The Question on Every Housewife's Lips

As you may have noticed, I've added a teeny tiny little poll to my blog. This is because there is a lot of buzz this week about the release of the final (let's hope) installment of the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. In preparation for this big release, I have reread the first two books and am currently working my way through "Eclipse." I feel that, while these things are fresh in my mind, it is time to discuss them. CAUTION: SPOILER ALERT!!! If you haven't read the books and plan to, I'd sit the rest of this one out.

I read "Twilight" last year at the recommendation of a few friends who had teenage daughters. They told me it was a fun summer read and never warned me that it was also a series that was unfinished. ARGH!!!! So I read it, enjoyed it, and realized as I reached the last pages and saw the first chapter of the NEXT book that I had been snared into yet another series. Since I enjoyed the first book, I was less annoyed by the fact that the second book was still in hardback and the third was about to be released than had I hated the book. Once I start a series, it's hard to stop. You know how it is. So I was dismayed by the fact that the second book, "New Moon" was far less appealing and spent hundreds of unneeded pages covering a teenager mooning about and whining about the hole in her chest. I still somewhat enjoyed the parts with Jacob in them (who couldn't? he's great!), and made it to the long-anticipated face-off in Italy. The third book, "Eclipse" took much less time getting to the action, but a lot more time focusing on Bella and Edward's constant kissing. Gross. But, on a first read, it didn't seem so bad, and I made it to the end, expecting a resolution of all the issues that had arisen in the three books. But alas, I was mistaken. Hooray that I can confidently say that this Saturday, I can finally put these books to rest.

You superfans may wonder, why would you want to put these wonderful books to rest? Okay, superfans, please forgive me, but there are a few things I've discovered in the last few reads that have tainted my opinion. We drove to Kansas last Christmas, and, since it's a very long drive with nothing to look at, and since I don't get sick in the car when I read, I thought I'd read them aloud to my husband. Believe me, it is so much worse out loud. As I mentioned in the above paragraph, "New Moon" spent a lot of time talking about Bella's heartbreak. As a woman who has been dumped before, I respect that it is a horrible and unpleasant experience, that it can sometimes take a long time to get over, and that as a teenager things seem infinitely worse. But for crying in the mud! This is a book!!!! You can say in one sentence, "Bella's heartache was so great that her chest felt empty, so much so that a hole seemed to exist." And to let you know it took a while, "8 months went by with no reprieve from her pain. She was devastated." You get what I'm saying. I did appreciate that there were 3 or 4 chapters that just mentioned the month. But I felt like the book could have been about 100 pages shorter. And when you're reading it out loud to a man, it feels a bit melodramatic. I'm just saying. As for Eclipse, I was grateful that the hole in the chest was gone, but it was replaced by a lot of Bella and Edward making out. Which also feels a little strange to read aloud, even to your spouse. I actually skipped over a few pages because I couldn't make myself read it. I know that compared to most adult lit, this is mild, but I was disappointed at how much making out is involved in the book, and how sensual it is. Meyer is setting an example for a bunch of teenage girls, and I was dismayed at how far she let it go and how detailed her descriptions were. Really, like hormonal teenagers need more motivation. So, maybe she could say, "Bella enjoyed kissing Edward. It was the first time she'd felt this way about anyone, and it excited her." But enough tracing chins with noses and lips and heavy cold breathing (weird). So those are my complaints. At least the basic ones.

Now back to my poll. I am extremely curious about the end of the last book. I've noticed that Meyer doesn't really explain the process Bella goes through falling in love with Edward, except that he's the most breathtaking man she's ever seen. Then she very carefully describes the friendship Bella develops with Jacob, which, to me seems a lot more like falling in love. They become friends, they're honest from the outset, they have a few arguments, they spend lots of time doing normal things together, they hold hands, they get to know each other through conversation, and Bella describes him as a sun that brings brightness to her life. Hmmmm....You can probably guess who my vote is for. Plus, I'd rather kiss someone that is warm than someone who feels like marble. So, please, vote away. We'll be finding out Saturday how it all comes out in the end. Good luck to Stephenie Meyer.