The Twilight of my Years

I have a confession to make. I love the Twilight books. I am a hopeless Stephenie Meyers junkie. I’ve read them multiple times, and I reread them when I want an escape. I wouldn’t mind a book tour stop in Forks. I have previously voiced my dilemma – Team Edward or Team Jacob?

All right now, if you’re shaking your head or rolling your eyes, go ahead and step away. Because honestly, making fun of the Twilight saga is as de rigueur as blaming the previous administration for, well, everything. I get it. It doesn’t appeal to everyone. But the nastiness some employ in making fun of those of us who are fans borders on rabid dog territory.

Why? Because the literary elite thinks the writing isn’t up to par? What, are you expecting to get Tolstoy when you pick up a book about teenage vampires? Really? Or is it the fact that it’s another vampire story? Or is it just plain jealousy because Meyers created a world that people want to escape into, and has gotten very, very rich in the process? James Cameron did that with AVATAR and the snickers were at least kept to a minimum. And his people were massive mystical smurfs.

Now that three of the Twilight movies are out, the franchise’s mythology grows even bigger. The young actors are thrust into a limelight that’s nearing epic proportions. The soundtracks are amazing, and have helped bolster the careers of a bunch of great new bands. The movies themselves have improved with each installment – ECLIPSE is by far the best of the three. It has a bit of everything you want in a good film: love, romance, sexual tension, humor and a battle scene. The special effects were cool, and the acting wasn’t half bad. The tent scene, with Jacob and Edward talking, was probably the best moment in the movie for sheer anguish.

That’s what this series is about, truly. Anguish. Some call it teenage angst with a roll of the eyes, but the truth of the matter is, we’ve all been in Bella’s position – in love with someone and wildly attracted to another, feeling unbelievable guilt and confusion. It’s human nature. As we grow older, we learn to recognize the differences between lust ad love, between a true affair of the heart and a passing crush, and most of us act accordingly. You can’t tell me it isn’t fun to revisit those old feelings.

Guys may not have the same reaction to the film as women, for a wide variety of reasons. Randy was so obviously bored and uncomfortable at times that it made me uncomfortable. But that’s par for the course for most men with heavy duty romantic chick flicks. Rom Coms, the bane of every male’s existence. You need to keep your woman happy, so that means sitting through some torturous moments, I know. But we love you when you do it! And aren’t the rewards worth it?

I don’t know what everyone’s problem is with these books and movies. They’re fun. It’s escapism. There are even a couple of good messages for young women if you stop to look at it. Chastity until marriage? Perish the thought! I actually read something today that called that a Mormon ideal – I nearly spit out my tea laughing. Has our society been so seduced by the perceived ideals of Sex and the City that the concept of a teenage girl waiting to have sex is seen as backwards and wrong?

Oh, Lord, don’t get me started… well, now that I’ve opened that can of worms, I’m going to say something. Yes, there’s a vein of morality that runs through these books. They are read by millions of young girls, girls who are finding themselves in love for the first time, or dreaming about what that might be like. And there’s no sex. In a reversal that’s nearly Herculean in its methods, sex isn’t a possibility between the characters. Bella is a virgin, and Edward is bound and determined to keep her that way. A boy who isn’t crazed for sex? More importantly, a boy who isn’t pressuring his girlfriend to put out?

Now think about the message the young girls who are reading this book are getting. Not only is it okay to forgo sex in a teen relationship, the man you respect, love and cherish wants you to remain pure. Maybe, just maybe, these books can have a real cultural impact on our younger generation. Maybe pregnancy rates will drop, STDs will become a thing of the past, and children, because I’m sorry, even if they are burgeoning into adulthood, they’re still children, could focus on their studies instead of their pants.

Can you imagine? I’m probably dreaming, but wow, if these movies had been around when I was growing up? I know I would have appreciated being in a relationship that wasn’t a constant test, how far can I go, how far will she let my hand stray, when is it right to go to first base, second base, third, fourth?

I can’t imagine a better time for girls to be getting the message that it’s cool not to have sex. Meyers has done that, with a female character who’s hopped up on her own hormones and wants things she can’t quite comprehend. Edward keeps telling her how dangerous it is, but she’s willing to throw caution to the wind anyway, just like we all did. But he’s strong, respectful, and understands the consequences, even if she doesn’t. He exercises great restraint, to her benefit. Now that’s romantic.

And poor Jacob, fighting for the girl he loves. His emotional growth, being hurt and overcoming it, is another huge message – you can survive a heartbreak. It will make you stronger, and will help you understand when the real love of your life comes along.

There’s really more to the Twilight books than meets the eye. It’s more than some crazy romantic fantasy of girl meets boy, falls in love, marries him, becomes a vampire and then gets all the benefits therein. But you’ll have to find that for yourself, in the pages of Meyers’s world.

Another quick thought. The actors themselves have been I the news cycle constantly over the past few years. Rob Pattinson and Taylor Lautner are being held to a ridiculous standard, and I really feel for Kristin Stewart. I remember when I was starting out in publishing, and getting interviewed for the first time. I said some pretty stupid things, because I didn’t know any better. I told the truth about what I was thinking and feeling, just like she has. Her misstep about equating fandom to rape (but every single person out there understood exactly what she meant, even if it wasn’t a perfect analogy) really hurt her reputation, and I wish she had a great publicist like I had to tell her what not to say. But it’s overwhelming, going from simply creating your art to being the artist in the limelight. Her latest comment about her fear of the massive crowds is something I can totally relate to. I hope they start listening to her concerns and let all three of them step back from the craziness for a bit.

Whether you like it or not, Twilight is enmeshed in the fabric of our culture just like Harry Potter. And heck, even the Vatican came around on Rowling…

So what say you ‘Rati? Are you a Twilight fan, or a hater? (I’ll check in when I can today, so pleasant self-policing is encouraged.)

Wine of the Week: 2005 Poliziano Vino Nobile di Montepulciano

34 thoughts on “The Twilight of my Years

  1. PK the Bookeemonster

    I’ve read the first book and I understand why it’s popular. I just don’t find vampires attractive in any media form. Not my cuppa, as they say, but everyone has their own tastes which is why there’s so many authors. Yay!

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  2. JD Rhoades

    Hey, we all have our pleasures that others just don’t get. You like TWILIGHT, I like Asian action and martial arts flicks, the more over the top the better. (My latest discovery: the Japanese movie MACHINE GIRL. Just check it out. It’s a hoot).

    I’ve written before about my problems with the Twilight series. Out of respect for the lovely Mrs. Ellison, I shall refrain today. 😀

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  3. Karen Olson

    Okay, as the mother of a teenage girl, maybe I’ve got a different perspective on this, but a book about a girl who has absolutely no ambition or goal in life, even before she meets the vampire, and then meets the vampire and decides that all she’s meant to do in life is be with him, to moon over him, to constantly want to have sex with him, well, this is not the kind of female protagonist I want my daughter to read about. I want her to read about strong girls and woman, who might make mistakes but have a sense of their own identity, not just being a girl who spends four books wanting to have sex with a vampire.

    Because this is not about romance. It’s all about sex. These books ooze it. The movies ooze it. And despite the fact that no one has sex until the last book, well, they all absolutely want to and it’s the underlying desire of every single character. And it tells young girls that sex outside marriage is wrong, even with the boy you think is the love of your life. The only reason Edward can resist her is because he is NOT a teenage boy, but a very very very old vampire, which is creepy in itself because he goes into her room at night and watches her sleep.

    Yes, I have serious issues with Twilight and I am thrilled that my daughter found the first book boring and has no desire to read the others.

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  4. JT Ellison

    PK, I totally get it doesn’t turn people’s crank. I suppose I read the first one at a particularly vulnerable spot in my life, and I’m married to a protector, and it hit me on a different level.

    Dusty, feel free to post your feelings… your perspective on this is actually fun.

    Karen, now, the argument is one of the ones that resonates with me, simply because I have done so much work and research with and about abused women. I don’t think here’s anything wrong with being 17 or 18 and not knowing what you want to be, at that age, I was so malleable it’s sort of a shock I am where I am. I just love the romantic ideal put forth. Someone to love you forever, no matter what, who’s dedicated to you and will lay down their life for you. OTOH, I don’t have kids, especially daughters Bella’s age, so I don’t have the right kind of resonance with that part of it. But I get what you’re saying!

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  5. JD Rhoades

    Okay, but only because you asked :-).

    As I’ve written before, I don’t care what Edward looks like, hes’ OLD. He’s, what, 109? And he’s obsessed (there’s no other word for it) with a teenage girl? El Creepo grande, and not in a good way.

    As for the movies, I’ve never cared much for Kristen Stewart as an actress. She managed to suck all the life out of ADVENTURELAND, which had the potential to be a great movie. She’s got a seriously limited range, which consists of showing deep emotion by widening her eyes and/or biting her lip. (I’m not the only person who’s noticed this: see here and here.) She may have developed some other chops in ECLIPSE, I don’t know.

    Finally, vampires who can walk by day? Who "sparkle" in sunlight?

    Dude, no. Just no. As my son so eloquently put it, "they nerfed the curse."

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  6. Judy Wirzberger

    I find myself at the in between age again. Too old to have children I have to worry about reading what some find objectionable and too young – frig, I can’t think of a thing I’m too young to

    However, I do love books that stir controversy, I love books that encourage kids to read, andI love books that cause people to think, discuss, debate and I love books that make authors money…crass capitalist that I am.

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  7. Louise Ure

    I’m neither a fan nor a hater. Any discussion of Twilight is light a foreign language to me. Or like the Larssen cartoon with the dog: "Blah, blah, blah … Ginger."

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  8. Becky LeJeune

    Oh, I’m a fan! First, I have three sisters. The oldest is 17 right now and when Twilight was just out in ARCs, my boyfriend snagged it for me at work. When my at the time not reading very much sister said she wanted to read vampire books, I sent it to her. She passed it onto another sister and they were chomping at the bit for the second one (which I also managed to get in an ARC for them). As little publicists, I know they were spreading the word around their school and all of their friends had to have the books, too. By the time the fourth book was due to hit shelves, I still hadn’t read any of them. The third sister was holding off as well and we both agreed to start reading the series at the same time — the week before the release of book 4.

    Well, I ate them up, as did she (and she hates paranormal fiction). The four of us went to the midnight showing of Eclipse when I was home visiting a couple of weeks ago and dragged our mom along as well.

    I love the books! I think they’re great fun. I love the fact that my sisters love them as well. I think Twilight kicked off the reading habit for two of my three sisters and anything that does that wins in my book, even if I wasn’t a fan already.

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  9. KarinNH

    Last fall, some of my students recommended the books to me, saying I had to read them; they were the best book they’d ever read (in some cases some of the few they’d read–they freely admitted hating reading). But at the same time, others were shaking their heads no.

    Finally one ventured that I wouldn’t like the series because "it is really poorly written." Interestingly, the ones who were recommending the books all agreed. Emphatically. However, they were willing to look past that because they liked the story.

    Later, with some of my colleagues, the first book came up again. One mother was livid–someone had given it to her daughter, and she’d read it as well. She argued vehemently that Edward exhibited creepy, possessive, stalker behavior while Bella was passive and whiny; she didn’t want her daughter thinking that was what relationships were supposed to be like.

    I don’t really have an opinion–haven’t read the books and probably won’t, even though I do read other vampire books—but find the discussions interesting. Fascinating how some books generate such strong feelings.

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  10. Zoë Sharp

    Hi JT

    Hmm, I have sympathy with both sides of this argument. I loved the Blade trilogy, and was a big fan of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, and really enjoyed Charlie Huston’s Joe Pitt books.

    I’ve attempted to read the first Twilight book, and found the voice simply didn’t grab me. I watched the first movie, and thought the most interesting thing about it was the modern architecture of the vampires’ house in the woods. I agree that it kind of breaks the unwritten code to have vampires walking about during daylight hours, etc, but rules are generally there to be broken. I didn’t enjoy it mainly because I found the heroine irritatingly sulky and the pace generally slow.

    Maybe I’ll give them another go, but there are a lot of other books on my TBR pile, and a lot of movies on my TBW pile, so it might take a while…

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  11. JD Rhoades

    Finally one ventured that I wouldn’t like the series because "it is really poorly written." Interestingly, the ones who were recommending the books all agreed. Emphatically. However, they were willing to look past that because they liked the story.

    My daughter says the same thing. Poorly written but she likes the story. Interesting, that.

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  12. pari noskin taichert

    I read the first one, JT, and liked it all right. Got why it’s so popular. But like some of the others here, I’m just not into vampires. As the mother of two girls, I also got creeped out with Edward sitting in Bella’s room and watching her sleep. Like Dusty wrote, he’s OLD and that gets to me. He’s in love, sexually attracted, to someone 80+ years his junior . . . ya know?

    On the other issue of snobbery: I’m one of those people who avoid popular books just because I’m contrary. When I took the master class, I realized that my snobbery was preventing me from reading some really wonderful writers — people like Nora Roberts and Dean Koontz. I’ve come down off of my high horse now.

    Re: sex
    I’m not sure how much popular literature and movies influence teens’ actions. I know everyone’s immediate response is that adolescents are highly suggestible, but from my personal experience as a former teen <g> and a mom — I have to say that I believe pressure comes more from peers and social interactions than what anyone is reading or seeing a single time.
    And I’d argue that television programs and commercials are different because the messages are repeated ad nauseum.

    Okay, I’ve gone on long enough . . .

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  13. KarinNH

    There is an article on the ABC news website today that talks about a new trend where teens, influenced by the books, are biting each other as an expression of love and affection, sometimes drawing blood, or cutting each other and lapping up the blood.

    Now, I’ll take that story with a grain of salt, since the media often exaggerates or gets things wrong…but ewwwww!

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  14. Eika

    I don’t mind that the story is poorly written. I’ve read other things badly written, and looked down on, and enjoyed them. I’ve only found a single romance I’ve ever liked, though, and that had a well-developed fantasy world, political intrigue, and a million other factors in it that Twilight doesn’t give me, so when I say I don’t like it I can say reasons why.

    But I have others.

    For one, Edward creeps me out. He watches her while she sleeps. He follows her around. He threatens to kill himself (I think he tries to do so, even, but I didn’t read it all so I’m not sure). He tries to control how Bella spends her time, where she does it and who she hangs out with. He acts incredibly possessive. He tries to outright stop her from seeing her family and friends.

    Those scream ‘stalker’ before they start going out and ‘abusive’ after, and if I ever have a boyfriend anything like that I hope I run for my life. Call the police, if necessary. That is not okay. But in-story, this is portrayed as true love.

    I don’t see it.

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  15. Jude Hardin

    I saw the first movie (on DVD, just because my son happened to be watching it), and I read a paragraph or two of the first book. Not into it.

    But I would imagine most teenage girls are more sophisticated than to allow a character in a novel to influence their behavior much. Aren’t they? Let them have their fun with it, I say. There are many worse things out there they could be spending their time and money on.

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  16. TerriMolina

    I haven’t read the books, so not a fan. All the hyoe about it turned me off. I had thought about seeing the movie though until I saw Kristen Stewart was chosen for the lead. The girl can’t act!! Even my 16 yr old daughter, who read the books when they came out was sorely disappointed in the first two movies (and the last three books) mainly because of Stewart. I haven’t gotten her thoughts on the recent movie yet. Of course, I didn’t read any of the HP books either and nearly passed out from boredom when I took my son’s to see the first movie.

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  17. billie

    I have read them all, along with my daughter. Not the best writing, as others have mentioned, but I enjoyed the story and was intrigued with the characters.

    I don’t find Edward creepy – in fact, I personally like him the most of all the characters, and while Bella does get on my nerves at times, I like her too. I think Meyers captures a piece of what it feels like to be a teen, in love with someone you think is your soul mate, and wanting to merge with them. In some ways what she writes is very psychological – I think she manages to capture some of the traits of adolescence that, if they persist beyond adolescence, become personality disorders. She certainly captures one piece of what I wished for as an adolescent girl – and plays out what it would be like to get that.

    Edward’s actual age as a vampire doesn’t trouble me – he doesn’t in any way seem like an "old soul" or "old vampire" when I read the book. He seems more like someone stuck in adolescence, who has to get it right before he can move on. He seems like he has some secrets – I’d love to read a book from his POV. He’s tortured enough and mysterious enough to pull at anyone who ever fell in love with a bad boy type, and I suspect that’s the appeal for me.

    I read it as a psychological study more than anything else. The vampire piece adds an extra edge to it – I loved Dark Shadows when I was young, and Buffy when I was old.

    All that said, when my daughter read the books she detested Bella, felt she was a fool to fall for Edward, and was very vocal about the fact that in her opinion, any self-respecting girl would choose Jacob. While I personally like Edward, I’m glad my daughter has the perspective she does.

    I wonder if that’s some of the appeal of the book – in some ways it’s multi-generational. My mother read the books too and it was interesting when the three of us, daughter, me, my mother, discussed the characters.

    Meyers definitely tapped into something – as did J.K. Rowling – and the fact that the books are so popular is as intriguing to me as the books themselves. I can easily suspend my disbelief about certain aspects of things, and I can overlook the less than literary writing styles in order to enjoy the story and the characters and the worlds each author created.

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  18. Nancy Laughlin

    Like Terri, the hype turned me off a bit. However, my adult niece, my teenage great niece and her cousin have read all the book, watched the movies, and loved them.
    I’ve avoided reading the books in part because I grew out of my vampire/warewolf phase some time ago.
    Still, reading all these comments, hearing all the debate, now has me curious. Darn it, I’m going to half to pick up the first book now! lol

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  19. Alexandra Sokoloff

    I have tried to read each of them, never made it through any, but I think Meyer creates a very real story world, And I totally get why teenage girls are crazy about the books. No sexual demands (or maybe some of them have the same neck fetish I do…) – and sure, I’m old enough to say that at that age, for girls, that’s a better thing than not (sorry, guys…)

    But Edward’s age creeps me out, too, and so does Bella’s focus on marriage and a baby – at 18. Bad, bad modeling.

    And sorry, sweetie, but I do think it’s a very Mormon book – thought so the first time I picked up Twilight.

    Haven’t seen any of the movies but the first, but the screenwriter, Melissa Rosenberg, is a goddess among writers and women. You will never find a finer person.

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  20. Barbie

    Can I just say I LOVED Alexandra’s comment up there?? 🙂

    I don’t hate Twilight, but I don’t love it, either. I’m guilty of the whole teen angst comment, with the roll of eyes, even though I don’t know how to roll my eyes very well. I have no patience for teen angst in real life, and I definitely don’t have patience for that in books. Books about teenagers, in general, annoy me. And I can’t stand the character of Bella. I think too overdone. I was seeing a comment about it, and it said Bella has ALL the insecurities of a teenager so everyone will identify with her. She’s too perfectly flawed. (Which is genius on Mrs. Meyer’s part, but I don’t buy it). I don’t identify with Bella the littlest bit. And, Edward, he’s just WAY too gushy and melodramatic. I wouldn’t want a guy like that if he were the last guy on earth. He’s controlling, possessive and while that’s great for a non sexual fantasy of fifteen years old, it kind of creeps me out.

    Then, there’s the whole moral values. Like Alexandra said, I think it’s very Mormon. Not only, and not mainly, because of the whole no sex before marriage thing, but because it gives the idea that he woman BELONGS to the man. That she’s his. And I absolutely loathe that. Of course, love her, take care of her, make her happy, but don’t treat her like a possession. And, even the whole abstinence thing, I’m 22. I don’t sleep around. I don’t even have all that experience. But if some guy told me he wanted to wait until marriage, I’d probably laugh at his face, and, at the very least, I’d be suspicious of his motives. My sister, on the other hand, is 18 and a HUGE Twilight fan and announces that she will wait until marriage. Good for her. I hope she doesn’t end up with a guy with size issues or who can’t get things done! 🙂

    Yes, I said I don’t hate Twilight. Can you imagine if I hated it? 🙂 Let me explain. Besides all these things, the secondary characters are brilliant. Bright. Funny. They complete the story in such a way, that they make me like it, even though I can’t stand both main characters. Even though I think it’s all too sappy and melodramatic. I LOVE Alice, and I love the side stories. I think the Cullens are rich, round characters. I love how her school friends are portrayed. And Jessica? I think that’s a fantastic, common girl kind of character. In the movie, I think she’s the best portrayed and adapted character of them all. I love some of the wolves, especially Seth. And, in general, teen drama aside, I like the whole vampire/werewolf world and battles. I think I’d like it much better if it weren’t a romance, more of a fantasy book.

    I think New Moon was one of the best adapted book-to-movie ever. I think it’s so well done. I didn’t like Eclipse as much, but it’s not as bad as Twilight. But I have a problem with adaptations. I like little moments in books that never make the cut and it annoys me. (Like, when Alice is asking Bella to let her plan the wedding). I’d’ve liked the movie a whole lot better if it was less about Bella and Edward and Jacob and more about the story in general. Maybe that’s why i liked New Moon so much! 🙂

    Anyway, I think I’ve spoken too much! 🙂

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  21. becky hutchison

    Barbie, you haven’t spoken too much. I like your insight and everyone else’s.

    I couldn’t get into the first book at all. I read a few pages and didn’t like the writing style. My daughter, who says her housemate "forced" her to see the first movie, thought it was boring with just a bunch of longing, lustful looks and brooding music. Since I haven’t seen it, I can’t agree or disagree.

    The debate on whether it’s a good or bad series, or even if it’s anti-religious or not, is interesting. It reminds me of all the bruhaha surrounding The Da Vinci Code and Harry Potter series (both of which I love). BTW, I think it’s pretty ironic when the groups trying to discredit each series keep the books in the spotlight and ultimately bring about higher sales.

    The bottom line for me? I don’t have an opinion either way. Since I haven’t read the books or seen the movies, I don’t see how I can form an opinion on the Twilight series’ merits. But I do enjoy a good debate.

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  22. Jake Nantz

    My wife and I read the first Twilight book together (after she had already read them all, of course). I had watched the movie with her before (not bad…the baseball scene was pretty cool). I actually didn’t think the book was all that bad. At the very least, the villain at the end was a hell of a lot more sinister than that douche with the ponytail in the movie. Regardless, one of my two projects is a Y.A., and obviously Meyers has a pretty good hold on the adolescent brain, so reading them is as much research as it is time with my wife.

    That being said, I think Kristen Stewart hurt herself long before the rape comment when the pictures came out of her firing up a bowl on the brick steps of her townhome. A lot of people saw her as having a chance at being a decent role model for young girls, because Bella is (for the reasons you listed). Proof of her being just another dipshit pothead may have damaged that.

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  23. Doug Riddle

    Sorry JT, but as someone who grew up watching Dark Shadows after school, the Twlight books comes off as Vampire-Lite. I want scary…I want Salem’s Lot, Dusk to Dawn or even Lost Boys….. and if you can scare up a DVD copy of the BBC / Frank Langella version of Dracula you won’t be disappointed. But you will probably be sleeping with the lights on.

    Right now I am reading The Passage, and I have to agree with Stephen King…….this book puts the scare back into vampires.

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  24. Fran

    I love vampire books but I haven’t read these even though I should since they’re set in Forks (which actually creeped me out the one time I was there, so that’s got to be the perfect setting). Partly I think I haven’t read them because they’ve been so very hyped, although I read all three Larssons which have the hype-meter redlined, but mostly, quite honestly, because I have a beef with the Mormon church, which is a silly reason not to read a vampire book, but there ya go, that’s part of why I haven’t. It gets political, so it’s not something I’ll discuss here, but it is a factor.

    That being said, books that get young people passionate about reading, that provoke deep and thoughtful discussions? I’m all for those despite my quirks, so I’m glad they’re out there stirring things up. As for me, I’ll just stick to reading stuff like Justin Cronin’s "The Passage" instead.

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  25. Marilyn Meredith

    I enjoyed all three of the movies–great fantasy and lots of fun. I go to movies to be entertained, and I was entertained. (Hubby stayed awake but is not a fan.) My 40 plus year old daughter in law has read all the books and loves them. (She’s happily married–and her adult daughters also love the books and movies.)

    Marilyn

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  26. Dudley Forster

    Sorry JT, I have to agree with Doug (btw I am reading The Passage too). Vampires need to be dark, they should strike the same note of fear as the scariest serial killers in fiction. Of course, I am a guy so there is the whole chick flick thing. Buffy is the lightest vampire fare I like and that is mostly because of the writing. Besides, vampires should not sparkle. As my youngest daughter and the t-shirt says, "Buffy staked Edward, the end."

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  27. Linda C. McCabe

    Yessss, Dark Shadows. I grew up feeling sorry for Barnabus Collins and had a serious crush on Quentin Collins. So the idea of vampires being sparkly and permanent insomniacs seems to be a serious breach of vampire lore to me.

    A little over a year ago I wrote a lengthy blog post about my thoughts on the Twilight series, including why I thought Stephenie Meyer made Edward so old. It wasn’t for creepiness, but to find a time where a good looking seventeen year old boy might be a virgin without the reader thinking, "yeah right."

    If anyone’s interested in reading a nitpicky post that overanalyzes the series, feel free to check it out here:

    http://tinyurl.com/2744z3s

    Recently I finished reading John Granger’s book, Spotlight: A close-up look at the artistry and meaning of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight Saga. Granger describes how conscience and free choice is the underlying theme of the series. He not only uses his own argument in analyzing the text to come up with that conclusion, but he includes excerpts of interviews with Stephenie Meyer that back up his claim.

    My review of his book can be found here:

    http://tinyurl.com/336tnjf

    It is for serious Twihards and those curious about why the series has captured the imagination of so many.

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  28. Jody

    I read the first book & was bored by all the talk, talk, talk. I haven’t read the rest of the series, but I might later. I did see the first movie. Two of my friends are crazy about both the books and the movies. My grown daughter has seen all three movies & thinks they are a fun outing.

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  29. Leigh

    I hate to say it, but I lose respect for people who fell OMG IN LOVE with Twilight. It’s a modern day princess myth complete with the girl who gets rescued by the hunky boy.

    I was always more of a Princess Leia fan rather than Snow White.

    I’ll save myself, thanks.

    Reply

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