twilight

Okay...I admit it. I'm a book-snob. (But I am NOT an art snob!!)...and, to be quite frank, I've been known to watch all manner of drivel on the glass teat* while I'm working. We were in Barnes Noble to get loot with our Christmas money and gift cards and I saw Twilight (which is everywhere!)--I had the book in hand and listened to some young women in front of me talking about it. It's teen fiction. I put the book back. (snob!)

But then, more and more, I began to hear of reasonable, smart, interesting, people reading and talking about The Twilight Saga. And though the name in itself may imply something along the lines of Flowers in the Attic, I assure you, gentle reader...it is not something along those lines!! In a word, Stephanie Meyers is a brilliant writer. Of course, I enjoyed her stay-at-home-mom how-did-you-ever-do-something-like-this!? story on her site--that's always "nice to hear" when stay-at-home mamas prove their talents and skills....but. Ms. Meyers is a brilliant author!

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I noted--and if you read it perhaps you'll note as well?--that Bella (main character) is never completely "described" to the reader. Sort of. She can turn in to whatever the reader wants, or so it seemed to me. Which was a bit of a struggle for me...I'm really well past the teen-age years!...and i couldn't imagine my daughter falling in love with a vampire! (She's 7. And, well, I should hope she'll meet a nice boy without fangs...). It seemed a transient characterization--Bella can be "any girl" who's reading the book. Which is a darn good thing for teen fiction! (and certainly didn't "lessen" my experience...)

by the way please remember that i have scars on my brain and if the book does thoroughly describe Bella and i'm dead wrong don't send me any plastic vampire teeth or leave a snarky comment. thanks. :)

I got the book Saturday afternoon and instantly devoured it (heh-heh). I was reading the part where the vampires play baseball as my husband and I were travelling Sunday afternoon, and it was so cool!, I read it to Joe as we were driving...now we're going to read Twilight aloud together. (We did that with the first Harry Potter books....how sweet, huh? Why did we ever stop reading to each other??? We haven't done that in, like, 6 years! Why would we--oh, right. Chloe's 7. We had kids.)

So then, Monday, I traded in some stuff to get New Moon, the second book. And, um, yeah. I really don't have time for all of this reading!--However, at present I can count on at least one or two out-of-commission days... I'm going to send Ms. Meyers some roses!

I will say too, after finishing the second book (no, it's not like an addiction. I read fast. really. i did those classes where they have the little rolly-machines and questions at the end and....okay. I admit it. I really need to do some laundry. And I need to clean---wait! enough about me, let's keep going with my book review....).

Alright. Second book. New Moon. Meyers totally avoids the usual ennui and angst of the vampire quandary~~the whole damnation conundrum, if you will. I mean, sure-sure (inside joke), there's some of that...all vampires everywhere could be, quite possibly, darned to heck. Or maybe they're in heck now??? hmmmmmm.............. But, so far, The Twilight Saga doesn't "do" that. There's action, not too much violence, not any "language", and a sweet, beautiful, love story (no sex)....I'm doing that whole parent-rating thing, aren't I?

The first song on my playlist is "Bella's Lullaby"... But I can't tell you anymore than that. Go read the book! And yes, I hope to see the film soon....

It seems to be very well done (clips are here!

If you've read it, tell me what you thought!!

blessings,

meg

*Stephen King refers to Television as "the glass teat" in On Writing. I think. Again...the scars...