Obsessed, Part 2

Turns out I'm not the only one obsessed with Twilight. That's good. I'm normal, well, as normal as any adult woman obsessed with a pre-teen saga can be.

I introduced my friend, Dre, to the first book last Monday by lending it to her. She was done with it by Wednesday. I've since given her books two and three which she planned on completing over the weekend.

Dre's friend has also already started the fourth book, having started the first one right around the same time I did. Laura said she feels like Bella, she just can't get enough.

A co-worker read all four books in a week, too, complaining that now she's twiddling her thumbs wondering what to read next. She's seriously thinking about reading them all again.

My girl, Melodie, is in on the obsession too.

And, of course, we're all going to see the movie. Duh.

What is it about a series of books written for teenage girls that has a bunch of grown women, literally, addicted?

Is it the romance? Do we want an Edward in our lives? Or maybe the more down to earth Jacob? Is it the danger? The imminent threat to Bella?

I haven’t been able to pin down exactly what it is about the books that affected me so much, but I can say unequivocally, that I love the world in which Bella and Edward exist. Are the books imperfect? Yes. There are things about each book that drove me absolutely crazy. I hate it, for instance, when something is introduced into a book and then has absolutely nothing to do with the plotline, which became infuriating during the fourth book. The endings were anti-climactic and predictable. Jacob was always annoying and Edward was way too forgiving of him. But the overall story was captivating.

Its been brought up before that these books are inappropriate for young girls. I have to say that my initial reaction was along those lines as well. But now that I'm done with the whole series, I disagree. Would I let my 11 year old daughter read the books? Perhaps not, but maybe depending on her maturity level. Would I let my 17 year old read them? Absolutely.
The sexual tension is strong, undoubtedly. But, there's no sex until the fourth book and that doesn't occur until after they are married. That's the key here. Edward teaches restraint and old fashioned ideals. He is, after all, over 100 years old. And the sex parts are written much tamer than some TV shows that are on at the 8:00 hour. In my opinion, there are things much worse that young girls could be doing than reading a love story about vampires.

So, now I'm done. We're off to see the movie tomorrow night, and I have very low expectations. I really do feel lost though. I need a new diversion. Anyone have any suggestions?