Until we start reading the books together, I have a question:
How did you react to Twilight the first time you read it? Were you one of those people that took a while to figure out Edward or like me who locked on to the pages of that book like a vice from the minute he said, "Hello,"?
For me it was a surreal experience. I wish I could remember even more so that I could paint a more vivid picture, but here are some impressions still with me. I would love to see a picture of myself reading it because the stunned look on my face, page after page can't be duplicated. It was a once in a life-time experience. I remember sitting for hours at my kitchen table, transfixed. Sometimes looking up and around my silent house just to see if anyone was possibly watching my unexplainable reactions, facial and verbal, to this book. There are so many emotions drawn out of you in the reading process. Depression, nervousness, fear, anxiety, excitement, desire, longing, elation, horror, relief, too name a few. And they are hurled so rapidly, that you really don't have time to react so you just keep reading. And then your subconsciousness keeps your mind constantly focused on these emotions and the visions accompanying them. Whether awake or asleep I almost couldn't think of anything else.
I remember the day I started the book, staying up late the night before Back to School night.to work on a poster. But I couldn't work on it because I was reading Twilight. Every once in a while I would look up from the other end of the kitchen table now, and look in shock at how much time had passed on the clock. It is probably only because of that poster than I didn't read through the entire night.
I remember finishing it the next day and shutting it and holding it to my chest, probably shaking my head and thinking, this isn't possible. What am I feeling? Then I started reading it again. At first straight through. What had I missed? How did this happen? Could the meadow scene have the same effect on me again. Yes it could!
I lack the words to describe the dramatic and exciting experience it was. This blog is the result though and I am so happy for the books and all of your company.
How did you feel the first time you read Twilight?
8 comments:
Oh, so fun to think about. I am going to read the first chapter today, and then I'm going to comment on my feelings now and also from my first time. I do remember a lot of gasping, sighing, giggling, smiling and covering my mouth. Very shocking for me, I've never done all those things and had all those feelings while reading a book, never. Very shocking for my husband to watch as well.
Edward definitely had me from the first time he spoke to Bella in biology...(when his quiet, musical voice said)..."Hello...My name is Edward Cullen..." Yep, that's all it took, I do remember that.
Well, you know stubborn me. MA gave me the book early for my birthday and told me that I would love it- I didn't believe her and I fought it. I enjoyed it alot but I also just wanted to get it read so I could get back to normal life- but I couldn't stop thinking about it after I finished it. The memories it brought back and the emotions. My 2nd time reading it was the best because I wasn't fighting it~ I just soaked it all in. I thought the 3rd and 4th time I wouldn't like it as much- HA! I have enjoyed it everytime and look forward to reading it again- I can't believe it.
After a ton of my friends recommending the book to me, I finally bought Twilight with the excuse that I needed a good book to read on my flight over to England. I fought the urge to read it for a few days but finally gave in. My husband had already moved to England and I was in the process of packing up the house to send to the storage unit, keeping the house clean for the new buyers, and figuring out how many "essentails" I could fit in my allowance of only 2 suitcases. I remember putting everything on hold while I stayed up till 4am two nights in a row to read the book. Then when I told my friend I had finished it, she mentioned SM's website. She also warned me against buying NM (for the plane) until right before I left so I could actually get my house packed. But after reading the first chapter of NM (at the end of TW) I needed more! So my sleeping hours were sacrificed to quench my thirst as I sat on my bed staring at my laptop screen until the early hours of morning; all while my huge dog slept by my side.
I really loved reading TW the first time through. I loved the roller coaster of emotions that it brought on. And I appreciated feeling giddy about first love and flirting (especially since I was without dh for so long). But I don't think I was really hooked until I read the extras on SM's website. It was all downhill from there (or uphill--depending on your perspective).
I was first introduced to Twilight while my son was in PICU last summer. I saw one of the nurses reading Twilight the first night we were there. I of course only remember it in a haze. Then the next day she was reading New Moon, and talking about the release of Eclipse. I asked her what it was about, and as she talked about it I thought 'this is something I would really like'. I have always been fascinated by vampires. But due to the situation, I never picked the book up.
Jump forward 8 weeks. My son was just out of the hospital and I needed something to read because I couldn't really take him anywhere so I was spending a lot of time inside. I asked Suzanne if I could borrow her daughters copy. I am not sure if MaryAnn or Trisha had it at that time, but I got it pretty quickly. I remember staying up until 2 that first night reading. I loved it right from the start. And I just kept reading because I couldn't wait to see where it was going. I related to Bella, and as we have talked about before, it brought all those butterfly's back from when you first fell in love. SM did such an amazing job articulating those feeling. As soon as I finished, it became a joke trying to get NM. I was scared of what Suzanne would think about asking for it so soon after borrowing Twilight. And it was Sunday, so I didn't want to bug her. So I waited a day, and Chris (my dh) made me call because I kept bugging him about how I wanted to know what happened. I had read the first chapter at the end of Twilight and was DYING to read.
I finally got NM on a Monday, and I just read. Ignored everything. Kids, laundry, everything. I barely answered the phone. And that was no small task, because my 16 wk old son was on a feeding tube, so feeding him every three hours was time consuming. But I read it in one day. Start to finish. I couldn't put it down. And unlike so many others, I really enjoyed NM. I wasn't looking for Edward to come back, even though I wanted it. I became engrossed in the relationship between Jacob and Bella, and was only frustrated that it took Bella so long to figure out what Jacob was. I remember thinking that I had figured it out as soon as he stopped coming around and she couldn't get ahold of him. But at the time, I didn't have anyone to talk to about it, so I just talked my dh's ear off speculating.
I was REALLY worried what Suzanne would think when I asked for Eclipse on Tuesday. But that book I had to wait for, because it was being passed around to friends. I read Eclipse in two or three days, and I don't even remember when I realized there were others out there that loved it like I did. I am sad I didn't have MA or Trish to talk to when I first read it. I have only read it that first time, although I have looked through it many times. But I kept reading things online, and then MA started the blog, and then we started talking about reading it together, and that got me excited. Sometimes I worry that everyone won't think I am as in love with this series since I have only read it through start to finish once. Some of you have read it 4 times! But most of the time it scares me how obsessed I can become with it. It begins getting difficult to separate myself from their world. I don't know how Stephanie could ever give these characters up. I would have to write their complete lives just to keep them with me. Okay, that is my story, can't wait to read the rest of yours.
I started reading TW a couple of days before Thanksgiving. I was pulled into the undercurrent immediately and didn't want to put it down until I was finished. I remember driving to Walmart the night that I finished TW and running in the store to buy NM & EC. It felt so strange & kind of embarassing to be that addicted to a silly little book in front of my husband, so I actually sat in Walmarts parking lot, in a snowy downpour, and read the first 3 chapters of New Moon before heading home. I really blazed right through the books the first time, almost like on fire. I tried to pay more attention to the details the next times around. It took me a while to admit to my husband that I was addicted as I was. But now I've come to terms with it, and so has he...
Anyway, I also felt like I could relate to Bella and her overwhelming feelings toward Edward. First love is always so mysterious and exciting, but with Bella and Edward - it is just so much more than that!!
I really love hearing all of your First Twilight Moments.
Hey Dazz, I thinkg Peter Facinelli put it so eloquently. About your wonderful thought about first love, but so much more.
I wonder if I can quote him correctly here. Shoot! I can't remember now. He said something about the amazing relationship between them and how Edward and Bella are like Romeo and Juliet squared, or some dramatic term for multiplied by lots! Oh man, its late that's way.
Anyway the point is, thanks everyone for sharing.
Except you BFB. I tell you thanks because you haven't shared. And if anyone is shy and reading these posts thinking what a snotty girl I am. Well
a - it's true
b - BFB can take it
c - you tease those you love
d - you love all the people you aren't teasing right now too.
e - anything else?
I just have to say that starting Twilight again this past week has really brought back so many feelings that I had forgotten about. There is nothing like actively reading them. I do remember my first time getting hooked pretty quickly. I love all of MA's attempts to get me to read them, from the first day she started Twilight she would tell me how much she loved it and how great it was. I was happy for her, but I didn't grasp what she was saying at all. She would continue to give me little plugs here and there, but I felt too busy at the time to start reading. Finally when the kids started back to school, and she took the book from Mel (who didn't get started soon enough) and brought it to me, I began. It took me about a week or so to read them all, which is pretty good for me with the amount of free time I have. Although I did actually stay up until 7:00am to finish NM, and had no idea, I thought it was more like 3:00am. Wow, how time flies when you're absorbed in a different world. I also couldn't get ahold of Eclipse, so I ran out to Barnes & Noble late Saturday night (passing MA in our neighborhood who was trying to help me track down a copy as well), I got there in the nick of time before closing, but I just couldn't chance not being able to borrow it, and having to go all of Sunday and into Monday before I could get it. Anyway, I imprinted on them very quickly. My house literally looked like a bomb went off, because I would hide in my bedroom from my kids so I could read. Any mess was worth cleaning up! One of the funnest parts about it has been finding other people out there like me, that had similar experiences! And like I said, my reactions were like none other, verbal and non verbal while reading. I've never felt that way, and my husband still talks about how I would act, I didn't even realize it half the time that I was doing those things.
These have all been very fun to read, thanks for sharing everyone!
My SIL started bugging me to read these books about werewolves & vampires & a girl who becomes obsessed with finding out what they are. And she kept telling me about them. And told me more. Finally she sent me the first book to read, but not the others - usually she will send the whole series of books at one time because she knows I'm quick. So it sat there for about three weeks because I was "busy." Then everyone I knew started talking about these books - both my sisters, a brother in law, a cousin, 4 ladies in my ward - so I finally decided I better read the thing. I knew that dh was leaving on a business trip for 2 weeks in December, so I figured that would be a good time.
He left, I started it and only stopped to feed my daughter and put her to bed. (And interact a little). I think I did finally stop around 4am to get a little sleep. The next day I finished and there was a blizzard outside. I knew Jill had read the books, so I called her desperately lookiing for New Moon because I didn't know if I should drive to Taylorsville in a blizzard to get it from my SIL. After a few calls, I gave up and got ready to drive to Taylorsville anyways. Fortunately, she traded me both New Moon and Eclipse for Twilight, so I was able to read New Moon on Saturday, and Eclipse on Sunday. And I ordered the set on Amazon, and started reading New Moon again since I didn't have Twilight anymore.
It was very much like all of you have described, constantly changing emotions, so intense that it was like reliving that time in life. I was very glad that dh was away on business because I could feel my face moving with the different emotions. And really, it took you until Edward talked to Bella to like him? I mean, yes, the musical voice saying hello makes your throat choke on your heart, but what about when he stares at Bella in the cafeteria, with his face changing from showing expectation to confusion? Didn't that stir a little something in you?
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