Twilight Buying Guide

If you haven't heard of Twilight by now, you might want to check and make sure you haven't been living under a rock for the past several years.  We'll wait.  What's that, no rock in sight?  Well, you might want to get with it, friend.

Stephenie Meyer's  first installment in the Twilight Saga  (appropriately called--you guessed it--Twilight) was released in 2005 and debuted on the New York Times Best Seller list.  It soon skyrocketed to the #1 spot and remained on the list for an incredible 91 weeks.  The three following releases (New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn) have likewise enjoyed tremendous success, and the series has since become a smash hit, sending teenagers and adults alike into fits of swooning over vampire heartthrob Edward Cullen. 

The Story

Twilight is the tale of teenaged every-woman Bella Swan, who, after her mother remarries, goes to stay with her father in the tiny town of Forks, Washington.  There, she meets the Cullens, a group of "vegetarian" vampires who attempt to live normally amongst humans.  However, the scent of Bella's blood is so desirable to the youngest Cullen, Edward, that he almost kills her on the spot.  In an effort to rein in the monster within, he befriends her, and eventually the pair fall in love.  The rest of the stories chronicle the difficulties of a human/vampire love story, and throw in plenty of twists and turns along the way.

The Saga

Twilight  The first book in the much-loved series introduces the star-crossed lovers.	New Moon  In New Moon, we finally get to know more about Jacob Black of "Team Jacob"  fame.	Eclipse   Life in Forks isn't always just fun and games and vampire baseball, you know.	Breaking Dawn  The hotly anticipated series conclusion.  You've already read 2000 pages...what's 700 more?	Midnight Sun  The future of this book remains unclear, but fans can read a draft on Meyer's site.

The Films

2008 saw the much-awaited release of the film adaptation of Twilight , starring Panic Room's  Kristen Stewart  as Bella and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire's  Robert Pattinson  as Edward.  The movie was directed by Catherine Hardwicke,  best known for Thirteen  (which also featured Nikki Reed,  now known as Edward's sister, Rosalie Hale), and made proper celebs out of all involved.  While it is commonly agreed that it was not a critical success, the legions of fans certainly thought otherwise.  Though made on a rather modest budget, it grossed $35.7 million on its opening day, effectively giving the green light to the development of the sequels. In 2009, the second installment, Chris Weitz's  New Moon,  will surely be met with as much, if not more, fuss and excitement.  Pattinson and Stewart are joined once more by Taylor Lautner  as Jacob, and the buzz around the film has already been huge.  It remains to be seen if returns will surpass those of Twilight, but as Eclipse  has already been given the go ahead, the one thing that is certain is that the Twilight frenzy is not going away any time soon.

Show Your Undying Love

Twilight is a veritable cash cow of merchandise.  Fans will be able to find licensed gear in just about any format--all you need do is look.

The Essentials

Twilight Saga Collection  This hardcover set provides you with all the novels you're craving in one go.	Twilight Two Disc Special Edition DVD  Watch the first book come alive (or undead) right before your very eyes.	Twilight Soundtrack  Includes songs by Radiohead,  Linkin Park,  and Rob Pattinson himself.	New Moon Soundtrack  Features The Killers,  Death Cab for Cutie,  Lykke Li,  and OK Go.	The Host  by Stephenie Meyer  Meyer's first book outside of the Twilight saga proves she's no one-trick pony.

Jewelry

There is no shortage of themed jewelry in stores right now.  Nordstrom and BP have created a New Moon line,  and Hot Topic is crawling with options as well.  Read on for more choices.

Wolf Friendship Necklaces	Triple Chain Jacob Necklaces	Cullen Crest Wrap Bracelets	Victoria's Necklace	Volturi Crest Necklaces

Clothing

In addition to the usual t-shirt  and hoodie  collection, you will be able to find faithful recreations of some of the outfits worn in the films.

Bella's Green Birthday Dress	Bella's Hunter Green Corduroy Jacket	Quileute Baseball Tees	Edward V-Neck T-Shirts	New Moon Poster Hoodies

Edward Quote Tees	Jane T-Shirts	Alice T-Shirts	Run With Vamps T-Shirts	Edward Quote Hoodies

Miscellaneous

And all of this is only the beginning....

Edward and Bella Makeup Boxes	Jacob Makeup Boxes	Edward Jigsaw Puzzles	Jacob Jigsaw Puzzles	Edward Umbrellas

Related Guides

Modern Vampires	Harry Potter	Tween Scene	Joss Whedon	Science Fiction and Fantasy Books

External Links

• StephenieMeyer.com: Stephenie Meyer's official site.
• Wikipedia.org: Thirsty for spoilers? Check out the Wikipedia article about Twilight.