Book Review: Twilight

Posted by Dana on 12.18.2008 at 12:01 pm

You’re either thinking to yourself…”Wow, she’s the last female on earth to read this book,” or “Are grown-ups really reading this stuff?” or maybe “Why didn’t she just go and see the movie?” All legitimate questions I assure you. Here are my answers (or maybe excuses). I got this one right off my teenage daughter’s bookshelf, (where I will also be going to get the rest of the series – now that I’m hooked). I’m a procrastinator by nature, so I think that’s why I waited until now to read it. Having heard about the book from not only my daughter, but two of my girlfriends, one in her 30s and the other over 50, I knew I had to see what the buzz was about. So there, that answers the “are grown-ups reading this?” question. I’m also kind of a stickler for reading the book before I see the movie, which I have not seen yet. So that answers that question.

Now you want to know if you should read it, right? You should. If for no other reason than to know what kids today are up to–not that they’re hanging out with vampires, but you know what I mean. The book is long, at almost 500 pages, but like Harry Potter it’s a fast read. I’m not saying this is the most literary book you’ll ever read but it is fun. Stephenie Meyer’s take on the vampires is a new slant with some good and some not so good. Her writing is very visual so you can really picture the characters and the locations. She also has a very good grasp on Bella the teenage girl that is the main character. The book is written in the first person and for the most part Bella is believable. She experiences the kind of devastating fully committed love in that special way teenagers do.

There is also a great baseball scene in the book that reminded me of the Quidditch matches in Harry Potter and that I am very much looking forward to seeing in the movie.

If you’re worried about it being gory or too much for your teenager or pre-teen, I wouldn’t worry about it. There’s very little violence in the book and surprisingly very little blood.

There’s some good set up in the story for book two, New Moon – so if you like this one, which I think you will, you’ll most likely have to read on.

5 Comments » | Tagged Book Reviews, harry potter, Stephenie Meyer, Twilight, Vampires

Beedle the Bard and Brisingr

Posted by Jack on 09.25.2008 at 2:11 pm

Pre-Order “The Tales of Beedle the Bard” for $9.98 w/Free Shipping Muggles and Wizards, current members and alumni of Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin students of light magic, dark magic, or just plain-old algebra (magical in its way), we have an announcement: You can now pre-order Beedle the Bard at Better World Books. That’s right; Beedle the Bard, the same book Dumbledore gives Hermoine to study, the same book that Harry uses to defeat Lord Voldemort, the same book that every wizard in training knows as well as the story of Goldilocks, is for sale now on the website.  You read “The Tale of the Three Brothers” in “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” but now you can look through the four other tales in Beedle the Bard.  Get a hold on what could be the last book in the Harry Potter series! Sorry, we currently can’t accept anything from Gringotts, only credit cards and PayPal.

Brisingr Think Harry Potter is for the kids?  Feel like taking on a tougher beast? Brisingr is Christopher Paolini’s followup to the very popular Eragon and Eldest.  This 700+ page tome stars wizards, dragons, elves, dwarves and myriad other mythical creatures, and is sure to satiate your desire for a great fantasy book. Paolini began writing the series when he was 15 and wrote one-third of the latest book with a quill and parchment (we kid you not). Check the rest of his titles here.

Have your say » | Tagged Book Reviews, beedle the bard, brisingr, christopher paolini, deals, emails, eragon, erasmus, harry potter, jk rowling, paolini, rowling

Room to Read Newsletter

Posted by admin on 08.13.2007 at 11:20 am

Room to Read’s summer newsletter is now available online! It’s packed with articles about the launch of their Room to Grow girls’ scholarship program in Laos, a local lanuage publishing conference in Nepal, a panel on traditional African storytelling and Room to Read’s plans for International Literacy Day, coming up September 8th.

There’s also a great article about the Better World Books/Room to Read partnership – from now till the end of the year, $5 from the sale of every Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows book on www.BetterWorld.com will go to funding the establishment of libraries in Nepal and Sri Lanka! Our goal is to raise $15,000 to construct 5 libraries, so if you haven’t picked up a copy yet, click here to get one today!

Have your say » | Tagged Impact, Our Partners, betterworld.com, harry potter, Impact, International Literacy Day, Our Partners, partner updates, room to read