Guilty Pleasures... Mmmmm

Mamma Mia is an absolute girly delight. It's set on a Greek Island that looks too gorgeous to be true. Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth sing ABBA songs, choreography with snorkeling gear. Adorable clothes, a touching and cute mother and daughter bond. I bought a few of my favorite songs from the movie, and listening to them brings me back to the sugar-like high I had leaving the theater.

The Twilight Series is hailed by many to be "the next Harry Potter". This is a pretty misleading assessment. It will probably be as controversial (being about "nice" vampires who drink animal blood instead of human). But it fits very much into the female young adult to adult niche, whereas Harry Potter appeals to children, adults, guys, and girls. Harry Potter had characters you grow attached to, and rang with a Roald Dahl-esque sense of charm and humor. I wasn't particularly fond of the Twilight characters, and the reason for most of the humor I found in the books was the way it laid on the teen romance thick and heavy *snickering*.

That said, I read all 4 in the course of a week. They're suspenseful, and increase in interestingness and quality of writing with each thick volume. The first 2 were sort of a shoujo manga substitute for me (brainless sappy mind candy). The fourth was a disturbing and wonderful book, that makes me finally like the main female character, and makes the rest of the books look like marshmallows. I'm looking forward to the movie, where the lead male vampire will be played by... um... that actor who played Cedric.