Twilight. Really?

I consider myself an avid reader. I'll read just about anything. Seriously, my mind is very open. Recently, thanks to my mother in law, I'm reading novels by Steve Berry. He writes very thoughtful books with a twist and some mystery. Like all writers with more than one book, he has a very definite style. If I had to pick a "popular" author, I could compare him to Dan Brown, the writer of "Da Vinci's Code" and "Angels and Demons" which I should add, I've read. And enjoyed. But not to the degree of Mr. Berry. His books are insightful, well written, and at the end, he explains what was real, what was his own creation. Dan Brown didn't. He let you read it, then you had to wade through all the information and pick out what was real and fiction. Which, let's face it, is fine. You can learn something perhaps. Form your own opinion. But the way the book was interpreted by the world was that of reality. And it made alot of people really upset because of what he was saying. Interesting thing about religion. It's subjective...not objective. Never, ever objective.

Anyway, I have to talk about this "Twilight" fanatiacism. Because that's what it's turned into. It's almost become it's own religion. It's insane. I've read the first book. Um...well. It was readable. A little too readable. I read it very quickly and came out of the book with a sense of "What? That's it?" I know I could go on and read the subsequent books, but after "What? That's it?" I'm not exactly enthused. I've gotten more satisfaction from reading trashy romances. At least they are as I expect them to be. Not overrated, just a book with a start, middle and end.

Now. I get why teenagers liked it. I do. I would have DIED over reading these books when I was 15, 16...maybe even up to 18 years old. Some of the language used is so nice. So pretty. So teenaged. The fantasies that teenaged girls the world around would die to hear from a boyfriend. I know that I'd have loved for a boy to tell me that the first time he saw me he knew he wanted to be with me forever. **SWOON!!**

But, I did, as most of us do, grow up. I moved onto other books. I went deeper into the books that I was told were the greatest books of our times. I waded through "Wuthering Heights" I tried Shakespeare for fun. It was fine. It was interesting. But I craved something that I could read and understand without researching what a word meant from the 1700's. I've read some decent books in the past few years. I've also read some real shit. I read Pamela Anderson's "Star". Cover to cover. I read it because my friend Heather said she'd read it if I read it. I READ it...she DIDN'T. I lost braincells man...precious, precious braincells. But hey...I know what bad writing is. I've experienced my share.

So when I read "Twilight" I really tried to figure out what the hype was about. It's a book. I was impressed and delighted when a very famous author totally echoed my feelings and mentioned that Stephanie Meyer is a secondrate author. I mean, I enjoyed "Twilight", to a degree. But I get who the target audience is for. It's pretty obvious. And you know what...that author who said that she is secondrate got BLASTED. Well...SHE IS!

But here's my point about "Twilight" and religion.

In religion, you have very little chance of telling a person they are wrong without them just freaking on you and trying to convince you that you're wrong. I'm not saying that ANY person's religion is wrong. What I'm saying is, express your opinion regarding religion (or politics for that matter...religion just fits better for this) and you can start a holy war. Which is silly. How in the world do you look at a person and say,

"Well, the God that I can't see, touch, smell, hear or taste doesn't exist." Religion is based truly and wholly on faith. Faith that you will come to the end of your life and meet an omnipotent God who will love you regardless of anything you've done in your life. That very God that protects your through your daily life. As I said, not exactly objective. It can't be objective because it's what YOU believe. It's based on your upbringing, it's based on where you are in your life, what you need, who you know. VERY subjective. It is what it is...a belief.

But, "Twilight" has taken on this fervour. This incredible fanaticism where total adults will swoon at just the very sight of Robert Pattinson. (who by the way, I feel looks like a pretentious "artist" douchebag who just wants to tell you and I that we're not good enough and he's better than all of us. He doesn't look exactly approachable!) Now, everyone is entitled to their opinion. Guess what. Well, they are!! Just because I DON'T like "Twilight", Robert Pattinson OR Stephanie Meyer does NOT make me a bad person. It makes me a person with my own taste.

And GLITTERING vampires? Really? This is what is at the heart of teenaged girls?? The romantic GLITTERING vampire. Huh. If I see a MAN wearing glitter, I have my own opinon. At least Anne Rice sticks to the lore. This book just drives it into the ground. How romantic is it that he can walk into the sunlight and NOT die, but GLITTER?! What the hell?! Glitter? Seriously. Okay...I'm past it.

Anyway...Find a book with some depth. Read a good book. Read a book with easy language that takes a day to read. Read whatever you want, but keep an open mind to other people who don't want to read your books. I make suggestions. You can read it and say, "I hated it!!" Okay. Fine. Then don't read the next book. I don't care. I won't attack you with my "OH MY GOD! HOW could you NOT love that book? It's incredible!!!" Nevermind. Do what you want, I will do what I want. Plain and simple. But don't try to convince me either. I only really ask that courtesy.

And hey...Thanks ahead of time!