What I'm trying to say is that I went Christmas shopping on Saturday in a vain hope of finding Animal, Vegetable, Mineral at the one local indie book store which has a definite sci-fi/fantasy bent with a few random bestsellers tossed in. To my great surprise, I found a copy and was able to "support the local indie" as I always say that I want to but rarely do. I don't buy many new books, and I buy even fewer new books from actual stores. Except for at Christmas, that's when I make up for my lackluster new book buying.
While I was there, against my better judgement, I bought one of these...
Because, I mean, who can really resist buying a book with vampires from a bookstore that actually has a "Vampire" section? Especially when you're an incredible sheep like me who just has to know what the big deal is. (Yes, I saw the movie, too, okay?) And it's been on my wish list for longer than you would guess...
Much to my surprise, I quickly cast aside everything I'd been reading and all the accumulated reading obligations this year has brought, and then let it devour my weekend whole. I accomplished nearly nothing this weekend apart from reading this book. I almost made it all the way through to the end, but alas, the work week came despite my great desire to stay in bed with the book. And then I worked 9 hours today, so the spell was briefly broken. But I intend to finish it. Soon.
No, it's not a work of great literary merit, nor, I believe, is it intended to be. It is, however, great and addictively escapist. I totally get the appeal. I mean, I need a few more books that will make me completely disregard everything else I might need or even want to do (even if I do notice offhand that maybe the main characters glare a little too often and that their attempts at verbalizing their feelings maybe get the slightest bit redundant even as I plow through the pages at an alarming rate). I get a kick out of how all of the first 10 widely "thumbs upped" reviews on Library Thing are wildly negative, and yet, it has an impressive 4.3 star rating among the general LT populace. Despite whatever flaws it might have, Meyer does know how to tell a good story - slowly handing out the details you crave and keeping you reading late into the night (or well into that time that you should have been balancing your checkbook or decorating your Christmas tree or even indulging in the ever-hallowed post-church Sunday afternoon nap - the best of the week I'll have you know).
Anyhow, all this leads me to believe that if you like this sort of thing, you will find it to be exactly the sort of thing that you will like. And I do. I like this sort of thing. Now, I'm off to go like it some more.
I am RIGHT there with you. I actually read the book - FINISHED it, I should say - the day before the movie came out, and it was a lot of fun to see the actors chosen to play the characters from the book. There is nothing special or even all that great about the book, like you said, except for its ability to totally immerse the reader, and in that regard it is VERY special and great. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteGotta love a book that can do that for you, but, so far Twilight isn't one of them for me. I keep waiting for that to change. Hopefully it will.
ReplyDeleteI am glad that you enjoyed it!
cjh
*sigh*
ReplyDeleteI know.
Also, excellent Abe Lincoln paraphrase. Very literary and clever, which is just the sort of thing I like. Along with vampires.
I completely agree too! not the best writing, but so addictive. I read the whole book on the flight back to the UK from Australia! I haven't seen the film yet, its not out until next Friday, but I'm really looking forward to it. Glad you are enjoying it, I'm sure you'll like the sequels too.
ReplyDeleteI don't think "Twilight" is my type of thing, but I definitely know the feeling of reading a book that makes the world fall away. Isn't it one of the greatest experiences? The Terror by Dan Simmons is doing that for me right now.
ReplyDeleteI hope you like Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. I read it earlier this year and it was amazing. Happy reading! (Even if it means you don't blog. He, he.)
So, seriously here. What exactly is the appeal that I'm not getting? I'd love to know.
ReplyDeletecjh
You said it so well, Megan. Just how I feel about this one. It's not a great literary work, but it proved to be a great escape for me. And sometimes, that's just what I need.
ReplyDeleteI felt the same way about it, but I have no interest in the rest of the series, just because it seems like most people who felt that way about the first didn't enjoy the others as much. :)
ReplyDelete(That might be the most ridiculously long sentence ever.)
I guess at this point I'm the only person still resisting these :P The thing is, I feel that I know the whole story by now (and I actually do, because I ignored spoiler warnings several times), and that makes me less curious about them.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Megan, you won my boomarks and Christmas treats giveaway! E-mail me your address (untuneric at gmail dot com) and I'll send them to you asap.
When I first discovered the book blogging community, I thought I was the one read the least. (I still do.) Sometimes I was running out of materials to blog because I usually read just one book and it takes me roughly 4-6 days to finish. Then I began to blog about my books lined up, store findings, and other interesting snippets. I'm sure your readers will relate that if you're not blogging, you're very much likely burying your nose in a book. :)
ReplyDeleteOh you are so right. Blog too much, not enough reading, read too much, not enough blogging. It's hard to keep it fairly even.
ReplyDelete