This past week, I have been sick. With a cold. Just in time for the first week of summer. Oh, wait: that doesn't really bother me at all. Being extremely fair-skinned and prone to an instant sunburn, I have an official excuse for not wanting to go outside and "enjoy the weather". I have read The Perks of Being a Wallflower in one entire day. Just, wow. Why have I not read this book sooner? Like in high school, sooner? Maybe that's why I enjoyed it so much; I could relate to much of the awkward happenings (aside from the drug use, that is).
So, with that piece of awesomeness aside, I must shame myself. I blame my sickness for clouding my judgment, because I am once-again reading Twilight. Mostly, I am re-reading this series because I wanted to see exactly why everyone thought it was so awful. Also, I needed a break from all of the heavy-duty reading I had been doing. Having read it as a lonely, introverted, love-lorn, high-school girl, I can say that it was enjoyable and easy. It was perfect for my moody days, when the torrential rain made it very not fun to go outside, when I didn't really want to talk to anyone. My music and my book were perfect for me.
Reading it again, now, I notice some things that people forget: 1) it is written for teenage girls, so no, it won't be an extremely challenging read; 2) Bella is an introvert, and introverts are extremely misunderstood; 3) the book is not the movie; 4) Bella's familial predicament is unique and difficult to comprehend; and 5) Bella does attempt to maintain some kind of rationale through the whole vampire-thing. Now that I am older, I see that I shared some very distinct characteristics with the sometimes misunderstood, Byronic heroine (if there is one): my family situation is very much similar to hers (I was threatened with being sent to live with my father as a punishment rather than grounding; trust me, I straightened up my attitude quickly); I have started at new schools many times, and it's very unnerving every time; the first loves of high school are deep, tumultuous, and (for a shy person) often the best representation of love. People get lonely, especially in high school. Introverts place that loneliness within themselves, too. They find the escapes they must in order to cope with all of the other out-going people. Books and video games are two of the main escapes for introverted people; music, too. I can, now, also remove myself from the emotions of being in high school and understand why I disagreed so greatly with the lack of respect surrounding these books and the movies.
Slight-venting aside: I am changing things up here on my blog. To make way for reviews of the up-coming books that I will be finishing, I have created a new page titled "Reviews". Here I will be placing all of my reviews of future books for all to see. I have also added a link to see my "currently reading" shelf on Goodreads. Hopefully I will use my free-time a little more wisely now... as opposed to earlier.
(originally published 25 June, 2013)
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