#46 - "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer

First things first. Even though Twilight (2005) by Stephenie Meyer is technically over 400 pages (even though the word/page ratio makes it read much faster), it unfortunately can't count for the 5K because I started reading it on the 13th. Plus the book I'm reading now is only 250 pages, so I've pretty much forfeited any chance at meaningfully participating in the 5K. But that's okay, my main goal is just to hit 50 books by the end of the month.

"My name is Bella Swan. Don't you get it? Bella because it means beautiful in French. And Swan because I was kind of like this ugly duckling back in Phoenix, but now that I've moved to the Northwest all the guys at my new school are totally into me. They follow me around and carry my books and the attention is, like, totally embarassing. My mom is my best friend in the whole world. I only came up here to live with my dad because she's super flighty and married this younger guy and doesn't want to live with me anymore. But I email her every once in awhile. When I'm not too busy. Because she's my best friend. I have some new friends at school, too, but they're all kind of boring and only care about boys. I just pretend to care, but I don't really like any of them. My new school is so easy. I've already read all the required books and done all the assignments because I'm so smart; I don't even know why I have to go anymore. But there is this boy, Edward, in my class who is beautiful, and even though he sometimes acts like he hates me, I can't stop thinking about him. Oh my, I've figured out that Edward is a 100-year-old vampire who came back to high school and we are in love and we are meant for eachother like real-life soulmates. I mean, we both read a lot and even own some of the same cd's. I guess it's kind of dangerous because he always has this strong urge to kill me, but he's also super protective of me, so I think it will work out in the end. Edward just needs to make me a vampire, so I don't get all ugly and old because that would be embarassing."

I wasn't sure if I was expecting to be pleasantly surprised or disappointed when I finally read Twlight, but it turned out to be pretty much as people said. On the whole, this book is not well written. Even the main characters are at most one dimensional, the plot is simple, and the writing can be very repetitive. But, it was also a book that was easy to read. I never wondered if I would be able to finish it, and I didn't find it offensive. (I was afraid I might run into some non-subtle preaching about the role of women and/or religion in society). Once Edward was introduced, I was propelled on by a curiosity of what vampire powers he had, and once things finally got a little dangerous, I even kind of got into the story. And Bella really gets less annoying the more time she spends with the vampires. And now I've been drawn in. Perhaps I'll be disappointed in the end, but I want to find out if and/or how they stay together.

Things I like about Twilight: The shiny, black book covers are appealing, simple and well designed. The guy who plays Edward in the movie (even though I haven't seen it) is awfully cute and...let's see, seven years younger than me...legal!