A New "Addiction"

So, the Starbucks addiction has nearly disappeared. I don't need it every day or even once a week. Determined to save more money, I've been making coffee at home with my new French coffee press. It's the best way to drink coffee and enjoy the full flavor of the beans. I discovered some great local coffee shops too and, dare I say, better brands of coffee.

But enough about the java....

On a recent trip to Indiana, my sister was telling me about the movie, Twilight. I recall the hype surrounding this movie last year but having never read the books didn't get what was the big deal. While at the pool with a neighbor, she asked me if I'd read the Twilight saga. Of course, I hadn't. She told me to watch the movie before I read the books or I'd be confused.

On a date night with my hubby a few weeks ago, I saw a table devoted to all things Twilight. So, I picked up the first book and spent the next hour reading the first two chapters. I was hooked. I insisted we rent the movie that night. Oh my word...WOW!! That's all the description I can offer at this point except to say I loved it!

The next day was Friday; I bought the first two books, Twilight and New Moon, at the local used book store and proceeded to finish them over the weekend. I purchased Eclipse on Monday and finished it Tuesday night. Then my sweet hubby called four different Half Price Books around the city and found the only copy of Breaking Dawn available. By the next day I had read to page 612. I didn't finish it until Saturday because we had company; our best friends were down from Indiana. It probably would have been totally selfish and rude to ignore them and read my book. ;)

Now I understand why so many girls and women have gone crazy over this series. Rob Pattinson and Kristen Stewart were made for those characters. I cannot picture anyone else in their roles. Rob also sings and two of his songs are in the movie, Never Think (playing in the background while they're at the restaurant) and Let Me Sign (while Edward sucks out the venom from Bella's wrist). He's quite soulful. The songs are perfectly arranged for those scenes.

As always, books are much better than the movie and that is certainly true here as well. Having read the books, I understand more of the unspoken moments in the movie. Particularly between Bella and Charlie. Their relationship comes across awkwardly in the film. But what you learn from the book is how alike they are and perfectly content most times to sit in companionable silence. This is hard to convey onscreen.

I also read Midnight Sun on Stephenie Meyer's website. This explains even better from Edward's perspective and when I watched the movie again, I understood even more behind his actions, facial expressions, etc. It is horrible that a friend betrayed her trust and leaked the manuscript. As of last summer, Stephenie had no plans to finish it. But I have faith she will, mostly because she is so loyal to her fans.

While I love these books and have found nothing offensive in them, I will not let my preteen daughter read them. The love story is so powerful and I am careful not to let my children view or read anything that would "awaken love before it's time" (Song of Songs 2:7). The society in which we live makes that hard enough. I am careful to guage their maturity before deciding what to allow them to listen to, read or watch. I do not always succeed but try my best.

That said, I am very pleased that Stephenie chose to keep Edward and Bella's relationship pure and have them wait until they are married. When they do consummate their love, it is not described. I have great respect for the author in choosing to avoid such "word pictures." It makes it even more appealing. I hope the subsequent movies will stay true to this important aspect of their character.

The next movie, New Moon, will be out in November. You can bet I won't miss it at the big screen this year. However, I do plan to avoid opening night (or weekend, for that matter) because of the crazy fans I'm certain will be there. I like to enjoy my movies without all the screaming and carrying on that happens. I experienced a little bit of that when New Moon was previewed while I waited for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen to start. Plus, I know my husband will be more likely to attend with me if I don't surround him with a bunch of hormonal teenagers and women.