Reading Challenge

Some may wonder if I need a "man card check," but I assure you everything is intact. I made a deal with my wife: I told her if I she read Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, I would read Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. A few reluctant nods and it was on; we each worked through our respective first books like picky eaters trying to acquire a new appreciation for hagus or some other foreign dare food. Surprisingly, we both found we enjoyed our first samplings. So we moved on to the second books: she cracked open Ender's Shadow and I proceeded forth with New Moon. We both enjoyed those books, too. She ended up getting the better of the deal as I continued on with the third book in the Meyer series, Eclipse, but I couldn't really recommend the next book in the Card series to her as it was just good, not great.

The outcome of our reading challenge was a win-win. My wife can now see why I love the Ender series. And, I have to admit, I share her fascination with the Twilight series. That being said, I will not be attending the Breaking Dawn party at Borders Books on August 1st when the fourth Meyer book is released; I've got to draw the line somewhere! However, my wife and teenage daughters will be on hand sporting their "Team Edward" t-shirts, ready to pitch their speculative theories on Bella's future with the vampire hunk.

I can appreciate the buzz about this Meyer series. It wasn't a Buffy rip-off as I had thought. It was really well written, filled with clever twists and turns, albeit skewed to feminine sensibilities with the romantic content. Case in point: the upcoming movie adaptation of Twilight caused a bit of a stir at Comic-Con recently. Apparently 6000+ female fans (soccer moms with daughters in tow) rushed the Twilight panel the other day. Hah! That's a new demographic for the world's largest comic convention.

Okay, I've geeked out way too much here. But I can wholeheartedly recommend the Meyer series to the male species. Just wrap a Louie Lamour dust jacket around the books as you secretly read them. And you don't have to give up the man card, just find that middle ground between your dark macho side and your lighter sensitive side. That twilight if you will ... (oh boy).