I don’t reject all romance, but when I read, I want a story with the power to endure.

I don’t want one that is currently hot to the touch but will eventually smolder and fade away.

After the third “Twilight” book was released, I finally gave in. (I’m blaming my decision on the fact that I had a fever and kept hearing the books being compared to Harry Potter, which I love).

I read the first book in one day, and while it propelled me along, that doesn’t mean Stephenie Meyer is a good storyteller.

She has a good plot and knows that girls dream of the perfect romantic opportunity.

The following sentence describes the entire daily actions of the main character: Bella wakes up, falls down while walking, eats food and salivates over Edward at school.

This is about the only thing that happens. Any conflict is breezed over in this straightforward story.

The attraction between Bella and Edward, both of whom I have serious problems with as characters, is purely physical, more lust than love.

Bella is the most annoying, stupid character I’ve come across in fiction lately. She is weak and submissive to the man, or vampire, that she loves. She goes on and on about the wonderfulness of Edward. At points, I wanted to reach into the story and slap her.

And, OK, Edward is divine, but he almost drowns in his own brilliance.

He is the sole reason females everywhere read the series at all. He allows readers to dream about his perfection and imagine themselves in Bella’s position.

He refuses to associate with other humans, besides the temptingly tasty Bella, who he orders around like a pet rather than a girlfriend. Basically, he comes across as superficial.

Calling Meyer’s series a vampire series is like calling J. K. Rowling’s series a boarding school series.

Even putting the two collections in one sentence makes me cringe.

The extreme fanaticism surrounding the “Twilight” series is over-the-top, but not unexpected.

These best-sellers are in the same realm as the “Gossip Girl” series.

They draw in the readers with gushy romanticism and keep stringing them along with symbols of perfection.

- Lindsay Oberst is a variety writer for The Red & Black.