Mondays Bite (9)…New Moon Ch. 19 – Epilogue

The Twilight ReRead Continues 

Welcome back to my humble abode for chapters 19 – Epilogue of New Moon. Look to Bookgoonie this week for the start of Eclipse you’ll link up your final New Moon answers over there as well as get the first of her Eclipse questions. If you don’t have a blog you can comment through Twitter with #mondaybites.

Without further ado…The Questions…

1. Alice feels the frustration…”Actually, Bella…Honestly, I think it’s all gotten beyond ridiculous. I’m debating whether to just change you myself.” (436)

What do you feel at this point in the novel, Alice’s frustration to get on with the inevitable change…Or Edward and Rosalie’s fierce grip on experiencing human life?

I have to admit…I’m all for the change. I think that at this point in the novel and after visiting the Volturi it seems so inevitable. Plus, it would solve so many plot problems. While I do get that it is difficult to let go of human life. Bella has obviously made her choice. Someone should just get it over with already! lol.

2. Suicide…dun dun dunnn…We know that Edward ultimately chooses to K.I.S.S.(keep it simple stupid) “He’s going to keep it simple. He’s just going to walk out into the sun.” (438). Bella dramatically jumped off a cliff…as did Esme for that matter…This may be a bit morbid, but if you had to end it all (in the name of Love obviously, lol) how would you do it? Quick? Slow? A flair for the dramatic? Feel free to comment on the formerly mentioned characters if plotting your own demise is just a little too much for you…I’ll understand 😉

Haha, I must  have been feeling a bit dramatic myself creating this question. I think I’m the type of person who values their life. But since I did ask the question…probably slow and as painless as possible. Though, as an angsty teen perhaps I would have been more dramatic. No matter what I’d leave a note…something all of these characters failed to do…weird considering it’s a book…

3. Ahh, the Volturi. The creepiest of the creepy vampires. How do you feel meeting them for the second time? Do you have a favorite villain? A power you’d steal for Team Cullen? 

I love Jane. She’s just so creepy! Picturing this little girl harming people with her mind. I see her as the ultimate mean girl. It just makes it all that much better when she’s defeated at the end of the series. Like Bella’s powers are one big HaHa to Jane 😉

3.5. Obviously the book does not contain the fight scene the movie does. Do you prefer the first meeting with the Volturi violence free? Or would a few punches have livened up the scene?

I don’t think you need the violence; in the book at least. There is so much tension in the writing of the scene. It’s intense and scary in a way that I don’t think they could have replicated in movie format. The movie’s scene does it’s part but I prefer the books version. Esp. having the human secretary, how much of an official operation it all is, bringing in the tourists as food…Creepy!

4. Chapter 23: The Truth. This is an open thoughts question. It’s meant to be the make up scene…If you were Bella are you buying Edward’s ‘truth’? How do you feel as an outsider watching the scene?

I think this scene is so corny. The rest of the novel was pretty honest and the make-up dialogue in this chapter just didn’t ring true to me. It was too pleading, I think reading it a second time I would have rather seen an honest conversation. A place where Edward and Bella could have shared concerns that drove them to the breaking point. Where Bella could have shared what she learned about herself during her time away from Edward. I just think the whole thing could have been handled better.

5. Poor Charlie! The guy is abandoned by his daughter at least once a book, lol. And he always takes her back. As a reader I’ve always kind of pitied the guy…In honor of his paternal patience write your biggest, most parent-like, rant at your ‘daughter’ Bella. Give us the anger and the passion Charlie never seems to express in the books!

“Bella! get in the house!!

You are not to leave that house until you see a therapist, Until I’ve talked to Edward’s parents, Until we get a restraining order for Edward, Until you start getting involved in something other than your boyfriend…

Do you have any idea how bad you’ve hurt me

How much I’ve worried

Give the passport back…Now!!”

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Mondays Bite (8)…Discussion Questions Ch. 9-18

The Twilight ReRead Continues 

Welcome back to my humble abode for chapters 9 – 18 of New Moon. I’ll be in charge of our New Moon read so get comfie! You’ll be joining Bookgoonie for Eclipse, because we’ll all need a little switch up by then, lol. Remember to link up below to share your answers. If you don’t have a blog you can comment through Twitter with #mondaybites.

Join us next week as we read chapters 19 – Epilogue of New Moon. Discussion questions can be found at the bottom of this post. Stop by next Monday to share.

Without further ado…The Questions…

1. “How was I ever going to fight the blurring lines in our relationship when I enjoyed being with him so much?” (210)

This is the section where we really see Bella toeing the line with Jacob. He’s not really Bella’s idea of boyfriend potential…and yet, she’s stringing him along. Do you think Bella is clear enough with Jacob on where he stands? (in relation to friend vs. boyfriend) Or is she using Jacob for more than just friendship?

I think Bella has Jacob sitting in her back-pocket. It’s clear that even she thinks that she isn’t being clear enough with Jacob. I think that to fill Edward’s void she likes that not only is Jacob her friend…he’s also attracted to her. While it was the ripping away of Edward’s love that put her in such a deep hole, you can’t tell me that the romantic rejection felt any better. Just knowing that you have a guy out there acting the part of a boyfriend…I think that can go a long way to healing the hurt.

1.5 Have you ever held a “back-up” boyfriend in your romantic history? How did that work out for you?

Alas, no real back up guy for me. I guess there were always boys that I flirted with in school but no one like Jacob…that I could have turned to and had an instant boyfriend.

2. Once Bella figures out that Jacob is also a “mythical creature” she wonders why her life is so filled with characters from horror movies. If you could have a friend or two from the creepy creature department who would you pick? Feel free to break away from wolves and vampires…Invisible man maybe? Ghost? Swamp Thing? Get creative 😉

I’m going to take a few friendly ghosts. It would be cool to have their histories as well as their special powers of invisibility and swiftness of movement. Plus, maybe a real witch. Not the Wiccan religion or anything like that. I’m talking a born, spell inducing, snap your fingers and it happens Witch. That would be a very cool best friend to have.

3. Bella automatically assumes that the wolves are bad, the ones causing the deaths in the woods. Both Vampires and the Wolves are dangerous creatures but only the Wolves are shown to have caused damage (Sam’s mauling of Emily’s face, the more unbalanced changing of the wolves). Why do you think Bella was so trusting of Vampires and skeptical of the Wolves?

I think that Meyer had to make them look dangerous for plot reasons and also as an extra push for the reader to prefer Edward to Jacob. Plus, it’s a way to remember that the wolves are young as a community. Sure they have history, but the wolves themselves are young in their existence. The vampires have been practicing caution for a long time. But it does always irk me that they are set up to seem like the safest choice…

4. Bella’s cliff diving…Another thrill seeking expedition? or Suicide? Rereading the scene that cinches Edward’s own suicide decision, how premeditated do you think Bella’s idea was? This second time around could you see Bella building up to the final jump? or were you as surprised as you were the first time around?

I think that Bella was heading toward that decision the whole time. She saw the storm, knew it wasn’t smart to do it alone, and yet she jumped. Bella is risky but she’s not stupid. I still think the decision comes sort of out of nowhere. But this time while reading the scene I was struck by how knowledgeable she went into the situation. It was definitely suicide…

5. Bella talks about choosing Jacob in the last part of this section. And as she leaves to save Edward Jacob is still begging her not to go…Reminding her that she has a choice…Bella could have chosen Jake at this moment and changed the course of the series. If you were Bella which choice would you have made?

Ahh, as logical as it would be to pick Jacob…I’ve always been Team Edward. No way I wouldn’t have run off after him in Italy either. It’s why we love the series…

Questions Ch. 19 – Epliogue

1. Alice feels the frustration…”Actually, Bella…Honestly, I think it’s all gotten beyond ridiculous. I’m debating whether to just change you myself.” (436)

What do you feel at this point in the novel, Alice’s frustration to get on with the inevitable change…Or Edward and Rosalie’s fierce grip on experiencing human life?

2. Suicide…dun dun dunnn…We know that Edward ultimately chooses to K.I.S.S.(keep it simple stupid) “He’s going to keep it simple. He’s just going to walk out into the sun.” (438). Bella dramatically jumped off a cliff…as did Esme for that matter…This may be a bit morbid, but if you had to end it all (in the name of Love obviously, lol) how would you do it? Quick? Slow? A flair for the dramatic? Feel free to comment on the formerly mentioned characters if plotting your own demise is just a little too much for you…I’ll understand 😉

3. Ahh, the Volturi. The creepiest of the creepy vampires. How do you feel meeting them for the second time? Do you have a favorite villain? A power you’d steal for Team Cullen? 

3.5. Obviously the book does not contain the fight scene the movie does. Do you prefer the first meeting with the Volturi violence free? Or would a few punches have livened up the scene?

4. Chapter 23: The Truth. This is an open thoughts question. It’s meant to be the make up scene…If you were Bella are you buying Edward’s ‘truth’? How do you feel as an outsider watching the scene?

5. Poor Charlie! The guy is abandoned by his daughter at least once a book, lol. And he always takes her back. As a reader I’ve always kind of pitied the guy…In honor of his paternal patience write your biggest, most parent-like, rant at your ‘daughter’ Bella. Give us the anger and the passion Charlie never seems to express in the books!

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Mondays Bite (7)…New Moon Discussion Questions Ch. 1-8

The Twilight ReRead Continues 

Welcome back to my humble abode for chapters 1-8 of New Moon. I’ll be in charge of our New Moon read so get comfie! You’ll be joining Bookgoonie for Eclipse, because we’ll all need a little switch up by then, lol. Remember to link up below to share your answers. If you don’t have a blog you can comment through Twitter with #mondaybites.

Join us next week as we read chapters 9-17 of New Moon. Discussion questions can be found at the bottom of this post. Stop by next Monday to share.

Without further ado…The Questions…

1. Chapter 1 opens with a dream very much inspired by Bella’s upcoming birthday…One she is NOT looking forward to. If you were her would you share her concerns about aging? How do you handle your own yearly B-day?

I would totally be on track with Bella…but for different reasons maybe. I think that turning Vampire needs to be done like pulling off a band-aid – fast and without warning. The longer I waited for the change, the more experiences I have in life, the more experiences I begin to look forward to in life…I think it just gets harder and harder to give it up. Looking into Bella’s future via my own experience I see College years that were some of the best I’ve had, a few cross-country moves including an amazing two years in Boston living in the same city as my best friend, and then a wedding to my husband, hopes for future homes and children and such. I mean we all know that Bella gets more out of her life than anyone knew to expect…but at this moment she has no idea that she’ll be blessed with these gifts. Right now she’s looking toward a lifetime of teenhood. And I think that while most of us are lovers of YA we’d probably choose a different stage of life to spend eternity in…

And I like my birthdays low key…a great meal and cake is a must!

1.5. (optional) This has to be one of the worst birthday’s in history! Talk about “it’s my party and I’ll cry if I want to”…Any really bad (or really good) Birthday stories out there?

My 17th birthday my best friends pulled off a surprise party and it was awesome 😉 The hubby repeated the surprise for my 20th…I guess I make a really good surprised person, lol.

2. Edward and Bella’s breakup is one of the most difficult parts of Bella’s journey through the series. How do you feel seeing the fall-out during this reread? How good of a job do you think Meyer did of portraying Bella’s feelings? Too dramatic or on-point?

I think that the first time I read it, I was so blindsided by the scene in the woods. It never really seemed like the way Edward would handle the situation…holding the conversation in the woods and all. Didn’t he spend some time in Twilight convincing Bella never to go in alone and now he’s crashing her world in that very place! I’ve always been amazed that Bella wasn’t ushered off to some type of mental help at some point. Even for a bad breakup she’s waaaaay out of it. But I have always loved how Meyer labels those blank pages with the months…Such a perfect, graphic way of showing Bella’s zombie period.

3. In Chapter 4 Bella claims to have finally ‘woken up’ after her night in Port Angeles. I think readers could also claim that it’s her first day spent in La Push with Jacob that truly brings Bella out of her funk…Thoughts?

I’ve never loved Chapter 4. It’s such an odd beginning to her ‘awake’ period of this novel. I like to think of her first day at La Push as her ‘waking up’. Truly Bella went from zombie to happy thanks to Jacob. The whole adrenaline thing is a big part of ‘waking up’ without the Cullens but I don’t think it’s as indicative of how Bella spends her period away from Edward. Really she spends it quite happy in Jacob’s company and Edward’s disembodied voice has very little to do with that experience.

4. In the final chapters of this section Bella begins to hear Edward’s voice. What do you think of Meyer’s choice of turning Bella into an adrenaline junkie in order to find a connection with Edward? Do you think Bella’s rule breaking and risk taking plays an important role in New Moon? or Is the whole disembodied voice a little freaky…even for Twilight?

I think it’s essential for Bella to have this period of teen rebellion. She’s such a rule-follower, stuck in this intense relationship with a vampire. While New Moon is far from my favorite title in the series what I enjoy about it (even more this second time around) is the freedom that loosing Edward gives her. If she’s going to give up her life she deserves a little time taking a few risks…while they’re still risks! I think that this period in the book gives her time to learn who she is separate from Edward and that’s a good thing.

P.S. I hate the disembodied voice, lol. What? Now Edward has new powers? Throwing his voice across continents? I refuse to believe that anyone is expected to believe that the voice is only coming from her head…though Meyer places full blame on Bella’s unconscious mind…nope, not believing it…

5. Oh Team Jacob fans…The love affair begins. But the Jacob we meet in the beginning of New Moon is different from the Jacob we’re introduced to in the movie. Which version do you prefer starting with (remember we’ve only read through ch. 8)…The sweet teen or the hottie on the rise? Maybe you’re able to see both in the book version? (see exhibit A for comparison…P.S. it’s from the scene where Bella falls off the motorcycle)

I am constantly surprised at Jacob in the books. He’s so young! And he acts so young! I like it. I think that it’s important that he remains the sweet teen during this phase of his relationship with Bella. What she needs right now is a friend…not a rebound relationship. And no girl is seeing those movie abs and thinking ‘friendship’…even if it is slightly illegal to say it (haha, Lautner is still younger than 18 right?). I just don’t get the hottie we see on-screen from Meyer’s description in the book. Though the haircut helps…the long hair is not enough to hide what is a very steroid manly body on-screen.

Questions for Chapters 9-18

1. “How was I ever going to fight the blurring lines in our relationship when I enjoyed being with him so much?” (210)

This is the section where we really see Bella toeing the line with Jacob. He’s not really Bella’s idea of boyfriend potential…and yet, she’s stringing him along. Do you think Bella is clear enough with Jacob on where he stands? (in relation to friend vs. boyfriend) Or is she using Jacob for more than just friendship?

1.5 Have you ever held a “back-up” boyfriend in your romantic history? How did that work out for you?

2. Once Bella figures out that Jacob is also a “mythical creature” she wonders why her life is so filled with characters from horror movies. If you could have a friend or two from the creepy creature department who would you pick? Feel free to break away from wolves and vampires…Invisible man maybe? Ghost? Swamp Thing? Get creative 😉

3. Bella automatically assumes that the wolves are bad, the ones causing the deaths in the woods. Both Vampires and the Wolves are dangerous creatures but only the Wolves are shown to have caused damage (Sam’s mauling of Emily’s face, the more unbalanced changing of the wolves). Why do you think Bella was so trusting of Vampires and skeptical of the Wolves?

4. Bella’s cliff diving…Another thrill seeking expedition? or Suicide? Rereading the scene that cinches Edward’s own suicide decision, how premeditated do you think Bella’s idea was? This second time around could you see Bella building up to the final jump? or were you as surprised as you were the first time around?

5. Bella talks about choosing Jacob in the last part of this section. And as she leaves to save Edward Jacob is still begging her not to go…Reminding her that she has a choice…Bella could have chosen Jake at this moment and changed the course of the series. If you were Bella which choice would you have made?

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