Things we like other than Twilight (though still loosely related)

“New Moon, another teen utopia where the pretty boys get dolled up like supermodels, while the girl looks like she just slept on the bus.” –Rolling Stone Magazine

Despite what this blog may lead you to believe, there are things I like besides Twilight and I think you’d like some (or all!) of them too, so I thought I’d share a few of my other obsessions:

1. Jane Austen

Connection: Bella is a huge Austen fan. Also, Stephenie Meyer has said that Twilight is looooosely based on Pride and Prejudice.

Jane Austen’s books combine lively heroines with dashing heroes, Victorian charm and entertaining witticisms which has made her one of the classic female writers. My personal favorites include the well-known Pride and Prejudice, for the vivacious heroine Elizabeth Bennet and the mysteriously enchanting Mr. Darcy and Northanger Abbey for it’s antics and humor and different but still lovable hero Henry Tilney. All of her novels are amazing, though. You should read them all 🙂

There is also a fabulous BBC miniseries called “Lost in Austen” in which a modern day girl accidentally switched places with Elizabeth Bennet, with hilarity ensuing. You should read Pride and Prejudice first, though, because it plays off of it heavily.

2. The Vampire Diaries

Connection: Vampires (obviously), plus Twilight was mentioned in an episode of the CW show.

I’ll admit, I watched the show first because I was told it was better. The show is really good, though much darker than Twilight, in my opinion. Plus, there are two gooooorgeous main characters.

I’ve also started reading the books, and they’re interesting too. However, you should know that the show and books are VERY VERY VERY different. If you can get past that though, both are worth a look. (Take that with a grain of salt about the books though – I haven’t read them all yet.)

3. Harry Potter

Connection: Robert Pattinson played Cedric Diggory in Goblet of Fire (and Edward in Twilight, of course), and Jamie Campbell Bower is playing Grindelwald in Deathly Hallows (as well as Caius in New Moon, of course)

Now, I know that for some reason Twilight and Harry Potter are set up as rivals and a lot of the fans take sides, but I really don’t know why. In my opinion they are VERY different series, aside from the fact that they are fantasy novels written for young readers and are immensely popular. That’s where all likeness ends. Harry Potter is a very structured, plot-driven series. There is a determined course of events that the whole series works towards. Twilight, on the other hand, is character-driven and emotion-centered. It focuses heavily on romantic love, which you will not find in Harry Potter. Yes, there are romantic interests in Harry Potter, but they’re not the main focus of the books. And you’re probably not going to want to have Harry’s babies with quite the same passion as we want to have Edward/Jacob’s (depending on your team loyalties). Both series are fabulous in different ways and I highly recommend reading the Harry Potter series.

4. The Host

Connection: Obviously, Stephenie Meyer wrote it 🙂

Stephenie recreates the innovative magic of Twilight by taking a sci-fi concept (in this case aliens) and turning it into a romance. The Host is creative and imaginative and the characters are very nearly as endearing as the ones we’ve come to worship from Twilight. I was afraid I would be waiting for Edward to appear, but Steph gave me a new hero worthyof paying attention to, and I got lost in the story quickly.

The Host focuses on Melanie, who basically lives in a post-apocalyptic world in which aliens have quietly invaded earth and slowly taken over the bodies of the humans. There are a few humans hiding out and holding out, and there are some who are caught who resist the invasion of the alien into their body. Melanie is one of them. The alien with whom she shares her body is named Wanderer, or Wanda, and the two talk to each other within the same mind. Melanie’s feelings slowly start to become Wanda’s, and together they set out to find the man that Melanie loves.

This book is emotionally charged and thought-provoking and I am dying for the next book to come out, though there’s no word on when that will be. (Come on, Steph!)

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Let me know if you try these out and what you think of them! I hope you love them just as much as I do, because I believe they’re all amazing!

What do YOU love besides Twilight???

Love,

My Never