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'Twilight' time: Fans will party till the 'Breaking Dawn'
Seacoast followers of Stephenie Meyer's mega-popular series prepare for final book
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'Twilight' time: Fans will party till the 'Breaking Dawn'
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Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, front, star in the first movie in the “Twilight” saga, to be released in December.
By Jeanné McCartin
features@seacoastonline.com
July 27, 2008 6:00 AM
It's the hottest book series you've probably never heard of. That is, unless your life puts you in close proximity to a tween, teen or 20-something female. But it's bound to penetrate the world of the unacquainted soon.

The "Twilight" series by Stephenie Meyer will release the fourth and final installment Aug. 2, with midnight release parties nationally — including on the Seacoast. And if that doesn't burst through, the "Twilight" movie in late '08 likely will.

Related Stories
'Twilight' magazine cover photo gets blood boiling GO & DO
EXETER

WHAT: "Breaking Dawn" release party

WHERE: Water Street Bookstore, 25 Water St., Exeter

WHEN: Aug. 1, 10 p.m. ends with the release at midnight.

COST: Prepaying for book includes admittance for you plus one guest; first edition of "Breaking Dawn," $5 gift certificate; raffle ticket, (prize worth more than $80).

Contact: Water Street at 778-9731 or Time of Wonder Bookstore at

778-6027


NEWINGTON

WHAT: "Breaking Dawn" release party

WHERE: Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 45 Gosling Road, Newington

WHEN: Aug. 1, 10 p.m., costume contest and a costume parade (Vampire and prom dress is optional).

CONTACT: 422-7733 or www.barnesandnobleinc.com


PORTSMOUTH

WHAT: "Breaking Dawn" release party

WHERE: Portsmouth library, 175 Parrott Ave., Portsmouth

WHEN: Aug. 1, 9 till midnight (book for sale), themed around her previous books

CONTACT: 766-1740 (youth department)

• •

WHAT: Pre-order special: 20 percent off "Breaking Dawn," comes with a keepsake

WHERE: RiverRun, 20 Congress St., Portsmouth

CONTACT: To reserve book e-mail info@riverrunbookstore.com
Some facts: The series consists of "Twilight," "New Moon," "Eclipse," and soon "Breaking Dawn." They have sold more than 6 million copies and counting in the United States. "Twilight's" first printing was 75,000; "Breaking Dawn's" 3.5 million. All that sans blockbuster marketing — just lots of girl-tells-girl power.

"Twilight," the film, hits in December. The current standing on Yahoo Movies has "Twilight" teaser No. 2 at 411,902 views, the original at 121,284. Coming in at number 3 is "The Dark Knight: You Wanna Play" at 115,689 clicks. Get the picture now?

So what is "Twilight" and why the incredible loyalty? First an explanation, then the fans.

The book's core is a romance between everyday teen Bella and her classmate Edward — a vampire. Then there's Jacob her best friend who also loves her, a Native American — oh yeah, and a werewolf, the vampire's natural enemy. It's romance and paranormal fiction with tension galore; from early Bella and Edward encounters, to the later ones with some very bad vampires.

So what grabs the reader? "It's because every girl can relate to Bella," says Bridget Swift, 18, of Stratham and a mega fan. "Also because it gives normal girls that hope of the one true love that's been lost in fairy tales over the years. ...; Now everyone dies, or cheats. ...; You can't find a real good happy ending. I haven't found a good one since 'Jane Austen' and that was a couple of centuries ago."

Swift tracks info on the movie daily "sometimes hourly," and sends alerts out to a dozen equally interested friends. She stays abreast of news as a member of a fan Web site. She's also helping to arrange the Exeter's Water Street Bookstore release party. (See box)



Till a friend gave Swift a copy of "Twilight" in February '08, when she was a high school senior, she'd never heard of it. "As soon as I read it I started seeing other people carrying around the book everywhere I went. I'd stumbled into the underground movement."

Maybe not everyone. But a check with a few bookstores, fans, and fan sites verifies some adult women and boys are fans.

Swift's hopes for the conclusion? "A happy ending for everyone. ...; The way it's written you want every one to be happy, you care for them, feel like you know them on a personal level," she says.

The best possible outcome is Bella and Edward marry and she becomes a vampire. "She wants to go with him wherever he goes." Note: vampires never die or age.

As for Jacob, "I want him to imprint on somebody other than Bella." If you don't know the term, we won't ruin your read by explaining.

And of course there must be tension — as with the previous three. All those asked, starting with Swift, believe the struggle will be with the Voltari, a very nasty lot of Italian vampires.

And what are her thoughts on the movie? Swift likes the casting. "I think they're perfect. In my head I first put Bella's voice as naive, almost too girly. But when I heard Kristen Stewart talk, it really fit the voice of the character, not girly — smart and extremely strong."



Edward is played by Robert Pattinson. "From the beginning I loved him, ever since I saw him in Harry Potter, (as Cedric Diggory). I think they really got the Greek god, hard jaw, classical looking." She thinks Taylor Lautner as Jacob should work as well.

Emily Braile, 18, Durham, is another series latecomer. Today her circle of friends, which includes Swift, is hooked.

Her book expectations? The same as the above, Edward and Bella together and both vampires. Jacob happy with someone else. "All my friends are for Edward, probably because he's impossibly perfect," says Braile. "He's what every girl hopes they can end up with."

And the movie? She's not following it too closely. She wants to be surprised. But she's fine with the casting. "I don't know any of them ...; but the one playing Edward," says Braile. "I'm excited to see if they can actually act."

Braile weighs in on the recent Entertainment Weekly photo "controversy." The cover shot depicts Edward and Bella in romance novel style and dress — open shirt and all. Related Web sites were stormed with pro and con comments. Braile liked the photo. "I thought it looked like them, the characters. They made him look really pale and her normal tone. ...; It's like the Hollywood version, it's what they do. They could do a lot worse."

Kristen Ladua, 20, of North Hampton attends the University of New Hampshire. While college isn't the target audience, she knows quite a few classmates who have read the series.

"I feel like a lot of people are turned off to the whole plot of it. ...; You think it's going to be a creepy vampire book. But once you get into it and once you get to know the characters you get totally absorbed. ...; It's like Harry (Potter). He's a wizard 'get over it.' In this Edward's a vampire, 'so move on.' It's more about his personality and less of what he is."

And oddly enough he is relatable, as is Bella. And there lies the draw. "Even though it's mythical creatures it feels like it's something that could happen. And it's so romantic and funny and nice you wish it could."



Book four wishes? "I don't want her to lose who she is as a human when she becomes a vampire and the biggest part of that is Jacob. I do feel it's inevitable she's with Edward, but I hope Stephenie (Meyer) is more imaginative and finds a way to make her part of everyone's world."

Macy Howarth, 14, Portsmouth, resisted reading "Twilight." That vampire thing was a bit much. "But my friend said 'you have to read it.' ...; I've read it six times now probably," she says. "I thought it would be on the horror side. It was more in the romantic; not gory."

She preferred books one and three, a common theme with fans. She didn't like the morose Bella, or her reference to Jacob as her sun. "It bugged me." But the series works overall because it's fast-paced, has numerous twists and strong characters. "You know them."

The series' publisher recently released a special edition of "Eclipse," which included the first chapter of "Breaking Dawn." Nice marketing ploy. Howarth's friend bought it and passed it around. "We were fighting over it," she says laughing. "It sounds like they're getting married, but (Meyer) might throw a twist into the plot. ...; I kind of want them to get married. I really hope she doesn't go for Jacob. I think Edward has picked his love."

As for the movie, the cast isn't her dream team. Edward is OK, she says. But she's not wild about Stewart as Bella and she's no fan of the teaser trailers either; "Too dramatic." Furthermore it shows Edward flying; "Doesn't happen." "I don't think they're going to get it right. I think when you go to the movie you have to forget the book. If you compare it, it will be an awful movie."

That said, she wouldn't miss it for anything.Love at first bite: Interviews with the 'Fanpire'
As they await the new book, Chicago's obsessed fans try to tempt you with tales of beautiful vampires and first love

July 27, 2008Recommend (6)

BY PAGE WISER
They debate about whether to call themselves Twilighters, or maybe Twi-hards, or even the FanPire. They have strong opinions on whether Bella belongs with vampire Edward or werewolf Jacob --and don't get them started on the casting of the movie.

There is no such thing as a casual fan of the "Twilight" saga. That would be like saying a vampire has a passing interest in blood.

» Click to enlarge image

"Overall, it's about love," says Abigail Szymonik about the "Twilight" vampire book series.
(Rich Hein/Sun-Times)



» Click to enlarge image

"Vampire" fan Erica Jackson of Chatham says "the love story -- between a teenage girl and a 100-year-old vampire -- is so forbidden." A fourth book is due soon.
(Brian Jackson/Sun-Times file)



CAST YOUR VOTE
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Stephenie Meyer, a Mormon mother of three, had a vivid dream one night and started writing. The result, Twilight, was published in 2005. The book was a fast read for young adults, and word of it spread even faster.

Her second book in the series, New Moon, came out in 2006 and was ranked at No. 1

on the New York Times best-seller list for more than 30 weeks. The third book, Eclipse, sold 150,000 copies its first day. Now Twilighters are staying up at night in anticipation of the fourth and final book, Breaking Dawn, which comes out Aug. 2; it has a first printing of 3.2 million copies.

Dominique Bloink, 13, of Northbrook, will be at one of the many midnight parties -- at Anderson's Bookshop in Naperville. "Once I get the book, I plan on staying up to read all night, or at least until I fall asleep," she says.

It's not just a vampire book, explains Bloink. "They aren't the fanged, blood-dripping-down-the-mouth creatures that most people think of when they hear 'vampire,'" she says. "They're breathtakingly beautiful beings who sparkle in the sun, have special powers, and are hard as rock. Really the only tying characteristic to your average vampire is the fact that they drink blood."

The main character, Bella, moves to Forks, Wash., and falls for the hottest guy in school. Who happens to be a "vegetarian" vampire who dines on animal blood. "Here the vampires are the good guys," says fan Laura Rincon, 16, of West Rogers Park. "I guess the obsessiveness comes from the fact that Bella is just an ordinary girl who happens to fall in love with someone extraordinary. Also, her love interest, Edward, is supposed to be the world's most perfect man. He's a gentleman and extremely handsome. And it doesn't hurt that he has superpowers."

Author Meyer will be in town Aug. 5 for an appearance at the Harris Theatre. You guessed it; the $20 tickets for the event are sold out. For the time being, most related Internet message boards are shut down, so that no one can spoil plot details before everyone has read it.

Luckily, the FanPire can still look forward to the movie version of Twilight, which comes out Dec. 12. It was no small decision to cast the most beautiful man in the world, but the online community is now rallying around actor Robert Pattinson, who played Cedric Diggory in "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire." Catherine Hardwicke (2003's "Thirteen") will be directing, and she chose Kristen Stewart (last year's "Into the Wild") to embody Bella.

Twi-hards often are young and female, but their enthusiasm soon spread to their mothers, who wanted to find out what all the fuss was about. Now the saga is difficult to ignore. "All the lady faculty at school are crazy about the books," says Elizabeth Buenning, 58, a librarian at Lake Zurich Middle School.

"Any subject matter that gets and keeps young people reading is worth its salt," says Tom Garza, a professor of Western vampire history at the University of Texas at Austin. Usually, he focuses on classic Russian vampire stories from the 19th century, but he'll make an exception for "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" -- or Twilight. "The vampire story is not, inherently, a violent or horrific one," he says. "It is based on profoundly religious or philosophical grounds of love and the afterlife."

Why is the series so successful? Here are five theories.

1 Harry Potter paved the way. With J.K. Rowling on hiatus, there's room for a new super-author. Time magazine recently asked the question, "The next J.K. Rowling?" and then put Meyer in its list of the 100 most influential people in the world. Profiles of Meyer always make the comparison, although Meyer herself plays it down. Rowling made it possible to get 800-page young adult books published. Meyer returned the favor by knocking Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows out of the No. 1 spot with her Eclipse.

Demographically, the Twilight series is perfect for readers who are too old for Harry Potter but too young for Anne Rice. "I think [Twilight] definitely measures up to Harry Potter," says Twi-hard Bloink. "Perhaps not in sales yet, but as far as fan enthusiasm, definitely."

2The books have a strong morality. Edward wants Bella's blood, but as a gentleman, he restrains himself. Metaphor for sexual abstinence, anybody?

Meyer, who sees no conflict in writing vampire stories with her Mormon faith, doesn't like horror books and has never seen an R-rated film. There's remarkably little blood shed in the Twilight saga. "Overall, it's about love," says Abigail Szymonik, 29, a fan who lives in the St. Ben's neighborhood. "First love, paternal and maternal love, love of and for a friend, love of life. It would be hard for a reader to not find a kind of love they can relate to in the story."

3 Edward is the ultimate good/bad boy. Professor Garza makes the point that, since Tod Browning's 1931 Dracula, vampires are "suave, sophisticated, attractive," he says. "After all, what better way to take a victim over to the dark side than through seduction?"

Erica Jackson, 34, of the Chatham neighborhood says, "The books are chaste, but at the same time can be sexual, because the love story -- between a teenage girl and a 100-year-old vampire -- is so forbidden."

Edward is the key, says 13-year-old Bloink. "Lots of people have fallen in love with him, just as much as they've falling in love with the whole series," she says.

4With vampires, you can make up your own rules. In Twilight, vampires exist much like humans. They can go in the sun, just not in front of other people; garlic doesn't bother them; they don't sleep in coffins; in fact, they don't sleep at all.

They just like blood, that's all.

There's only one requirement, says Professor Garza. "A vampire is a creature that takes its sustenance from another living creature, and in doing so, weakens or kills it," he explains. "Everything else is literary and historic license."

5 The economy is bad. Historically in the United States, periods of war and/or economic strife are accompanied by a surge in "fantasy" or "supernatural" films and literature. "It's all about a very necessary and therapeutic kind of escapism that often creates even more production of such works," says Professor Garza.
Twilight has pretty much already been declared a hit even though it doesn't release in theaters until December 12th. A sequel (New Moon) is already planned and when the fourth book, Breaking Dawn, hits book stores on August 2nd, it's pretty likely screenwriters will be getting to work shortly thereafter.

We asked series author Stephenie Meyer whether the casting of her creations on screen has had any influence on the her writing as she continues the adventures of her Twilight creations.

"Luckily I got a head start. I had finished Eclipse before Twilight ever came out in the stores," Meyer told us.

"With Breaking Dawn, I already knew exactly what I was going to write. I had the outline. I knew what I was doing. I wasn't influenced by fan reaction or by the movie."

Meyer pauses, then admits that it has started to pop into her head: "Although, I will admit, when I read it now, I'm picturing Rob [Pattinson] and Kristen [Stewart] doing the stuff." (Laughs)



Posted 07/25/2008 by Jeff

Twilight







Fans eagerly await last 'Twilight' book
By Felicia Cousart Matlosz / The Fresno Bee
07/28/08 00:00:00
More information'Twilight' parties
Some bookstores will host "Twilight" parties Friday night to celebrate the release of "Breaking Dawn." The parties will start at 9 p.m. at Barnes & Noble in Fresno and at 9:30 p.m. at Borders in Fresno and Visalia.

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For the uninitiated, there's a phenomenon out there called the "Twilight" series, which has grabbed a lot of teen and adult fans by the throat.
If you haven't noticed, there has been a lot of coverage, including a recent Entertainment Weekly cover story, because the fourth and final book, "Breaking Dawn," will be released at 12:01 a.m. Saturday.
What's the big deal? The Bee provides this primer, in case you find yourself in the midst of "Twilight" chatter.
What's it about? It's a contemporary tale of love, fantasy and horror about a smart but awkward teenager named Bella and a handsome vampire named Edward. There's also another guy, Jacob, with supernatural issues of his own and, well, if this isn't a classic setup for a love in conflict, what is?
OK, "Twilight" was first and "Breaking Dawn" will be the final one. What are the others? The second one is called "New Moon," the third "Eclipse."
Who wrote these books? Stephenie Meyer. She is a housewife who lives just outside Phoenix with her husband and three sons. She is a Mormon who earned a bachelor's degree in English from Brigham Young University.
What are we talking about in terms of ka-ching? Here are the latest numbers we've seen: The first three books have sold more than 5.3 million copies in the U.S. alone since "Twilight" debuted in 2005. The publisher, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, has so much confidence in the fourth book that it's doing a first printing of 3.5 million. When that happens, nearly 11 million copies of the four books, hardback and paperback, will be in print in dozens of countries.
Well, that's nowhere near the "Harry Potter" series, right? True, but know this: The third novel, "Eclipse," did just what that title says last summer to J.K. Rowling's seventh and final Potter book. The Potter book was in the top spot for three weeks when "Eclipse" took its place. No small feat there.
And didn't Time ask the question of whether Meyer is the next Rowling? Yes, it did. It's interesting that both were mothers of young children (or a child, in Rowling's case), and each came up with brilliant idea for a story and found success. But, excuse our bias, Meyer is no Rowling. Potter's author is a fastidious detailer, with a sharp imagination and depth that appeals to readers of all ages. Meyer is admirable, but not on the same level. Her primary audience is female.
So why is the "Twilight" series popular? First, it's a romance novel. There is plenty of mushy writing and dialogue (Example: "I caressed his cheek, delicately stroked his eyelid, the purple shadow in the hollow under his eye. I traced the shape of his perfect nose, and then, so carefully, his flawless lips.") Second, it's romantic and a bit lusty, but not graphic. The love story is chaste because it has to be when one partner is human and the other a vampire. Third, there's suspense because vampires apparently are endangered by other vampire covens and beings. And fourth, despite the hundreds of pages in each volume, the books are fast page-turners, along the lines of Dan Brown's hugely successful "The Da Vinci Code."
But why are vampire stories, in general, popular? We're not sure, but it's partly the allure of the forbidden and -- in Hollywood's versions -- lots of handsome and beautiful vampires. It gives off a sensual vibe. So what began famously with Bram Stoker's 1897 horror novel, "Dracula," has evolved into Anne Rice's popular gothic "Vampire Chronicles" books to "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." HBO has a new drama coming up called, what else?: "True Blood." We suspect that if Hollywood and authors insisted vampires look like the terrifying and repelling one in F.W. Murnau's 1922 silent film "Nosferatu," vampire-theme films and books would have ceased in 1922.
So there has to be a movie coming of "Twilight," right? Of course. The film version of "Twilight" premiers Dec. 12, just in time for the money-making holiday season. You can check out the trailer and other information at twilight themovie.com.
What some young fans are saying
Why is the "Twilight" series so popular? The Bee asked three fans to explain. Two, Lindsay Krage and Lucy Liu, are current BackTalk writers for The Bee. The third, Mane Chakarian, is a former BackTalker.
Lucy Liu, Clovis High School: "It's Stephenie Meyer's writing that pulls the story together for me. Her writing is simple, natural and descriptive, which all help to bring the reader into her magical world. Her ability to convey the most powerful of human emotions, like love and despair, to the reader is what makes her 'Twilight' series so captivating."
Mane Chakarian, Edison High School graduate: "I'm so entranced by the 'Twilight' series because it serves as a cure for the Potter Blues. Once the Harry Potter series ended, I felt as though I needed a new novel or series to serve as 'brain candy,' something I could read to relax and de-stress, rather than for educational or analytical purposes."
Lindsay Krage, Sanger High School: "The books captivate your attention from the first chapter and really make me feel like I know the characters personally. It leaves me cheering for Bella and Edward. I simply can't put the books down."
The reporter can be reached at fmatlosz
July 27, 2008

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Recommend (2)
BY DONNA VICKROY, Staff Writer
Once bitten, twice obsessed.
Bridget Fiore's friend had to practically force the 15-year-old to read "Twilight," by Stephenie Meyer.
» Click to enlarge image
Michelle Carrier (from left), Arlene Carrier, Lori Ritter and Christina Ritter have enjoyed the "Twilight" book series by Stephenie Meyer। (Brett Roseman/SouthtownStar)

PHOTO GALLERY Southland readers love 'Twilight'
Notable quotables
"I love men that sparkle."
- Nancy Heuser, teen librarian at Orland Park Public Library
"Who wouldn't love to date a vampire?"
- Jackie Kuehl, 42, Lemont marketing consultant
"It's kind of like 'Romeo and Juliet.' There's that forbidden love effect."
- Kaitlin Zawacki, 18, Orland Park
"I think that the Bella and Edward complex is absolutely sweet. It's like lion meets lamb, cat meets mouse. They are perfect for each other, and it warms my heart every time I read about them."
- Molly Feil, 14, Midlothian
"It's easy to believe these creatures could exit."
- Becca Evans, 15, Tinley Park
"My friends and I are really into vampires. We like the idea of people being different."
- April Balasa, 14, Orland Park
"It's hard to choose which couple I like better. Edward is romantic and careful. Jacob is more outgoing and adventurous. He's more like Bella. If it was a normal world, she'd probably end up with Jacob."
- Ashley Matkey-Winder, 11, Steger
"My desire to want nice endings leads me to favor Bella and Jacob. I get the distinct feeling, though, that she's going to join their league in the fourth book."
- Arlene Carrier, 68, Orland Park
"I like to read fantasy and I guess I got hooked on these books because I finally found a good fantasy book that wasn't about dragons, elves, witches or wizards. The more I read the more I realized that ('Twilight') is not your typical vampire book. It's something completely different."
- Tamara Murskyj, Orland Park
'Breaking Dawn' events
• Stephenie Meyer at the Harris Theater at Millennium Park, 205 E. Randolph St., Chicago, (312) 629-8696, at 7 p.m. Aug. 5.
• "Breaking Dawn" Midnight Release Party at Barnes and Noble, 160 Orland Park Place, Orland Park, (708) 226-9092.
A book-release party will kick off at 10 p.m. Friday with a vampire prom/wedding costume contest and "Bella Bloody" beverages.
• "From Twilight 'til Dawn: A Night With a Bite" at Borders Books, Music and Cafe, 15260 S. LaGrange Road, Orland Park, (708) 460-7566.
The in-store book-release party will begins a 9:30 p.m. Friday and go to midnight, when the book officially goes on sale. Costume contests, trivia contests and lively debates are on the agenda.
• "Breaking Dawn" Book-Release Party at the Evergreen Park Public Library, 9400 S. Troy Ave., Evergreen Park. Registration is required at (708) 422-8522.
Are you a big book fan?
Then you should join the "Calling all bookworms!" discussion on Jessi Virtusio's "Elaborating on Entertainment" blog.
"She said, 'It's about vampires' and I said, 'No way,'" said Bridget Fiore, who lives in Orland Hills.
That was so 498 pages ago. Today, Bridget has read "Twilight" and its two sequels, "New Moon" and "Eclipse," several times over.
She's so fascinated with the storyline - which keys on a teenaged girl who falls in love with a beautiful vampire - that she's dedicated part of her bedroom to the popular book series and the upcoming movie.
"My friends think I'm way too obsessed," she confesses. "But these books changed my way of thinking."
In addition to eagerly awaiting the fourth and final book in the series, "Breaking Dawn," which hits store shelves Saturday, Bridget is among the few lucky fans to score a ticket to the author's Chicago appearance Aug. 5 at the Harris Theater in Chicago.
"I just hope I get the chance to thank her because I can't read another book without comparing it (with) the 'Twilight' books," she said.
She's hardly the only one to set her literary standards by Meyer's work. Readers, romantics and vampire fans of all ages and walks of life have put all three of Meyer's books in the top 10 on best-seller lists.
Kaitlin Zawacki didn't know it at the time but she was ahead of the curve when she chanced upon "Twilight" one October a ways back.
"I always read a Halloween book and it was on sale at Borders," the Sandburg High School graduate said.
She'd never heard of the author, yet the plain cover with two hands holding an apple intrigued her.
A few pages in, she was addicted. Naturally, the Orland Park teen did what any teen would do when they find a good thing: she told all her friends.
And now all her friends love the book, and indeed the Meyer series.
But Kaitlin plans to bring her mom, also a fan, along Friday when she attends the "From Twilight 'til Dawn: A Night With a Bite" event at Borders Books, Music and Cafe in Orland Park.
The book-release party, which goes from 9:30 p.m. to midnight, will include costume and trivia contests.
Across the street at Barnes & Noble, a "Breaking Dawn" midnight release bash kicks off at 10 p.m. Friday. A vampire prom/wedding costume contest is on the agenda there.
Add to this excitement the upcoming movie adaptation, which is set to be released in December.
"The previews are definitely fueling the fire," said Lori Ritter, librarian at Prairie View Middle School in Tinley Park.
While the series is aimed at readers age 15 and up, some younger girls are jumping at the chance to delve into stories that promise reality fiction with a fantasy aspect.
Word-of-mouth endorsements mean a lot to kids, she said.
So what is it about this vampire series that has cast a spell over such a broad range of readers, from 11-year-old Ashley Matkey-Winder, of Steger, to 68-year-old Arlene Carrier, of Orland Park?
Ashley found the books on her own. She likes how Meyer describes the characters and the setting.
The main characters, Bella and Edward, are easy to identify with. She's clumsy and fiercely independent. He's strong, yet kind. Complicating things is Jacob, a werewolf who also loves Bella.
For Carrier, the books are simply fascinating.
Her daughter, Lori Ritter, introduced her to the series. "They present an interesting supposition - nice vampires," Carrier said.
"I'm from the era of Bela Lugosi and the scary vampires, so this is completely new."
For 42-year-old Jackie Kuehl, of Lemont, the books evoke much-desired, yet elusive, emotions.
"Those first love tingles. That excitement, that thrill," explained the DePaul University marketing instructor. "Who wouldn't love to date a vampire?"
The mother of two boys says she didn't expect to fall in love with Edward.
"There's something about the danger of it all that's very attractive." Kuehl said. "That knight in shining armor thing is still very much alive for many women."
But don't tell Kuehl's husband.
"He doesn't know anything about the series," she laughed. "Maybe he needs to."
If Bella and Edward's relationship is mired in intrigue - how does one maintain a relationship with a vampire - there is also a huge safety net, something fans like Becca Evans, 15, of Tinley Park, appreciate.
"We're used to seeing vampires as bloodthirsty creatures, but in these books they're nice. They just want to live harmoniously."
Molly Feil, of Midlothian, was waiting for something like the Meyer series - something that would be "amazingly wonderful and make me want to read them again."
The books offer suspense, love, comedy and "everything you look for in a good vampire book," the 14-year-old Bremen High School freshman said.
Cindy Stahler credits Meyer with inspiring her daughter to read.
"Keeping reading logs in junior high was tortuous for a few years," said the Orland Park resident. Then her daughter, Jacqueline, found the Meyer series.
"Now we spend a lot of time at Barnes & Noble. It's great that an author can have that kind of positive effect on a child."
Donna Vickroy can be reached at dvickroy@southtownstar.com or (708) 633-5982.