Sucked in (pun intended)

I am not one to jump onto bandwagons in general....at least I don't think of myself like that. It took me years to decide to read the Harry Potter books, and then I only read the first three or four & quit. I didn't read Interview With a Vampire until after all my friends had nearly finished the series. I tend to avoid any books toted at Must Reads until they've passed their heyday. For me, the hype can ruin a book, so I wait. Even if I want to read it.

But in the end, I am shallow. I totally judge books by their covers. A nice glossy, eye catching book cover will capture my attention faster than anything. This cover caught my eye about a year ago, so I headed to Shelfari to see what recommendations I could get. When I heard the words "Vampire," "Teen," and "Romance" grouped together, my expectations hit rock bottom & I filed Twilight away in my Not Unless I Get It For Free & Have Nothing Better To Do category.

And then I met Facebook flair. I love flair. It makes me happy. It took about 30 seconds of Flair for me to be overloaded with Twilight movie images. I was still skeptical. Very skeptical.

When our anniversary rolled around in November I had seen more Twilight trailers than anyone should be exposed to...ever. And the young man playing the lead character (above) gave me the creeps. But it was the only thing playing that remotely interested me, so I told Husband I wanted to see it. In the end, we skipped the movie & settled on dinner & some shopping. I tossed Twilight on my Netflix Que wait list & waited it out.

It came in the mail the Saturday it was due to be released. I tried to settle in & watch it, but was repeatedly interrupted by...well, life on the farm. Over the course of two days I watched it two and a half times and watched all the special features as well. I liked it, but not in the rabid way the teenage girls making Facebook flair seem to. I thought, "I must be missing something." The movie didn't stink, but it felt incomplete.

So at the prodding of half the females on my Facebook friends list, I decided I was going to read it. I picked up a cheap paperback version Friday, started reading at 2:30 pm, and finished all 498 pages Saturday night at eleven (I do have responsibilities, folks). I could have easily read it in one setting if I'd had the chance.

I was right. The movie was missing many things....like background, emotion, dialogue, & character depth all found in the book. I'm now even less thrilled with the casting choice of Robert Pattinson for Edward...I don't find him particularly attractive & he seemed a bit...well...constipated in the movie. But regardless I find myself sucked into the world of Forks, Washington & wondering what will become of Bella & the Cullens in the coming books. Don't tell me, I don't have them yet. Until then, I'm on my second reading in less than a week.

If I start acting like a teenage girl, or use the word "like" at the end of every sentence I type, someone come save me. Please.