearing my favorite shirt -sleeveless, white eyelet lace; I was wearing it as a farewell gesture. My carry-on item was a Parka.

I picked this up in Chapters because the title and author sounded vaguely familiar, I wasn’t sure from where, and I don’t like that cover, but it was only €4, so I figured what the hell. Turned out I’d seen it mentioned over at Heather’s and I think that Andi enjoyed it too.

The American cover is a lot nicer, but the novel itself is the thing that is important, right?

At first I was a bit meh, the opening preface and the blurb at the back had me thinking this was your predictable teen vampire book. But once I got reading it I just couldn’t stop. Sure, it is a little predictable, and if you are a plot fan then you may not get a lot out of this book. Me, I like characters, and this has an excellent first person narrator in Isabella Swan, or Bella as she prefers to be called.

It isn’t a deep and serious literary work, but it is exactly what it sets out to be, a highly enjoyable and readable vampire romance. It is a real page turner, and I know I’ll want to read the sequel.

The basic plot revolves around Bella. She has left her home in Phoenix to live with the father in the sleepy, cloudy town of Forks, Washington State. Her mother has a new love interest and Bella wants her to have the space to be happy, so she has sacrificed her love of the sun for the rain of her father’s place. Once in Forks she finds herself the centre of attention, not always wanted, mainly for being the new girl. But she also begins to notice the Cullens, a family of outsiders that no one seems to talk to. And one of them in particular gets her attention.

Go on and read it if you have the chance, it is a lovely read.