Street Gang

I'm about a 1/4 into Street Gang. So far it is going far into the past before Sesame Street, discussing the lives of the people who helped create it and the shows that came first. I'm not sure if it's necessary to delve that deeply into it - but I'll reserve judgment until I am finished with the book.
Lucky for me I am not going anywhere until December 27, so hopefully I will have plenty of time to read. I can't wait to see what books Santa is bringing me this year! I will try to post sometime before the 27th - but will definitely have an updated post before the New Year.

Happy Holidays!

New Book!

I finally picked out a new book to read this week!

"Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street" by: Michael Davis

I know it might seem a little childish especially since I recently said some unpleasant things about a popular teen novel. But this subject is very relevant to my life: past and present. With two toddlers Sesame Street is part of our everyday life. My daughter turns two today and she can already count to 10! My 3 year old can count to 25! Where did they learn this? From the wonderful Sesame Street gang. I still have fond memories of watching my favorite characters go through real life experiences. On sick days well into high school I would allow myself the guilty pleasure of "catching up" with the gang. I can't wait to read about this wonderful program that has taught so many to read, count, and the most important lesson of all: that learning is fun.

You can find this book at Barnes and Noble or your favorite book store.

You can also find it at your local library (but be prepared to wait the list is long!)

Twilight: Final Thoughts

I finally finished Twilight on Saturday. I am so relieved to finish it! I know I've mentioned this before, but 498 pages really is too long for this book. I understand the fleshing out of characters and how important it is to a story, especially a series, but this was overkill.

I find Bella's character to be quite whiny and too absorbed in Edward. The author tries to make her seem brave by her continued association with Edward but it ends up feeling like she is obsessed with him, not in love with him.

Edward, though charming about midway through the book, also bothers me. His transformation is too quick. I know that sounds weird when I just said the book was too long, but it feels like his human-like emotions come out too quickly and easily. He should have more conflict about these new emotions.

The last third of the book was the best because the pace was a bit faster and you got to know more about the Cullen family and how they came to be. The first two thirds of the book dragged this out. It wasn't a shock that the family were vampires, heck it's in the summary of the book, but the author decided to drag out the obvious for far too long.

I can see why this book has legions of teen fans. Edward is handsome, charming, and dangerous as well. Everything a young woman could want. But what frustrates me is how he seems to possess Bella like she is his property. He always has to rescue her, even from the tiny things that she should be able to manage on her own.

To sum up, Twilight is good for those days when you want to read something easy with a happy ending. Not so good if you want to read about the inevitable conflict that should arise when a human dates a vampire.

Update

Still reading Twilight. I'm frustrated by the slow pace of the book. I keep thinking "get to the conflict already!" It's a different feeling for me because I do like the slower pace of Jane Austen and Flaubert novels. It probably stems from the "high schoolness" of the novel. I find that as I get older I have little patience for teen angst. I have now gone beyond the half way point in the book. Since it is a big laundry day for me I hope to finish the book tomorrow night unless I get distracted by Monty Python on BBCAmerica.

I debating what my next book is going to be. I'm thinking either a David Sedaris book, Carrie Fisher's new memoir, or some new release in fiction. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I don't think I'm going to continue with the Twilight series at this time - maybe later when the hype has died down and I'm not as biased.

What I'm Reading Now

Currently I am reading "Twilight" by: Stephanie Meyer.

I picked this book because all my girlfriends and all the teenage girls at work have been raving about this book for months. Every time I log onto Facebook I see something about it. As much I as detest the majority of "teen lit" I don't feel right about bashing a book I haven't read.

I am currently about a 1/3 through the book and I'm not impressed. Granted it is an easy read and I'm progressing quickly through the story. But the sheer length of the book (498 pages) seems unnecessary. But I can't really give an honest review until I finish it.

You can find Twilight at your library (be prepared to wait - I was 504 on the list when I reserved it)

You can also find it every where books are sold