Sisterhood of the Traveling Twilights

Fellow blogger Melissa Lee made mention of this infamous vampire romance bandwagon on her blog today. It takes a lot for me to admit reading these books... considering the average age of its readers. But with the help of a few among this growing sisterhood, we are working to raise the age of that average. After cracking open the first book you are all but lost... though I fear I was lost after seeing the movie with my girlfriends. All while I suffered from heart palpitations and shortness of breathe. If that isn't bad enough... my dear hubby admitted to having dreams of it after I dragged him to a second viewing. It couldn't have been that bad for him... since he referred to it as a dream and not a nightmare.

So whats the rage with this book series by Stephanie Myers? Is it the trend, the crowds of girls, the hype, and oh... the peer pressure, or is it the shear number on this bandwagon? Well personally, I resisted it for these last two years for every one of those reasons. I am too old for trends (so it seems... it only shows my age more), the girls are obvious and easy to avoid with their Twilight shirts and Hannah Montana montages. The hype is a bit overrated, as you cannot trust the hype for most things these days since popularity far outweighs substance these days. Then there is the peer pressure... oh I have had a few girlfriends talk it up and tempt me with it. All the while warning me I will not stand alone for long. So it was my moment of weakness when I ended up at the movies two weeks ago... begging for more. The overwhelming number of woman, and men, reading these books can be intimidating, knowing you'll be born as one of them once your times up. I didn't want to see myself on the other side of the fence... with something of such silly fantasies. Well now... I ate my words... and here I stand wishing it all were true. Ugh!

So REALLY what's the rage...? I can only speak for my own frenzied rage over this series...

First, the relationships in these books are pure, unselfish and unwavering. Something we see little of, yet I am sure it would benefit my family if I suffered an extreme dose of it. Second, I find it wholesome--well on the side of sexuality and morality. The author wrote to exclude all premarital sex... GASP! you cry... how could she... well no one else is doing it... so why not make a mark where it counts, on the side of virtue. No ones asks to be a vampire or a werewolf here. Yet when they are faced with it, they choose to make the best and most honorable choices, and fight against those who do not. And last, sometimes a sappy happily-ever-after is the best fix for the fantasy deprived.

My only moral dilemma now... I wish these vampires were the real deal. There you have it... I ATE my words!

Read it!