Why So Addictive?

Well, I made it through New Moon again. I finished Twilight for the second time a few days ago. I do realize that the Twilight saga is a bit overdone these days. There are oodles and oodles of fan websites, t-shirts, the movie opening next month, a soundtrack, etc. I like to think of myself above the "groupies," but if I'm honest, I'm one of them. I know, I know... It's the total cliche, especially among Mormons (Stephanie Meyer is LDS), but I can't help it. I'm obsessed. I saw a movie this morning and the Twilight preview showed. I think that I was more (okay, a lot more) excited by the preview than I was by the actual movie. Keep in mind that this is the same preview that I've watched over and over again (I mean, uh) at home--But it was on the big screen! And so, I pose a question: Why are these books so appealing, so addictive? I don't have the answer. I want to know what everybody else thinks. I know that I'll get some people making fun of me. I get that there are those who think that the whole Twilight deal is dorky and, well, pathetic. If that's you, let me know what bothers you about it and if you've read them, please comment! I really wonder why these books have taken off. I can pinpoint a few reasons that I appreciate the books. I think that the key to my addiction is the love story. I've always disliked sci-fi and even vampires and werewolves push it for me. That's why I fall back to the love story. Bella and Edward are not supposed to be together. Period. Heck, he wants to eat her! It's unrequited love. A tale of two star-crossed lovers, if you'll excuse the reference. I love that despite everything that falls between them, everything that lies in their path, they cannot be without each other. Bella describes a hole in her chest when Edward leaves her. She can't breathe. She is a zombie (ironic, right?). I think that true love is like that. When people are destined to be together, soul-mates, they are not whole alone. This is what I see in Edward and Bella--true love. I think that Stephanie Meyer did an amazing job at making us feel that love, feel the loss and the aching when Bella and Edward couldn't be together. I love that. I think it must just go back to what I wrote yesterday. I believe in true love. The love that Edward and Bella have together is the love that I have always had with Alan. I cannot imagine an existence without him. I feel that same hole that Bella experiences when I even think about a life without Alan in it. We've always had something more--Even as best friends, years before we started dating, we said 'I love you' to each other. There has always been that connection between us--An intensity to our relationship that I've never experienced before. Life tried to get between us; a lot of things tried to get between us. But we couldn't be without each other. It's just that simple. My world would stop dead in its tracks without him. The pain would be unbearable. I like seeing our love described in a book. Maybe it's just that simple. What do you think?