Reading Ahead

I know a good number of two-year-olds these days but not many teenagers. Which may explain why I like adolescent lit - it gives me a peek at the next generation, one that's generally encouraging.

Since Twilight has won the hearts of millions of teen girls, I thought it would be an interesting addition to my reading list.

A few reflections...
- Comparatively: It's not Harry Potter so don't subject it to that comparison. No one benefits. Except maybe Harry.
- Stylistically: I grew tired of the main character's obsession with her boyfriend and how often we were told of his perfection, among other things. It's easy reading, but not concise.
- Practically: While the protagonist's blind obsession reminded me of my own crushes at 16, I couldn't help thanking God that I never acted on mine as she does in this book. If she were 26, I'd be rooting for her. But at 16, to think that she's wise enough to make such life-changing decisions is frightening - mostly because I hope the young girls reading this book don't see a license to act on their emotions.
- Personally: I'm not a vampire fan. You can dress them up and civilize them, but it's not enough for me. I can't figure out why they bother me while the elves, dwarves, and wizards of other books don't. I'll keep pondering.
- Objectively: I discussed this book with 5 Christians in book club, and they all loved it. They brought up how it demonstrates chastity, selflessness, heroism, etc. They were right, but I still can't get myself excited about book 2...

After Twilight, I picked up another teen sensation: Eragon. Perhaps it benefited from my deflated expectations, but I was happily surprised by it. I felt as if I'd returned to Middle Earth, but in a completely different tale. Since I loved Tolkein, that was fine with me. In fact, I jumped immediately into the second book, Eldest, and I'm now debating whether to wait for Brisingr (I'm 15th on the library's hold list) or buy it. Perhaps I should mention that I don't agree with some of the characters' views about God, but since those characters are not human and I don't know where that thread is leading, I'll let it pass for now... ;)

Ultimately, both books are fairly clean, so I would probably let my kids read them when they are teens (granted, I'm reading ahead by a few years), assuming we can talk about them as and after they read. Each could produce some fun discussions. I hope!