Meandering Along

   Yes, I have a confession to make. See, I really don’t like Twilight. (Or New Moon, or Eclipse, or Breaking Dawn.) Actually, I rather loathe those books. Anybody who’s been reading this blog already knew that.

   So I went to see the Twilight movie not too long after it came out. It was okay. Good for laughs. But something happened to me there. I developed a crush on Robert Pattinson. I couldn’t help it! He was cute. And he had such awesome sunglasses. I admit to hissing “Oh my gosh, look at him!” to my friend a couple of times.

   And all of this means that I am so going to see New Moon when it comes out. I could care less about the story or about how the movie is made or whatever. I’m going to see it for Robert Pattinson. Problem is that Edward isn’t in a whole lot of New Moon. Maybe the script writers will think of girls like me and decide to put more Edward in. Maybe… Probably not. I can hardly believe that I actually want more Edward. Well, more Robert Pattinson anyway. Edward can just go…sparkle in a meadow for all I care.

   So yes. I am a very non-Twilight person who will go see New Moon for the actor playing one of my least favorite characters in the history of books. Dude, I would even go see him in the horror that is Breaking Dawn.

   And there’s my confession of the day.

   I’ll admit that I am depressed that it is Tuesday. See, I really wish it were tomorrow. Yes, I wish it were Wednesday. Smack in the middle of the week. Normally, I’m not overly fond of Wednesdays. Tomorrow will be good though. Tomorrow the only TV show I faithfully watch is kicking off with its fifth season. LOST begins tomorrow. I am so excited. I judge TV shows the way I judge books. Good dialogue, plotting, well-rounded characters. This show has all of that. Okay, I will stop gushing about a TV show. It honestly feels weird to do that. I feel like I’ve committed a crime against books or something.

   Oh! I can gush about a book. I’ve been meaning to do it ever since I finished rereading it earlier this month. Les Miserables. My goodness. That book is so amazing. I’ve read the unabridged version, and it did tend to ramble off on tangents a bit. Mostly notably, the sewers. *shudder* Well, I kind of chickened out this time and read the abridged version. What? It’s the same thing only without all those tangents. I was in the mood to just get into it and read.

   I honestly can’t pick a favorite character. I mean, how am I suppose to? It’s a four way tie between Jean Valjean, Javert, Marius, and Eponine. I sympathize the most with Jean Valjean. (I cried for him more than once.) Javert is a villain, yes I know. But he’s such a good villain. Marius… *giggle* Marius is the love of my life. Well, one of them anyway. I pity Eponine. I really do. She was really rather pathetic, if you ask me. But I most definitely pitied her. She was so much easier to relate to than Cosette. Cosette’s another story. I don’t like her much. I mean, I like some things about her, but I always end up loathing her toward the end. Besides that, I never felt like I really ever got to know her character.

   I watched “The Princess of Thieves” with my siblings last night. Okay… What I want to know is who the heck wrote that dialogue? Oh. My. Goodness. I was cracking up the whole time because the words coming out of the character’s mouths were so cliché. Not to mention the cliché characters… My mental image of Will Scarlet has been ruined forever now as well. (Darn you movie people.) I must needs go reread Robin McKinley’s “Outlaws of Sherwood” to get back my mental image of him.

   Tonight it’s supposed to get the coldest it’s been in Florida since 2003. It’s supposed to get below freezing tonight. I think I’ll need tall socks, flannel pants, three shirts, and six blankets. It’s true. 60 degrees is cold to me. 50 is freezing. Anything below is like death weather. Blame my parents. I was born up north, but they decided to move here when I was one. So it’s their fault I’m a Florida girl inside and out.

   I just realized something. I have to redo several of those pages on my sidebar. Le sigh. I’m not doing that now for two reasons. One, I don’t feel like it now. Two, I’m too lazy to do it now. However, I am about to update my links. I need to take a few people off and people a few more on. Knowing me, I’ll post this post and totally forget.

   You want to know something else? I have had this theme forever! I want a new one. I really do. But there aren’t any that I particularly like. Well, there are. But they’re being used. For that reason, I have considered moving to Blogger. But I probably won’t. I’ve very attached to WordPress.

   One more thing… I posted a two scenes on the “Snippets” page. Be warned: I think they are the fluffiest things I have written in all my sixteen years. I mean, they’re shamelessly fluffy. Funny thing is, I wrote one of them while chatting with Maribeth and Danielle one night on Gmail. Their reactions were…amusing. Email me at starzjess[at]gmail[dot]com for the password.

   This post has spoilers for all of Shannon Hale’s currently published books. If you haven’t read them, go do yourself a favor and read them. That being said…

   You can’t deny that Shannon Hale writes wonderful romance. (Okay, you could deny it, but I would have to wonder what’s wrong with you.) I mean, her romances are realistic. If you really think about it, realistic (and good) romance is hard to come by. (Like the romances in The Luxe and Rumors. Not realistic and quite annoying. Of course, I’ll end up reading Envy because I read its predecessors, and the cover will certainly be gorgeous, and then I won’t be able to resist it.) Anyway, all of Shannon Hale’s couples were friends first. I can’t say that I know a whole lot about the dating game, but I do know that being friends first is a good way to go.

   So first of all there’s my favorite couple—Isi and Geric. (The latter is my greatest fictional love.) I smile and giggle every single time I read the first two scenes they have together. I mean, Geric’s so sweet and bumbling and completely adorable. And then his proposal at the end of The Goose Girl. I distinctly remember my very first reaction to when he said, “Will you have me?” It was a lot of giggling and a desire to tell Isi that if she didn’t marry him, I’d gladly do it for her. And we can’t forget that he asked he could kiss her. He asked. He gets a million points for that alone. Moving on the Enna Burning, there’s the famous “crumble scene.” I swoon just thinking about it. “I would crumble if I lost you.” He really, really loves her.

   Enna and Finn are tumultuous. But so perfect for each other. I love Finn and all, but more in a brotherly sense. I love his relationship with Enna though. He’s so sweet and steady, and that’s exactly what Enna needs after everything she’s been through. “All I ever wanted is to be near you.” That’s all he ever wanted. Geez, I’m going to start tearing up here in a second. Oh, and there’s this line I’ve always loved in River Secrets. The line that ends with “his eyes full of Enna.” So cute. (I’m smiling like an idiot at this particular moment in time.)

   But Razo and Dasha win as cutest couple. Definitely. The ending of River Secrets feels so dreamlike, and I love that the last word of the book is “kiss.” One of my favorite scenes is when Razo sees Dasha’s ankles and meditates upon them. Or that part when Razo tells Dasha he likes her only after listing all his favorite foods. Oh, that Razo. (Also in River Secrets, I thought the Talone/Megina romance was hysterically wonderfully. I hope to hear something more about in Forest Born.)

   Miri and Peder. Well, I haven’t read Princess Academy in a while. (I’ve been meaning to reread it.) I do remember liking that the book didn’t end with them getting engaged or something. It ended on happy and hopeful note for them. (But I defy anyone who says they didn’t get together.)

   I really have only one thing that I can say about Jane and Mr. Nobley. It was about time.

   Dashti and Tegus just make me laugh. I love reading the scenes when she’s talking to him while she’s in the tower. Tegus is such a nut. (In a good way of course.) I mean, he did sing a song about a bodiless piglet. And the scene where they compare their ankles… I burst out into giggles when I read that for the first time. Aw, and the scene where Tegus and Dashti are on horseback after she confronts Khasar. That was about as adorable as anything gets. And I love how Tegus doesn’t want Dashti to wear a veil at their wedding…

Hehe, Jack and Punzie. That was just funny.

And on a non-romance side note…

   Tonight I am boldly and bravely going where millions of other people are going. I am going to see High School Musical 3. No, I am not spending my money on a ticket. I’m going because my friend’s younger sister is going for her birthday, and I was invited along. Well, tonight should prove to be interesting. Let’s hope I live. (I will seriously die if Troy and Gabriella get engaged or exchange promise rings or something. They are in high school. Most people don’t marry the people they date in high school. I just hope Disney is aware of that.)

Leigha, who is scared of Disney and thinks someone should write a novel about a group of misfits who take it over.

   If you’ve been reading this blog for a while or know me on LRRH, you know that I’m a sap, a girl who probably puts the “hopeless” in “hopeless romantic.” I can’t help it. Well-written romance just makes me happy. I’ve decided that the fun thing about writing romance is getting to decide how two people who are perfect for each other find each other. And when you think about it, there are a million ways to make people meet. It’s such fun to write about people’s first reactions to seeing, meeting, and talking to that future soul mate when they first meet. In case you can’t tell, this post is going to be about romance.

   Here come some spoilers for “Return of the King.”

   Well, my mom and I are re-watching the “Lord of the Rings” (extended edition) movies together. (My mom adores them like I do. It’s the only fantasy she likes. Though, she did say that Book of a Thousand Days was an entirely lovely book.) So, like any romantic, I’ve always loved Aragorn and Arwen’s reunion at the end of “Return of the King.” I mean, there’s something so sweet about how he looks at her, like he can’t believe she’s really there. And then…big kiss! It makes me giggle. (By the way, have you noticed that Legolas looks like an angel in that scene? He really does. He’s got a halo like thing on.) Though we haven’t gotten to “Return of the King” yet I was already thinking about it. We’re still on “Fellowship of the Ring.” I’m pretty sure we’re going to finish it tonight. Another great romantic scene (which can only be found in the extended edition) is one between Faramir and Eowyn. The look on his face the first time he sees her is so cute. And then there’s this completely beautiful scene between them where she puts her head on his shoulder, and he rests his head on hers. He’s got this contented smile on his face. It makes me sigh. (I’m rather disappointed that they didn’t get a kiss in the movie. I mean, Aragorn and Arwen got all the kissing, but they didn’t kiss one time in the book. Whereas, Faramir and Eowyn did. Ah, well. You can’t have everything in a movie.) As much as I love those scenes, they aren’t my favorite scenes in the “Lord of the Rings” movies. Close, but not quite. There’s not much that can beat Eowyn’s, “I am no man.” Hah, yes! Love that line and scene.

   If we’re going to talk about reading “Lord of the Rings,” I like Eowyn and Faramir’s relationship the best. It’s so much more developed than Aragorn and Arwen’s. (Arwen has, like, no personality in the book.) But in the movie Aragorn and Arwen’s relationship is my favorite. You can’t doubt that they’re madly in love. You want to sigh when they’re together. (Then you start to wonder where your Aragorn is, the one who’ll kiss you a on a romantic and slightly cliché kissing bridge.)

So, yes. This is my first post on romance. I have a few more planned, one on Eva Ibbotson’s romances, the romances in Shannon Hale’s books, the romance in Megan Whalen Turner’s books, and one of the romances I wrote. This should be fun.