I took a look at it at the behest of one of my students-and found it torturous-but another woman in my bookclub read it and liked it-which surprised me because it is not her usual sort of book-she doesn't read what is labelled "chick lit" or romances, so maybe there is more there than I saw.

These books are a huge 'tween and teen phenomenon. My 13 y-o DD read them multiple times all summer long, and saw the movie pretty much the minute it opened this past weekend.

I have not read them myself, and so can't comment on writing or plot, but in addition to my DD's recommendation, my 40-something sister has read them and loved them, too. She reads a lot of paranormal romances, though, so Twilight would fit right in.

From what I've read and been told, it's basically a classic Forbidden Teen Romance plus Vampires -- lots of teen angst and true love and yearning for the one perfect (though, inconveniently, undead and blood-sucking) guy you can't have *G*.

I am on book 3 and reading it at the same pace, more or less, as my 13 yr old dd. I can see why she likes it; it is tantalizing. In the first book, the author lets us know that Bella is studying Romeo and Juliet in school. Just in case the teens don't make the connection the first time, it is mentioned over and over. That is the appeal; forbidden love and a coming of age.
So, I can see why my dd likes it, no, is obsessed with it, but she hates to hear me say one criticism about it.
No character is fleshed out (pun intended). There is no reason for Bella and Edward to fall in love, other than the "You're beautiful", "No, YOU'RE beautiful" kind of exchange. We never learn if they have anything in common except for the above mentioned. I asked my dd to tell me one admirable thing about Bella and I got "She loves Edward". It is no use, my dd is smitten.
On a positive note, we've enjoyed talking about the books and asking each other "what part are you on".
That alone makes them read worthy if you have a dd.
Jo

Thanks for the insights. I'm trying to decide I should put my name on the waiting list at the library, or if I should go out and buy the first book. Now I think I will probably just wait until most of the hullabaloo dies down and then read it.

I haven't read it yet, but have been watching for it at the library, to snag when it's finally in. I have a feeling I probably won't like it, but want to read it just to see what it is that so many people across the board seem to love it (or so many women, at least....I haven't heard of many guys reading it:-). Even many of the Moms on the internet parenting group I belong to love it, although the ones that have similiar tastes in books as me thought it was dumb;-). I guess I'll have to eventually read it and judge for myself!

As a mother of a young teen, budding librarian, and avid reader, I had to read Twilight, spurred on at the behest of my daughter. Truthfully, I loved it. Yes, anyone who mentions forbidden love, teen angst, and the all-consuming lust and passion of a new and young love/obsession pretty much nails it. Meyer does a good job of conveying the, well, sexual, feelings the couple has for each other but do not act upon except for a bit of hugging/kissing; the tension makes for a compelling story. Girls can find it appealing since the girl-next-door gets the PERFECT (gorgeous, intellectual, mature and rich) boyfriend.

Objectively, Edward is a stalker, Bella is the classic fairy-tale Cinderella waiting for the big strong prince to "rescue" her and poor Jacob Black is always second banana. I had to have a big talk with my daughter, explaining that boys in middle and high school are not and will never be like an "Edward." She lost interest in the series after the start of the third book which is good as the emphasis on sex becomes stronger as the series progresses. I read all four since I'm too anal to not complete the series but found the first book the best and the rest progressively weaker. Parts of the final book are absolutely creepy.

I am working part time in a bookstore this Christmas season and can tell you that the books of this series are just dancing off the shelves. I think they are the most popular books this season in a very large store. We have actually sold out of the second one and are waiting for a new shipment to arrive.

Rosefolly

These books are fun! They are engaging stories. Who cares if they have literary merit; the kids are reading! Shout it from the rooftops!! This is a major step forward.

I teach high school English - 9th grade and 11th grade - and I have purchased 3 copies of Twilight and 2 copies of New Moon. I cannot keep track of how many kids borrow them anymore. And it's not only girls who read them. Boys are curious, too. These kids are reading 300- and 400- page books in a day or two! Willingly! And asking for more. What a phenomenon (phenomena??)

This will be a vehicle to getting other books in their hands and eventually they'll seek out books with literary merit and substance. I've always believed that there has to be progression from easy to challenging; fluff to substance. Some will make the jump, but not all.

My s-i-l is a YA librarian who has kept tabs on some discussion boards. She reports that the depth of their conversations and critical examinations of plot-character-theme, etc. has been remarkable.

I read this article on one of the Jane Austen sites comparing Twilight to Pride and Prejudice. Don't know if this will sway or unsway anyone from reading it but thought the concept was interesting.

I also have a 20 year old daughter who happens to work at B&N. They have had special nights when these new Twilight books come out with Harry Potter like parties.

Can it be so?

Here is a link that might be useful: Jane Austen Society of NA - on Twilight

I'm not very interested in vampire fiction; the only one I've read and liked enough to re-read is Robin Mckinley's book Sunshine. I was curious about this series as I heard all the hoo-ha about it so put the first book on hold for myself at the library. 3 months later, I finally got the book and tried to read it. It just didn't do it for me. Halfway through the book, I returned it and went to Barnes & Noble to find out how it ended (in the fourth book).

From a website I go to frequently, I found a link to an article that I found interesting. It discusses the relationship between Bella and Edward. Here's the link.

Here is a link that might be useful: twilight

Vampire fiction has never held ANY appeal to me whatsoever, so I kept passing this up at the Scholastic sales at school. Once the book seemed to hit critical mass (I mean, everyone was reading it - in the halls, in class), I admit I caved. My 13-year-old daughter had just finished the series so I had ready access to the books and to someone to discuss them with. I'm halfway throught the second and enjoying them much more then I thought I would.

Some interesting occurrences:
*Many teachers at my school are reading these too, and passing them around. I gave the third to the teacher across the hall who was unable to find a copy - she was so excited and said it was her favorite gift - go figure, lol.
*Boys seem to be reading it at about the same level as the girls. And the boys who have read it seem even more enthusiastic than the girls, if possible.
*I had been struggling to teach characterization to my 7th graders. They kept saying things like "He was a baseball player," when we talked about Jackie Robinson, etc. After a lot of "No, no, what was he LIKE, not what did he do," I asked the class, in desperation, how many had read "Twilight". 26 of the 28 had (only 2 who hadn't were 2 boys who literally never read books at all - despite a lot of prompting and searching for something for them.) The students all did a remarkable job with the characterization of both Bella and Edward ("conflicted", "self-sacrificing", "moral," etc). They were even able to take it to the next level and explain how they were able to determine B & E's characters by B & E's thoughts, actions and others' response to them and then the students backed up their responses with examples from the text - let me tell you, this never happens!
*Each book has references to classic literature. The first book is mostly Austen related - especially P&P, the second both refers to and is structured around "Romeo and Juliet" and I think the third is "Wuthering Heights" (3rd or 4th, I haven't read those yet but I looked ahead and saw numerous references to Cathy and Heathcliff in one of them). This has made several students curious about those works as well. One girl came to me and asked to checkout my long-neglected copy of "Pride and Prejudice" and now she wants to read others by Austen - Hallelujah! I'll second whoever said - I paraphrase - "Whatever gets the kids reading AND DISCUSSING books, is OK with me."
*I always carry a book with me wherever I go. When I have one of these with me in public, someone is bound to start up a conversation. I've been surprised how many times (most of the time, in fact) it has been a young man in his late teens or twenties. That is the last audience I would have predicted for this series but it seems to be the most enamoured.

I work in a Middle School Library and the Twilight series books are never on my shelf. I have a dozen holds on all 4 books in the series. It was definitely written for this age group (middle school teens). I read the Twilight series because I love to discuss books with my students. And seeing how popular it is I just had to see what all the hoopla was about. I really enjoyed it! When a class comes to my library for checkout I will have half a dozen girls or more at my counter asking me if the book came in and if they are next on the hold list. And these readers of mine will remain at the counter or drop in during their lunch break to discuss books. I also have my boy readers trying to muscle in to speak with me about their favorite books too, Eragon or Maximum Ride Series. Gee but I love my job! :)

The Twilight books have really gotten my girls to read. I thought the "Uglies" series was great for getting them to read but this Twilight Series far surpassed it!

So the Twilight series is highly recommended by both my middle school students and me.

Sue

I have just cracked open "Twilight" and read a couple of chapters. So far so good, although you can tell it's written for the YA audience. Interesting though.

I'm reading them right now and liking them better than negative reviews had led me to expect. No, not literature; far from it, very much YA books but definitely enjoyable to many people. To my surprise, I am one of those who enjoys them.

I'm a little amused at the intensity of the backlash in some reviews. To quote Netla out of context, "What's all the fuss about?" It might be interesting to find out if the same critics who hate these books were the same ones who also hated the Harry Potter books. Probably not. You can always find new critics.