Trading textbooks for vampires.

Deprived from reading anything but dry textbooks for nearly three years, I took my little sister’s challenge to put down the highlighter and read Twilight. It's surprising since I am not very enthusiastic about mythical subjects- sorry Harry Potter fans- never have picked up a book. But I mean vampires and werewolves…no thanks. But it was either that or studying on my vacation…and I chose vampires!

There I was sunbathing on the beach listening to the crashing waves and swirling winds as I began to read…and then an hour passed... and then two…six… and I couldn’t seem to put it down. I found myself finishing the first book and craving more… I searched the entire island looking for the next book feeling like a crazy. FINALLY I found a bookstore with the book that fed my addiction.

I remember sheepishly whispering to the info lady about the book and she grinned and loudly stated, “Yes! It is in the children’s section, follow me.” What? CHILDREN’S SECTION??? Feeling even lamer I made my way down the isle and came upon several thirteen-year-olds gazing at the glossy black covers and gushing over whom they liked better, “Edward or Jacob.” (I am on Team Edward) I grabbed my book quickly and tiptoed to the counter to make my prize purchase with the hugest grin on my face. Okay I am officially a geek. What is even geekier is listening to myself analyze the characters with other fellow Twilight readers…okay most of them being seventh-grade-girls…but still… we find ourselves on common ground in talking about the mysteries of the vampires and werewolves as if we were discussing the daily weather. It is awesome.

Monday I finished the last book (sob)…and the emptiness has set in. It is now once again time to trade in vampire books for textbooks and highlighters. As silly as this my sound, this book has been a much needed escape from all the stress that graduate school and the photography business has brought these last few years. It has tapped into my childhood imagination that I have put aside to be a “grown up”… but who really wants to grow up anyhow? I have gotten to love these characters and am heartbroken to say goodbye. Lesson learned. I will never turn my nose up to any book without giving it a chance first…you never know…I just might love it.