The Best Man

Title: The Best Man
Author: Bratty-Vamp
Rating: M
Reviews: 1,921
Status: In-Progress
Summary: Next-door neighbors home from college, reunited for two weeks of their summer break. Childhood memories and adult hijinks abound. Will a friendly competition strengthen childhood bonds? Or will it help to forge a new relationship between adults? AH/AU

Amber Energi 2009-07-20 . chapter 13
You have been super creative with this fic, great job! I like all of the different stuff that you are having them do and the fun little things that happen while they're doing the events. It hasn't gotten past me that every time they drink Edward and Bella end up getting close to one another at the end of the night, and then they are interrupted. You are teasing us, its cool though. Its fun watching things slowly build up b/ween the two of them.

mllebojangles 2009-07-20 . chapter 13
I just read this whole story over the past couple days ... and I am ADORING it! It's such an interesting twist and it's so ridiculously entertaining ... I'm definitely alerting it and can't wait for updates. Keep up the good work!(Oh, and I should mention - I heard about The Best Man through the lovely ladies of the Twigasm podcast. They rock my world with their humor and the wonderful stories they recommend!)

Momma Hen 2009-06-20 . chapter 1
I am SO glad you turned me onto your new story. I had barely read half way down and was already hooked in. I know you only did that to me cause you know how good i am at reviewing you, lol. Look forward to catching up.

My Personal General Review- I started reading this story quite honestly because I was bored. It caught my eye as I searched for something to wile away the hours of boredom that I was having at home alone in June. Once I had read the first eight chapters or so, I alerted the story and sent her a review raving about it. This story has a totally unique and original plot that I certainly have not read hundreds of other times in the fandom.

Here, Bella and Jasper are the best of friends, who return home from college for two weeks. As well as the two friends being there, Jasper's brother, the one and only Edward Mason returns too. Now, normally I would write something along the lines of 'Que falling head over heels in love with each other' but in this story, that statement does not apply. There is a bitter rivalry between the two of them as they fight to become Jasper's Best Man, hence the premise of the story.

I find the Bella that my Bratty-Vamp portrays here very refreshing to read. She isn't pathetic, she doesn't mop over Edward, she gets down and dirty with the guys AND she appears to have a decent sense of humour. This is the Bella that I want as my friend! Rather than the guys (Tyler, Mike, Eric etc) treating Bella as a breakable doll, they take her in as one of their own. Even Edward lets Bella do some rather risk-ay stuff.

So all in all, it truly is an amazing read. I know I tend to say that a lot but the story that has been created here is one of those that is much loved by everyone who reads it, as the reviews above show. Bratty-Vamp has taken an idea, which she described told me, in an interview of course, that it came from no-where. 'Honestly? The idea just ‘came to me.’ When I was finishing my first story (Abbracciare IlCantante) a lot of friends asked me if I might write another. I said I might… IF an idea came to me. The day after I finished AiC, I woke with the concept for The Best Man in my head. I still said I would not start writing it unless the entire story was more concrete in my mind. Within two days I knew the story from start to finish and already felt I knew the characters I would be writing about. I knew then, that I would have to write it.'

During the aforementioned interview, I also asked what she had learnt during the process of writing 'The Best Man', which she answered simply with- 'I think that I’ve been a little more confident writing my second story. I trust myself a little more now. I’ve learned not to get so down on myself!' Every author in the fandom should grow with confidence as they write and if this story is letting her do this, then hell, carry on writing it!

As you come to the end of my rant, slide your mouse below and click the link. She deserves every bit of praise that she gets. 'The Best Man' needs to be read by everyone on ff so they understand what it takes to write a unique and inspiring story!

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5122163/1/The_Best_Man

My Secret Sin

Title: My Secret Sin
Author: An End Has A Start
Rating: M
Reviews: 1,976
Status: In-Progress
Summary: You know it’s wrong when it’s kept a secret. That’s how Bella felt anyway about the new relationship with her step-brother. All Human

anna123 2009-07-15 . chapter 20
I just found this story, and I absolutely love it!! It's been interesting from chapter one, and I've just stayed glued to the screen since I started reading! I would definitely say it has become one of my favorites;) :D Ever since things started going well for B&E though, I've been expecting something to go wrong (call me paranoid, but although the baby certainly sucked for them, I think there's still something worse about to happen), and it's kept me on the edge of my seat while I read the last few chapters!I can't wait to read more!!

twinkle-gal 2009-07-15 . chapter 20
great chapter, I can't wait when they found out about edward and bella, drama and drama right?can't wait for the next update

conceivably.eternity 2009-07-14 . chapter 20
OMG! The tension is building, I just want to know what happens when they find out!That would be quite wierd to have your brother and sister together! But if its love it seems to conquer all!Ok can I know where this school is so I can have extremely public sex?
Please. Awesome lemon, honestly epic!

My personal general Review- This story is amazingly written and keeps on getting better with every update. An End Has A Start is building this story up to such a climax that I know when I say this I speak for everyone who has this on alert but, we are all literary on the edge of our seats. Seeing that she has updated actually makes me smile, internally and externally. There is something enchanting about this story. You know that you should be thinking 'OMG this is so totally wrong' but there is some small undefinable thing that makes this story so believable. I could actually see this happening where I live and the drama it would cause.

The Bella and Edward we see are quite true to the book in some respects but in others, they are from totally different planets. Predicatably, Edward is a player but not so predicatbly, he is a genuinely nice guy behind it all with issues that Bella helps him to explore. Bella on the other hand, is very true to the book, expect here, she is not as close to Renee. Their relationship is portrayed as strained, mainly due to the many relationships that Renee has had and they have had an everlasting effect on Bella. She finds each marriage hard and appears to be very affected by them.

As well as Edward and Bella, we see all of the rest of the Cullen clan at school, minus Carlisle and Esme of course, and boy do they bring the drama. Talk about love triangles and a half! So, Alice and Jasper are a couple but add Rose, the ex who is very close with Jasper still. Sprinkle on a rape case and add a pinch of a secret group called 'The Merry Men' and that is ultimately the schooling bit of the story. Oh and add lemons in classrooms and bitchy girls.

So this story really has it all. An amazing author, a pretty unique plot line and buckets of smut and lemons, which to me only explains why it has almost 2000 reviews. If you are looking for something to get into over the summer, click the link below and check it out. I implore you to.

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4913622/1/My_Secret_Sin

Dominant and Submissive

The fandom at the moment appears to be going through a craze at the moment for stories surrounding a dom/sub relationship. The stories all range in story lines. Some include Jasper, Edward and Bella, whereas others surround around Edward/Bella's dom/sub relationship. All of us love a good lemon and these appear to be the best ones out there at the moment.

For those naive and sheltered people like me, who had NO idea at all what a dom/sub relationship was when they first came across it, here are a couple of definitions.

• Wikipedia says... Dominance and submission (also known as D&s, Ds or D/s) is a set of behaviors, customs and rituals involving the giving by one individual to another individual of dominance over them in an erotic episode or as a lifestyle arrangement. Physical contact is not a necessity, and it can even be conducted anonymously over the telephone, email or other messaging system. In other cases, it can be intensely physical, sometimes traversing into sadomasochism. In D/s, both parties take pleasure or erotic enjoyment from either dominating or being dominated. Those who take the superior position are called Dominants, Doms (male) or Dommes (female), while those who take the subordinate position are called submissives or subs (male or female). A switch is an individual who plays in either role. Two switches together may negotiate and exchange roles several times in a session. "Dominatrix" is a term usually reserved for a female professional dominant who dominates others for pay.

That definition I found was helpful but a little complex. The actual page goes on to explain the details of the relationship in such infinite detail that by reading it, you know all of the ins and outs of the partnership. So due to the complex nature of that definition, I then used urban dictionary for a much more simple one and stumbled across this...

• Acronym for "submissive seme, dominant uke". In yaoi, a sexual situation with dominance/submission in which the seme (person penetrating) obeys and the uke (being penetrated) decides what happens.

This sums it up much more simply for those of us who are already on the good old summer hols (or vacation for you Americans).

So, next, in my extensive research, I searched on fanfiction, within the Twilight fandom the word 'dominant', which caused me to generate 109 results. As I scrolled down the page, something that was blindingly obvious was that all of the stories had been written within the last 10 months, majority of them were one shots that had been written recently. To me that just proved how much this craze had kicked off.

Now, I cannot go on and on about these amazing stories if I do not recommend any of them to you.

The obvious ones to recommend to you are 'The Submissive' and 'The Dominant' which are sister stories written by tara sue me http://www.fanfiction.net/u/1595284/tara_sue_me. These are perhaps the ultimate dom/sub stories. They follow both of the point of views of Edward and Bella as they explore their relationship through this odd means. I personally enjoyed these stories a lot as they are written very well and believably. BUT read 'The Submissive' first! This is the story that in my opinion has opened up the cascade of stories that have appeared recently.

The other rather blindingly easy ones to recommend are 'The Training School' series by TheSpoiltOne. http://www.fanfiction.net/u/1702022/TheSpoiltOne She tells the story of a dom/sub training school from Bella, Edward, James and Carlisle's POV's. The premise of the story is Bella being sent to the school by James, her boyfriend, as he wants her to improve in bed but in true fanfiction style, she meets Edward. It is an interesting take on the whole relationship but it works very well as a concept.

There are other ones out there but those have still yet to be read my me, thus making it impossible for me to tell you about them. However, I encourage, no implore you to search the word 'dominant' or 'submissive'. See what you can find. You may just be surprised!

You Get Me Closer To God

Title: You Get Me Closer To God
Author: americnxidiot
Rating: M
Reviews: 2,114
Status: Complete
Summary: They meet for one reason, and one reason alone. Everybody's happy. Nobody gets hurt. Right? "I wanna feel you from the inside."- E/B OOC All Human. Winner of the Eddie for best completed novel.

JynxxD (Chapter 20 review): I simply LOVE this story. And I'm extremly suprised. Ordinarily such open and frank details are a little out of my comfort zone, however, I don't feel any of it was gratuitous and was actually very required for the story -- to set the proper tone.

That being said, I also loved your Edward and Bella! Her willingness and ingenuity to face her fears and ability to admit her mistakes; His patience and silent suffering without the drastic overreactions. Very well done.

Naomitron (Chapter 20 review): Ah, my head hurts to see this story come to an end. I love just how dirty, filthy, romantic, sweet, and freaking sexy these two are (as you've so wonderfully played them out to be). It really was a fitting end to this wonderful work of art. I'm extremly sad to see it go, so I hope you've got a sequel in the works. If not, I'm always here to help pump out ideas :p Thank you for the hard work and wonderful reading material! I look forward to more from you in the future.

Anonymous: perfect ending! :D it was adorable and sweet and made me happy inside! i wish it hadn't ended, but that was an amazing close to an amazing story! i always got excited when i got an e-mail saying that you had updated! [:

Personal Reading Experince (SPOILERS): In this story, we follow Bella and Edward through their emotional, hilarious, and smutty relationship. The story brings many different emotions out of you and each one is as strong as the next (although lust is certainly at the top).

Edward and Bella's themesong throughout the story is Closer by Nine Inch Nails. It appears in the proluge, in chapter one,at the dinner table, and a few other places. It defines their relationship.

At the beginning it appears that our lovely *cough*horny*cough* characters (Bella and Edward) are only tied together by sex. Little does the reader know they are actually hording emotions.

Although anybody can see why they wouldn't fess up about their feelings. When you are getting sex like that.....you don't complain. Not only are their hook-ups spontaneous, but they do it in some pretty crazy places. The calmest they go is Edward's bedroom and I would say the craziest would be the tire swing in a stranger's back yard. And of course....it was secretive. They didn't tell their friends, or parents, or anybody. How many of us haven't wanted a secret fuck buddy? Be honest! And as if the sex in itself it's enough there is flirting *cough*foreplay*cough* going on all day long.

They eventually do put their feelings on the line and I'm sure there were tons of awws coming out. We are all happy that Edward and Bella had their happy ending, we just hope they don't lose their sex drive! You can love this story for many reasons! It's a must read!

Link: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4693022/1/You_Get_Me_Closer_To_God

That Is Not My Job

One thing that constantly seems to be a problem in the fandom is RUDE readers, RUDE people on forums, RUDE reviewers, and RUDE authors. I, for the life of me, can’t figure out why.

Nobody has to write for you or has to help you. Nobody on here is getting paid to write you a story and nobody is getting paid to beta your story. They are doing it during their free time. They do have their own lives and other responsibilities. I often hear betas complaining about how rude authors are to them. Betas are offering you their time and skills, so you should be nothing but thankful.

We are in no way obligated to communicate and be friends. We could all just write and read. There doesn’t have to be awards, contests, podcasts, websites, blogs like this, or even reviews. But what fun would that be? The whole fandom is better when we all just get along. Behind the screen is a real person with feelings, so watch what you say and save the drama for your mama.


Amethyst Jackson: Many fandom participants do forget that everyone works for free here, we have limited resources, and we all have other major endeavors in our lives - whether that be school, work, motherhood, or any number of things. For me personally, I find it frustrating when people complain about slow updates rather than asking nicely, or when readers critique overly harshly. Unfortunately, I don't get to write nearly as much as I would like, and I don't have an editor to check my facts. I would encourage people to be more supportive and less nitpicky.


VampGirl: The Twilight fandom has exploded, and we need to remember that these people do this all for free and have busy lives as well. I know it's frustrating. Believe me, I know it can be excruciating waiting and waiting to get a chapter back. But they're only human.


ObsessingOverEdward: My biggest gripe about the rudeness in the fandom is not from the readersbecause I try to give them the benefit of doubt when they review and say WTF? They don't usually know where the story is headed and when we throw zingers (or cliffies) at them then it's to be expected. It's what we work for as a writer, to instill some kind of emotion into the reader. It also doesn't help when they then have to wait for the next update, LOL.

I've only had a few flamers, but thanks to my awesome beta Mskathy, I tend to ignore them. Kathy has talked me off the ledge many times. I usually write a scathing remark back, to get it all out of my system, and then delete it before sending. For a new reader/reviewer I highly recommend reading WTVOCarticle on "The Lazy Yet Discerning Ficster" blog about reviewing etiquette, if you have any questions on what's appropriate. http://discerningficster.blogspot.com/search/label/Fandom%20Etiquette

My biggest issues are with authors that feel the need to make snarky remarks about other authors or their stories on public threads or podcasts. Words hurt, even though we try to buck up and ignore them, it still bugs you when you put a ton of time and pour out your emotions into your story only to have it slammed by someone that should understand the energy you put in. The backstabbing and snottiness in the fandom from other authors can get to be tiring. Most are amazing and wonderful ladies but there are a few that like to cause drama wherever they go.

My thoughts are, that not all stories will appeal to all readers so if you don't like a story then move on, but there is no reason for catty remarks because an author doesn't write a story like you would have liked to see it written.

Betas

Part 1: Being A Beta

As a beta, I would say I am qualified to cover this topic. When you are beta there are so many things you have to pay attention to. First of all there is the grammar. You need to fix every missed period, misplaced comma, and mispelled word. Nobody wants to read anything where there are constant errors.

Another thing betas have to look out for is awkward phrasing and dialouge. Is the author's writing going to make the reader trip? The story should flow smoothly. The best way to edit dialouge is to read it aloud. Does it sound like something they would say?

Once all of the techincal stuff is done you still have more work to do. Does the author have good chacterization? Does the author's plot make sense? Do the pairings work with the story? Does it follow the book if the story is supposed to be canon? As a beta, you need to make sure the story isn't crap. Nobody is going to care what the grammar is like if the story itself sucks.

Also, when you are done tearing the author's work to bits and pieces (which will most likely happen) try to find something positive to say. Don't lie, but if there was something you liked let them know.

You need to be reliable. The readers want the chapters as fast as possible, so try not to keep an author's story for too long. Also, the author needs time to deal with your suggestions and fix her chapter accordingly. You should return the chapter to the author within 48 hours of recieving it.



Part 2: Finding A Beta

As an author, you should have a beta for every story, even it's just a one-shot. Just because you beta for other people doesn't mean you won't miss something in your own work.

When you are looking for a beta you need to pick someone who is going to be brutally honest. You need to make sure they are totally honest, so that way you know your story is the best it can be. You don't want someone who is going to lie to make you feel better.

That brings me to the topic as using as a friend as a beta. This could go one of two ways. It could work out really well because you are such good friends that you can be honest without eachother and nobody will have any hard feelings or you will both be walking on eggshells and your story won't be the best it could be.

One thing a lot of authors do is have their work checked over by two or three people. Any more than three people is just ridiculous because your work shouldn't have that many mistakes in it. Having mulitple betas also helps if one or two are busy whenever you need a chapter edited.

Part 3: Beta and Author Interaction

This is probably the most difficult part. A beta doens't want to step on an author's toes by trying to write her story for her. There is a thin line between helping write the story and trying to write the story yourself.

While a beta should be available and reliable they don't have to jump through hoops for the author. They have volunteered their help, the beta's don't work for the author's. So all you author's out there that demand they have their chapter back in the next four hours because you promised you would post need to shove it. It's not the beta's fault that you just got it the way you wanted and just sent it to them.

While an author and their beta don't have to be best friends they do need to communicate with eachother. They need to be comfortable talking about where the story is going. And of course smaller things too. Like if the beta is going to get wasted for her 21st birthday and won't be available for a few days then the author should know not to send her chapters. The last thing a beta wants is for an author to chew her out for not returning the chapter she never knew was in her inbox.

An important thing to remember is to be honest. If a beta (or author) isn't working for you let them know. Not every beta is going to work for every author and vise versa. If you think that it isn't working let the other person know. My most important message goes out to the betas out there. If the shit sucks, it sucks. Don't keep betaing something that is horrible, let the author know that you don't think the story is working and try to re-write it with her.

Here's a question and answer from the Ask WTVOC collumn over at TLYDF (The Lazy, Yet Discerning Ficster).

Dear...You,

I am betaing for a girl and I want to tell her that her shit sucks and to go re-write it, but I never do. I just fix the grammatical errors and send it back to her. If I was friends with her I would say exactly how i felt, but I don't know her. How do I word it in a nice way?

Peace & Cookies, Confused Beta

Dear MastaBeta:

You had me at cookies.

Look, here’s the thing. Constructive criticism means both good and bad, said in a way that isn’t all OMG YOU SUCK HARD GET OUTTA MAH FANDOM.

Lemme ask you this-

Why do you beta something that sucks?

I already know the answer. You’re too nice.

You can either keep being nice, saying nothing, and letting a piece of your spirit die every time you get that email in your box-

Or… you can say, “Look, I like you and your writing, but I feel like your work is taking a direction that isn’t working for me. Can we rework this part?” Always couple with something positive, else she feels horrible.

The thing is this- do you want to subject everyone else to schlock just because you’re too nice to say anything?

Don’t be a pushover. I know, I know. Easier said than done. But if she’s worth anything, she’ll appreciate some help. She might even suspect that you’re pandering to keep her happy.

And if she gets mad, offended, snaps back, defensive… well, you’ve just unsaddled a burden, no?

And hope she isn’t a fan of your dirty uncle.

Just… honesty is great, but be kind. Betalings have feelings, too.

-wtvoc

Betas are an important part to the writing world. Readers would have to suffer some major errors if it wasn't for them. Author's are obviously important. The betas would have nothing to do if the authors weren't writing. The whole process works better if everyone stays honest and nice.

If you don't feel like dealing with all the drama that comes with betas and betaing go on over to Project Team Beta (link somewhere to your right).

~Alyssa~

The Age of Edward Contest

I have recently heard of a contest going on the fandom. If you haven't guessed already it's called The Age of Edward Contest. It's being hosted by americnxidiot, Dollegirl, Kitschisme, Rosette-Cullen, Stacy . Bumblebee, and Vixen1836. You can find more information out from any of them.


The Age of Edward Contest will feature quality stories throughout various historical eras, ranging from ancient times up until the modern era. The contest began on June 1st and will close on July 15th. Winners will be announced July 31st. The hosts will be serving as judges.



Winners will each win a prize!! Don't pretend you don't care because we all know you do.


1st place: Edward Cullen Action Figure and a signature banner
2nd place: Custom made t-shirt with your choice of Twilight related phrase and a signature banner.
3rd place: Twilight related gift and/or Edward paraphernalia and a signature banner.




Rules:
1. ALL entries MUST be all-human/alternate-universe
2. ALL entries MUST be one-shots
3. ALL entries MUST include smut/lemons, and therefore MUST be rated M
4. ALL entries MUST be 3,000 to 12,000 words

This all of the basic things that you need to know. Find more information here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5079452/1/

What We're Reading

A lot of people find it hard to find good stories among the thousands that are now in our fandom. Below is a list of good stories we are reading right now:

british-bella/francesb001:

1)Falling Into You by Aliasfan266 - Basically Bella is a bit of a rebellious teen and so Renee puts her foot down and sends her to rehab, where she meets her therapist and surprise, suprise, he is Edward Cullen. The story only has 6 chapters (including the prologue) at the moment so the story could generally go anywhere. In the summary, the author says 'Dr. Edward Cullen who as her psychologist decides to try different means of therapy on her...', which sounds ominous, but I am DYING to know what happens. I cannot recommend anything more at the moment.

2)All Work and No Play by herinfiniteeyes - this is rated M. It's a teacher/student story, which normally I do not read but there is something about the way that she writes that means that it is believeable. The story started off as a one shot but she continued it. Edward is a teacher who offers to help Bella out when she takes on college level classes at the local college, while still in high school. Of course sparks fly and they end up together but again, this story is in it's early days so it could really go anywhere, which at the moment is them going to Dartmouth together.

3)Aye Aye, Captain by Freesias and Strawberries - Bella is sent to a military school after years of bad behaviour. The main twist of this story that makes it one of a kind is that the military school is all boys bar Bella, and two other girls. Here, Bella is a lot more OOC than most stories, but it works because of the plot.

ohmahgawditsnicole:

1)E Pluribus Unum by Rosette-Cullen - Bella got kicked out of her house by Charlie, and she's living with her college boyfriend, Edward. Everyone at school thinks she's a slut, but they just don't understand her relationship with edward. It only has about 5 chapters so far, and it actually sounds way better than my summary made it seem.

My smile is my tears:

1)Just The Three Of Us by kuntrygal - Edward and Jasper are together, but only in the privacy of their own home. While out one night they meet Bella. They both have an attraction to her and she has an attraction to both of them, so it ends up becoming a three person couple. I'm not describing it very well, but the three of them have an instant, intense connection. Trouble arises throughout the story and you are always begging for the next update.

2)Shadowboxer by nobloodnofoul - This story is pretty popular now, but I first started reading it when only a select few knew about it. It is phenonomal. Bella and Edward meet in the strangest way, but they end up getting together. They go through a lot because of his profession and her past. There are so many emotions flying around that you get whiplash, but it's all worth it.

3)Someone To Save You by EmmaEdholm - This story has an intersting plot that makes you wonder why you didn't think of it first. Edward finds homeless, runaway Bella asleep, trying to cover herself from the cold. After he sees her, he realizes he can't just leave her there, so he takes her home. When Alice and Emmett find out Bella and Edward get sucked into a giant lie that they each secretly begin to hope will turn into reality. You can practically feel Edward and Bella's confusion and emotions in this story.

Stephenie Meyer Breaks The U.K

Being from England, as I so often say it annoys myself sometimes, I am exposed to some of the same things as people from across the Atlantic or a little bit further a field, such as Australia and even places like Spain, but being a small country, there are certain things that we keep very to ourselves and appear to only just be reaching everyone else.

One of them, obviously, is our literature. People such as J K Rowling, Agatha Christie and Tolkien are household names all over the world but there is something strange about visiting places that are actually in the books. For example, I have visited the universities in Oxford where Harry Potter is filmed and my sister is going to the university that is said to have influenced how J K Rowling imagined Hogwarts. Or take Tolkien. On one of my sisters more recent cheer leading excursions that I was forced to go on, we stopped to look around the place that supposedly the Hobbit houses are based on. Everywhere we go here is integrated in literature and I can almost guarantee that some kind of author has written about it at some point.

Also, take our music. Stephenie Meyer dedicated some of her books to Muse, who are believe it or not, Brits themselves. Music is something that defines my country. Almost every single weekend, in every single small village, town or city, up and coming bands play music in clubs, at youth centres or on street corners. It is actually in the air in London.

Okay, the point of my rather weird ramblings is that Stephenie Meyer has broken the UK. It's official. As much as it pains me to admit this, Twilight is mainstream. Ahhhh. I feel like such a sheep. BUT back on topic, when I first read the book, I felt like I was reading part of some forgein world that was so distant from my own, but looking back over the books, I now understand why I, personally, related to them so much.

Take the weather. I think I would be right in saying that it probably rained in Forks today, and guess what it rained here. I totally get the whole WTF do I wear to school now that the sky has decided to drop a bucket of water. Also, the music behind the novel is exactly what is in my top 25 most played. There is some kind of teenage quality about S Meyer that means that she totally relates to almost every single teenager out there 100%, weather they want to or not.

So, I congratulate Stephenie Meyer once again. Well done.

P.S.- I refuse to tell anyone that I fan girl on Twilight. I refuse to be mainstream in public :)

Literature

We have indulged ourselves into the world of fanfiction, but I think we need to recognize how we got there. We need to keep reading real literature. Yes, it does still exist.

Teen:
I am always on the lookout for new books in this area. A good book from this section and a bar of chocolate (bound to leave stains on your pages) can cure anything from a broken heart to a bad number on the scale. I am in love with Forever by Judy Blume. Although it may be pushing the teen boundries a little it is a great read. You travel with Katherine through her relationship with Micheal. It's a great book for girls and really portrays first love.

Sarah Dessen is one of my favorite authors. She is a great writter and really gets through to the teenage girl. Some of my favorites by her are Just Listen, this lullaby, and the truth about forever. In each of her books we embrace a girl and her struggles. Sarah Dessen has written many books to satisfy the hearts of many teenage books. Her works include Dreamland, Someone Like You, Keeping the Moon, that summer, and lock and key. They are not a series, so you can indulge in whichever suits your fancy. Find her quick because her newest piece (along for the ride) is coming in June.

Classics: There are many classics out there. And many writers of classics. Along with classics in many different areas of literature (american, russian, etc.). My bookshelf contains many of them. I won't even touch on Shakespear because that just wouldn't be fair. And besides who hasn't read Shakespear? Although I would like to mention five must read classics. the CATCHER in the RYE is about a teenage boy named Holden and his journey through New York city. You either love him or you hate him. The book doesn't cover a very long period of time, but you feel like you've know Holden for a long time.

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee also earns a spot on my bookshelf (I have thrown out books before because there wasn't enough room). I am sure we have all seen this book at one time or another. I highly reccomend it! P.S - To all the idiots, who like me, don't pay enough attention sometimes, Scout is a girl! I had to read the book twice before I figured that out!

Great Expectations is a fabulous book by Charles Dickens. I read this in 6th grade along with one of my friends Hannah. We had a two person book club while reading this thing! It was insane! We couldn't put it down! I personally think that it's Dickens best piece of work although I do love A Christmas Carol. Because I love the summary:

In the marshy mists of a village churchyard, a tiny orphan boy named Pip is suddenly terrified by a shivering, limping convict on the run. Years later, a supremely arrogant young Pip boards the coach to London, where, by the grace of a mysterious benefactor he will join the ranks of the idle rich and "become a gentleman." Finally, in the luminous mists of the village at evening, Pip the man meets Estella, his dazzlingly beautiful tormentor, in a ruined garden -- and lays to rest all the heartaches and illusions that his "great expectations" have brought upon him.

Now onto Jane Austen. If you're younger you may not understand it, as it was written in the early ninteenth century. Anyways, I love two of her books to death. Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility are both amazing books. Although she has written many others these are my favorites. I won't go on any longer about her because a) my words couldn't do her justice b) you should already know about her and c) this post is long and I still have more I want to say.

A book every girl must read: The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. This author has written other books, but none of them come close to this one. It is my NUMBER ONE favorite book of all time. I will be greatly suprised if a piece of literature can surpass this one on my favorites list. It tells Lily's story as she runs away and meets three women who change her life. She finds out the truth about her mother, who has long passed away. It truly is a book that every girl must read at least once.

What I am currently reading: The Chocolate Lovers' Club. This book is definetly more adult. Four women (Natia, Autumn, Lucy, and Chantal) making up the club. They each have their own problems in life and each share an addiction to chocolate. I am about half way through and love every word. Each character has a unique personality and they each have their own problems, but their one sanctuary is Chocolate Heaven, where they meet and spill all of their secrets. Come and read about each and every Chocolate Emergency.

What I have bought and is waiting to be read: The Knitting Circle and The Friday Night Knitting Club. It seems that books about people who knit has struck my attention while at the bookstore. The Knitting Cirle is about Mary Baxter and how she joins a knitting cirle to join her lonely days. They all share their stories of love, loss, and hope. The Friday Night Knitting Club is about 6 women who exchange jokes, knitting tips, and their deepest secrets. It's not just a club, it's a sisterhood.

As you can see by the end of the post I had a popular theme while at the bookstore today. Groups of women. Well.....what can I say. They all sounded so interesting! I could spend the rest of my life in a bookstore!

Well that was my post on literature! I hope you found something in this post that sparked some interest!