Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight Saga

Now that I have had some time to really process everything that happened in Breaking Dawn, I think I’m ready to really write something about the entire Twilight Saga.  I have to say that this series has eclipsed (no pun intended) Harry Potter for me.  The events of Breaking Dawn tied up nearly every loose end to my satisfaction.  Of course, I would like Stephenie Meyer to branch off and tell us more about some other characters, particularly Leah Clearwater and even Renesmee and Jacob’s story.  All in all, I am thrilled with how everything turned out. 

I know there are those out there who are dissatisfied with the storylines in Breaking Dawn, but I, for one, think Stephenie Meyer did a wonderful job, and there is not one thing I would change about this wonderful book or the entire series, for that matter.  I think I’ve become even more obsessed with these books since finishing Breaking Dawn (and that’s saying something).

I look forward to discussing the entire saga with my students and other adult readers as well.  I think it will be interesting to see who likes the way things turned out and who doesn’t.  From what I’ve seen so far, age seems to play a factor here.  Older readers appear to be happy with the series’ outcome while younger readers are disappointed.  This may be pure conjecture, but there could be something to it.  We’ll just have to see…

As for me, I plan to read the entire series over again soon.  I need something to tide me over until December 12th, when the Twilight movie is released.  I can’t wait!

Breaking Dawn - Initial response

I finished reading Stephenie Meyer’s Breaking Dawn at 5pm today (roughly 17 hours after it was released).  I am exhausted!  I must say, though, that this book was worth waiting for.  I’m still processing everything that happened in the book, so I’ll post something more detailed later, but, all in all, I’m fairly satisfied with how things turned out.  I’m hoping that Stephenie will clarify a few things in her Twilight Saga handbook (that is to be released in December–just in time for the release of the Twilight movie) or maybe even in future books. 

I don’t want to ruin the book for anyone who happens to read this, so I’m going to sign off now.  I’m in for some much needed sleep.

In the Name of God

I finished reading Paula Jolin’s In the Name of God today.  It took me a while to get through this book.  It wasn’t a difficult read or anything, but some of the book’s content was hard for me to handle personally.

Nadia is a devout Muslim teen living in Syria.  She strongly feels that the laws of Islam should govern, if not the world, then at least her small part of it.  She struggles with her cousins’ acceptance of the worldly ways of America and the rest of the Western world.  She feels that all around her should embrace God and the Islamic faith.  When her cousin, Fowzi, is arrested for speaking out against the Syrian government and in favor of an Islamic state, Nadia feels that she must do something.  She meets a stranger who helps her to embrace Islamic fundamentalism.  She eventually contemplates making the ultimate sacrifice, as many do in the Arab world, of becoming a martyr in the name of Islam.  Will she do it?  Will her views change?  I’ll leave that for you to figure out.

As a Christian in America, this book was troubling for me.  I found myself putting it down quite a bit when the content troubled me too much, but I had to keep reading.  Strangely enough, I identified with Nadia.  I’m not Islamic, and I don’t fancy becoming a martyr, but I, too, struggle with reconciling my faith with what is going on in the world.  This book made me really think about my own spiritual life. 

I really think In the Name of God is an excellent book to open up dialog about the differences between Islam and other religions and the Arab and Western worlds.  What misconceptions are there on both sides?  How can we resolve our issues?  Can there ever be peace?  Only time will tell…

Girl of the Moment

My latest read (just finished about five minutes ago) is Lizabeth Zindel’s Girl of the Moment.  This story follows Lily during the summer before her senior year in high school.  She lands an internship with Sabrina Snow, the hottest young starlet in the world.  (As I was reading, I wondered if this was based on an actual person.  I have my own ideas about who it might be.)  Lily soon realizes that Sabrina is one of the most selfish people on the planet, but she still wants to do a good job so that Sabrina will write a recommendation letter for her college applications.  Chaos, paparazzi, hangers-on, and eager fans seem to surround Sabrina day and night.  Will Lily be able to handle this world?  Will it change her for better or worse? 

Read Girl of the Moment to discover how one young woman braves the dog-eat-dog world of Young Hollywood.

By the way, I would say that this is definitely a “chick” book.  Guys beware!

Two “Guy” Books

It’s been a while since my last post, but I’ve got two books to talk about today:  Blood Brothers by S.A. Harazin and How Ya Like Me Now by Brendan Halpin.  Both of these books have guys as the main characters and are very easy and quick to read.

Blood Brothers is about Clay and Joey.  They’ve been best friends for years, but things have just changed for the worse.  Clay walked in on Joey suffering from drug-induced hallucinations.  Clay, who is a hospital orderly, immediately calls 911, and Joey is taken to the hospital.  The events that take place after this are both realistic and heartbreaking.  (Yes, I cried.)  This book does not sugarcoat what can really happen when people experiment with drugs.

On a lighter note (but not much lighter), How Ya Like Me Now is about two cousins, Alex and Eddie, who are suddenly roommates.  Eddie’s mom is now in rehab for drug abuse, so he is being sent to live with his aunt, uncle, and cousin in downtown Boston.  He’s also attending an experimental school that is run like a business.  (There is no principal, only a CEO.)  He is one of only a few white kids in the school.  Alex is also dealing with this change.  He is not really happy about the idea of making nice with his super-shy weirdo cousin.  As the story progresses, however, the cousins come to be friends, but how will they react when girls, grades, and the reappearance of Eddie’s mom get thrown into the picture.  Read How Ya Like Me Now to find out!

Hot Lunch

So, I’m not much of a cook, but Hot Lunch by Alex Bradley may have inspired even me. 

Molly and Cassie get into a food fight in their school cafeteria, and, as punishment, they’re forced to take over the school’s hot lunch program.  As you may imagine, chaos ensues as two teenage girls who don’t really like each other are forced to work together.  To ice the cake, so to speak, neither of them knows how to cook.  As the story progresses, the two grow to tolerate and even begin to like each other, and their school lunch program is never the same.

I really enjoyed this book.  It was fun, some easy recipes are included, and there are also some oh-so-accurate digs at many school lunch programs.  Alex Bradley’s Hot Lunch is a must-read for those of us who are tired of eating crappy food at school.  (And yes, sometimes the teachers aren’t that crazy about school food either.  Why do you think so many of us nuke Lean Cuisines for lunch?)

Gym Candy

Gym Candy by Carl Deuker is my latest read.  In fact, I finished it about ten minutes ago.  As you may guess from the title, this book deals with steroid use. 

Mick Johnson is a high school student who lives for football, and he’s determined to do whatever he can to keep his edge, and I do mean anything.  He gets caught up in the controversial world of steroids, and things begin to spiral out of control.  There is no happy ending here.  I don’t want to give too much away, but I got the sense that Mick is more messed up than anyone knows.

This is a very powerful book and has the potential to start some meaningful conversations between athletes, coaches, parents, and teachers.  I hope to share this book with the football coaches and players at my school.  Gym Candy is an excellent book with an important message.

Cassandra Clare is flippin’ awesome!

I read Cassandra Clare’s City of Bones last week and immediately went to the book store and bought City of Ashes (which I devoured like a werewolf with a rare steak).  I love these books!  They’ve got everything:  demons, werewolves, vampires, a weird Luke and Leia brother-and-sister relationship between two of the main characters, really cool weapons, and stuff being destroyed.  I wish I were a Shadowhunter (one who hunts demons for those of you not in-the-know).  I am devouring these books and will probably reread them in the near future.  I cannot wait until the third book comes out!  I need to find out what happens to Clary and Jace!  These books are highly recommended for high school students and adult readers.  You won’t be disappointed!

FYI:  I just found out that the third book in Clare’s Mortal Instruments series, City of Glass, will be released on March 25, 2009.  I can’t wait that long!  Oh, the horror!

For more information, visit Cassandra Clare’s site at www.mortalinstruments.com.

Welcome to Knight Reader!

Hello all!  This is my first blog, and I will be telling you about books I am currently reading.  I am a high school media specialist in South Carolina, and I love YA literature.  I typically read a couple of books per week, and I’ll be using this blog to tell you about my favorites.  Thanks for visiting!