Let's talk Twilight

I felt like a bit of a lemming when I ordered Twilight on Amazon several weeks ago. But my nightstand was running low on books and I was looking for new stuff to try. I’d been tempted to try it several months ago after reading rave reviews but chickened out after discovering it involves vampires. I’m just not in vampires. Some people are. Some people aren't. I’m an aren't.

I’ve also been trying to avoid scary books for a couple years now. Not because I don’t like them but because I noticed that they fed into what appears to be my built in paranoia about personal safety. The same way Law and Order SVU did before I gave that up, too. I know for a fact that I hear less things go bump in the night now. So I think what I’m saying is that even after I ordered Twilight, I still wasn’t completely sold on it. But my husband was going to be in town for most of August so there’d be someone to investigate the bumps if necessary. And the series is categorized as teen literature so how dark could it be.

Turns out I was right. It’s not that dark. And everyone that said it was good is right, too. Because it’s really good. Well written. Creative. Goes quick. Finished it in 2 days. I like Bella in a “I wish we could be friends and hang out” way. She’s smart and likeable but not full of herself. I like Edward in a “Dylan McKay 90210” way. Mysterious and brooding but hot. He even has a cool car like Dylan.

Book 1 is mainly about Bella and Edward meeting. The flirting is fun. For example, I’d be okay with someone saying it was their day and then spending a whole day asking me questions about myself. That’s hot. That’s "you are the center of the universe and here is all my attention to prove it" hot. I’d also be okay if someone hot wanted to pull me on their lap and tell me I’m their whole life now.

There’s a sort of innocent seductiveness to Bella and Edward. Not “sexy” because it’s way more innocent than that but maybe provocative. I don’t know. It’s super innocent stuff but how they’re drawn to each other really sucked me in. I felt really drawn to my husband when I met him so maybe that helps me identify. Sometimes there’s just something that speaks to you about someone. I respect that. And the ending even felt suspenseful. I didn’t think it would since I knew some people needed to live to populate the rest of the series. But it was. Impressive.

Two thumbs up on Twilight. I immediately headed out to buy New Moon and finished it in 2 days, too. It wasn’t as great as book 1. But, seriously, there are few things quite as hot as the initial wooing of a girl. So of course it doesn’t have the benefit of that element. And I have to admit I felt a genuine lag somewhere in the middle of the book where I kept feeling like someone needed to get on with it already. But I still liked it. It’s about how dating a vampire might seem fun and interesting, but we shouldn’t pretend it doesn’t create issues. Which it does and then some people decide those issues are a bit much and let’s just say they don’t just live happily ever after.

There’s also a lot of time spent on Bella’s friend Jacob Black. Don’t get me wrong, I like him. He seems sweet and nice in a goofy Michael Phelps boy next door sort of way. Except he’s Indian so they probably look nothing alike and I’ve just been watching too much summer Olympics. But whatever.

My problem was that every time Bella hung out with him all I could think was that she was cold blooded to keep hanging out with him knowing how much he liked her. I don’t care if you need someone to lean on. I don’t care if times are tough. I don’t even care if they claim they know you don’t feel the same way and that it’s okay. I just don’t think it's okay to knowingly let someone get set up to be hurt like that if you care about them as much as you say you do. Because that’s just selfish. And love shouldn’t let you be that selfish. But that’s just me.

One of my favorite parts of book 2 was how the author handled the passage of time near the beginning. Sometimes authors subject you to ad naseum blah blah blah while months past. But if everyone knows what those couple months were going to be like, I say let it go without saying. Nice touch.

My second favorite part of book 2 was the race against time. It was like when you watched Titanic and even though you knew for a fact the boat was going down you were still tense because you didn’t know what would happen. “Run!” was all I could think. And “Drive the car on the shoulder of the road already!” The ending set up book 3 like nobody’s business, too. Lots of issues to resolve. Some lives in danger. Good stuff. My thumbs aren’t up as high on book 2, but I still give it two thumbs up.

I’m dying to discuss specific stuff about the books but I’m completely paranoid about someone that’s read 3 and 4 revealing too much. Much the way I’m dying to discuss specific stuff but I’m paranoid about spoiling stuff for someone else that hasn’t read books 1 and 2 yet. I think I’ll give myself until next Tuesday to finish books 3 and 4. That’s not a state mandated deadline or anything. That’s just when my husband goes out of town next. You know, bumps in the night and all that. I’ll keep you posted.

P.S. Ever notice how when a series of books gets popular every successive book in the series gets longer and longer now? Weird. Very Harry Potterish.