Twilight, Stephenie Meyer.  Twilight is young adult literature of the sort I would have expected to see about 10 years ago - it lacks much of the edgy, controversial subject matter more common today, and the language is simplistic, though not juvenile.  Simply put, it's a sweet little fantasy story aimed at the young girl still enamored with the romantic ideal of vampires - love without the slasher horror, with just a bit of danger to keep things interesting.  There's a forward-moving, dreamlike quality to Meyer's writing, and it speaks to her skill that the novel never seems to drag despite its nearly 500 page length.  An otherworldly cousin to Tuck Everlasting, or Bradbury's nostalgic novels of youth, the novel ends somewhat inconclusively, apparently dovetailing into the sequel, New Moon.

Read September 2006