Twilight Phenomenon

HAVE YOU READ THIS BOOK YET?

I know, I'm supposed to be posting about books on my book club blog, but this is not a review of a book that I've read recently, this is a book that I read in December, and I cannot stop thinking about it! I'm entrapped in the Twilight Phenomenon!

OK, so let's get the worst part over with, yes, this is a vampire romance novel written for young adults. I don't like vampire novels, and I'm not a fan of romance novels either so why did I even pick up this book you ask. I picked up Twilight earlier in a bookstore and read the blurb because the cover drew me in. Uh, a vampire romance novel? No thank you! I quickly put the book down and looked around to make sure no one saw me pick it up. Soon rave reviews were posted everywhere, but that still wasn't enough to entice me to pick up the book. It wasn't until I came across and article that mentioned that the author, Stephenie Meyer, is Mormon. That month I was hosting my children's literature book club, and we happened to be focusing on young adult and children's novels written by Mormons. I was trying to provide everyone with an overview of what's out there so I suddenly felt like I better pick up this dreaded book.

I would have missed out on so much of I never picked Twilight up. I was immediately sucked in. There were a few moments that I was worried it would become a little "unchaste" and I probably wouldn't have continued to read if I hadn't known it was by a Mormon author and thankfully it did stay relatively clean. Meyer calls it the vampire book for people who don't like vampire books and I agree. I never knew I could care so much about a vampire. After I talked it up at book club (even though part of me was still a little embarrassed to recommend it) a few members read Twilight and they have fallen prey to the Twilight Phenomenon too. Now they are running around like mad, trying to convince people to read this book and gushing about how good it is.

Luckily, Stephenie Meyer just posted on her site that the next book in the series is due out in late August. Once you've read the book and joined the phenomenon you can go to her site to read a chapter of Twilight from Edward's perspective or order an "I love Edward Cullen" t-shirt with an apple on the front that says "Bite Me" underneath it, and you can see who Meyer imagines would play each character in a movie.