I realize I am 5 years late joining the millions of teenagers/young adults/middle aged women (and men alike) that have gotten hooked on the Twilight series. But I have now joined you all. Better late than never! Here's how I got sucked in...
I am not a reader.
And by that I mean I can't remember the last book I read for fun. I had to read several novels for AP English in high school. I read them, wrote the paper, took the test, and never thought about them again.
I'm sure I read some books in college, besides text books of course. I had to read a short paper-back book about Alzheimer's Diseases from the perspective of the caregiver for one of my nursing classes. It was enlightening but certainly not entertaining, and not one I'd read again.
I tried to get in to The Work And The Glory series during our early married years, but I barely made it half way through the first book.
It's not that I don't value literature, it's just that I have other responsibilities/hobbies that fill my time and I never really think, "I need to relax; what can I read?" Plus nighttime is the only logical time for me to read, and laying in bed with a book is a more effective sleeping pill than any I've ever taken. Seriously. Even if I feel wide awake when I lay down, this is usually how it plays out:
Title page.
Chapter 1...zzzzzz.
Until.
Last week a few of my friends and I decided we were in desperate need of a girl's night out. My bestie suggested we go see New Moon at the dollar theater since she hadn't seen it yet. The other girls, being the normal Mormon girls they are, had already seen it--on opening night of course--but they looked forward to seeing it again. I agreed to go just for the excuse to get out of the house sans children and be with my friends.
We made plans for Thursday night. Thursday morning while I was running errands I decided to stop by the Red Box and pick up Twilight so I would know what was going on in New Moon. Even after I swiped my card and made my selection, I still thought to myself, "Is this even worth a dollar? I just can't see myself enjoying a vampire movie. I have other things I'd rather do during the golden hour of naptime..." But since I didn't want to be totally in the dark during New Moon, I hit accept and threw the movie in my diaper bag.
When naptime came around, I tucked Cade into his crib and settled Boston into my bed with his blanket and a cartoon on. I said my usual silent prayer that he'd fall asleep, although he rarely does anymore.
I turned on my movie, thinking I'd watch for a little bit and then clean up the house and start dinner while it played as background noise, just so I got the gist of the story. Well...next thing I knew I was curled up under a blanket, totally engrossed in the characters and the love story. Oh the love story! I'm such a sucker for love stories.
I was hooked. Mesmerized. Wishing the minutes would somehow pass more slowly so I could get the whole movie in before motherhood called me back to reality.
It was my lucky day. Cade took an extra long nap that afternoon. Jamie got home at 5:00 to find me gushing about how I couldn't wait to see New Moon and find out what happens next in the gripping story line! We had hot dogs and chips for dinner that night, since my body was glued to the couch between 3 and 5 pm and there was no time for anything fancier. (Let's be honest, though, I rarely cook fancy meals so hot dogs and chips wasn't that big of a let down for Jamie or the boys.)
Going to the movies that night with my girlfriends was wonderful. Much-needed therapy for all of us. Although it only further sealed the deal as far as my new-found Twilight obsession. "You have to read the books" was the common suggestion from all my friends. "They're way better than the movies."
Let's just say, the rest is history. I borrowed the first two books in the series from my mom's bookshelf the next day and I am half-way through Twilight as of now. Erin and Mom have been trying to convince me to read them as each new book came out.
"I'm just not a reader" was my continual response. "Reading puts me to sleep." I just never imagined what was so interesting about a vampire love story. But I have been changed. My eyes have been opened and I am 100% hooked. I'm sure it sounds silly to non-fans (as it did to me just a few days ago) but these books are just captivating. Who doesn't love a good clean love story?!
So now, much to Jamie's dismay, I have had my nose stuck in a book every free moment I get (and even some that aren't necessarily free, but I read anyway). Today when Jamie got home from his post-church responsibilities and found me in bed reading, I apologetically said, "Once I finish these books I'll go back to being a good wife!" It's not that he expects or requires a clean house and a meal on the table when he walks in the door--I think after 6 years of marriage to me it's safe to say he knows not to hold his breath for that--but it really is a big change for me to be reading every chance I get, and Jamie finds it humorous.
In a way, I'm glad I didn't get sucked in until now. I would hate the anticipation of having to wait for the next book to come out. Now I can read all 4 of them back to back (which I plan to, sorry honey) and be done with it. I hear Stephenie Meyer does a good job of ending the fourth book, so hopefully I'll have some sense of closure then. Because as of now, I often find myself thinking about when I'll have another few minutes to get a few more chapters in!
Only time will tell if this has truly changed me into a reader. Maybe this will be my first and last obsession with a series of books. Or maybe I'll give in and start reading the series Erin has been telling me is "just as good as Twilight."
But I may have to hire a nanny/housekeeper/cook first.
