Twilight...or how I got sucked into another world.

Huh, it has been quiet here onblog, hasn't it?

Wow.......how time flies if you are having fun and I got a story to tell you today...

It all started about half a year ago, when my daughter Donna came home from school with a thick book. My daughter, not much of a reader, was so excited and immediately sat down to read. I was awestruck.....Donna? Reading? A big fat book?.....and the kid never stopped reading, wanting more and begging me to buy her the "Twilight-series".
So at first I bought her the third book, because at that time she had already read the first two books twice (!). Then i got the first book for good measure, because her friend was reluctant to give her her copy once again.
Lucky for me, that a friend stepped in and got her the second book for X-mas. (Thanks Ricarda!)
So she was now prepared for book 4, which has not been released in Germany yet.
Reading the first 3 books of the series for the 5th time around now, she hardly ever left the house.
I just couldn't believe it....what was it with these books, that got my "nearly-teenage" (she is going to be 13 on March 13th) NON-reader to actually read? I was curious!

(and I wanted to write a "MOM-letter" to Stephenie Meyer to thank her for getting my kid to read....)

At first Donna wouldn't even let me peep into the books, only throwing sentences from the characters at my dump face every now and then. When I asked to read at least the first book, her reply was: "Oh Mom, this is not for you! You are going to spoil it all for me!"
Well, thanks a bunch....I always thought of myself as a "kewl Mom", not so far away from her own teenage years. (A bit reluctant to accept that they were over and facing adulthood, but after all the 16 year old inside of me stirred from time to time....)

I decided to just let her be and be glad that Stephenie Meyer had brought my daughter to actually read with her novels.
Then the film "Twilight" was released and we could watch the trailers on Youtube and everywhere else ... which I didn't, because it still does not make sense to me to watch a movie based on a novel, which I hadn't read ... my daughter was so excited and was surfing the internet for more juicy details on the film and reading spoilers and getting more giggly by the minute.

One morning last week: "Uhmm, Mom, Twilight has been finally released here in Germany, can I go to watch the premiere of the movie with my friends?"

And then the breakthrough:" I would let you read the book, if you let me go...."
LOL, of course!

So she went to watch the movie, while her Mom cuddled on the sofa with lots of cusions and beverages and snacks. Let me get the picture of this hype, please! Please tell me I am not too much of a Mom already to not understand....
Be quiet, world, so I might catch a glimpse of the big picture!

And I started reading, at first slowly trying to suck it all in, watching myself from the outside and analyzing every sentence to get behind the thoughts of writer and readers. The novels were rated "for young readers, 12 years and older".

So I was still the "Mother", when I read the first pages...wondering, what teenage girls found so appealing about this novel...so I read slowly, then faster as the story was really good written, even more faster as the story unfolded and then in a frenzy....before I knew it I was sucked into the Twilight-world, not realizing that the story really had gotten to me. No time for food, drink or anything else...do human needs matter at the fact, that this teenage heroine Bella fell in love with her personal angel, the most beautiful and heartbreaking Edward?

And the twists and turns the story took, just brilliant. It was as if I could see them right there before my eyes, living their lifes in the neighborhood just for me to spy on them. And yet I knew, this was all just fictional not for real...still!

Within a day I had finished the first book and asked Donna for the second one (New Moon).

I just couldn't stop reading now, I wanted to know, how the story went on....
will the love-story outlast the circumstances? Will they be happy?
Or what threat was around the corner this time?

I read and read and nearly threw the book out of the window, when it came to the "BIG No-Go" of Edward leaving his Bella to "protect" her from further harm(sorry spoiler here)...if it would have been for real, I would have ripped him apart myself right now... but then things suddenly turned good again, not without some really odd twists. The second day had passed and I finished the second book.
Hey, I couldn't help it, it was as if the story had it's own life, it's own heartbeat and I really got sucked into it. It was like dreaming!
I was in it, living there right next to the characters,
hating, wallowing and loving with them.

No way to stop!

NO WAY OF WANTING TO STOP!

Donna was reading book three (Eclipse) for the 7th time, but I really was urgent to have it. Like a drug-addict on Cold turkey I wanted the book so badly, that I would have traded my soul for it. It was so urgent to me to read on, to know more.

I was drained, but at the same time I never felt so alive in a long time.

For crying out loud: It's only a book! but I wanted and needed to go on....so Donna went to see the movie "Twilight" for the second time, while her Mom huddled on the bed to read.
(now ain't I bad? lol)

I also finished the third part within a day. At times while reading I had to stop, because the tension got so bad, that I held my breath...at the end of the day all my muscles were cramped and my body sore....as if I had done a marathone-a reading marathone that was.

Now it was time to go and watch the movie with my daughter. She actually asked me to join her to watch it...the other two sweeties went to watch a different movie (bless them!)
Of course I had done some serious preparations for this:
I watched the trailers and read spoilers, reviews and fansites!

I was totally in the hype, but all of this did not prepare me for this:

There was I

-- 35 year old Mom and way past my expiration date --

swooning with my daughter over Rob Pattinson (be still my heart, be still!), who played the roll of Edward...

(although coming to think of it....Carlisle was quite a burner...*gg*)

giggling when Edward looked Bella deeply in the eye and holding my breath, when he kissed her, growling when it came to the great showdown with EVIL James and sighing in relief, when it all ended well. My teenage inner-self came to show and it was all like being 16 again...

Although I was a little disappointed, the film does not live up to the book, we really had a great time and lots to talk about afterwards. BUT: You do have to read the book before watching the movie, so you know more of the details, that can't be mentioned in the film!!

Donna called me "her childish, cool and crazy" Mom and this really felt so great to hear!

And I read the first 3 books a second time...looked for spoilers the fourth book on the Internet and then I ordered myself to get the fourth and last book (Breaking Dawn) from Amazon.
In English, of course, because the German translation will not be on the market until Feb. 14th.
(can't wait THAT long!)

My daughter Donna will have to and wants to wait, although I offered her to get to read the book in English first. She gave up after 60 pages!*sigh*

So the way was free for me to read it, she was disgruntled with me for being able to read the book first, but never mind...this time...
and what shall I say: The fourth book is the best book of the series!!!
It really took me by surprise: Was there a way that this would get even better?
YEAH, there was and so I was reading again as if I were in a frenzy, nothing stopping me now...last night ( - after 1 1/2 days of reading- at 2 a.m.) I read the last pages of the book.
Tears were streaming down my face at the end and I still can't believe it is all over...

will I go and see the movie again? Maybe!

will I read the series again? Of course!
(but then in English only please....saving up now to buy the first three parts in English)

will I go and get the DVD of the movie? Definitely!

will I go and watch the second film? Most definitely! (why are you asking?)


So that is the story of not being on line the last week...
my teenage inner-self took control and I am not unhappy about it...AT ALL!

*******************
Liebe/r deutsche/r Leser/in!
Leider kann ich das nicht übersetzen, die Übersetzung durch ein Sprachtool (wie babelfish) ist nicht empfehlenswert....ist schauderhaft! Aber für einen Lacher gut, also probiert es aus, wenn ihr mögt!
Aber falls ihr das doch gelesen und verstanden habt, dann wisst ihr nun so ziemlich genau, wie es mir die letzte Woche ergangen ist und seht, daß es mir wieder ganz gut geht.... DANKE für die lieben Mails, die mich erreicht haben und nach mir gefragt haben! Ich freu mich, daß ich nicht nur so vor mich hinschreibe, sondern ganz liebe Menschen sich um mich sorgen! Ich liebe Euch alle! :-))
Liebe Grüße
Melly