Twilight - Yes, I am Going There

I know that there is a lot of debate over the value of the "Twilight" series by Stephenie Meyer. Some people feel that Bella Swan, the protagonist of this vampire/werewolf/mortal girl tale is a poor role model for young women. She is whiney and she complains a lot and she devotes herself rather quickly to a good looking guy.  However, I think she very well written as an actual teenager. Guess what?  Teenagers (especially girls) are whiney and they complain a lot. They tend to fall in love fast and love fiercely.

One of the things that originally drew me to the series was a response from a student I was teaching. She was 16 years old and I asked her what the appeal to the "Twilight" series was. Her reply was simple.  "Edward is a gentleman," she explained to me. "He is not all about sex like teenage boys today. He knows chivalry."

Well, I was sold and ran out that day to Borders (before they went under - man, I miss their cafe!) and purchased the book. I was hooked. Even though Meyer tries a little too hard to parallel her novel to some of the greats ("Romeo and Juliet" or "Wuthering Heights") and her writing style is pretty basic, I still fall in love with Edward every time I read the book. And not just Edward either - I love Jacob and Charlie and Carlisle and the whole rest of the gang. The characters are sweet and protective and just good, down-to-earth people. The town has a character all of itself and Forks makes me feel like I am in a little town in Maine.

As the series progresses, the teen angst grows - but the chivalry remains. Even Edward is able to hold out on his (ahem) desires until his wedding night. 

The series is a fun read that mixes the traditional love story and angst with just the right amount of supernatural. And even though Edward is practically perfect in every way - the story makes up for it with Bella bumbling around and hurting herself and feeling foolish all of the time. I highly recommend this novel for all ages - but I do recommend that parents of younger aged girls read the 4th book before allowing your children to enjoy the ... honeymoon.

The Obsession Starts with ... The Hunger Games - Collins

I have enjoyed young adult literature since I was a young adult (which to some people wasn't that long ago but to others was SO long ago!). I have taken 2 graduate level classes in young adult literature and taught 2 undergraduate classes on it as well. I try to pick up a new book as often as possible and I like to write about it on Twitter or on Facebook or share my ideas with my students or friends through the old fashioned way - talking about it. People are constantly asking me for recommendations (and even when they don't ask - I have opinions to share!). So, I decided to start a blog. To be honest, I don't think many people will read this blog, because I don't really know how to get people interested in reading it, but it is also for my own personal information as a way to log which books I have read so when I want to go back and re-read them (and I usually always do at least a second reading) I will now have a place to come back and see what I thought!

I decided to write my first blog about Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games because, to be honest, I avoided reading it for so long. It sounded too violent to me - teens fighting to the death in a televised arena???? Sounded like a bad 80's Schwarzenegger movie. But this summer I was bored and had my Nook handy at all times, so I decided to give it a try. I was hooked right away!

Dystopian future. Failure of government. A little bit of romance. A lot of violence with a mixture of gore. Sounds like a perfect recipe for entertainment! Katniss Everdeen, the protagonist of the story, is a great character. She is a strong, independent young adult who steps forward to help her family. Her sister, Prim, is originally called to fight in the hunger games (purpose? to win food for her district for the year) and Katniss steps in to take her sister's place - and save her sister's life. Katniss isn't really a martyr though - she is just a strong girl who is willing to do what it takes to survive. I found myself cheering for her as the book continued - even though her winning meant other people dying. There is some romance in the story, but it is interesting to watch her manipulate emotion to get ahead - something we are all guilty of at one time or another.

The fact that the main character is a girl really doesn't seem to detract from young men from reading the books. I don't know if the Harry Potter series would have been as successful if the main character was a girl, but Katniss is strong enough to carry her series.

I strongly suggest Catching Fire and I like Mockingjay but felt like I needed more after I was finished reading it. I hope Suzanne Collins is currently working on something new and as engaging as this is! I would love to hear opinons on this story and be able to have feedback on what others thought about this series! Also, please feel free to leave suggestions on further YA books that I should check out!