Highschool, true love, and glitter.

Through the next few weeks I thought I'd write a bit about the books I read in 2009 and never said anything about.

I decided that no blog about books by me could ever be complete if I didn't at least say something about the Twilight Saga. I originally read Twilight in the spring of 2008 when a friend tossed it to me and said, "Here. You'll like it." I was skeptical at first when she tried to tell me what it was about. Vampires in love with humans? Glitter instead of turning to dust? What kind of weird-ass book is this?

I read through Twilight in the matter of 2-3 days and went out immediately for New Moon. I read New Moon in 2 days and went out for Eclipse while on a trip to Indy. I drove home that evening with visions of Bella and Edward and Volturi swimming around in my head; eager to be stationary so that I could read my new book. I finished Eclipse in the wee hours of the morning with barely enough time to shower and brush my teeth before stumbling off to work. I stopped by Borders on my way home to pick up Breaking Dawn only to find out that it was not yet released! I have no idea how anyone else read the series book by book waiting for each new one to be released because the month or two I spent waiting for the last installment of Edward and Bella's story was excruciating. I went back and re-read the whole set I had so it would be fresh in my mind. I went out early the day it was released and sat in a coffee shop reading for hours before going to work. After work that night I went home and read the rest of the book.

Through each book I had moments where I laughed; moments where I cried; moments where I threatened the book with a flight across my room when I got angry; and moments where I just sat dumbfounded at something that was happening. Many a Facebook status went something along the lines of "Bella and Edward did WHAT?" "Jacob imprinted on ____?!?!?!?" Not to mention all of the calls and texts to Prose (the friend that gave me the first book to read).

Though the word vampire normally conjures an image of a pale Bella Lugosi in a cape with oiled hair; Stephanie Meyer asked readers to envision an attractive 17-year-old with amber eyes and skin that sparkles in the sun. Though it took a little time to come to grips with the 'new' vampire image, the book did a good job of giving some background. Through 'ancient legends' from the native tribe in the area as well as personal account from the vampires themselves; the story made it seem almost natural. There were even a few comments about "Hollywood not getting it right".

Skeptical at first, I did find that the story pulled me in. I found my heart breaking for Bella time and again as she dealt with her feelings of inadequacy and abandonment. In later books I found myself holding my breath through the tense moments and my heart beating harder with the intense emotion. I have no idea how Stephanie Meyer made me feel what her character was feeling.

I do have a small objection to Bella thinking that she cannot survive without Edward by her side. The fact that she falls apart when he leaves and is unable to function is worrisome. In addition, in the later books she seems to be attached to his side with a weird gravitational pull. I don't think that it portrays a healthy relationship. In fact, in real life anyone would look at that relationship as codependent and tell them to seek professional help. I hope that anyone allowing younger children to read the books has a serious conversation with their child about real love and what a healthy relationship is. The Twilight Saga is a little heavy on the drama.

I am a total Twilight-aholic. I took the day off work and bought tickets a few days ahead of time to watch the first daytime showing of the Twilight movie. I was unable to do the same for the recent New Moon movie, but I did see it during its first few days. I had both soundtracks before the movies were released, and I can tell you what is happening in the movie during each song. I have more Twilight related flair on my Facebook flair board than any other type of flair.

I am that lame.

I know some people think Twilight is lame. I really don't care. I enjoyed the series. I read for fun and I read what makes me happy. If it isn't something that would make you happy, don't read it. I won't read things that don't make me happy so I don't expect anyone else to either.