So, what’s all the fuss about?

If you haven’t read any of the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer, you might presume that the phenomenon is merely a teen romance fad. And you might be right – but only to a point.

In Eclipse, having been apart and reconciled in New Moon, protagonist Bella and her eternal love Edward are both back in small-town USA, Forks, and trying to determine the confines and possibilities of their future together – what can and can’t be. The arrival of an old and deadly foe, along with the complications introduced by Bella’s relationship with werewolf Jacob Black in Edward’s absence, once again threaten to push the pair toward a more difficult resolution than either had imagined.

I was first introduced to the series when I saw the film, Twilight. As is often the case, Meyer’s first book was necessarily truncated and dumbed-down for its filmic adaptation. As a result the movie was good, but not outstanding. I also found it a little thick with trite teen hormonal gushing.

Six months later, I listened to a slice of the audiobook sequel, New Moon, while working at Soundbooks. I was intrigued. While this second story was still a bit drawn-out, with concepts repeated quite often in the prose – also, Bellas’ inability to grasp truths the reader grasped two chapters ago is slightly irritating – it was nevertheless well written, and highly addictive. There is no question that the characters – Edward’s super-powered and exciting family of vampires, and their mortal enemies, the Native American tribe that morph into werewolves to protect the town from the ‘bloodsuckers’ – are some of the most engaging you will ever encounter. And if you’re a sucker for good romance… well. Edward and Bella’s innocent but powerful love is hard to resist.

When I finally listened to Illyana Kadushin’s reading of Eclipse, however, I was glad that I had become addicted to the series. As the story progresses, so does Meyer’s writing. For a relatively new novelist, her knack for pulling the threads of a plot slowly and skilfully tighter – so that, in this, third of four stories, we can almost see the finished garment – is a joy. So much so that, hungering for more of Meyer’s prose, I found read the full text of Twilight. I found it a much better and more complex rendering of the characters in hindsight than the movie experience could deliver. (Really, we should know by now: always read the book rather than watch the movie. Seriously.)

Meyer’s references to Wuthering Heights, initiated in the first book, come to a more significant resolution in Eclipse, and further highlight the fact that – well, that Meyer knows what she’s doing. If teen fans of the series are encouraged to indulge Meyer’s literary hints and expand their reading to the classics, I believe it would be a step in the right literary direction. The skill with which the author replicates and expands on Brontë’s plot is a pleasure.

As always, audiobooks have that hidden element that adds to written text. Illyana Kadushin, has a talent for the spoken word.

One of the main reservations I had reading the books was whether the subject matter – blood-drinking, precognition and the concept of ‘evil’ in general – was suitable for young teenagers, and whether the romance was too much for younger readers. I’m a little old fashioned. The former is a decision that has to be made by the individual reader, or parent of the reader. The main characters are definitlely ‘on the side of good’ – hunting animals only – but still ‘soulless’ creatures that drink blood. This series will cause readers to think about ‘evil’, and in some ways softening the concept for them.

As for the romance element: in the book it is idealised, old-fashioned and above the belt. And very sweet. While some would be cautious about encouraging teenagers to look for eternal love at age 17, I believe that the story encourages a kind of trueness to committed relationships that is lacking in the real world. That doesn’t bother me at all. And it is, after all, fiction. Heathcliff and Cathy didn’t exist; we don’t all end up in such intense relationships – but we do remember their love.

The Mastery Club, read by the author

A girl with dreams of the unreal – wizards and witches, magic, fantasy – Natalie seems to spend her time allowing her mind to drift among things illusory rather than in things useful. This is turned inside-out when Natalie meets the larger-than-life character of Nina – green-haired, spontaneous, completely different! Nina’s family have a different perspective of the nature of reality, and through their concept of the spark of the divine within human beings and their focus upon the creative possibilities of the mind, Natalie is drawn into a “magic theatre” of life.

When Nina suggests that they form a “Mastery Club”, things become amazing and exciting. Goals and challenges become locations for the treasure maps of human potential… and Natalie finds herself inspired as never before…

Read by the author in a clear and attractive narration.

5CDs, unabridged, $39.95

Tears of the Desert (Bashir)

Featuring in memoirs and biographies this month is this gripping biography written by a woman who faced first-hand the appalling effects of a genocidal sweeping down of the desert killers of Darfur.

Trained as a doctor, Bashir was gifted with high intelligence and compassion for all around her. This compassion was cruelly put to the test in the sudden attack that left so many of her people helplessly violated at the hands of their attackers.

The Woman in White (Wilkie Collins)

This title encapsulates the meaning of words themselves and beautifully delves into a rich layer of characters as they confront the very pivot on which their lives spin.

Aristotle: An Introduction

To relax and find the inner blah blah blah, there’s nothing like being challenged to re-align your spiritual centre by focusing on the inner you and letting the outer stresses melt away like ice under a warm sun.

The Sword in the Stone

Simply put, this is a great title which begins the fabulous series by T. H. White, an exquisite and detailed telling of the Arthurian legend, beautifully read by Neville Jason.