Entering the Twilight Zone
I may or may not be part of the Twilight fandom. It may have been my first discovery into a fandom in my life.
As a teen, I would have scoffed at the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. In fact, as an adult, I did scoff at the book choice for my book club at the time. Why would I want to read about vampires, much less teen vampires?
My book club was formed from some friends from residency. It was a great way to catch up and keep in touch with them for the year or so that it lasted. At the time, the first Twilight movie had just been released. I remember watching a brief trailer and it brought me back to The Lost Boys, a movie that my sisters and I devoured as pre-teens. As an aside, I thought it was letter telling that my twin ended up going to UC Santa Cruz as Santa Cruz was the inspiration for the setting of the fictional town in The Lost Boys. Supposedly at one point there were an inordinate amount of murders or a high death rate in Santa Cruz....thus inspiring the vampire myth for the town.
At the time of the aforementioned book club meeting to discuss Twilight, I hadn't read the book. I joined in anyway, a half-hearted attempt at being social at a time when I wanted to be anything but. I was well into my pregnancy with Macy, a pregnancy that I knew would end in her death due to trisomy 18 and many other medical issues. (Forgive me for the repetitiveness if you already know the story.)
So in November 2008, I quietly sat by my friend, Varsha Mona, and I tried to avoid eye contact with our other friends and colleagues in the group. I wanted to talk about my pregnancy but I also didn't want to talk about it at all. I just listened in and rolled my eyes at the premise of the book. On the other hand, I also rolled my eyes when one of our friends spoiled something that happened in the fourth book, Breaking Dawn. Don't spoil it even if I say I'm not going to read it!
Here's the thing: in early January 2009, I placed myself on bedrest. My 4 foot 10 inch frame was carrying the equivalent of triplets, I was starting to have spotting, and the unbearable back pain that I'd had throughout the pregnancy was getting worse. I refused to have an amniotic reduction procedure because it came with risk to Macy. And I was determined to meet my baby, no matter if our time together would only be short. There was also a real likelihood that she would be born still.
So I began to read. And read and read. That's right. I couldn't put Twilight down. Mr. Bookworm had to run out and buy the rest of the books for me. And then I started over again.
Reading about Bella and Edward was the best form of escapism for me and I continued to read the books on repeat even after Macy died.
So, the Twilight saga holds a special place in my heart.
And, even though there are problems with the books, I ENJOYED reading them.
Proposed Schedule:
Now until July 16: Chapters 1-8
July 16-31: Chapters 9-16
Aug 1-15: Chapters 17-24
Here's your chance to read Twilight with no judgement. Tell anyone that your friend made you do it. That I double dog dared you to do it. And, try to just read for fun and entertainment. No analysis needed.
Or, if you've read the series before, help me de-virginize my White Collection series as I crack open the spines and read the original Twilight that spawned SO many re-tellings and fanfictions. You can likely now easily find copies at your local library or their digital section.
And, please comment here or on Instagram to let me know what you think!
The photo above is my re-imagined meadow scene from Twilight. Mr. Bookworm surprised me with The White Collection plus Edward and Bella funko pop dolls for my most recent birthday. And, if you follow me on IG, you know that I'm waiting for the Twilight re-boot. Maybe it will be a series, maybe it will be a new film, but THEY WILL INCLUDE THE MEADOW SCENE AS MORE THAN AN AFTERTHOUGHT.
Use the form below if you want to remain anonymous. Otherwise, feel free to respond in the Comment section to let me know if you're joining in or if you have a future read-along suggestion.
