I finally went to see the film adaption of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight...
I enjoyed Stephenie Meyer's novel Twilight. I sighed at the romance, smiled at Bella and Edward, and shivered during vampire violence, so I definitely wanted to check out the movie.
And I believe this movie was made for the fans.
With very minor changes, the movie followed much of the major scenes of the book. I love when that happens.
I dragged my husband along to watch with me, what a great guy, huh? He liked when the action picked up, but he hadn't read the book! He didn't know all the scenes that made it to the movie. He couldn't compare novel Bella to film Bella or novel Edward to film Edward.
But I could, and it was fun. I'm going to share a bit about the movie that I enjoyed without giving too much away!
Scenes that made me sigh:
When Edward saved Bella--twice.
The scene in the forest.
Edward and Bella's first kiss.
Scenes that made me smile:
Edward's first reaction to Bella's scent.
Jasper's painful expression.
Vampire baseball.
Bella and her father's reactions to boys.
Scenes that made me shiver:
Edward and Bella's first kiss.
The scary vampires.
Would I have enjoyed the book less without having read the book...maybe, so I'm glad I introduced myself to the novel Edward and Bella before the film Edward and Bella!
So have you seen it? Share your thoughts or your blog links? If you haven't seen it, do you want to?
:)
Monday, December 01, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Tina: Welcome, Jennifer, and thanks for joining us! Could you please tell us a little about your background and how you came to be a YA librarian?
Jennifer: I always loved books, but just kind of fell into the librarian world. I was a senior in college and not knowing what the next step would be. I talked to some people about it and thought that, yeah, that sounds cool. I could talk about books all day. So I went to graduate school. The first day I went to classes, I found the local library and took a look around. Before long, I picked up some teen books and just like that, I was hooked. I took a young adult literature course where we had to read 30 different books of all genres. I LOVED it. I could read for class. I expanded my knowledge and knew it was the path for me. I wouldn’t change it now; it’s the best job EVER.
Here is Jennifer’s avatar, which won a YALSA award.
Tina: We'd love to know about your typical work day at the Otis Library, including some of your favorite (and least favorite?) moments?
Jennifer: I usually spend the first hour or so reading blogs (like this one!), emails, and catching up on news. Then I move write up a list for the day of things I’d like to accomplish. It’s usually long and rarely gets finished in a day. My focus changes every day. Some days I need to create of list of books and materials to purchase or create a display or a bookmark for a display or I need to put together a program. Sometimes I do some research into a area that I need to improve upon and there are librarian journals to read.
My favorite moments are purchasing books (it’s great when you’re spending someone else’s money), helping someone find just the right book or sharing news that just makes their day, and having a really fun program like gingerbread house making or transforming clothes. I also love talking with authors, over MySpace or blogs. I’m sometimes star struck when this happens, but I love meeting my favorite authors, even if it is in cyberspace.
My least favorite moments deal with disciplining patrons. I really hate this and am horrible at it. I also hate it when someone comes to the desk with a list of books they want to read and none of them are checked in. It’s always hard to tell someone they have to wait until we can get it for them. And this one is just a pet peeve, but I hate summer reading lists. We never had these where I’m from (Vermont), and some of the books are just, well to put it bluntly, boring. There are so many fresh titles out there that it’s hard for me to hand over some of the titles schools are require teens to read.
Tina: No doubt, your patrons are lucky to have you. So now tell us, has a patron ever brought a book to your attention that went on to become one of your favorites?
Jennifer: I have a new favorite almost every time I finish a book, but this happens to me all the time. And if you ask me to name titles…that’s a bit harder. I hear a lot about books from various blogs that I immediately put on hold. Or from librarians, Twilight is an example of this. I didn’t really think I liked books about vampires. But after reading Twilight, I scoured for other YA vamp books. A patron told me about Scorcery and Cecelia, I loved that one.
Tina: A middle school librarian told me that someone took off with their copy of Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress, and to be flattered by that. Is there one particular book or author's books that keeps "disappearing" from your shelves and needs replacing?
Jennifer: All the time and there are several: Cut by Patricia McCormick, TTYL by Lauren Myracle, Crank by Ellen Hopkins, all the books from the Twilight saga, several graphic novels, and I’m sure there are others that I’m unaware of at the moment.
Some of Jennifer’s books from her home collection.
Tina: Okay, last question. You're about to take off on a 14 hour international flight. Sure, they'll be movies and meals, but plenty of time to read, too. You can bring one book--either one you've already read, have been wanting to read, or one that's in the works like "Stephenie Meyer's latest." What's it going to be and why?
Jennifer: Wow, only one book, that’s really hard. I’m going to say the Dance of Dragons, the new upcoming fantasy novel from George R.R. Martin. He’s quickly become one of my very favorite authors. He’s funny, clever, writes amazingly and creates unique characters.
Tina: Thank you so much for visiting with us, answering these questions (some of which were hard--sorry!) and giving us these pictures to share.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Continuing our series of turning the tables and interviewing our readers, we are pleased to introduce this week’s volunteer, HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER, Jodi Gleason!
Let's open with a picture of Jodi, on the right, with one of her favorite authors, whose identity will be revealed later...
Tina: Hi, Jodi...or Mrs. Gleason, as I’m sure your students call you. Could you please tell us a little about yourself and how you came to be a high school teacher?
Jodi: I have been married for 16 years and I have a 14 year old son. I went back to school when my son was in 2nd grade so I have only been teaching for 3 years. I taught 8th grade for the last two years and recently moved up to teaching Freshmen and Sophomores. I became a teacher because I wanted to impact students they way that my teachers had done for me. Growing up in Frankfort, Indiana, I had some of the best teachers ever and I wanted to be just like them. Mrs. Pletch, my senior English teacher, is the reason I teach high school. She made literature come alive and become personal to all of us.
Tina: I’m sure your students appreciate you as much as you did Mrs. Pletch! Now...do you ever look back on your own teen years and think if you knew then what you know now and what would that thing be?
Jodi: The one thing that I wish I knew back then was that I am okay just as I am. I wrestled with my weight and by my senior year, I was a borderline anorexic. I hardly ate anything during the day and I lost a lot of weight but I still thought I looked fat. As I have grown, I have grown to like myself no matter what size I am but it has taken me 35 years to get to this point.
Tina: Ditto, here, about wishing I’d appreciated myself as I was! Moving on, can you tell us a few books that you see teens reading for fun?
Jodi: For fun, I see teens reading the Stephanie Meyers’ Twilight series, Story of A Girl by Sara Zarr, my middle school boys loved Diary of A Wimpy Kid, Sarah Dessen and Laurie Halse Anderson are always popular choices, and Gossip Girls.
Tina: Great books! Based on your current experiences in school, how are some ways that teen authors are getting it right?
Jodi: Teen authors, in my personal opinion, are rocking compared to when I was young. They are writing about issues the kids face. I think of the subjects that my students have encountered and I can usually think of a book for them to read. Teen authors are also creating great series for teens to read like Twilight. I personally love the books as an adult and many of the teachers that I work with also enjoy the books. I also think teen authors are approachable to the teens and that helps. I see a lot of readers post on the author's websites about how this or that book helped them and the authors usually reply. I think that is awesome.
Tina: Yes, I think the Internet has made it so much easier for authors to communicate with their readers, and (with thanks to special people like you), help us to make it real. Now, last question...you’re about to take off on a 14 hour international flight. Sure, they'll be movies and meals, but plenty of time to read, too. You can bring one book--either one you've already read, have been wanting to read, or one that's in the works. What's it going to be and why?
Jodi: I am a book junkie and the thought of just taking one book is so hard. Laurie Halse Anderson has a new one coming out next year and I would like to read it but I would also like to read the sequel to Jennifer Weiner's Good in Bed for myself since not all of the reading I do is for work. It would be between those two and I can't pick, so I would probably take them both.
Tina: Okay, I’ll be nice and change the question so you can bring two. =) And now, for those of us who did not immediate recognize the author in the picture above, will you please reveal her identity!
Jodi: It’s Laurie Halse Anderson.
Tina: She's a favorite of mine, too.
Jodi: Thanks for letting me participate and thanks for the blog because I use it to select books for my classroom.
Tina: Thank you! (And did you hear that, Kelly? Teachers like Jodi are using our blog to select books for their classrooms. Pressure! LOL.)
