Okay; I admit it. I have never liked vampires. From a very young age, I have been really very scared of them.

So when the Twilight books came out, I was reluctant to take them on. Sure, Harry Potter had his Dementors, but you could be pretty sure Harry would come out okay. With vampires, though, you never know.

But folks kept requesting the books, and other adults were telling me how good they were. So, as if drawn by the proverbial apple on the cover, I bit.

This is a well-written book for teens that has some appeal for adults as well. Bella is the quintessential misfit, the new girl at school. When she sees Edward, she is instantly enthralled by him, as are most of the other girls. That Edward and his family have a somewhat “unconventional” lifestyle doesn’t seem to bother Bella. How the vampires cope in the human world, as well as with other supernatural beings, kept me reading on, and also sets the stage for other books in the Twilight series.

I’m glad, ultimately, that I read Twilight. The author has a very lyrical style, and seems to deal with the supernatural in ways that people can relate to – it’s not gory or sensational. And, setting aside my cynical-adult hat for a moment, I have to say that the misfit teen/grand, eternal passion theme had a familiar, wistful resonance for me, as well.

This was a pretty interesting film.

Being married to a drummer/percussionist, I had heard some of Evelyn Glennie’s music before. What is fascinating to me, along with her great talent, is that Evelyn Glennie is profoundly deaf. At first glance, in the film at least, there is little to suggest this fact.

However, during a scene where she is instructing a deaf teen on how to “experience” music, she says that rather than trying to hear while playing, she actually takes out her hearing aids and physically feels the music. It was fascinating to watch the teenager as she actually perceives the music by sensation alone.

It explains a lot about Evelyn Glennie’s music as well. Some of it I like, and some of it is so discordant to me, almost disturbing. Realizing now how the artist herself experiences her world helps me understand her music better, even if I don’t like it all.

The brief but fascinating journey of a full-time hero

At first glance, Arnold Spirit Jr. has nothing going for him. Born with a number of physical maladies, he’s the son of alcoholic parents living in poverty on Washington’s Spokane Indian Reservation. He’s beaten up on a regular basis. Arnold has two saving graces, though: his friendship with Rowdy, the local bully who takes a shine to him; and his gifts as an artist and student.

One day, in a fit of frustration, Arnold picks up his thirty-year-old textbook (which his mother had also used) and indiscriminately hurls it across his classroom, breaking the teacher’s nose. The teacher, Mr. P, sees something more in the action (and the student) than meets the eye. While Arnold is at home serving his suspension, Mr. P visits with a suggestion: Leave the reservation school, he says, and go to school in the rich white people’s school twenty-two miles away. “You have to take your hope and go somewhere where other people have hope.”

So Arnold does. Suddenly he finds himself split between two very different worlds: home on “the rez,” with its rampant poverty and alcoholism, where people resent him for trying to better himself; and his new school and its wealthier community, where he is the only Indian (aside from the school’s mascot).

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is a teen book, and the misfit theme is nothing new in teen literature. But here’s what makes it different, according New York Times reviewer Bruce Barcott: “Working in the voice of a 14-year-old forces Alexie to strip everything down to action and emotion, so that reading becomes more like listening to your smart, funny best friend recount his day while waiting after school for a ride home.” Combined with “Arnold’s” drawings (done by Seattle artist Ellen Forney), which illustrate the teen’s anger, frustration, and humor, what might otherwise be a difficult or depressing story becomes a one of insight, possibilities, humor, and hope.

This is a terrific read for teens and adults alike.

Saw this yesterday with some old friends, and we had a great time. At times we were singing along, at times we were just like, duh! A definite matinee chick flick, but fun.

There are a number of books out right now, written by prominent women and geared pretty specifically for women readers. Of several that I’ve read recently, this is one of the better ones.

Speaker Pelosi comes from a unique angle – a woman raised in a politically active family who married and had a family before becoming politically successful herself.

This was an unabridged audio, narrated by Speaker Pelosi. Unlike other nonfiction audiobooks, and especially with a somewhat political emphasis, it moved at a very easy, listenable pace. I found it upbeat, and as a working mother, a brief and encouraging listen.

I have never really followed Valerie Bertinelli’s life/career, especially since “One Day At a Time.” I knew she married Eddie Van Halen and they’d had a child. I also knew that they’d gotten a divorce, which is always kind of sad.

I guess what I appreciated about this book is that in some ways she tries to stand for “everywoman.” As a woman, I can seriously relate to stress eating, poor body image, and feeling guilty about things that aren’t my (sole) responsibility. I can’t necessarily relate to the excesses available to a Hollywood actress/rock star’s wife, but some things remain the same across class & boundaries.

Her witticisms and self-deprecating humor were fun respites from time to time, as well.

The one thing I wish Valerie would realize it isn’t necessarily “Jenny Craig,” the Kabbalah, or any other externals that have brought her through. I think that when it comes to the author, it was her strength of character, willingness to take risks (& make mistakes, regret them, & grow past them), and love for her son that have brought her to the happier life she has today.

I already covered some of this ground with Pollan in “In Defense of Food.” 13 CDs, unabridged nonfiction. I need something different right now …

This is addicting. I got the book yesterday, and have been through it marking “must-sees” for the past 24 hours. Some of those places will go up on 43 Places, and the other on an accompanying list. I probably have 200+ sites marked that I think I’d like to see, all over the world, in locales I would have never considered before.

So many places, so little time (& money)!

We have been doing our library’s summer reading program at our house. We have read (listened to) most of the “Little House” series, but when I saw “The Incredible Journey” on the shelf I thought we’d give it a try.

What a great book. Two dogs and a cat, separated from their home and family, make a hundreds-of-miles trek across Canada to get home again. Danger, peril, comradeship and a happy ending—this book had it all.

From the sublime, to the …

Maybe another time …