Twilight by Stephenie Meyer - Book Review

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer - Book Review Theres a reason more than 10 million Twilight series books are in print. Twilight, the first in the series, is the addictive story of two teenagers –- Bella, a regular girl, and Edward, a perfect gentleman, and a vampire. This is the type of book you might read in just a few sittings, becoming engrossed in its fantastical world and oblivious to your physical surroundings. While not the next great thing in modern literature, its a fun book to get lost in and comes to an end much too quickly. Pros Highly entertaining, fast-paced story of romance and suspenseRelatively clean for a teenage vampire love storyThe concept of good vampires is unusual and intriguing Cons The writing can be clunky at timesEdwards perfection can be over-the-top, even for a fictitious super-humanAt times, Edward and Bellas relationship can seem more like that of a father and daughter Description Twilight by Stephenie Meyer was first published in October 2005.Publisher: Little, Brown512 Pages Twilight by Stephenie Meyer: Book Review Twilight is told by 17-year-old Bella Swan, who moves from Phoenix to the small town of Forks, Washington, to live with her dad for the remainder of high school. There, she meets Edward Cullen and his family, who possess an other-worldly and irresistible beauty and grace to which Bella is drawn. Twilight is the tale of Bella and Edwards burgeoning relationship, brimming with standard teenage drama alongside the unexpected, because, after all, Edward and his family are vampires. These undead friends have chosen to deny their urge to drink human blood, instead slaking their thirst with the blood of animals. Bella soon finds out, however, that not all vampires in her life are constrained by such scruples. The book has been praised for its treatment of sexuality and morality. Although theres plenty of yearning and sensuality, there is no sex, drinking, or drug use. Edward refuses Bellas desire to be turned into a vampire herself, on grounds that it wouldnt be the right thing to do. Twilight is an easy and enjoyable read. Its first-person viewpoint keeps the pages turning. This isnt a masterpiece of literary achievement, however. You have to take it for what it is –- a unique and entertaining, if not flawlessly written, story. Twilight will almost certainly appeal to teenage girls and many women of all ages, but probably not to the majority of males. Its sure to make readers eager to devour the next three novels.

Turn Water Into Liquid Gold With an Alchemy Experiment

Turn Water Into Liquid Gold With an Alchemy Experiment Mix two clear solutions, wait, and watch the liquid turn to gold! This is a simple alchemy project or chemistry demonstration, based on early attempts to make gold from base metals. Materials Solution A 1 gram sodium arsenite50 ml water5.5 ml glacial acetic acid Prepare Solution A by stirring the sodium arsenite into the water. Mix the glacial acetic acid into this solution. Solution B 10 grams sodium thiosulfate50 ml water Prepare Solution B by stirring the sodium thiosulfate into the water. Lets Make Liquid Gold! Pour one solution into the other. The clear solution will turn gold after about 30 seconds. For dramatic effect, keep track of the time and command the solution to turn into gold. You can even use a magic word if youd like. The Chemistry Behind How It Works There is a delayed reaction between the acid and the sodium thiosulfate to release hydrogen sulfide gas. The hydrogen sulfide reacts in turn with sodium arsenite to precipitate tiny crystals of golden arsenious sulfide, which is also known as arsenic trisulfide (As2S3) or orpiment. Both Western and Chinese alchemists experimented with orpiment to try to make gold. Although the mineral can be made to appear metallic under certain conditions, the compound does not undergo any reaction that changes either the arsenic or the sulfur into gold. Still, its a striking demonstration!