The full title is “Twilight: Director’s Notebook: The Story Of How We Made The Movie Based On The Novel By Stephenie Meyer” and I think this completely sums up everything the book is about.

It’s the making of the movie based on the book that is now referred to as “The Twilight Phenomenon.”

It’s a small hardcover book that is written in the style of a scrapbook, including photos of the set, scenery, cast and crew, news clippings, sketches done both by the storyboard artist and Catherine Hardwicke herself, and tons of side notes and facts.

You get to learn all the dirty little secrets of the director and how she made this movie come alive.

It’s very similar to the “Twilight: The Complete Illustrated Movie Companion” in it’s sense of technical style and photos. The difference is that the Movie Companion is physically bigger and thus the photos are much more distinct, but on the negative side, it’s far more detailed from a technical perspective. Unless you’re in the movie business, it’s just a bunch of boring jargon. See the review here:

http://www.justkickinit.ca/2008/12/31/twilight-movie-companion-by-mark-cotta-vaz/

In this way, I prefer the Director’s Notebook. Hardwicke tones down all the technical aspect leaving in only what’s necessary. Plus, there is something better about reading it directly from the director’s mouth.

All of the words are written in “hand-writing” and at times I find it illegible. I had to take breaks otherwise my eyes would get a bit sore from struggling to read. It’s very unique to anything I’ve ever read before, and I liked the difference. It just took some adjusting.

I’d recommend this book to all the Twilighters out there. You just can’t go wrong!
If you have to choose between the Companion and the Notebook, I’d choose the Notebook. It’s got a lot of the same information and pictures so you’re not missing anything.

If you’re only looking for the pictures, choose the Companion – bigger is better, right?

This is the fourth and final book of the Twilight series and I’m very sad to see it end.

It was the perfect conclusion to a fabulous series with everything you need to feel satisfied. It’s a happy ending for almost everyone. But alas I’m moving along too quickly.

The novel starts with the beautiful Cullen wedding and it was written so well I felt that I was attending it myself.

Alice organized and planned the wedding for Bella and Edward and she didn’t miss any details whatsoever. Bella’s dress was ideal for her and even though she doesn’t have the flawless features of a vampire, all eyes are on the bride. She is absolutely stunning. All clumsiness aside, she doesn’t falter once as Charlie walks her down the aisle.

They say their “I do’s” and are off to the surprise honeymoon. Edward has kept this a secret and Bella has no idea where she is going. Alice packed the bags so she can’t even predict the weather.

As time and money are of no object the honeymooners are able to enjoy every aspect of the island they are on.  In what seems like no time at all, Bella discovers that she is pregnant. Because the child is half-vampire, half-human they decide not to take any further risks with the ‘monster’ and  their honeymoon is cut short.

At this point the story is told from Jacob’s perspective. He discovers that Bella is pregnant and  thus the tribe finds out as well. The tribe makes a decision to kill the monster before any trouble comes to Forks and the rest of the human population. Jacob is now completely torn. He agrees the child should be killed but doesn’t want to kill Bella in the process. The pregnancy is clearly hard on her and she has no chance of survival.

A bond is formed between Leah and Jacob because of their unrequited love for Sam and Bella respectively.

The novel then changes back to Bella’s perspective.  She explains the pain and torture that she receives in the process of childbirth and her ultimate survival. Too soon the Volturi find out about the abomination of the child vampire and as this breaks the biggest vampire law they make a snap decision to destroy the baby and all those involved in the process. Given that the Cullen family has supported Edward and Bella thus far, they are all targets of the Volturi.

A bigger war is at hand and again the werewolves are involved. At this point I was a little disappointed. There was so much build up to this war and not enough action. I believe that Meyer made her point but I still would have liked to see a bigger battle.

The story ends just after the battle and it may have well ended with  “and they all lived happily every after.”
I did love this novel and this entire series, I think I just wanted a little more. Who am I kidding? I wanted a lot more – why did it have to end at all?!

Eclipse is part three of the Twilight Saga and is a page-turner from the beginning. Edward and Bella are back together and spending every day with each other. Soon enough Bella finds herself in trouble… again. Edward and the rest of the Cullens put Bella in lock-down. She has to be ‘babysat’ at all times because a war is brewing and she is the cause.

They all slowly discover who the enemy is and are feeling defeated. They have no hope to survive this war as they are outnumbered and any real defence would be futile. This becomes a battle between werewolves and vampires, and it’s deadly. The Cullens choose their allies wisely and the battlefield is levelled.

The relationship between Bella and Jacob grows and she is forced to make a decision between her two loves, her boyfriend and her best friend. I was disappointed with some of Bella’s actions and choices but ultimately it all needs to happen, and it only makes you love Edward and Jacob that much more.

The love the boys have for Bella is undeniable and your heart breaks for her and the difficult choice she makes. She has to break someones heart and in the end, your heart breaks too. I loved every bit of this story, except the epilogue.

Eclipse gives detail to Rosalie’s, Jasper’s, and Jacob’s past. It provides so much more depth to the character and helps us to understand why they think and feel the way that they do.

I can’t wait to read the fourth and final book of this series to see how it all ends.

New Moon is part two of the Twilight Saga.  The entire series is the epic love story of Bella Swan and Edward Cullen. In the first book we saw how they became a couple and the goals they had to achieve to stay a couple.

In book two, your heart breaks as Edward decides to part ways from Bella. This story is how she copes with the loss of her love. She loses many friends as she tries to accept the world without Edward and she can’t seem to fill the void that he’s left behind.

She meets with her old friend Jacob Black, who helps her through her dark days. Their relationship grows and the bond strengthens but in her heart Bella knows she cannot replace her soul mate. It’s not long before Jacob leaves Bella to join a cult-like gang. Now she is left to cope with a new loss as the two men weave in and out of her life – mentally, emotionally, and physically.

Personally, I found this one a little harder to get into, but once I was in – I was hooked. Be patient with this novel and you’ll see it is just as exciting as the first. You learn about other mythical beings and that no matter what species you are, love will conquer all.

I loved learning about Jacob Black and found that my heart ached with Bella’s the closer she got to him. But I did find one flaw with this story. Although Meyer explains why Bella is able to hear Edward’s voice so clearly as she approaches danger, it doesn’t explain why she knew what to do when she was stuck in between a thirsty vampire and a ‘grizzly bear.’ Personally, I expected more from this. There is no way her instincts would guide her through that, so something is missing in Meyer’s description.

If you can deal with 200-400 pages of heart-ache for a ‘happy ending’ please give this book a shot – flawed or not, I loved it!

This is the story of a teenage girl who falls in love with a vampire. It’s not your typical vampire story, there is no gore, no sharp teeth, and very little blood.

Despite that, this book has it all! It gets your heart racing with all of the twists and turns that one novel can manage.

Isabella (Bella) Swan is an average, plain, boring, teenage girl who moves back to a small town to live with her single father. On her first day in high school, while trying not to be noticed, Bella comes across a very different family. More specifically, she sees a beautifully unique boy. His name is Edward Cullen and she is drawn to him.

It’s not long before the two become friends and she learns his deepest, darkest secrets. She should be afraid, and he reminds her time and time again that it’s in her best interest to stay away. But she can’t. There is a connection between the two that cannot be denied, and they fall in love.

He tries to be human, and she tries to fit in with his vampire family. But trouble follows her everywhere. She has many near-death experiences. How long can this vampire put his love before his thirst for her blood?

I recommend this book to any female. I’m not certain this is a book for guys. It might be, but I think it depends on their interest. If you’re expecting horror and gore than look elsewhere. If you’re ok with danger and suspense then look no further!

The reason I recommend this to the girls is because it’s a true love story. You know in high school when the average girl and the hot guy start dating? Or when the quiet, straight-A -student girl meets the dangerous, rebellious guy and wants to enter his world but be safe at the same time? OK so maybe it only happens in movies, but every time it does, our female heart flutters away, and you can’t help but blush as you secretly wish it was you.

This novel is quite the page-turner. I finished it in less than three days, and I am a very slow reader. Believe me, I couldn’t put it down!