Category Archives: 好書分享

分享讀書心得

一定瘦

新年快樂! 

我每年的新年新希望, 都希望自己能夠多多運動減肥. 這兩年來每天上班帶的中餐不是生菜沙拉就是湯. 也時不時在家做一些運動, 但成效都不是很好.

最主要的問題就是我上班整天坐在電腦桌前, 都沒什麼運動. 週末又常常外食, 食物不均衡, 運動量不多, 讓我的身材日漸變圓. 即使吃生菜吃減肥餐, 也頂多只能維持現有的體重, 無法真正的瘦下來.

前一陣子在網路上看到不少網友推薦這本黎時國寫的”一定瘦”, 推榜不用靠運動或吃減肥餐來減肥, 而是靠改掉一些生活習慣來讓自己瘦下來. 上回回台灣馬上去訂了一本.

翻看了一遍後, 覺得他講的還有些道理. 決定把書中所寫的一些重點整理出來分享給大家:


瘦身寶典:

1. 吃食物時的態度:

  • a. 吃任何食物時, 態度一定要專心. 不能一面做事一面吃東西.
  • b. 不要講話聊天, 想事情
  • c. 不要看報紙, 雜誌, 公文, 書, 電腦或電視等
  • d. 不要開車
  • e. 切忌開會時吃東西

2. 進餐時的先後順序:

  • a. 先喝流質食物, 包括: 湯, 茶, 水, 咖啡, 飲料, 流質甜點等液態食物
  • b. 再吃其他固體食物. 指所有需要用”牙齒咬”的食物, 包括容易消化或不易消化的食物.
  • c. 每一口只吃一種食物
  • d. 吃完飯後, 絕對不要喝湯水.
  • e. 水果應在兩餐之間食用. 而不是飯後吃水果

3. 該吃多少才夠:

  • a. 感覺不餓就停止進食
  • b. 所吃的食物量一定要能撐到下一餐為準, 如果未到下一餐就餓了, 那表示吃的量不夠.
  • c. 如果到了下一餐還不會餓, 那就表示吃太多了.

4. 正視三餐:

  • a. 早餐要吃得好, 營養, 重質. 選擇耐得起燃燒四到五小時的食物. 忌吃任何生冷的食物. 最好在起床後半小時內吃早餐. 也最好在工作開始前吃.
  • b. 中餐要吃得豐盛, 重量.
  • c. 晚餐要吃得簡單, 輕質, 輕量. 身體需要至少五個小時才能代謝, 所以最好天剛黑時吃晚餐, 讓身體可以在睡前完全代謝食物.
  • d. 如果正餐以外感到肚子餓, 可吃一顆糖果,  或者一兩口食物, 如麵包, 餅乾, 堅果類的. 但是量一定不能多.
  • e. 避免吃宵夜. 可以靠喝一小杯純釀烈酒來使飢餓感消失.

5. 食物均衡:

  • a. 多樣化食物. 不需刻意補充營養品.
  • b. 不可用健康食品取代.
  • c. 盡量採買新鮮的食物. 最好當天買當天吃完. 採買時最好採購當地當季所盛產的食物.
  • d. 盡量避免攝取冰存太久或能夠長期存放的食物.
  • e. 少吃過度加工的食物.
  • f. 少吃生食

—-<摘自一定瘦 / 黎時國著>


仔細想想, 他講的道理是沒錯, 很多從前也聽過, 但真正要改變飲食習慣真的好難喔! 光是第一點我就很難改掉, 上班時中餐幾乎都是一邊看電腦解決的. 晚上回家也是邊看電視邊吃飯. 然後飯前喝湯, 飯後不能吃水果, 挑戰我多年以來養成的習慣.

不過為了能夠瘦身, 還是最好照著他的方法試試看. 說不定真的會有成效.

另外他的方法雖然聽起來不錯, 也可能對有些人有效. 但我覺得真正要維持好身材, 運動還是最好的方法. 至少可以訓練身體肌肉線條保持最佳狀態, 讓身材看起來苗條. 運動加上飲食控制的方法, 才能達到事半功倍的果效.

2013年, 目標持續努力瘦身下去!! 加油加油!

藏地密碼

又要來推薦好書啦! 這套”藏地密碼”是由四川作家何馬所寫, 完全以西藏為背景, 以120萬文字的探險小說方式來描寫西藏民族的文化, 歷史, 科學, 和宗教. 故事一開始時, 男主角卓木強巴追尋他的最愛藏獒紫麒麟的下落, 一個個線索卻帶領他前往搜尋西藏失落的一個神秘寶藏–帕巴拉神廟. 在搜尋的途中, 卓木強巴認識了一群出生入死的好友, 大家同心協力一起朝著目的地前去.

看完這整整12本西藏史詩小說, 我真的太佩服這位作者了, 對西藏的文化歷史有這麼深入的研究, 看完全套小說就好像在讀西藏的百科全書一樣. 而且他的文字述說還滿引人入勝, 不會太沉悶無聊. 有些時候作者是會引述一大堆科學研究或經文, 但還不到讀不下去的程度.

讀何馬的文字尤其能讓人感到身歷其境一般, 每當讀到卓木強巴驚險闖關的片段時, 我都深深為他捏一把冷汗, 好像自己就在現場看到他在古蹟裡死裡逃生. 這部小說真的就像是中國版的印第安那瓊斯. 聽說好萊塢對”藏地密碼”有興趣, 好期待他們能夠把這本書拍成電影, 一定超級精采! (不曉得男主角會找誰耶?)

雖然網路上隨便google一下就可以找到”藏地密碼”的簡體網路版, 但身為一個圖書館員, 還是得請大家多尊重作者的版權, 去買書或去圖書館借書來看比較好!

冰與火之歌A Song of Ice and Fire

這套”冰與火之歌”是我近期沉迷已久的奇幻系列小說, 作者George R.R. Martin寫奇幻小說長達20年, 出版了20多本小說. 這套”冰與火之歌”系列他從1996年出版第一本到現在還沒寫完, 去年才寫到第五本. 預計還要再出版兩本, 整個系列才結束.

已經出版的五本小說有:

1. A Game of Thrones (1996) (中譯: 權力的遊戲)

2. A Clash of Kings (1998) (中譯: 列王的紛爭)

3. A Storm of Swords (2000) (中譯: 冰雨的風暴)

4. A Feast for Crows (2005) (中譯: 群鴉的盛宴)

5. A Dance with Dragons (2011) (中譯: 魔龍的狂舞)

故事背景發生在一個虛構的大陸–維斯特洛, 故事一開始時, 維斯特洛由一個曾經篡位的拜拉席恩國王統治, 國境內佔地廣大, 由數十個貴族家族管理. 住在北方的艾德史塔克是國王的好友, 由國王請到首都當宰相, 沒想到卻招來一連串的災禍, 遭遇到家族滅亡的危機, 史塔克的五個小孩也被分散到國境不同地方, 遇到不同的命運.

每篇章節由不同的主角描述. 這部小說最不同的地方就是有許多不同的故事同時進行中, 一會讀到史塔克家族, 下一章又跳到另一個家族, 內容十分複雜, 出現的人物之多可媲美”紅樓夢”, 幾百個主角的名字, 有時候讓我讀得頭暈腦轉.

難得的是作者都能把每條故事串聯在一起, 清楚的展現出每個主角的想法個性, 各個主角之間的恩怨情仇, 家族與家族之間的歷史背景, 最後都會被一一揭露出來, 背景再穿插一些維斯特洛的歷史, 文化, 宗教背景, 感覺真的好像在讀本歷史小說, 而不是個虛構的故事.

HBO於2011年拍攝出第一本小說改編的電視劇”Game of Thrones“, 成為當季最火紅的電視劇, 我也深深迷上了這部戲, 雖然短短十集的電視劇, 無法完全地把幾百頁的小說內容呈現出來, 但是製作人還是盡量把每段主要故事演出來, 也盡量符合書的內容, 第一季超好看的, 這邊有個短短的介紹片. (HBO的節目都滿煽情的, 裡面含有大量裸體和暴力的畫面, 可能不適合兒童觀賞.)

第二季於2012年春天播出, 片段在這裡.

迷霧之子三部曲系列

這套布蘭登.山德森所寫的”迷霧之子”(Mistborn)三部曲我其實去年就看完了, 明明記得我之前有寫過介紹, 卻一直找不到, 只好再寫一次.

很多人看到我以為我會是那種愛看愛情小說的人, 我坦承我年輕的時候的確接觸比較多那一類的少女愛情小說. 但可能現在年紀越大, 愛情小說裡男男女女談情說愛, 一些不符合真實世界的幻想已經不適合我了, 現在的我反倒喜歡看一些新奇科幻, 引人入勝, 也可以順便學習到一些新知識的小說. 不論是講歷史, 懸疑, 甚至科幻我都喜歡. 這套”迷霧之子”系列是我既”魔戒”之後看過的第二部三部曲系列.

“迷霧之子”描述一個由殘暴的統御主統治的”最後帝國”, 他以高壓的手段鎮壓平民百姓, 甚至把最弱勢的”司卡”一族打成奴役. 在這個國度裡, 有一群混血品種的魔法人, 號稱為”迷霧人” 他們靠著神奇的鎔金術, 可以讓自己身體產生化學作用, 變得更強壯, 可以自由飛跳很高很遠, 或儲存能量, 或者控制身邊人的情緒. 其中能吸收各種不同金屬屬性的人, 便被稱為”迷霧之子”. 這群迷霧人看不慣統御主殘暴的統治手法, 建立起地下革命軍, 率領司卡族抗戰統御主的軍隊.

女主角紋就是這麼一名擁有強大能力的”迷霧之子”, 她的童年生活本來過得很悽慘, 跟著一群騙子集團到處騙財, 被當個奴隸般使喚. 後來碰到了一群迷霧人把她解救出來, 還教她使用鎔金術, 她的人生也跟著掀起了巨大的改變.

這本書分成三部曲, 第一部”最後帝國 (The Final Empire)”利用紋的眼光來描述整個國家的情況, 這個最後帝國所有的地理位置, 鎔金術的概念及迷霧人如何運用鎔金術. 還有紋如何認識男主角伊連的故事.

第二部”升華之井(The Well of Ascension)”, 統御主被打倒了. 但戰鬥還沒結束, 各個貴族率領自己的軍隊想來搶攻國度中心. 剛當上國王的伊連一邊學習如何治理一個國家, 同時還得跟駐在城外的貴族軍隊敵鬥, 他跟紋兩人一同經歷了許多驚險的戰爭鬥爭.

第三部”永世英雄(The Hero of Ages)”, 上一部書結局, 伊連因故也成為了迷霧之子. 偏偏紋無意中把囚禁已久的邪惡給釋放出來, 眼見邪惡即將要把整個世界毀滅了, 紋和伊連該怎麼挽救這個世界.

三本書都非常厚, 每本大概都有五, 六百頁, 當初看以為會看很久, 沒想到一拿起來讀就欲罷不能. 作者山德森精細的描述寫法, 故事背景, 整個流程都很完善, 找不到什麼瑕疵. 讓讀者能夠完全了解身在最後帝國這個世界裡感覺如何. 當我讀到精采的打鬥場景時, 他栩栩如生的描述真的讓我感到身入其境. 紋這個堅強的女主角也十分吸引人.

非常能夠引人入勝的一套小說, 十分推薦!

飢餓遊戲(Hunger Games)/Suzanne Collins

飢餓遊戲(Hunger Games)是我最近新迷上的一套三部曲小說. 這本小說一推出, 馬上登上紐約時報暢銷書排行榜. 許多人看過之後讚不絕口, 就連暮光之城(Twilight)的作者史蒂芬妮.梅爾(Stephanie Meyer)也熱情推薦: “我為之著迷, 連出外用餐, 也得帶著書. 它害我連續幾天晚上不能睡覺. 我推薦給所有的人. ‘飢餓遊戲’實在太讚了.” 現在甚至還有好萊塢電影準備拍攝中.

我在圖書館看到這本書時, 馬上去網路搜尋, 發現這麼多人推薦, 馬上借了第一本書來看. 果然是愛不釋手呀, 一開始看就迷上了, 和一般青少年小說不同的是, 作者並沒有花費很多時間在描寫男女主角之間的愛情, 反而花了很多篇幅來介紹施惠國(Panem)這個國家制度, 以及女主角凱妮絲(Katniss Everdeen)的成長背景, 性格以及她內心的掙扎, 讓讀者對她有很深入的了解, 因而被她堅毅不橈, 不輕易放棄的精神而感動. 整部小說節奏緊湊, 尤其是飢餓遊戲進行的那幾篇, 她描述的廝殺場景讓我在腦海浮起一幅幅畫面, 就好像在看電影一樣. 真的很好奇電影拍出來會是什麼樣子, 忠於原著嗎?

既然是三部曲, 頭本書“飢餓遊戲”(Hunger Games)主要就是描述故事背景, 女主角凱妮絲的成長過程, 她如何加入飢餓遊戲, 以及第74屆飢餓遊戲的過程.

第二本書“星火燎原”(Catching Fire)一開頭則描述兩位勝利者回到家鄉, 卻因為凱妮絲在飢餓遊戲中對政府叛逆的表現激起許多施惠國人民反叛的心聲, 讓她被施惠國的總統盯上, 日子過得很緊張. 偏偏下一屆的飢餓遊戲, 凱妮絲又因故被安排回遊戲現場試圖生存下來. 故事結局安排一個最大的懸疑案, 到底接下來會發生什麼事呢?

最終本“自由幻夢”(Mockingjay), 凱妮絲掀起了全國上下的革命運動, 她加入了第十三區革命軍, 成為人民心中的革命軍代表, 但偏偏彼得被政府抓去, 洗腦到完全不記得凱妮絲, 她要如何把彼得救回來呢?

昨天拿到第三本書, 一整晚就抱著小說開始啃, 已經讀到一半, 真想趕快知道結局呀! 到底凱妮絲和彼得最後的遭遇會如何呢? 凱妮絲的昔日情人蓋爾又會怎樣呢?

轉個話題, 聽說電影版找來Jennifer Lawrence飾演女主角凱妮絲, 太好啦! 先前才看過她演的X-Men: First Class. 雖然年紀輕輕, 但可以看出是個很有潛力的新進演員, 演戲不會太做作, 隱隱散發出一種堅毅的性格, 由她來飾演凱妮絲真是太合適不過啦!

Catching Fire

“Catching Fire” is the second book of the Hunger Game series. After reading the first Hunger Game book, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the second book and try to find out what happen next. Thank goodness it didn’t take long before I get my copy from the long wait list from our local library. (One of the perks of working in a library 😉

Summary:

Picking up the story in Catching Fire, Katniss’s victory has changed her life. She now lives in a mansion in the “Victor’s Village” of District 12, and has more money than she will ever need: her days of poverty and hunger are over. However, despite her new wealth, all is not well. As a victor, Katniss must now be involved with the violent Hunger Games (which she would rather forget) indefinitely. Most immediately, she must participate in a Victory Tour, visiting the Districts and families of the other Hunger Games contestants—“tributes”—who were killed in the arena, some of them at her hand. Then, she, Peeta, and Haymitch Abernathy—the alcoholic victor of the 50th Hunger Games, who mentored Katniss and Peeta during their time in the arena—will be required to act as mentors to the District 12 tributes at the 75th Hunger Games. That round of the Games has been deemed a “Quarter Quell,” i.e., an especially brutal version of the Games to commemorate its 75th anniversary.

In addition to the distasteful requirement that Katniss continue to be involved in the Hunger Games, she, her family, and her friends are in personal danger. Apparently Katniss’s rebellious act with the berries has stirred the possibility of insurrection in the Districts: if a 16-year-old girl can defy the Capitol and survive, why not entire Districts? President Snow—the cruel dictator of Panem—has personally threatened Katniss that unless she can pacify the Districts on the Victory Tour, she and those close to her will be in danger. The only way for her to obey this order is to continue feigning love for Peeta on the Victory Tour, and thereby to convince the restless Districts that the berries represented desperate love for Peeta and not rebellion. This project is, of course, excruciating since it is sure to further alienate her long-time hunting partner, friend, and would-be suitor Gale Hawthorne.

(Source: http://www.childrensbooksandreviews.com/teen-fiction-catching-fire-by-suzanne-collins/)

The first part of this book spends a lot of chapters describing how Katniss’ life has changed dramatically after winning the Hunger Game, how she adjusted to this new lifestyle, and how her relationships changed with Gale and Peeta. The author actually didn’t spend too much time describing the Quarter Quell game before it ended abruptly. This book also leaves the readers the biggest cliffhanger at the end. I’m dying to know what happens next and can’t wait to read the 3rd book.

I guess Suzanne Collins has done a tremendous job keeping us readers hanging on the edge of our seats with her exciting story and vivid descriptions of all the actions taken place in the arena. Every chapter gives a surprise ending that leads to the beginning to next chapter. I simply couldn’t put the book down until I read through the end.

Now that there is a Hollywood production of this book going on, I can’t wait to see how the movie will portray the Panem nation. Jennifer Lawrence plays the role of Katniss Everdeen. She is a wonderful young actress and I was really impressed by her acting in “X-Men: First Class”. I’m sure she’ll be a radiant, strong and defiant Katniss on the big screen. Movie will be released next year. I can’t wait!

The Hunger Games

I came across a review for this book, and I was fascinated by their comparisons for this series written by Suzanne Collins with Twilight. I also heard there will be films coming out based on these books. So of course I have to pick one book up and read it. After a long wait at the local library’s holding list, I finally got the book few weeks ago.

Summary:

The first book of the series introduces sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives in a post-apocalyptic world in the country of Panem where North America once stood. This is where a powerful government working in a central city called the Capital holds power. In the book, the Hunger Games are an annual televised event where the Capitol chooses one boy and one girl from each district to fight to the death. The Hunger Games exist to demonstrate not even children are beyond the reach of the Capitol’s power.

(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hunger_Games)

I personally felt the beginning part of the book was a little slow, as the book is laying out the ground and introducing this new kingdom to the readers, the lifestyles Katniss and her family have, and her personality. After the game starts, the story began to get exciting. With her vivid descriptions of the combating scenes in the Hunger Games and how each competitor was killed off, I was left cringing on my couch and biting my nails while reading through the book. This book really does get you like that. Hunger Game is a long awaited teen book that goes deeper than superficial teenage puppy love stories. It talks about major issues such as humanitarianism, injustice or social issues. Now I can’t wait to read the second series of this book (Catching Fire), but I probably have to wait a little longer for my turn at the local library again.

Les Yeux Jaunes des Crocodiles

I just finished reading this novel, “Les Yeux Jaunes des Crocodiles” (Literal translation: Crocodiles’ yellow eyes), by Katherine Pancol. This book is in French and English translation hasn’t been published yet. I read the Chinese translation of this book.

Summary:
A story of the lives of two sisters, Iris and Josephine. Iris is a beautiful, rich, and elegant Parisian, who is married to a successful lawyer. Her life is summed up in a whirlwind vain. Her younger sister, Josephine, is a literary historian specializing in the study of the 12th century history. She is not as beautiful or rich as her older sister. She is married with two daughters and lives in the suburbs with a husband leaving her for another woman and she struggles financially.

Iris gets bored with her life and dreams of becoming an author. She claims to her friend that she is writing a novel. Coached by her lie, Iris persuades her sister to write a book for her. Abandoned by her husband and cornered by debt, Josephine submits to Iris’ request. Since their childhood, Josephine has been used and dominated by her older sister. But after the novel is published, their fate will switch.

“Les Yeux Jaunes des Crocodiles” is probably the first French contemporary fiction that I’ve read in recent years. I was surprised at the complexity of each character. The author really captures the darkness and intricacies of human relationship, particularly of the struggles, jealousy, and competitiveness among family members. There are no true heroine or bad guys in this novel. Even though I could sympathize more with Josephine, the poor submissive younger sister, I could understand why Iris behaves in such a dominant way and fills her life with bunch of lies. Katherine Pancol describes in great length of their childhood and how each sister grows up with different personalities and made them who they are after they grow up.

I really enjoy reading this book, especially the character Josephine. I could relate to her submissiveness, and her struggles with life, and her kindness toward other people. In our lives, we always believe grass is greener on the other side. We struggle with our own and try to change ourselves. In the end, we all need to learn to face the imperfections within ourselves and in our lives and deal with the issues face-to-face. I think that facing your life directly and learns to deal with is the main lessons the author wants us to learn from her novel.

Why do I write this blog?

**Note: This was the original first entry on my Blogger.**

This blog is meant to be my personal space for writing reviews on the books I recently read. I would like to keep track of how many books I read. Writing a book review blog makes good sense to me.

Reading has been my passion ever since I was young. When I was little, my mom would buy those big sets of children book collections for my sister and I. I would pick up those books and finish reading them right away, then re-read them over and over again until I’m familiar with all the storyline. When I dive into a book, I could stay in the imaginary world that the authors create for hours and forget about the pain and issues in the real world. Reading, to me, opens my world of fantasy and imagination, as well as offer me a way to escape from the reality.

Because of this passion, I’ve been dreaming about working in a profession that deals with books everyday. Originally I thought I could work for a publisher or become a writer. By the twist of fate, I accidentally step into the world of library when I found a job as a student assistant in my college library. After graduation, I was fortunate enough to land a full time job as an assistant at an academic library nearby, where they also supported my tuition to get through my master program in library science. In an downturn economy where budget cuts are everywhere in the libraries, I was very lucky to be hired as a librarian in a public library, doing cataloging for tons of newly published books that come in everyday. I feel very blessed and fortunate to have this job. Because of this job, I get to enjoy these new books that get send to my desk upon my request. God has really been looking out for me! =)

Naming this blog as book reports reminded me the book reports I used to write back in elementary school. My teachers were very strict about formats. We have to write a paragraph of summary of the books we read, follow by another paragraph of reviews. I haven’t thought about the formats for my blog. But I’m not a creative person. I’ll probably follow the same format as my old school assignment.

Now a little info about my background. I was born in Taiwan and didn’t move to the US until I was 13 years old. English isn’t my first language. Although I’ve been living in the US for many years and received higher education here, I still struggle a lot with English writing. Therefore, you may see many grammatical errors or awkward sentences or phrases. Please feel free to leave comments on how to correct them. I would really appreciate that.

Ok~ this marks the end of my first long entry. Start get working now!

The Host/Stephanie Meyer

好久沒寫讀書報告囉. 說來真慚愧, 雖然在圖書館工作, 一年到頭唸完的書卻沒幾本. 很奇怪的, 200頁的中文小說我可以很快地在一小時內速讀看完. 同樣頁數的英文小說卻可花上幾個月才能讀完. 我把這怪罪於英文橫向排字及英文本身很難去速讀. 不過我後來發現身邊朋友也有不少愛書同好就可以在兩三天內讀完一本英文小說. 好啦, 那我想是我的英文能力有待加強!

之前風靡許久的暮光之城(Twilight)作者Stephanie Meyer又出了一本書, “The Host”. 我之前不曉得從哪裡讀來說這本小說是Twilight series的前身, 描述那些吸血鬼如何變成吸血鬼的. 正好手上有Amazon的禮卷, 便上網買了一本.

才讀了前幾頁, 就發現這根本不是什麼吸血鬼的故事嘛! 怎麼一開頭在講什麼把靈魂放入宿主, 要去適應新身體的鬼東西, 一點都搞不懂在講什麼. 看了好半天, 才終於了解原來是在說外星人佔領地球, 這群外星人算是種寄生物, 擁有高科技醫療及航空技術, 卻沒有自己的身體, 只能靠寄生在別的宿主身上來存活. 一旦靈魂寄生在宿主身上, 就可以閱讀宿主過去的記憶, 並試著去嘗試融入於這個星球的生活. 地球人就是這樣被這群怪物打敗, 絕大多數的地球人最後都被外星人佔領寄生. 只剩下少部分的人類還在逃亡當中.

本書的女主角就是一個外星靈魂, 她已經居住過九個不同的星球, 在這群外星人當中算是個異類. 她寄生的原宿主個性相當堅強, 即使被寄生了, 記憶靈魂還是不肯退去, 留在腦內拼命與女主角打心理戰術, 但女主角因為獲知她過去的記憶, 知道她之前經歷過什麼事情, 反而開始對她感到憐憫同情, 久而久之開始對她過去的家人朋友感到好奇. 也不曉得是自己的緣故還是被原宿主打敗了, 女主角竟然尋覓到宿主的家人及朋友, 還跟這群真正的人類一起躲避在一個大山洞內, 一步一步贏得人類的信任, 並從中感受到人類對彼此的情感.

才讀到一半而已, 還沒有完全唸完. 但我已經可以慢慢看出Stephanie Meyer寫作有些習慣, 她習慣創造出一個看似柔弱卻十分堅強富有愛心的女主角. 像這本書的主角跟Twilight裡面的Bella很相像, 兩人都十分富有憐憫及同情心, 雖然不是很強壯, 卻老是會逞強去照顧別人, 身邊的男生因而被其個性吸引, 都會有兩個男主角為了女主角而爭風吃醋. 而且兩位女主角都不是跟自己的同類談戀愛. 像Bella這個人類去愛上吸血鬼Edward, 而本書女主角Wanda是個外星人, 卻愛上人類. 不過當然這本書不純粹是個羅曼小說, 整本書充滿了許多離奇的情節, 可能會吸引許多愛好科幻小說的讀者.

(未完待續)