Twilight Series

Is it just me, or is the hype of the Twilight series just that - hype? I read all four books, and while I did enjoy the first one, and the second one was a good story, the last two were lackluster at best. I keep hearing comparisons to the Harry Potter series, which to me is laughable, since HP towers over Twilight in every way.

I was warned that Bella would become annoying, and while I liked her in the first book, her overly dramatic angst got old fast. I understand that teenagers are known to exaggerate and become drama queens, but it was a bit much. That and the fact that all the books could have easily have been trimmed into half their size! I began to wonder what all the fuss was about, because Edward started to seem like a joyless gasbag and the cool fun guy (Jacob) gets pushed aside because he's not "perfect" (or dead) enough.

It's different from the tension between Hermione and Ron, which was palpable even when they were children. Maybe I'm biased, but I started to root against Bella and Edward, maybe because it became so predictable. Will they or won't they? Who cares?! All I know is that I didn't have a gasp moment, like I did when Ron saw torturing images of Harry with Hermione, or when they FINALLY kissed (although they really should have been getting ready for the war).

I won't deny that Stephenie Meyer is gifted, but this whole "new J.K. Rowling" thing is nutso. Am I alone?

With the economy in its current horrible shape, affecting everyone and all job markets, unemployment is hardly a humorous topic, but Jen Lancaster pulls it off in her memoir Bitter is the New Black. Once a highly paid executive, Jen once enjoyed a palace of an apartment, fine dining, and designer everything, from clothes to shoes to bags to even makeup. She lives with her boyfriend and ignores conventional wisdom, spending all rather than saving. When she is laid off unexpectedly, she circles her impressive resume, assuming her unemployment is temporary. As she quickly finds out, it is not, and she goes from living in luxury to cutting costs in ways she never imagined. Through it all, she has her sass and humor, and does indeed take a Prada bag to the unemployment office (where she also asks the workers there if they have any jobs that "don't suck"). Rather than marveling at her lack of wisdom in financial matters, the reader sides with her and roots for her, and when she begins to learn life lessons the hard way, we are proud. The book has its somber moments, with the events occurring before and after 9/11, and the inevitable horrors of a lack of income, Jen keeps her humor and stride, maintaining strength and resolve when she finally hits rock bottom. This book is a hilarious, sad account of a girl who once loved designer duds over savings accounts, and who learned the hard way to save for a rainy day. It seems impossible to make an amusing memoir of such a hard time in a young business woman's life, but Jen Lancaster pulled it off with this book.

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

I haven't yet read Ms. Meyer's incredibly popular Twilight series, but I was intrigued by the plot of her latest novel, her first for adults. In The Host, aliens have taken over Earth by way of souls inhabiting human bodies and carrying on their lives. It seems more peaceful than the pod aliens from Invasion of the Body Snatchers, but still seems eerie, which leads to Melanie's plight. As one of the last actual humans, she is captured by the aliens and has a soul put into her body, a veteran intergalactic traveler by the name of Wanderer. What makes Melanie unique is that she doesn't willingly give up her body, and by way of vivid memories and emotions, convinces the Wanderer to help her find her boyfriend and brother, whom Melanie is convinced are still alive and human. Their unusual situation is further complicated by the fact that humans will kill them if they know Melanie isn't human anymore, and the soul is stalked by a relentless Seeker, who wants to discard Melanie's body or inhabit it herself to drive out all human presence. It's a fascinating story that starts out beautifully, with a range of emotions and a breathless chase, but quickly plateaus into a prison-like situation. The adults tend to act like bratty teenagers, which leaves the reader to wonder if Meyer is more comfortable writing for that age group, and while the story progresses believably, the 600-plus page book could have easily shed at least 200 more. Meyer plans a sequel and third book in this new series, and though this book could stand alone, I plan to read the others, and hope that they will not dwell on adolescent emotions and complex situations made all too simple. In the end, The Host is a brilliant story, but seems introductory to Asimov and Atwood.

The Last Queen by C.W. Gortner

With all the hype about the Tudor dynasty these days, more and more stories are coming out of the historical closet to be told. This is a fictionalized account of Juana of Castile, the daughter of Isabella and Ferdinand and sister to Catherine of Aragon, first wife of Henry VIII. Juana was married to Philip, the Archduke of Flanders, and their early life was very happy and passionate. But when the succession of Spanish heirs dies out leaving Juana the heir to the Spanish throne, Philip becomes g...more With all the hype about the Tudor dynasty these days, more and more stories are coming out of the historical closet to be told. This is a fictionalized account of Juana of Castile, the daughter of Isabella and Ferdinand and sister to Catherine of Aragon, first wife of Henry VIII. Juana was married to Philip, the Archduke of Flanders, and their early life was very happy and passionate. But when the succession of Spanish heirs dies out leaving Juana the heir to the Spanish throne, Philip becomes greedy and hungry for power. Their marriage dissolves into anger and hatred and Juana must do everything she can to outwit her husband from stealing her throne.

Historically, Juana was known as Juana La Loca, or Juana the Mad because she physically attacked her husband's mistress and showed a passionate temper when provoked. But was she nuts, or was she just provoked too much to bear? History didn't always account for stupid, abusive, husbands who would declare their wife insane so he could usurp her throne.

Not Buying It: My Year Without Shopping by Judith Levine

The idea of not buying anything for a year other than the essentials of food and shelter was too unbelievable for me to contemplate. But reading about Judith Levine's experiences inspired me. She talks about how much stuff she and her parter Paul had accumulated, and they decide to consciously scale back and conduct a year long experiment of not being a consumer. In between her personal experiences are some interesting facts and theories about American consumerism and the counter-culture of Simple Living. And she isn't the kind of person who tells you how you should be thinking. She tells you how she thinks, what the facts and theories are, and lets you decide for yourself. She did not become an rampant anti-consumerist at the end of the year, but she was much more mindful about what she purchases and for what reason she shops. Very interesting idea. I don't think I will attempt the same project, but I know there are things I can to to cut the clutter and waste from my life.

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Tally is an Ugly. She is almost 16 and will soon have the operation that will turn her into a Pretty. It is many hundreds of years in the future and the world now operates like this. From the time you are born until the time you turn twelve, you are a Littlie, and live at home with your parents. At 12, you go to school with other Uglies until you turn 16. Then you have the "operation." Your face is reconstructed, your skin sanded down, and your bones reset to be of uniform height. Everyone becomes pretty. Everyone is about the same height, and has the same skin color. There are no fights over race, religion, or really much over anything. Anything you need comes out of the wall of your house. Food, clothing, gadgets.

Tally wants more than anything to be Pretty. Her best friend Peris turned 2 months ago, and she is one of the last in her age group. But then she meets Shay. Shay has the same birthday as Tally, and the get into all sorts of mischief before their birthdays, including visiting the ruins of the "Rusties". Shay tells Tally about The Smoke, a secret place where Uglies sometimes run away so they don't have to be Pretty. Tally can't imagine why anyone wouldn't want to be Pretty. But when Shay disappears right before their birthday, she leaves behind directions for Tally to follow. When Tally gets hauled in for questioning about the disappearance of her friend, she doesn't tell them anything. But the authorities find the directions and give Tally an ultimatum: lead them to the Smoke, or stay Ugly forever.

This futuristic story was engrossing - the technology was cool, and the idea of everyone being pretty was appealing at first. But seeing how the Pretties behave (Dreadfully) and seeing the lives of the objectors in the Smoke made you think about having things too easy. Tally makes an interesting transformation in this book, and it isn't as pretty as you might think.

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

So many people have read and loved this book, and I can now count myself among them. The thing I liked most about this book was that Elizabeth Gilbert was about my age when the book starts. She is married, and very unhappy. One night, alone in her bathroom, alone, and terrified, she makes a plea to God for help - even when she isn't sure there is a God to begin with. And this begins her journey. After her nasty divorce and a difficult rebound relationship, this woman takes a year off and spends ...more So many people have read and loved this book, and I can now count myself among them. The thing I liked most about this book was that Elizabeth Gilbert was about my age when the book starts. She is married, and very unhappy. One night, alone in her bathroom, alone, and terrified, she makes a plea to God for help - even when she isn't sure there is a God to begin with. And this begins her journey. After her nasty divorce and a difficult rebound relationship, this woman takes a year off and spends 4 months in Rome, 4 months on an Ashram in India, and 4 months in a small village in Bali, learning from an old medicine man. She is one a quest to learn to rediscover pleasure, to discover her inner self, and to find the balance between the two. The book is remarkable, and it made me wistful that I couldn't take a year to do nothing but search for inner peace and love. It inspired me to think about how I spend my time an energy, and maybe about how I need to be a little more mindful in that department.