Thoughts on Remembering Your Loved

We are all loved and hopefully it is not something we ever forget. My blogs entries are not usually overly religious. All though I am some what overly religious. Sometimes it is nice to get a reminder that we are loved. Last Saturday I was having a one of those days were everything seems to hit bottom and you find your self asking why. In the middle of my day the door bell rang and a friend stopped by to drop off my blue tooth and a hug. The hug changed my day and reminded me that I was loved. It reminded me that their were people out their who love me. Some times it is the small things that fall into place at the right time and remind us that we are loved and that someone is watching out for us all.

Thoughts on Literature

OK, so I have found myself with a literary dilemma recently. I have been obsessed with a series of books in which the writing is really not that polished and I can not pin point my obsession. Here is the basic question: What makes a good book?
I am sure the answer is different for everyone. Is it plot, characterization, setting, foreshadowing, literary language, genre or complexity? What is it about a book that makes us think I can not put this down. Does it have to do with being able to dive into another world so fully that the character's seem real that their experiences seem like your experiences. I am not quite sure. In general I love Fantasy, Science Fiction and Historiography. Since I don't have lots of time I like something that pulls me in and is easy to follow. I am doing to much to really enjoy anything overly complicated. I guess this book series does all these things.
So here goes I am going to admit it I am obsessed with the twilight series (and the host). I feel like I am admitting I watched Gossip Girl more than once (auh). It's possible that I could even be categorized as a twi-hard. Really I think I am just obsessed because the last book in the twilight series is coming out in a couple of weeks.
I always get a little obsessed before a new book in a series of books I like comes out (I was checking JK Rowlings web site and reading a bunch of fan fiction before Deathly Hallows came out). And Stephanie Meyers knows how to work the web. Something most authors are missing out on. If you are a fan of the books and have not checked out her site you are missing out http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/index.html. The story Outtakes, Extras, Missing Chapters, Q & A's, Quote of the Day and Book Playlist really take the web site one step beyond most of the author sites I visit (Yes I visit the websites of all my favorite authors!). The first chapter of Midnight Sun on her site is also a must.
I promise I will only let myself obsess over this once. Here are a few of my favorite twilight sites: http://www.twilightlexiconblog.com/?page_id=17 The Twilight lexicon is a must the character bio's and personal correspondence give allot of background information not found in the books. http://www.twilightguy.com/ The twilight guy because Kaleb Nation is freakin hilarious. Stephanie's myspace http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfmfuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=52906350 has some background info (though most of it is also on her website). Twilight mom's is ok, but doesn't really offer anything new or different http://twilightmoms.com/About.php (they have some interviews with the characters in the movie twilight). More tidbits Andy at the Normal Mormon is kinda funny http://mormonhusbands.blogspot.com/2008/02/twilight-series-for-dummies-and-totally.html. My favorite fan fiction is at http://community.livejournal.com/sortofbeautiful/ & favorite writer of fan fiction http://borntobewild13.livejournal.com/tag/fanfiction. I would also check out the main characters myspace pages (each of the main characters have a myspace where they blog).
When I first read the books I liked them. Although I thought it might have to do with the fact that Stephanie Meyers was a LDS, Stay at Home Mom turned Best Seller who just happened to be my age. How could I not be supportive? It seemed like her books were written for an LDS female audience (she was writing for herself and so it was for an LDS audience). I wondered if other people liked them ,but couldn't find anyone that was not LDS who had read them. It seems like her non LDS fans are as obsessed with her as her LDS fans. I think her strength as a writer is capturing human relationships and emotions within non traditional genre setting. She has a way of creating interesting character dynamics within interesting worlds. She needs to work on giving her books more polish. She also is great at crossing genre lines. I love the way that she mixes romance and every day life with fantasy and science fiction. Just in case anyone cares I don't like Edward Cullen! I am a Jacob fan (even though he is not going to get the girl) I also like Ian from the Host (really how could you not). I am hopeful that Meyers can pull off a Rowling-esc ending that makes everyone happy. I thought that there was know way that JK Rowling was going to pull off an ending that people enjoyed for Deathly Hallows, but she did. I am pulling for Stephanie to tie up all her strings in Breaking Dawn. That's enough of my obsessing.

Some say the World will end in Fire.