Confessions

I am so embarrassed. I can't believe I'm really going to admit this, and in such a public forum.

I'll admit it: I've read Twilight. Twice. There, I feel better now that I've disclosed myself to you.

No I don't. There's more.

I've also read New Moon. And Eclipse. Oh, and Breaking Dawn.

Phew. Now I've told you everything.

Okay, okay. I even read The Host.

Oh, heck. I've also read half of Midnight Sun, and will be finished before the end of the weekend. Are you satisfied now that you've gotten all those confessions from me?

I really hate that I read the whole series. I feel like I've jumped on a trendy bandwagon. But, in my defense, I have previously confessed to having a slight addiction to young adult literature. Before this, I was able to say that I only read quality stuff. Realistic stuff. Things like Speak or Hope was Here. Well, there was the Harry Potter series. But I draw the line at vampires, though. And werewolves? Forget it.

But, after I'd done an insane amount of book talks with countless girls on these books, I decided to borrow Twilight from a student. I borrowed it on a Friday during 1st or 3rd hour. By the end of the day, I was about 100 pages in, and totally hooked. I was incredulous. It's a vampire story for crying out loud! But I was so hooked, I stopped at Wal-Mart and bought New Moon and Eclipse as well. By Wednesday of that next week, I was done and eagerly awaiting the release of Breaking Dawn.

Last summer I went and got Breaking Dawn the day after it was released, and took it camping with me. That one took me about three days to get through because we were busy doing other stuff. Now that the series is pretty much over, I'm still sort of torn. There are things I really liked about it, yet there are things that drove me crazy, too.


Things I like:

1. Set in Washington. I've lived in Washington my entire life, and it's always kind of cool when books are set in places you've been. Plus, it made me laugh when I understood why Stephenie Meyer set it in Wa: Washingtonians are so pale, a few vampires could blend right in! Man, can I relate to that! I'm so white I glow during the winter.

2. "Realistic." I've got that in quotes because I struggle with that word a little in conjunction with this book. I'm really not in to vampire stories, but this one captured my attention. Stephenie Meyer made the Cullens seem like normal people with some extraordinary differences. Putting aside the whole bloodsucking thing, as far as vampire stories go, it's intriguing.

3. Jacob. I'm not an Edward fan, I'm totally a Jacob fan. I like Edward, but I am one of the few who likes Jacob better. There are a few reasons why. First, Jacob is warm, and Edward is cold. I'm not talking emotions here, people, I'm talking body temps. I would much rather hold hands with and snuggle up with someone warm and pliable. Cold and marble-like is a total turnoff for me. Plus, Jacob is close to Bella's age. Edward is just an old guy stuck in a teenager's body. I've always been fascinated by all things Native American, too, so that's a bonus for Jacob. Maybe it's because I've grown up in an environment where Native American culture is ever-present, but Native American is better than dead American any day.

4. It makes kids read, especially girls. I can't tell you how many girls I've had to make put books away. They are reading CONSTANTLY. Especially last week before the movie came out. Everywhere you looked you saw the cover of that book. They are obsessed.

5. Decent character development. Obviously the main characters are developed really well, but there are a lot of minor characters that I'd like to know better. I want to know more about Charlie and Renee / Phil especially.


Things I DON'T like:

1. Bella whines entirely too much, and is too clumsy.

2. Though we get to know back stories really well for the Cullens, a lot of Bella's story is glossed over. What was her childhood like that she's willing to give up her entire family for Edward?

3. Edward is too perfect. I know he's been alive for a very long time, but it's seriously annoying that he's perfect at absolutely everything.

4. The fact that Bella plays games with Jacob and Edward. She's not stupid, but she sure acts like it a lot of the time. I was not entirely satisfied with how it all worked out at the end of Breaking Dawn, but I was happier than I thought I would be.

5. The movie posters. Before yesterday, I vacillated between seeing the movie and skipping it solely because of the poster. The poster makes the characters look SO creepy. Sounds silly, huh?? I mean, they are vampires, right? But I'm worried about them being creepy... I had a few seniors who went to the midnight showing on Thursday evening, though, and based on their reviews I decided to go see it. I decided that I was going to make J come see the movie with me, and we invited my friend Laurie to come with us. We knew it was crazy to go on a Friday night, essentially its first day out, but we went for it! There's not much else to do around here on a Friday night now that football is over. Below is the e-mail I sent to J. I had called him at home and asked him to purchase tickets online so we didn't have to wait in two lines. I love to tease him, and this is just another example of the way we interact...


From: Kristina H
Sent: Friday, November 21, 2008 10:48 AM
To: JH
Subject: tickets?

Did you get the tickets?? I hope so! I have a meeting this evening, but should be home by 6:30ish. We should probably get there a little early. I’m thinking 7:15ish…there will most likely be loads of teenage girls there, squealing and screaming with excitement. You’ll probably hear lots of, “Oh my God! Edward is SO hot!” Or, “Eww…he’s NOT as hot as the book describes him.”

Probably a few of them will cry.

Probably Laurie and I will, too. Not because we’re emotional, but because we’re laughing so hard at the grimaces and eye rolls you’re sure to make with each and every high pitched shriek we hear.

Man, I love you. Thanks for getting the tickets! And thanks for coming with us. And I won’t tell anyone that you’re as excited as I am about this, we’ll keep that between us. No matter how much you deny it, I know you are. I’ll play along in front of your friends, don’t worry. Your secret is safe with me.

KH

PS You’ll probably be the only guy there…

PPS I can’t tell you how much I love to tease you. And how much I love that even though you roll your eyes at me a lot, you’ll still do this kind of stuff with me. You’re a good guy.

PPPS Good guy or not, you’re still probably going to be the only guy there.


I know, I know, I'm not very nice, am I? But admit it, you laughed. I sure did. J didn't even bat an eye. He just responded with a note that said he had the tickets. He totally didn't take the bait and ignored the rest of the message, the rat.

Overall the movie was pretty decent. I was amazed at how quickly you get used to the characters’ bizarre appearances. Except for Carlisle and Jasper. They’re kinda creepy all the way through. It’s a shame, though, because I love both their characters. Hopefully in the next movies they will be better, because I would hate to see them stay creepy.

Obviously they cut out a lot of the book, but they kept most of the important stuff in, and covered it pretty well. J has not read the books, but he said he enjoyed the movie well enough, which surprised both of us. While most of the movie was pretty good, there were a few parts that were very cheesy. It is the first vampire movie that I have ever enjoyed, though! I’d rather watch Twilight than Blade any day.

Okay, if I don’t stop here, this is going to be as long as Twilight!!


Make sure you stop by tomorrow!! I have something really cool planned! I’m so excited!