Dave Rosenthal, who writes the book blog "Read Street" in The Baltimore Sun, has opened up the floor to readers about Deseret Book's decision to take Stephenie Meyer's Twilight book series off the shelves.

The reactions have been mixed. One of Rosenthal's readers condemned Twilight as "dangerous" because it "encourages young women to accept abusive behavior, condone a lifestyle that includes killing, and her message to leave your husband because you're 'bored' is outrageous."

On the other hand, a reader who identified himself/herself as a devout Christian pointed out that "it's FICTION! It's not good or bad for you! People are drawn to the books because of the devotion the 'characters' have for each other."

It's worth pointing out that Deseret Book (or Desert Book, as Rosenthal identifies the LDS Church-owned bookstore chain) has no retail outlets in Baltimore. In fact the closest store to Baltimore is in suburban Denver.

To return the favor, I hereby ask readers of the Culture Vulture blog to nominate their favorite restaurant for Maryland crab cakes.

Labels: LDS, Twilight