I feel like I need to say something about the Twilight phenomenon, even as it has waned, because I recommend other power girl sci-fi and fantasy series on this site, including Hunger Games, Divergent, and 5th Wave. For boys looking for the perfect read, I do not recommend Twilight.
But this is a confession: For myself, I love Stephanie Myer’s Twilight series.
I just don’t understand why.
It’s completely out of character for me to read a book pandering to teenage girls’ fantasies of turning a bad boy good (not to mention from the NYT 2006 review: “the book suffers at times from overearnest, amateurish writing”). Well . . . except for that cheesy part of me that still loves NKOTB (especially Joe McIntyre) and counts Sandra Bullock as my favorite actress (check out The Heat for both of them!).
The thing is, I smiled when I read Twilight (first at age 35 and again at 43). Something about the story makes me grin like an idiot, while I enjoy the read like nothing else. Not better than anything, but different from everything. I can’t think of another book that made me hold a smile as long as Twilight.
I guess everything has its place and I shouldn’t be a snob. I love a healthy gourmet meal, but sometimes fast food tastes amazing. I’m just not recommending this particular fast food on my site.