When I received an e-mail about a new cookbook for fans of the novel and movie saga, “Twilight,” I couldn’t help but laugh. In fact, several of us in the Features department at The Roanoke Times spent the better part of that morning poking fun at the idea.

It isn’t because I don’t like “Twilight.” I will admit here and now that I have devoured each of the four books, I have seen the first two movies and I look forward to seeing the third, “Twilight Saga: Eclipse,” which was released in movie theaters Wednesday.

I laughed because, really, what do vampires eat besides blood? I kept picturing an entire cookbook filled with this recipe:

Human Blood
Serves 1

Ingredients:
1 live human

Directions:
Bite human in the jugular. Suck dry.

But “Love at First Bite: The Unofficial Twilight Cook Book” by Gina Meyers (no relation to “Twilight” author Stephenie Meyer, despite the suspiciously similar name) does feature actual recipes inspired by the stories. Those of you who have read the books know the main character, Bella, is a decent cook who often makes dinner for her bachelor father, Charlie, the town police chief. So the cookbook does feature recipes for some of the dishes, such as chicken enchiladas, that are  mentioned in the novels.

The other hooks are pretty dubious. Edward’s eyes are described as being the color of butterscotch, so Meyers includes a recipe for Butterscotch Bars. And because Bella contemplates an apple in one paragraph, there are several pages of apple recipes.

I’m not typically a mean or overly critical writer, but almost half of this book is made up of movie trivia, quizzes and party tips related to the movie. It is riddled with typos and the photos are downright dreadful- poorly shot and in black and white. One of them looks like The Blob. I seriously cannot even tell what it is. And the quotes add virtually nothing. For example: “Charlie seemed suspicious when he came home and smelled the green peppers.” Okay, so what?

I guess what I’m saying is unless you know someone who is insanely addicted to collecting Twilight-related products, I wouldn’t waste my money on this book. It makes me wonder if it’s just someone taking advantage of a trend. Maybe I’m just bitter because I didn’t think of it. If I’m bitter, perhaps I would not be suitable for a vampire meal.