Quick update

I admit it, I'm completely caught up in the Twilight frenzy. It's a phenomenon I've been curious about for a while. I asked Shandon what she thought of Twilight and she said she liked it but didn't feel compelled to read the rest of the books. I just shrugged off the books thinking they were "Young Adult" (i.e. Romance) and avoided them. Lately, though, they've become unavoidable.

Last week I learned that a pack of otherwise perfectly reasonable co-workers were rabid fans of the books. I heard more about them at lunch and figured I'd give Twilight a try. The final book was coming out on Friday so if I liked it, I'd be able to read them without having to wait a year for the next installment. If I hated it, no harm no foul. Well, I love them. I started Twilight late Wednesday night and finished by Friday night. I immediately began New Moon (the 2nd book) and finished it this morning. My only real criticism is that the author uses the word "incredulously" a LOT (... she said incredulously). I suppose that's the editor's oversight as much as the author's so I won't hold it against her. Oh well, maybe it made some kid curious enough to look it up.

These books are very fast reads. I know, because it's not as though I'm just sitting around reading all the time. I'm still ripping CDs to my recovering laptop (I'm up to Lauryn Hill!). Yesterday I tore myself away long enough to see a matinee stage performance of Singin' in the Rain and have an early bird dinner with Tony. Even then there was no escaping the Twilight freakout. the woman sitting next to me was reading Twilight every time the lights were up in the theater. I saw her walking towards us with the book in hand and told her I'd just finished it and loved it. She explained that she was re-reading them before starting the fourth book that came out at midnight.

But here's the deal, it's not jut the story that I like so much. I'm also supremely fascinated by (and terribly jealous of) the author's story. Stephenie Meyer was a contented homemaker with no intention of ever becoming a writer when she had an incredibly vivid dream about two teenagers who were in the middle of first love. The only trouble seemed to be that the boy had to fight his urge to kill the girl every minute they were together. Interesting! She was so intrigued by the dream that she wrote it all down and kept on writing their story for an entire summer. She had a Publisher by November of the same year. I mean, who does that?! Oh, and did I mention she's a Mormon stay-at-home-Mom inspired by music from Coldplay, My Chemical Romance, Linkin Park and Radiohead to name a few? She thoughtfully includes playlists of the music that inspired each book on her website. I don't know where this diva came from but I love her!

And here's the very best part about the books. It sets the standard so impossibly high for dreamy boys that I really don't see why any self respecting teen girl would even bother speaking to boys while absorbing these stories. I love that! I have friends with pre-teen girls and I'm already sounding like an old lady when I warn them that boys aren't worth bothering with for a while. "Don't give yourself away to a boy right now. They are SO unworthy." Luckily the girl I spoke those words to agreed with me. It's not that I dislike boys, I just like the idea of young girls having ridiculously high standards especially at that age. I heard a statistic that claimed something like 1 out of every 4 teen girls in a relationship is in an abusive relationship. What?! And to be clear, it's not just the youngins getting into trouble. Grown women seem to have just as much trouble in love. I happen to feel that everyone should set high standards when it comes to who you plan to spend your time on earth with. That's why I hope even more girls read these books. Is the love story over-the-top and unrealistic? Absolutely. Is it sexy? Umm, I wouldn't call it sexy, I'd call it sensual and that's something all young people need to look into before diving into the deep end of the sex pool.

So, while I often claim to be a granny, these days I'm a 15 year old girl at heart and loving it.