Don't Knock It Until You Try It

I saw a girl last night with vampire fangs, and I thought, "This is what's wrong with books like 'Twilight.'"

I don't always accept what popular culture tells me I should like. For instance, I would rather clean my bathtub than watch "American Idol" or "Dancing With the Stars." I've watched both shows, but when the contestants cheesily beg for my vote, it makes me cringe. Does anyone really watch and say, "Oh, look at how those two dance partners horse around and tickle and giggle with each other. They must be best friends. I'm voting for them." No, in reality, the fakeness makes me like them less. 

The same goes for books like "Twilight." I find it obnoxious that the books written to get kids reading are the only books that can get adults to read, too. We're adults, and the only thing we expand our minds with is the same thing our pre-teen kids are reading. 

But, I'm also learning to be a true critic you have to give something a chance. It's a lesson I'm reluctantly learning. Since I've taken a rather passionate stand against some things, it takes a few swallows of my pride to admit I actually like some of the things I've stood so strongly against. 

For instance, Kidd Kraddick in the Morning. My boyfriend and some of my girlfriends love this morning radio show so much that at times it's all they can talk about. My response to this has been, "I'd rather listen to static than that show. Every time I tune in they're all screaming at each other. It stresses me out. Why can't they talk one at a time?" 

But then I listened. And I actually liked it. The segments are hilarious, and one day this week, my eyes even welled up with tears of laughter. There are still some parts I find annoying, like when Kidd plays a new release and constantly interrupts it with his thoughts and other tidbits. But, all in all, I like the show. 

I'm about to give the same chance to "Twilight." My friend LJ and I were hanging out the other night when she brought up how much she loved the books. I told her the "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" books were the only teen books I deemed acceptable for adult reading (I love a good girlfriend story). But she was so passionate about the books, she actually left my house to go get them and bring them back to me. 

Right now, the first two books are sitting on my dresser. Besides being short on time, I haven't been able to suck up my pride and flip to page one. But as I've learned before, you can't really knock something until you try it.