Come on, Dave. What she's really tapped into is the tween wish that you can have undying love without all that messy sex stuff.

I haven't read the Twilight books because they just don't appeal to me, but I think any books that get teen-agers to read can't be all bad.

Thats true Dave, but even I, a girl, about lost my lunch reading over and over and over about how handsome Edward was!

there really is *so* many times you can stomach the repetitive mentions of his "liquid topaz eyes" or his "hard, marble smooth body" before you want to poke yourself in the eyes with sharp pointy things just to stem the endless flow of retch-inducing descriptions

Elizabeth, that's a big part of it -- the ideal of a first love, without the real danger of sex. Maybe vampire love is a metaphor, and Meyer is smarter than we think?
And Kathy, I agree that whatever the quality of the writing, the books have had a positive impact. As a teen, I ate a lot of junk food and listened to bubble gum music, but eventually moved on to better things.

This book really was a disappointment. I had high hopes for it, longing for another series like Harry Potter where I can be sucked into a magical world. But no... the whole book was bland and predictable.

Well Dave, I'm glad you made it through. At least you now know what everyone is talking about. :)

I'm curious...will you read the other books?

Erika, from what I hear, the books don't improve significantly, so I think I'm done with the series. I wouldn't rule out other Meyer books some day, though.

I would be curious about your reaction to Stephenie Meyer's The Host - which is NOT YA. Warning - it's technically Science Fiction.

Well, so are vampire books but some folks get a bee in their bonnet about SF.

Lauretta, Heather: I've fallen behind on my other reading and have Neil Gaiman's American Gods and Mark Danielewski's House of Leaves idling on the runway. Did you like The Host or Meyer's other books?

I haven't yet read *Twilight*, and most likely won't. I took my 12 yr old daughter to see the movie, which was enough of a timesink for me :)

As noted above, I think any book that gets/keeps kids reading can't be all bad ... just not my cuppa tea!

And, Dave, I love the description of your wife picking up the book for you, lest you be branded!

I agree that Meyer may not be the most amazing writer around by far. But, I think, what makes her a bad writer is that she cannot sustain her writing or plots. The Host and Breaking Dawn were awful.

@bennysbooks: I like the way you keep reading anyway. :-)

Stopped by to find out what the attraction of Twilight is -- and feel adequately answered. Some of the comments remind me of Clan of the Cave Bear (!). It has what should be a climactic moment at the end of the first third or so, that is pretty much gibberish. Interesting that Twilight also seems to satisfy a tween wish that you can have bravery without all that messy fear stuff (-;

I... Love... you....
With a fiery passion, that is as strong as my hatred for Twilight.

I read the books and I honestly think everything was a letdown. It's the fanfic nobody will admit to writing. I felt my brain bleeding out of my ears with the constant repetitive phrases and how she seems to have the classic fanfic writer syndrome (throwing big words into simple sentences as if that will make a difference and give more impact). Plus I hate how she's toyed with the vampire lore. Did she research or did she just decide to BS her way through it? Even the Supernatural vampires are more kickass than hers will ever be.

And I don't know why she gets lauded for supposedly "getting people to read". JK Rowling wrote for a young audience too, but those young readers picked up OTHER BOOKS and expanded their knowledge. Meyer's writing has only made brains stagnate and unable to appreciate other books.

So, yeah, I'm a teen, and I loved Twilight. But reading it again, you know, I did too realize that the books are very boringly written. "Bronze hair... topaz eyes... Jacob's russet skin..." and Bella is lame. She just causes all these problems and blames it on herself, while it really just makes all the other characters do everything for her. Making her "clumsy" makes her not a Mary-Sue then? Oh well. I still enjoyed the books. I think it's not the writing that draws us in, but the idea. The world, and the characters. It's just... exciting! And it's really unfair to stereotype teenagers so much. Yes, some listen to only Top 40 radio music and will read only Twilight. But some of us listen to Rancid and read "Much Ado About Nothing." I'm fourteen, I like Twilight, and it's not a bad series.

(And come on... Taylor Lautner's prettttty darn good-looking! [:)

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I think Stephen King did Stephanie Meyer a huge favour when he criticised her writing. Anytime the great Stephen King wants to say that my writing sucks - he is most welcome!