Twilight Made me a Book Lover
(and why I'm not embarrassed!)
This Book-to-Movie Adaptation changed my life
All my friends were whispering in the halls of middle school, passing around the Twilight book and making plans to see the midnight showing of the movie. I hadn’t read the book yet and had absolutely no plans to – but I did really want to go to the midnight showing with my friends. So what did my mom do? …She found a way to take advantage of the situation. It’s also important to note that up to this point, I had never read a full book. I was 12, and although I had good grades, I found ways to fake-read my required reading.
I cheated by skimming books, talking to friends about it, and doing a little light research on Cliffnotes. But this book wasn’t assigned by a teacher and I was feeling left out of my friend’s conversations. My mom KNEW she could use this to her advantage. She had some leverage considering I was 12 and relied on her money, her car and her permission to go to the movie theater. So she blackmailed me.
Yes, my mom blackmailed me. “Sure you can go see Twilight with your friends. But you’ll need to read at least half of the book first”.
Ugh…
"read the book IF you want to see the movie"
I had a week and a half before the movie hit the theater and my mom handed me the book. Part of me wanted to cheat again by skimming and pretending I knew what the book was about. However, there was a small part of me that actually wanted to read it, just so I cold know what was going on with the whole #teamedward and #teamjacob thing. Whatever was happening on the pages of this book was big, and my friends and my mom were peer-pressuring me to find out what it was all about.
So I started reading. And something funny happened! I kept reading! Page turn after page turn- it took me about a week but I finished the whole book! Twilight was the first novel I ever read, cover to cover. I continued on to New Moon and the rest of the series, and haven’t been able to keep my nose out of a novel since then.
Twilight Made me a Book Lover
Wait! Don’t leave yet. I know the books AND the films are now widely considered cringy, but the way Stephanie Meyers books and their corresponding movies ROCKED the publishing and film world will forever make this teenage vampire love triangle series a classic.
At some point I will write a more detailed blog about the pros and cons of Twilight, the wrongs in the adaptation from a film analysis perspective, and the odd choice of blue aesthetic, but for now I’m just going to fill you in on the basics of why this is my #1 choice. (and I hope you let me know if you agree or disagree in the comments below!,
3 Reasons Twilight Was such a success
1- Twilight is a Complete Series (versus MOVIES that never finish!)
For one, it’s a complete series. I’m sure you avid bookish humans are just as tired as I am that your favorite novels made films almost NEVER FINISH.
Example: The Mortal Instruments
Not only did the films not follow the rest of the story, but the attempt at a tv show completely flopped and disappointed. Twilight gets a #1 rating because they actually finished the WHOLE THING when filming. Four books were made into five movies and that simple fact makes me, and many other readers, very happy.
2- Twilight's Marketing was brilliant
The next best thing about Twilight: marketing.
As a part-time marketer myself, I am very impressed by how thorough the marketing for this book to movie adaptation was. There was merch, press tours, previews, book signings, and so much more. They really played up the whole love-triangle thing, the vampire vs wolf feud, and the teen angst. It gave everyone around the world a way to participate in the film releases and hyped anticipation for the still-unpublished books. It is relatable escapism.
3- Twilight is the ultimate Escapism (especially for middle/high schoolers)
Escapism: “the tendency to seek distraction and relief from unpleasant realities, especially by seeking entertainment or engaging in fantasy” (a definition found via Google search).
Does this not accurately describe the guilty pleasures that Stephanie Meyer created?
Let’s face it, the early 2000s were a weird time, and the world certainly hasn’t gotten any more normal or stable. These books and movies gave everyone some commonality and way to escape. It allowed book nerds to connect to film buffs and brought together readers and non-readers.
Twilight was my escape from the stress of school, sports, and general teenager-ness. It gave the goth kids something to dress up about. The love-struck pre-teens were given a totally unrealistic love interest to compare real world boys too.
My name is Tia and I had a pretend boyfriend for a few weeks named Benjamin (Ben for short)… the real Twi-hards will understand why.
THE COMPLETE COLLECTION
There is nothing more fulfilling to a book lover than having a complete collection of amazing books.
The size of the books are all the same. The covers all match. And the box that they come in is always so crisp and clean and organized … it’s delicious.
Get The Twilight Saga Complete Collection here!