Twilight... again. I am pathetically obsessed, and have aggression issues.
This is a quote from the Metro newspaper review of the Twilight movie - I will post it immediately, because every time I read it it soothes me a little bit; "As Bella becomes more attracted to Edward, she discovers that the Cullens are a clan of vampires … but very safe emo-vampires who only drink animal blood and spend most of their time silently emoting and looking pretty rather than preying on helpless victims." teehee. *deep breaths*
Here's the thing. I don't know why I'm getting so upset about this piece of shit book... I mean, if someone wants to write a poorly edited, pathetically cheesy love story, more power to them, right? But here's the thing: to me, writing is an ART. This book (series) was CLEARLY produced for money alone, and you can tell, as it is catering toward a very specific demographic: undereducated teenage girls.
On top of that, fine - let people read and write what they want. But I've had SO many people tell me, "Well, isn't it better that teens are reading, at least?". My answer: "No." The thing is, even as a teen - shit, even as a 6 year old - I read anyways, like three books a day, so the fact that teens are reading should NOT be a bonus, it should be a given. Secondly, if teens are going to be reading only a few books here and there, they should read something well written; I'm not saying it has to be deep, if you want cheesy romance, by all means, go for it. I've been known to indulge in brainless-warm-fuzzy books on occasion too. But Twilight reads like it was written by a twelve year old - they story is inconsistant, and the grammar is appalling. Nevermind the fact that Stephanie Meyer would appear to have said "Gee, I think I'll become a writer today" rather than learn her grammar rules, I ask you: Where is her editor?! Teens, if reading is going to be a bonus, should be reading things that at the very least don't encourage bad habits in their writing. Language is being degraded enough in today's society, we don't need poor writing idolized.
Lastly, all this aside, the amount of advertising and publicity going into this book is RIDICULOUS. It had a midnight selling, posters EVERYWHERE, countdowns, it's own section in the bookstore... I mean, if you are going to throw that much money into an author's carreer, there are SO many more deserving FANTASTIC authors out there who struggle for recognition just because they won't cater to the lowest common denomenator. Let's support THEM, shall we?
So, to make this post less of a rant and more useful (too late, I know) I'm going to give you a list of my favourite books that everyone should read. Some are truely moving, and have literally changed my life. Some are captivating. Some are just pure fluff for on a cold winter night. In any case, consider them.
1 - The Ice Queen - Alice Hoffman
2 - A Great and Terrible Beauty - Libba Bray
3 - The Chrysalids - John Wyndham
4 - Dealing with Dragons - Patricia C. Wrede
5 - Four Letter Word - Various (edited by Joshua Knelman and Rosalind Porter)
6 - One for the Money - Janet Evanovich
7 - Exit Strategy, and Bitten - Kelley Armstrong
8 - Guilty Pleasures - Laurell K. Hamilton
9 - Oryx and Crake - Margaret Atwood
10 - The Girl Who Owned a City - O.T. Nelson
11 - Moon Called - Patricia Briggs
12 - Lord of the Far Isle - Victoria Holt
13 - Something from the Nightside - Simon R. Green
14 - Lamb - Christopher Moore
15 - Kitty and the Midnight Hour - Carrie Vaughn
16 - Longly Werewolf Girl - Martin Millar
17 - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
18 - Good Omens - Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
19 - 1984 - George Orwell
20 - The Princess Bride - William Goldman
Read. Enjoy. Please.
Here's the thing. I don't know why I'm getting so upset about this piece of shit book... I mean, if someone wants to write a poorly edited, pathetically cheesy love story, more power to them, right? But here's the thing: to me, writing is an ART. This book (series) was CLEARLY produced for money alone, and you can tell, as it is catering toward a very specific demographic: undereducated teenage girls.
On top of that, fine - let people read and write what they want. But I've had SO many people tell me, "Well, isn't it better that teens are reading, at least?". My answer: "No." The thing is, even as a teen - shit, even as a 6 year old - I read anyways, like three books a day, so the fact that teens are reading should NOT be a bonus, it should be a given. Secondly, if teens are going to be reading only a few books here and there, they should read something well written; I'm not saying it has to be deep, if you want cheesy romance, by all means, go for it. I've been known to indulge in brainless-warm-fuzzy books on occasion too. But Twilight reads like it was written by a twelve year old - they story is inconsistant, and the grammar is appalling. Nevermind the fact that Stephanie Meyer would appear to have said "Gee, I think I'll become a writer today" rather than learn her grammar rules, I ask you: Where is her editor?! Teens, if reading is going to be a bonus, should be reading things that at the very least don't encourage bad habits in their writing. Language is being degraded enough in today's society, we don't need poor writing idolized.
Lastly, all this aside, the amount of advertising and publicity going into this book is RIDICULOUS. It had a midnight selling, posters EVERYWHERE, countdowns, it's own section in the bookstore... I mean, if you are going to throw that much money into an author's carreer, there are SO many more deserving FANTASTIC authors out there who struggle for recognition just because they won't cater to the lowest common denomenator. Let's support THEM, shall we?
So, to make this post less of a rant and more useful (too late, I know) I'm going to give you a list of my favourite books that everyone should read. Some are truely moving, and have literally changed my life. Some are captivating. Some are just pure fluff for on a cold winter night. In any case, consider them.
1 - The Ice Queen - Alice Hoffman
2 - A Great and Terrible Beauty - Libba Bray
3 - The Chrysalids - John Wyndham
4 - Dealing with Dragons - Patricia C. Wrede
5 - Four Letter Word - Various (edited by Joshua Knelman and Rosalind Porter)
6 - One for the Money - Janet Evanovich
7 - Exit Strategy, and Bitten - Kelley Armstrong
8 - Guilty Pleasures - Laurell K. Hamilton
9 - Oryx and Crake - Margaret Atwood
10 - The Girl Who Owned a City - O.T. Nelson
11 - Moon Called - Patricia Briggs
12 - Lord of the Far Isle - Victoria Holt
13 - Something from the Nightside - Simon R. Green
14 - Lamb - Christopher Moore
15 - Kitty and the Midnight Hour - Carrie Vaughn
16 - Longly Werewolf Girl - Martin Millar
17 - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
18 - Good Omens - Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
19 - 1984 - George Orwell
20 - The Princess Bride - William Goldman
Read. Enjoy. Please.