Books Tasted - Everything bookly (and a few other things)

I'm going to state right up front that I have very mixed feelings about this book, and I lean more negative than positive.

I actually started this book expecting to dislike it. I had read certain comments about the book that talked about stalker behavior and such, and so I was set up to dislike it from the get-go. On the other hand, I love vampire stories; Buffy the Vampire Slayer is my favorite tv show of all time, and I always rooted for the Buffy/Angel pairing.

For the few who don't know, Twilight in a nutshell is the story of Bella, a girl who has just moved to Forks, Washington and her love affair with Edward, a vampire.

This book is hard to put down, although I did find it dragging in the beginning and I felt it took forever to get to the exciting parts. The first two thirds of the book is just about Bella and Edward falling in love, trying not to fall in love, and learning about each other. This might appeal more to the teenage girls to whom this book is aimed than to me. I also found Bella's character hard to like at first because she just seemed so contrary and petulant about everything. Again, maybe teens have an easier time relating to this. The action part of the story is pretty good, although it happens late in the book and I thought Bella kinda acted like an idiot.

Ok, and now the things I really didn't like:

• Bella finds Edward's complete and total stalker behavior to be charming.
• Bella is very fixated on Edward's godlike good looks, to such an extent that I often wondered if she even noticed his personality.
• Edward has the ability to mesmerize humans... so how can we accept that Bella loves him as opposed to being simply fascinated and mesmerized by him (and his amazing good looks)?
• This relationship is completely obsessive, where the only thing either person wants to do is be with the other. Everything else (parents, school, career) falls by the wayside in comparison. This may be the way high school love feels, but is it good to hold it as a romantic ideal?

Mostly, I just find it disturbing that this is what's being presented to young woman as an ideal romantic relationship, a la Romeo and Juliet (which is referenced in the book, not surprisingly). A man who is perfect in every way, who controls what you do, who spies on you without your knowledge, and who doesn't have any of the typical adolescent behavior of guys your own age? That's a little disturbing to me. At least with Buffy and Angel,  she had her own special powers and saved Angel as often as he saved her.

I will probably at some point read the rest of the series, because I want to know how they resolve their crazy love affair - I'm pretty certain that at some point she has to become a vampire or there's no happy ending. Those of you who already read all 4 books, don't tell me!  But do feel free to argue or agree with me in the comments.

P.S. I think Cedric Diggory is pretty cute, but the posters for the movie Twilight do not make him look like the Edward described in the book. I hope he looks better in the movie!

P.P.S. Watched the preview. Not better.