Twilight? New Moon?

well, when i read twilight, i fell in love with edward. it's just that although he's a vampire, bella still loves him. she doesn't care about what happens. or what type of person he is. that's what i think is so spectacular about twlight & the series. i personally, love the series. it really doesn't talk that much about vampires though. but i think stephenine is using edward being a vampire as the largest conflict.

But if that's the kind of person he was, why did she fall in love with him in the first place? I guess I have no idea what I'm talking about. Sorry. I'm just in a bad mood. I think I'll go to sleep. But I'd really like to know why girls like tall men. It has nothing to do with the topic, but it's an important question. I'm about five nine. Is that good? ...

It really depends on the person.

Personally, I feel intimidated by tall men. I'd rather be with a shorter man, if only because then I would feel like there is more of an equilibrium in the relationship. I'm 5' 6" though, so I'm not exceptionally short for a girl.

Nevertheless...in books, I like to read about taller men. No idea why. I really, honestly don't know. But in writing, it's a toss-up. I go with whatever "feels right" for the character.

As for Twilight/New Moon/Eclipse...those books get on my nerves. Even so, the appeal of vampires is the dark and mysterious aspect. You know, the "forbidden love." Same appeal as teacher/student relationships, which is my weak spot.

ETA: And in my story, the FMC is 5' 10" and the MMC is 6' even. 2 inch difference. :D

Tall, dark, handsome, experienced (wise and learned) all wraped up into some one who at least looks your own age are all pretty attractive traits. Also the mystery, the danger(which is where the bloodstained lips come in) and even the tragedy of it all are all cool aspects about vampires. I like the tragedy. It's so beautifully sad, the idea of this devastatingly handsome monster, bound for all enternity to watch his loved ones die as he remains still and unchanging.

As far as why we like tall?... you know what, that's a good question. There are these male birds with these enormously long tails, so long in fact that they get a little impractical, but apparently the tails just drive the women wild. It's probably the same sort of thing. Also, tall guys help a lot when you want to wear your cute high heels and still be able to slow dance with your head on his heart, ticking away the rhythm to your own private violin solo...

To make a long story short: it's all about the romance.

Okay, what's with the "dark"? It's always tall "dark" and handsome. Not just tall and handsome, tall "dark" and handsome. What's with that? Describe dark to me. Like dark looks he could give you? Dark skin? Hair? Dressed in black? Shades? Shy and in the shadows? One who compliments the night with a moon lit dinner? What?

ha ha. You're probably right: it means different things to different people. My favorite definitions in this context (from dictionary.com) are these:

12. hard to understand; obscure.
13. hidden; secret.
14. silent; reticent.

Basically all those romantic notions about the secrets of the night. Does that answer you question at all?

Generally, I'm not a fan of vampires. Other than Twilight, my only exposure to them has been through Joss Whedon with Buffy, Angel, Fray, the lot. I've only read Twilight because New Moon isn't out in paperback and I refuse to pay $20 for something that I may hate. As to why I liked the first book enough to bother with the second if/when the paperback does arrive... I think it's sweet, in a way. Not because he's a vampire, but because they do seem to care about each other, if in a completely detrimental way.

I'm not in love with Edward. In fact, he seems more like a Gary-Stu to me than anything else. Not so much that I hate reading him, but without Bella's quirkiness and some of the humor, he seems like he'd get old really quickly. I know that the book is told from Bella's POV, so obviously her opinion of him is greatly biased, but he's so darned perfect that upon really thinking about him, he's not such a great character. Too perfect to actually like, but perhaps I just like my men more flawed than most.

All of that being said, the book isn't spectacular, at least not from where I'm sitting. It's a pretty easy to read love story with a couple supernatural elements, and though some things get tired fast, it moves quickly enough for the length. From my experiences, it's not as good the second time around. I've been trying to reread it for the past two weeks and I'm stuck on one chapter. It's a chapter I just skimmed over my first reading because it wasn't exciting and now I can't make myself read it at all. I suppose the novelty wore off and it really was just as boring as I originally thought. If you're looking for the next great masterpiece, you'll probably be disappointed, but as a light read that isn't taken too seriously, it's a good one to pick up.

As for tall men... I've been taller than every single guy I've dated. Just once I'd like someone to be taller than me. I'm about 5'7"-8", so that shouldn't be as hard as it seems. Also, most of the guys I date invariably end up being gay, so maybe if I date someone who is taller than me, he'll also end up actually liking females. A girl can dream.

Actually this is an interesting question to me since I don't find either particular interesting. My hubby is 5'8" and that's about as much taller than me than I ever would want. Also vampires, aside for Spike, do nothing for me. I think there's something squimee about making it with a dead guy.

AJ

Well...I'm absolutely in LOVE with Edward. Yes, he's perfect, almost too perfect. But how many books do you come across with a man being perfect in every aspect? Not very many. I personally didn't know if I'd like the books, but now I'm in love with them. I'm writing my NaNo this year about vampires. But in Twilight, there wasn't any of the blood-stained-lips...It wasn't your normal Vampire story. Stephenie Meyers seemed to make up her own rules to the Vampires and the love story is something that is not what you normally read.

As for the "tallness" part in a guy, I personally I don't like the guy tooooo tall. I'm short as it is. I'm 5'2", so I'd prefer 5'7" or 8". Not 6', that's like a sky scraper for me...hehe.

And the "tall, dark, and handsome" when I hear that, I suspect that maybe there is a side about him that I don't know about him. Mysterious. But I'm usually wrong about that part.

I read Twilight last July and immediately thought it was a strange book with many a cliches in it.

I wasn't too fond of Edward at first because he seemed rather stalkerish and frightening. But by my fifth read (in order to determine whether it really WAS that strange or not), I was quite infatuated with him.

Truthfully, I've lost that "bond" with Edward after reading NM and Eclipe. There are many words I would describe him with other than dreamy or perfect. None of which have any positive connotation. But I still recognize what drew me to him in the first place and it was simply that the main character, Bella, was falling in love with him.

And I do believe it was this that made me love him and nothing else because Edward is not at all the type of person I am drawn to in reality. The way the author depicted him and the way she centralized the storyline on him rather than any of the other male vampires: this was what made him so damn "perfect" in my eyes.

Alas, no more.

Heh, me and my friend were just arguing about these books today during lunch; she loves the books, but I can't stand them. They were all right the first time I read them, and then my reaction was, 'Ugh, I just wasted time on that?' My reccomendation would be to skip it, although for different reasons, because like other people have mentioned, it really doesn't have much in the way of blood-stained lips and such. Edward, the love interest, is one of the (and I quote) 'good vampires', because he only drinks from animals, which is humane, so it's okay, and there's no neck-biting involved. I think people like it more because Edward and Bella have something of a storybook romance, and he's a drop-dead (no pun intended) gorgeous Gary Stu that the viewpoint character is obsessed with. Also, Stephenie Meyers' version of vampires is very un-scary and bloodless - no mess.

But about girls liking tall men, your guess is as good as mine - I like guys either my height or slightly shorter. =?

The Twilight books are biggest in the 12/13 year-old crowd, I think. Gotta keep that in mind. It's basically a simple romance, with a slight twist (i.e. immortal vampire). One of the reasons that it is so popular is that there aren't many vampire romances for the young teen crowd.

I never "loved" Edward, and liked him a little less with each book. You see, he was moody and controlling, neither of which are attractive qualities. There was another character--Jake--who I thought was a much better choice for Bella than Edward. Alas, the nice guy doesn't always get the girl.

As for tall guys, I don't think a guy is more attractive just because of height. I'm short (5'2"), so it's kinda intimidating when I don't even come up to a guy's armpits.

I've never been into vampires and had the same thoughts as you until i read tall, dark and dead by tate hallaway (quite apropriate for this topic lol) and then a charlaine harris sookie stackhouse mystery -- about grown woman MC not teenagers - but then my young friend made me read twilight, and it wasn't bad!

Anyway i can see where your coming from but i would suggest one of the above books because there hilarious, romance and just fun to read!

About tall men... why i like them? well im 6'1 so bring all the giants my way...... its hard to find a decent man... that you can wear heels with lol!

All right. Bookseller confession time.

Twilight, New Moon and Eclipse (the third in the series) are so popular because they take the concept of everlasting love and turn it on its head. The romance genre as a whole (for practical purposes, these are romance books) thrives on vampires and other supernatural immortal beings because there are a lot of sad sad women out there who are positively in love with the idea of a man that would love you literally forever. Twilight, on the other hand, appeals to all those people that ever thought, "But if I live forever, everyone I knew and loved aside from my tall dark bloodsucking seducer will be dead." The appeal to Edward, the main character's main squeeze, is that he doesn't want her to live forever, regret it, and lose her soul, which for a book about teenagers is pretty thoughtful.

That said, I like them. They're accessible books. They don't require a lot of thought, and they tell a decent story, all teenaged melodrama aside. (For example, I can't think of many people that would go practically catatonic because their boyfriends leave them.)

As for the whole thing about tall men, a lot of it's probably cultural and evolution-inspired. Tall means healthy, even when it's really just a roll of the genetic dice. And if the guy's healthy, he'll make healthy babies. (Not that all of this is conscious, mind you.) You never look at a tall guy and say, "Well, you can tell how all that caffeine stunted his growth." Nuh uh. And to hint, there's an assumption that tall men are... well-proportioned, and this stereotype is alive and well in romance novels. As you are 5'9", you say? Height is relative; I wouldn't worry. A woman's considered moderately tall if she's about 5'8", and by no means is the majority of the female population that tall or taller.

Hopefully that'll answer a few questions for you there. (As long as you can get past the excessive parentheses.)

The vampires in twilight aren't like traditional vampires. You never see them feed, their attributes are very different than what you'd normally see vampires described as. They are more like super humans who never die.

I think vampires are sexy. I like the teeth I think. lol.

And I like a man to be taller than me, just so I don't feel like I'm towering over them.

I'm a 19 year old male, and I've read and enjoyed the Twilight series so far (and I'm looking forward to Breaking Dawn.) The females I know who got me into the series are infatuated with Edward, and that seems to be the only reason they read it. Because they want Bella, an average girl, to end up with a perfect man.

Personally, I think Edward is a manipulative bastard and Jake would be a far better match for Bella.

I have theories about what will happen in the fourth book, and if anyone is interested they can PM me.

-JM

Hm. I have a friend who adores those books, and begged me to read Twilight because I'd love it too, but I really... didn't. I mean, it was okay; it was a fun read... I just didn't...

..I don't know, I'm not into vampires or perfect men, so it really wasn't my kind of book. I suppose that was it.

As for the height question, thank you! I kept on reading romances where the hero towered over the heroine, and a little voice in my brain always said, "Uh, so when they're standing in the street and want to kiss, does a stepstool magically appear from somewhere? Or does he wind up with a repetitive strain injury in his neck?"

I got a friend to stand on a stack of books and kept on making height adjustments until I figured out that a pretty good height difference was about three or four inches, which is what I've used since then.

@the-st: Those are exactly my thoughts on why so many people enjoy Twilight. A few of my friends read it and immediately fell in love with the series, while I felt a bit uncertain about whether I enjoyed it all that much.

Edward, to me, seems like the typical dark romantic hero: Gorgeous looks, check. Dark and bitter past, check. A man who never experienced love in about a billion years, and suddenly, falls in love with this random woman who comes along - check! The series is written entirely in Bella's perspective, which might explain why Edward seems a little two-dimensional to me, but Meyer should have thought of that when she wrote the book.

I'm curious as to why so many people actually LIKE Edward. In fact, my friends made a joke a while back about how they loved Edward because he was essentially 'perfect' for Bella, and I liked Jacob because he was so easily written off as the "other guy" in Bella and Edward's relationship. The third wheel never gets enough love. :)

What irks me most about the series is the focus on appearances. I mean, really; it's all right to be insanely attracted to your boyfriend, but having to read the same head-over-heels description about one character just turns me off the novel. There's rarely any explanation for WHY Bella and Edward should be in love, since their interactions don't seem all that "god, you're perfect for me" in my eyes.

OK, I'm going to try to explain why I like the series...which may be convoluted and difficult, because I am thinking out loud.

To me, its real.

The first time a girl falls truly in love, she thinks the boy she's in love with is perfect. He can do no wrong, and they will last forever, and it will all be good and happy, puppies and roses. There is no serious thought about the future, because your in love and love makes it all perfect.

But then the boy does something wrong (leaves, in Edward's case), and you realize that maybe love wasnt enough. Maybe he has flaws that you couldnt see before, and even if you want to hold onto that perfect, perfect image of him in your mind...you cant do it. Because you've opened your eyes to the fact that he can do wrong, that he does do wrong, and even if you're still in love with him, its different now.

And because you're entire life was him, and him being perfect, with that realization that he isnt your suddenly cut adrift. You have nothing to ground yourself on...until you find someone who can help you (Jacob). You are so determined to not think about your love's imperfections that you dont think about him at all. And that allows you to see the things you might have missed, and it lets you build relationships that you wouldnt have had otherwise.

And it opens you up to doubt. Yeah, you could live forever with him and life would be awesome...except it would just be you and him, because he takes up so much space in your life. What about your friends, your family, that one guy that was there for you when no one else understood. You'd have to leave them...and you dont want to, but at the same time, the thought of giving up your love...that is more than you can bear. Your world would revolve around him again, because you love each other, but suddenly there are other people interrupting the orbit who cant be ignored.

And slowly you begin to see different sides of your love, of your the guy that was always there. Maybe you cant live without either of them, and you hate yourself for being selfish, but at the same time how could you choose? And if you're in love with both of them, two people at once...that just makes it all the more serious. Because it does happen like that, sometime, and with Bella choosing between Jake and Edward represent too very different paths.

One is perfection and living forever, never having to leave that one person you love more than anything else in the world, the person who would do anything for you.

But the other path...you're with someone you love, maybe not with an all encompassing passion. But if you love him a little less, it also allows you to love other people.

And you have to choose what you want. That fairytale dream of romantic perfection, you and him forever, or the reality based possibility of being in love, but just a normal love, not a consuming one, one that allows you to exist beyond the guy.

You have to choose, and once the choice is made you cannot turn back from it.

It takes that idea, that storyline, and it adds in some mythical creatures, a few magical elements, but it is still the same story. Its simple, straightforward, but it is accurate. No one stays perfect (Edward), no boy will be unselfish if he wants you (Jacob), and no girl has an easy decision when faced with two men that she needs in her life in different ways.

Its a love story, but it isnt just a boy meets girl, fall in love, HEA. It takes a look at the other possibilities that exist in real life.

As for the characters...in Twilight people love Edward because Bella loves Edward. He represents that perfect romantic ending, the HEA that never ends. And in New Moon, people start to like him less because he has done wrong, and Bella realizes that, so the reader realizes that. And in Eclipse, Jacob has moved forward in her life, has occupied the space that Edward left, and the reader has to divide their affections between them like Bella has to, and like Bella someone is going to win out. The perception of the characters reflect what Bella is going through. Edward seems 2-D because to Bella he is. And Jacob is a more fleshed out character because Bella sees him differently.

And yeah, Bella is such a Mary Sue for the author it pains me at times, but I dont have a problem with that, because she acts true to her character. She does stupid stuff at times, but its true to her character.

The basic plot is wonderful, the execution is good, the characters and the way they are portrayed through Bella's eyes is great. And everyone wants to believe that something about them is special, that in the right place at the right time they could meet some destiny better than anything they could have imagined.

And that was my attempt to explain why I love the series.

Read the series. Didn't love it, didn't hate it. Actually, a recurring thought of mine throughout the entire book was, "Count Dracula was a crusty old fart. How did vampires turn into this?" Usually, though, comparing Edward and Dracula just made me giggle like a fool.

As for tall guys? It's just another part of the dream, I guess. I haven't thought about it much.

I suggest that you should just read the book/s to see how different they are from the "norm"
Bella, the main character doesn't even like blood so she's not attracted to the whole dark evil thing really, no mention of blood stained lips anywhere.

My friend who hates to read anything to do with magic (excepting Harry Potter) and mythical creatures, loved the books. She wondered why I told her it was a vampire book, as she would have described it as a love story.

Its not really that girls like tall men, they just like the guy to be their height or a couple of inches taller. I guess the girls who go out with Giants use them as a lookout? :)

Okay, seriously. Don't be so prejudiced about books that you've never even read. If you knew anything about the Twilight series, you would know that Bella had already fallen in love with Edward when she found out he was a vampire. You can't help who you fall in love with! It's not like the vampire guys go around saying 'hey I'm a vampire' and then have girls beg for a date with them or anything. Also, if you read any vampire stories at all, you would know that becoming a vampire makes you perfect and beautiful. Gosh, maybe that's why girls fall in love with them? Not because they like having blood stained lips?
Don't judge other peoples forms of entertainment, especially not the books they read.

I hate Bella. She's selfish and naive. And very annoying. The zombie mode she turned into when Edward left her? Can we say WEAK? Edward is a strong character and Bella is so weak....they seem like fire and ice, complete opposites. When she was with Jacob...it was healthy and natural. I think Jacob is better for her, personally....but that's just because I don't want her to turn Vampire...it's too cliché, too overused, and much too easy.

At the end of Eclipse, I cried for Jacob. It was like 'pffftt' for Edward and Bella...I wanted to know about Jacob.

I read it cause I want to know how it ends for Jacob.

I love to read. But for years, I hated any romance that was not written by Jane Austen. And now, here I am, writing a romance novel, and the Twilight series was the catalyst. I really loved the books--I am 36 years old, so I don't exactly fit the "target audience" for the books, but they spoke to my heart. My sister (who loves them as much as I do) and I were talking about them, and I told her, "These books tell the story that I want to tell."
I like the books because of the theme of eternity. Like the author, I am a Mormon, and we believe that marriages can last forever. So, what happens when you're ten years into a marriage, and you decide that an eternity of this particular marriage would be dreadfully tedious? and then it takes a couple more years before you realize that half of the marriage is your own responsibility, and if it's not much fun, it might be your own fault? OK, so maybe that's dreadfully personal, and not much like Bella and Edward's struggle. But the truly romantic part is that Bella chooses Edward again and again--even when he stops seeming perfect to her. The choice to love somebody is not something you make once and never have to make again. Other paths present themselves, and you have to keep on choosing. And true love is when your man is a cold block of ice on a freezing cold day, sitting in the corner, pathetically, and still choosing him over the sexy, hot man who wants you bad.

You've never seen the Twilight Lexicon, have you? I don't think there is a person there under the age of around seventeen.

You have never seen the Twilight Lexicon, have you? I don't think there is a member on that site under the age of around 17, and some of the best fanfic writers for the genre are in their thirties. It's rather insulting for those of us who are older to suggest they are only for preteens.

I absolutly adore the Twilight Series. The main thing that attracted me to Bella was the fact she is so much like myself. I'm an idiot. I'm clumsy. And when I am around my boyfriend, I'm completley off the wall. I tend not to think, not to breathe . . .so she was very realistic to me, and that made me like her. As for Edward, I do like him, but I actually like one of the other Cullens the best. Edward's character flaws show up a lot more in New Moon and Eclipse, and I'm glad they were placed in there. It made him more of a real character. I also adore Stephenie Meyer's writing style, for it is very similar to my own. The Twilight Series is probably third on my favorite books of all time, and I am not ashamed to admit that in anyway, shape, or form.

No, they aren't for everyone. And the reason why I liked them is because I don't like vampires. At all. I've never liked the "Let's let my boyfriend drink from my neck" type of situation, and Twilight isn't like that. Stephenie made her vampires so differently, I was able to connect with them, rather than shy away and go 'ew'. But that's just me.

Its not he fact that Edward is a Vampire that I love him so much in the books New Moon and Twilight, but its what his actions are. He is dark and mysterious and it makes you what to know more about him. As for the who Tall, I believe that the guy has to be at least 2 inches taller. Its the who standing on her tip toes to just see his face, kind of a thing, at least that’s what I think is cute. But then again I am 5'2 I have to stand on my tiptoes just to get a cup out of the top shelf in my kitchen. If you haven’t read the book you pretty much wouldn’t understand what draws you to the guy Edward. So pick up the book and read it. I personal love that book, its got to be one of my favorites!

I think it would fall under the tall, dark and handsome category.
It’s just the fact that mystery really makes life worth living ^.^
U no.

Oh God...I totally fell for the "Twilight Series".
I passed the books in the bookstore so many times and the cover always caught my attention. And so I picked it up, read the back, got confused due to the name 'Edward' and sat down for about fifteen minutes and began to read.

And got hooked.

Edward's fascinating. It's not necessarily the fact that he's a vampire -- although I do find vampires admirable in a way (don't ask me why) -- but it's everything about him. On one hand you have the bad boy and on the other hand, he's the perfect son-in-law every parent wishes for their kid.

This is totally embarassing, but I was soo into these books, that I accidently called my husband Edward while I was asleep. Now how's that? I was more or less mortified but see what Edward did to my brain? *laughs*

I can't really explain, but the books were great. I've read them twice and I know I'll read them again. Especially Twilight, because it has all the romance aspects a book needs.

Yeah...I like Edward. *smiles*

Twilight is seriously a great book. You just need to for a second forget about all the vampire stuff and give it a try. You may end up liking it you may not but think of it this way if you read this really really great book that millions of people have a copy of and are totally in love with you may like it on the otherhand you may not and then you would be free to be a anti vampire romance novel person. However if you do like it which I am 99.999% sureyou will by the time you finish twilight you'll have three more amazing books to read. anyway just try it because you haven't experienced romance untill you've read twilight.
:)