Saturday, August 09, 2008

Ugly

So you may have noticed my absence from the internet for a few days. I went to a conference last weekend, but more than that I've been avoiding all things WWW because of this:


I love me a good vampire read, and I got hooked (deep) on Twilight by Stephenie Meyer about 2 weeks ago. I've been reading nonstop for the better part of 10 days to race to the conclusion of the 4th and final book, Breaking Dawn. (roughly translated that means I've read the better part of 3000 pages in the past week.)

I was avoiding the internet (and TV! Folks this was serious!) so as not to be spoiled to the ending.

Maybe if I HAD taken time to peruse the many online sites about Breaking Dawn (or even Amazon.com) I could have saved myself a couple sleepless nights.

Breaking Dawn sucked.

I won't spoil it for you, but the only thing CLOSE to this disjointed and erratic is my own writer's notebook filled with story ideas. I've never actually read anything released that appears so rushed to publication. Plot & characterization are, frankly, missing. And to say it's hard to sit through 700+ pages of disorganized storytelling is putting it mildly.

I'm pissed. (Although now that I've allowed myself back on the net, I discover I am NOT alone in my pissery. "Legions" is being thrown around quite a lot to describe the number of irate readers. )

Having said that, however, the first will remain one of my favorite reads for its poignancy, the characters, and the magical storytelling. It's a well-known fantasy--with a twist. I highly recommend it!


On the bright side...the sewing can resume! Mini-Wardrobe countdown starts now!

10 comments:

  1. ya know, I read twilight a few months ago, 'cause everyone was swooning over edward. i thought it was just ok. i don't plan on checking out more of the series.

    you like vampire fiction? check out chelsea quinn yarbro for some good historical fiction (you want the st. germain series), or laurell k. hamilton for her anita blake series (though forewarned, the sex is really really, um, we'll say it's not vanilla sex. guilty pleasures is the first book, i think). for silly vamp fiction, try maryjanice davidson and her undead and ______ series.

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  2. Ooh thanks for the suggestions! I'll have to look for these at the bookstore this weekend! Now I need a new read. (i.e. Bring on the non-vanilla! :P )

    As for Twilight, I've discovered you either really love it or you're 'meh' about it! She's no JK Rowlings though, I don't get that comparison at all. The storytelling just isn't on the same level of "whoa!"

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  3. wow,,, are you serious!!!
    I'm almost done with new moon and put both eclipse and breaking dawn on hold at my library, the story is cute, but more like corny cute, I think its a gulty pleasure just like my thing with the gossip girl serious on CW. I love the anne rice vampires the most, I am also intrigued with mamafitz recommendations

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  4. still have not jumped on the bandwagon with this series, but i am planning to check it out.

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  5. Tee hee you know I loved it lol. I never got into Harry Potter lol

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  6. Adrienne, I SO trust your judgement!! :D So...since you love it I'm going to give it a while and then probably re-read it and see if I feel different!

    Toy would you believe I've never read Ann Rice? I know, I'm hanging my head in shame right now, LOL. I've got to pick up the first one and get started. I need a new obsession. ;)

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  7. If you're gonna do Ann Rice, do the Mayfair witches series. A nice break from the vampires... I just finished a Jodi Picoult binge: Plain Truth and My Sister's Keeper. So GREAT! Now I know what my mom was raving about!

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  8. I couldn't make it pat "Twilight"... this "Breaking Dawn" backlash is pretty dramatic! There's a whole "return the book" movement on Amazon.

    It's actually nice to see people get up in arms over what they seem to consider lazy, inconsistent writing (I can't say, not having read it myself). But as an author... also kind of terrifying, LOL.

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  9. Kristine, someone else recommended the Mayfair series, so now I'm really intrigued!! Thanks for the rec! And my buddy Tamara is a Jodi Picoult fan, that's how I got turned onto her books too (*waves* at tamara)

    Katie, you big goober. Your book could NEVER be as lame as BD. And I can't WAIT for it to come out!! (Katie's book is "Bad Girls Don't Die " and is coming out in spring 09 I think?)

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  10. *LOL* Your post had me howling! And now reading the comments, it's even funnier! Personally, I can't get into vampire fiction...just not me! But I loves me some Jodi Picoult...especially the twist at the end of her books!

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