Three great articles on "Twilight"

These have to be the most balanced articles I've read on the whole "Twilight" phenomenon. They're relatively squee-free (not that squeeing is a bad thing, but it can cloud your judgment when it's immoderate or disproportionate to the object of squeeing):

This one on why it doesn't work as good literature:

http://www.salon.com/books/review/2008/07/30/Twilight/

This on why it does and doesn't:

http://www.decentfilms.com/sections/articles/twilight.html

And this on why it does:

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200812/twilight-vampires

The last two are enough to convince me to give it another shot... Though yes, I will be doing so with a pencil in hand to jot down snarkage.

"Twelve Days of LJ"

On the twelfth day of Christmas, matrixrefugee sent to me...

Twelve rpgs drumming

Eleven novels piping

Ten fedoras a-soulbonding

Nine angels homeschooling

Eight soundtracks a-singing

Seven books a-writing

Six merovingians a-journalling

Five ca-a-a-al leandros

Four old movies

Three criminal minds

Two ghost stories

...and a pizza in an urban fantasy.

Get your own Twelve Days:

It's funny when it comes up with combos that match, and even funnier when the combos don't match.

But who in their right mind wants five Cal Leandroses??

*Checks to see if the system is about to crash, or Third Impact is about to take place*

. . . I am actually sticking up for the "Twilight" series.

Wait, don't worry, I haven't been infected with the squee-bug. I've been poking around several contra-"Twilight" sites, looking for some kindred souls, and while I've found people on the same wavelength as I am, I have found some who frankly scare and annoy me.

The reason being, some LJ icons calling Edward Cullen "a pedophile", merely because he's over 100 years old versus Bella's 17. But isn't he perpetually 17 physically and emotionally, despite this (correct me on this, if I'm wrong)? If you follow that line of reasoning, every May/September or May/December romance is "pedophilia". And since my mother was abused by her serial child-molesting father, I find that comparison distasteful at best, offensive at worst.