Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Once Bitten



I imagine it all began about four years ago when one of my students literally got on her knees and begged me, with all of her little ten year old heart, to read this book. So I did. And I'll admit, it was quite a good young adult novel. A little beyond the fifth grader's years, even though she was rather mature for her age, but book suppression I don't believe in...let the parents take an active part in their child's reading list.

By the way, many of you have heard of this book. It's called Twilight.

Uh huh, yes, you heard right. Twilight.

I read it, added it to my classroom library, suggested it to my then seventh grade daughter, and promptly forgot about it. When the next book came out, I didn't bother getting it due to having forgotten the majority of the story. While I read most of the books that went into my classroom library, dragons, magic, sailing away to other worlds were the words that tugged at my heart and bookshelf more so than the popular reading list. Okay, I admit it. I was Lestat's biggest fan, but I gave up on vampires years, even decades ago. Sorry, Lestat, but you ain't got nothin on Aragorn, and don't even try to compare yourself to Fizban. No way, it just ain't gonna happen.

Yeah. Right.

Enter HBO. I'm telling you, right here, right now, HBO knows how to do a series and how to do it right. Deadwood, Big Love, Rome, just to name a few, held me, not the biggest fan of television, riveted to the screen. So it wasn't a big surprise that when last season's, not this season's, run of Big Love reached its finale, we scanned the list of "On Demand" series.

Can we say True Blood? Can we say Bill Compton? Can we say an aussie putting on that sweet southern drawl so that every time he said "Sookie" some over the age of 18 female swooned and melted just a little? Listen to him say it..."Sookie." ::aside:: When he says sookie, it sounds a bit like Elvis saying Soo kay. Hmmm. Needless to say, Bill Compton and Eric the Vampire compelled me to touch the surface of the vampires of the millennium. And when the girls wanted to go to the midnight viewing of the movie, "Twilight," I was only too happy to oblige. Seriously, I know the sap poured into the making of the movie. And I know the rush to fame that Mr. Rob whatshisname is experiencing due to this goo fest of a movie. But hell if I didn't leave the movie theatre feeling all giddy in love can't wait to get back home and snuggle with husband who stayed home. Damn Straight!

I got to thinking, yes, I do think on occasion. It wasn't the whole vampire spiel that pulled me in, it was the way it left you remembering what fresh, not necessarily young...I was already in my thirties when I met my husband, love felt like. Seriously, there is nothing like fresh love. So I went home, scooted next to my sleeping husband (don't think his butt woke up at nearly 3:00 a.m.), and reveled in the "fresh" love feeling. And yes, when the movie was released on DVD, I bought it for my movie obsessed daughter. We watched it at midnight. And once again, I was left with that fresh love feeling. And once again, after the movie, I went to snuggle with my fresh love hottie (and yes, he slept through the entire fresh love episode). It was great, though. What a movie. Not the best of movies, but I was totally digging the love.

So now, after four years and counting, I am finally reading books two through four. I've also picked up the Sookie Stackhouse series (Vampire Bill says, "Sookie."). Quick easy reads. Definitely not going to add them to my fifth grade reading library. I'll leave that decision up to the parents.

Sookie.

12 comments:

  1. I was 30 when I met my hubs, too. (I know - weird random detail to pull out of this...)

    And I may need to call you on being Lestat's biggest fan.

    My fifth grader devoured the whole Twilight series, as did my seventh grader. It did nothing for me, nor did the movie. Maybe I need to open my mind and do a re-read/re-watch...

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  2. Tammy, seriously, it's a made for hormones kind of movie. I can't even tell you why it left me feeling all gooey.

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  3. I couldn't get into Twilight, and sadly I have teen daughters that are really not readers.........gasp, I know, the shame I have. We enjoyed the movie, so we must just be shallow...LOL!
    FTR, I met my husband when I was 29, married when I was 30!

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  4. Sometimes it's best to read the movie than watch the book, er..strike that, reverse.

    I'm a book purist. If I read the book before I watch the movie, I tend to mutter bitterly in the background about how that wasn't in the book, and why didn't they put this scene, and she doesn't act like that in the book, so on and so on. Drives my girls nuts.

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  5. I just couldn't get myself to like the movie. I tried, but... nothing. Maybe it's because I read the books about hundred times?

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  6. Laala, I think maybe I got caught up in the mass hysteria...er..feeding frenzy...female growth hormone...I dunno...you name it, that was present in the movie theatre. It was fun though, and I'm glad I allowed myself to get caught up.

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  7. I started reading the Twilight last September and finnished Breaking Dawn about three or four weeks ago. Good books!!!! An online friend mentioned them to me and thought I never thought I would pick up a book about vampires and read it, but I'm so glad I did. I guess the part I enjoyed the most is that, for me, it was very unpredictable how bella responded in certain situations. My knowledge of vampires if very limited, I think "scary" and "bad," but Bella was never freeked out or scared.

    The movie was... mehh... I don't usually enjoy the movie after I have read the book.

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  8. I just finished reading them all (all 4)!!! I love Twilight ..Umm , met my husband when I was 13 married him when I was 18 .I loved the movie to ..Can't help it .Edward is sooo......

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  9. Ahh ,yes we survived the storms .Wow it was ugly here for a few days ..

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  10. I adored the books, but didn't like the movie... go figure. But Robert Pattison is super hot!

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  11. I agree the Sookie books are too explicit. TWILIGHT is Excellent! I've been obsessed for years

    And Kel, I knew I liked you!!! Robert Pattinson is deliciously beautiful!

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  12. My daughter told me just the other day that Emmet and Edward were too young for me to be crushin on.

    Hmphf.

    Feeling lecherous anyone?

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