SPOILER ALERT
After reading Twilight, I expected a lot more from the follow-up than what I got. I realize that post-relationship catatonia can be difficult to endure, but it was even more difficult to endure 13 chapters about Bella’s heart-hole. Ugh.

On the plus side, Jacob-love him or hate him-has a lot more character development, this time. His personality matches his fate, obviously a stark and calculated contrast to Edward’s (literally) cold-and-distant routine at the beginning of the book. Charlie was also a more believable parent, in New Moon. He showed genuine concern for his daughter, and faltered in his many attempts to help her. Other characters were incredibly shallow/flawed, though. Jane and Alec were intriguing, as were a few of the other Volturi, but they felt like a teaser for another book. They couldn’t stand on two legs if New Moon were the final installment.

The literary techniques were annoying. Romeo & Juliet, required reading in most high school English classes, makes sense as a reference to Edward, Bella, and familial drama, but it’s too easy to see the end of the book, once things actually start moving. (And seriously, if she intends to ruin Wuthering Heights for me too, I’m going to roll my eyes so far into my skull that they get stuck there.) All-yes, ALL-of the transitions were clunky. They didn’t have me on the edge of my seat, going, “ooh, ahh” at the twists and turns. Rather, they left me muttering, “What?! Where the bleep did that come from?” Jacob’s “illness,” Bella’s cliff diving, the mortality vote…all had some element of foreshadowing before they arrived, but they all felt rushed and more than a little contrived/ridiculous.

Yes, I’m still going to read the other books, and I’m glad to know that a)almost no one that I respect liked New Moon as much as Twilight, and b)those same people assure me that it gets better.

I had to retrain my reading, and remind myself that this is a Teen Lit/Young Adult book. The plot was a bit thin, and a little predictable. Any other author could have fit it into a neat little package of about 50 pages or so…but wait, this isn’t a negative review. What makes this book stand out and apart from the classic vampire mythos are the emotional descriptions of a dangerous, hesitant, and young love. It more than adequately captures the tension inherent in the first stages of any relationship, human or not. (In fact, it had me blushing and remembering more than a few distant and tense crushes.) That said, it is not without its share of action sequences, but they are overshadowed a bit by the interplay between Edward and Bella. It’s easy to sympathize with lesser characters as well, because they are all familiar faces when compared with our own experiences. It was a quick, yet satisfying read. I’m interested in checking out the rest of the series, now.

Creamy, delicate, I just can’t get enough goat cheese! Still, this one was tops. The lavender and fennel pollen were subtle, but the perfect flavors to add to this melt-in-your-mouth chevre. Pair it with some nice, artisan honey, walnuts and fruit-I’d go with pears and berries-as the package suggests, or go with some sweet or savory crackers, instead. Toss it in a summer salad with some blackberries and arugala, or use it for crostini. Just eat it, already!

This cheese is a bit nutty, a bit sharp. It’s almost like a flavor combination of a really good, sharp provolone or parmesan, and cheddar. It has a firm, smooth texture, and cork holes, so it has a mouth-feel that is a bit like Swiss cheese. Overall, a nice, simple cheese that went really well with dry red wine.

This is the first time that I’ve read any of Spalding Gray’s work, though I’ve been meaning to do so for quite some time. (I got lucky and snatched up a few books at a local white elephant sale.) He veers wildly between unbridled optimism and sheer despair, with more of the former than the latter, surprisingly. He tells his stories with a candor that is refreshing today, when everyone seems to have something to hide. (...and yet he kept “personal” diaries/journals, too. One can only wonder about their contents.) I admit that some of these early monologues seem a bit underdeveloped, and even flat in some places. Overall though, I really appreciated the dark humor and a tone that is solely his own. I think that this was a good gateway book to the rest of his performances; it has piqued my interest, rather than dulling it. I look forward to reading and watching more.

Creamy, nutty, a bit salty, and a bit sharp…this was a very nice cheese! I definitely needed to find a better wine to go with it, though…something dryer.

This book is disturbingly realistic. Through the screen of teenage, doe-eyed boys comes a hazy recollection of idyllic suburbia, disrupted by tragedy. The girls are elevated to an almost mythological status. Having nearly lived this story through the suicidal tendencies of my graduating class—thankfully, no one succeeded—I think that Eugenides captures the pointlessness, the rubber-necking, and the onlookers’ attitudes with careful attention to both suspense/drama and truth.

The emotional content of this book was great, but I thought that the plot left something to be desired. Now, I understand that although this was a mystery novel, of sorts, it certainly wasn’t going to run in the usual vein. I really enjoyed reading the characters’ insights into their own personal histories, particularly the contrasts between Hatsue and Ishmael. Still, it didn’t go deep enough, for me. The descriptions of the islands weather, flora, and fauna read more like a list of research topics than an augmentation of setting. Nels, Carl Heine and his mother, even Kabuo…they all felt rather superficial in comparison to the attention given to Hatsue and Ishmael.

I was disappointed by the ending, too; it was a tagline, a cheap summation of the undercurrents that pulled at the characters. All in all, it was too predictable; it’s not a book that I would re-read.

Gaiman has been a favorite author of mine ever since I first read Sandman and Good Omens. I was impressed with the manner in which he handled his characters in Neverwhere, particularly Richard Mayhew. He is a bit like an Everyman, average yet extraordinary. Still, I would have liked more from the other characters, like Door and Hunter.

The world itself is an engrossing one, and Gaiman provides some lovely details to draw the reader into it. My only major beef with the book is that the ending is predictable…but exactly what you want to hear. All in all, a worthy gateway to his other works.