I'm late to the party, too... I've read all 3 of the books this past week [yes, I should have been doing...well... LOTS of other things, but I digress].

While I got sucked in, I have to say that the storyline as I've read each book has been utterly predictable. I can't decide if that is a good or bad thing.

Still, despite the utter predictability of the first 3 books, I'm not totally sure where the author will go with book 4. So yes, August 2... I'll be reading!

BTW: There's a piece of me that would like to do a feminist/academic analysis of the books. I know it is fiction, but there are some things that have really not sit well with me [i.e, what she would have to give up to be with Edward vs. Jacob], particularly given that the audience is intended to be teen/young adult. Admittedly, I'm not in that demographic, but I make a point of being somewhat in tune with the pop culture of that demographic because I want to be able to talk with my kids about what they are reading, seeing, etc.

But that's just a piece of me. The rest of me has enjoyed the brain candy!

I was hoping there was a thread about this. I just recently (like this morning, lol) finished Twilight, and now i'm waiting for my cousin to finish up New Moon.

I really liked the first book, it kept me intrigued to the end, so hopefully the rest of the books will be that way.

I saw the cast of characters for the movie, and i'm really disappointed. I saw a more Hayden Christiansen looking person for Edward, not Cedric from Harry Potter

Kristen Stewart looks like an interesting Bella, not quite what I would have expected, but at least she's in the age range that Bella is (vs being a 28 year old playing a teenager)

Nikki Reed (aka the skanky girl from the movie Thirteen) is sooooooo not a Rosalie!! And as a blonde....barf!!!

and Peter Facinelli for Carlisle?? Really?

http://i34.tinypic.com/euok7k.jpg

The cast was a HUGE disappointment for me!! I have such a vivid imagination, and when I read, it's like there's a mini movie playing in my head. The appearances of the vampires are so specific in the book, yet the on-screen portrayal looks nothing like I imagined. I mean, the actor playing Carlisle is 34! A good 10 years older than the character...ugh

In one of my Twilight MySpace groups, I commented on how I didn't think anyone looked right, and all these 16 and 17 yr olds started going berserko!! One even replied with "I don’t think your face looks right, especially the ugly words coming out of your mouth, either stand by it or don’t go see it, don’t sit and complain. I’ve had enough of the stupid haters."

I actually was so bored one night that I scoured the interwebz looking for who I thought should have been cast where. lol I'll share my picks if y'all are interested.

This is what I did! Seriously. The Cullens are suppose to be this unbelievably gorgeous family....all looking VERY similar, yet there are little differences among them. None of these people strike me as Cullens. I can't take Peter Facinelli (Carlisle) seriously.

The Harry Potter dude is just.....FUGLY. Soooo not Edward!! Maybe someone from the High School like Mike Newton, but not Edward!

Plus Emmett is suppose to be big and burly---just HUGE. He's suppose to be able to take down a grizzly bear, none of those in the picture look like an Emmett.

So I was at the movie for Dark Knight, and I saw the trailer for Twilight.

I just don't understand why they change the look of the characters. I mean Stephanie Meyers described all the characters, yet the cast doesn't resemble the descriptions--for example, Laurent.

I now see why people get upset when the movie doesn't resemble the book. I'm still hoping that it will be good....we'll see what happens.

She went into SUCH detail describing the characters! Their looks were such an important part of the books....that why I'm so upset about who was cast.

Exactly! I was watching that show w/ Amanda Bynes & Jenny Garth. Well there was a kid on there that I saw that totally resembled my version of Edward! I kept thinking that they should have cast him---he had the 'golden' hair and was really light skinned. I was like :eek:

I kept telling my mom about their casting decisions and she disagrees. She read the book, but obviously doesn't remember the descriptions b/c she agrees with the casting....she thinks they are pretty well casted. All I keep thinking is "but Laurent wasn't black in the book!"

My daughter, the teenage bookworm who introduced me to this series, loves the casting for Edward, as do her friends. She's more excited about the next book than about the movie though. (And the Sisterhood of the Pants number 2 movie)

I'm double posting here but I have to note that Borders is having Breaking Dawn release parties this Friday to get the book at midnight. I may or may not be there.. my daughter is completely and totally torn because she's supposed to go camping with a church youth group for the weekend but now she is thinking she might not go. I teased her that I will go, get Breaking Dawn for her and read it before she gets home from camping <evil laugh> because we have been arguing (in a fond, teasing sort of way) over who gets to read it first!

That's cool, what do you do at release parties? Just read the book? We don't have a Borders here :(

So my aunt is having financial difficulties, yet she's ready to buy my cousin Breaking Dawn when it comes out. It will take me a day to read the book but my cousin wants her own copy. Mayeb its just me, but I think paying your phone bill (because your phone has been disconnected) is more important than a book.


ETA: I rented Penelope the other day @ there is a "sneak preview" for Twilight. Although there are some discrepancies, i'm starting to get really excited for the movie. I got a "team Edward" sticker w/ my copy of Eclipse, so i'm gonna iron it on a t-shirt and wear it to the movie. Hahahaha....lol i feel like such a little girl though.

I just started these books two weeks ago, and I LOVE them! I am really excited about the book. I'm going to be in the middle of a road trip, so I'm going to try to find a hotel near a bookstore so I can buy it that morning when I wake up.

Edward's casting bugged me until I saw the trailers. I think he's closer than what I originally thought he'd be. The EW cover made him look fugly though.

yes, I agree!! The EW cover, even the pictures on IMDB just make him (shoot all the Cullens) super fugly. But after seeing a few trailers, i'm starting to like him.

SPOILER
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(highlight to see)
Stephanie Meyer said in EW that Bella and Edward's wedding is early in the book and that she had fun writing that scene.

I kinda figured. W/ my copy of Eclipse I got to read the 1st chapter of Breaking Dawn, and it set it up for that. Sounds like its gonna be eventful! hopefully it is.

I'm just hoping that "the change" 1. happens (especially since it is the finale) and 2. happens at the beginning rather than the end. I wanna see what Bella's like as a newborn!!

I'm halfway a "Team Jacob"er
There's a soft spot in my heart for him that's not there for Edward