I wasn’t sure if I should read this trilogy or not. I mean, I’d heard all the rumors. I envisioned it would be something like The Story of O (yes, I’m a product of the 60s). So I did what anyone would do in my situation: I asked my 23 year old daughter if she thought I was “old enough” to read Fifty Shades. She basically told me I could handle it and I started reading it.
It’s the story of this naïve young student named Anastasia who goes to interview wealthy, young, handsome entrepreneur Christian Grey. Sparks fly. They’re both intrigued by each other but young Mr. Grey has some um, unusual preferences and some demons from his past that may be too much for Anastasia to handle.
This is a book you will either love or hate. There is page after page of sex. Just as some books are too descriptive, this is too sexually explicit in sections. It’s not well written. The characters can be annoying and the same vocabulary is used again and again. There is a contract which defines their (very explicit) sexual relationship which had terms I did not know. There are also some sexual items used which I didn’t know. Of course I asked my daughter for definitions.
As I said before, this is a book you will love or hate. I loved it. I think it’s one of the best modern day romance series I have read. I would even be willing to read it again, and I just might before the movie comes out. How can I say that after I’ve just told you all the things wrong with it? When all is said and done, it’s a very good love story. I just can’t resist a conflicted man and an innocent girl. Ah, romance….
In case you want to read all three, the books in order are Fifty Shades of Grey, Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed.
Here are the most requested books at the Bristol Public Library for the month of May, 2012!
15. Guilty Wives
by James Patterson and David Ellis continues Patterson’s run on our most
requested author list. This is a
non-series book about a group of women who are given a luxury, nothing off
limits vacation to do whatever they please.
It seems almost too good to be true—and of course it is.
14. Wicked
Business: A Lizzy and Diesel Novel
by Janet Evanovich is the sequel to Wicked Appetites. When a university
professor is murdered, Lizzy and Diesel find themselves hot on the trail of the
next magical stone, this one is supposedly infused with the power of lust. Needless to say, Diesel’s evil cousin Gerwulf Grimoire is also on
the trail, but he may be tracking more than just the stone. This book will be
published June 19.
13. Robert B. Parker’s Lullaby: A Spenser Novel by Ace Adkins has earned
a number of good reviews, which isn’t always the case when one author seeks to
continue another’s work. Adkins was
praised not only for his characterizations but for keeping the rhythms of
Parker’s writing.
12. Gypped by Carol Higgins Clark has PI Regan Reilly
is back in California where her husband is attending a conference. Her plans to reconnect with friends and relax
take a twist when one old friend suspects she’s being scammed and Regan finds
herself in another investigation.
11. Fifty Shades Darker by E.L. James is the middle
book of the now notorious “Fifty Shades” trilogy. In case you’ve been avoiding the news lately,
this series has been dubbed “mommy porn” by reporters in recognition of the
erotic elements of the books and their appeal to women, mostly age 30 plus.
10. Defending Jacob by William Landay is one part
legal thriller and one part family drama.
An assistant DA is shocked when his own teenage son is accused in the
death of a classmate. As he struggles to
clear his son’s name, it becomes clear that there are family secrets involved—and
a betrayal of trust that may rip the family apart.
9. Unwritten Laws is the new Greg Iles thriller, but it’s now
scheduled to be published in December 2012.
8. Fifty Shades Freed by E. L. James is the third in
the “Fifty Shades” series.
7. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail
by Cheryl Strayed is the riveting and inspiring true story of a woman in
crisis, due in no small part to a series of bad decisions on her part. In an effort to straighten out her life, she embarked
on a 2600 mile trek that crosses the Sierra Nevada and Cascade ranges.
6. The Last Boyfriend by Nora Roberts is the second
in the “Inn BoonsBoro” trilogy which follows the life and loves of three
brothers who set out to restore an old inn to its former glory. Oh, and there’s a ghost!
5. Unnatural Acts by Stuart Woods is the latest Stone
Barrington adventure which involves the wayward son of a hedge fund
billionaire.
4. Stolen Prey by John Sandford has Lucas Davenport
called in to investigate when an entire family is found brutally murdered. This is the 22nd book in the
series, and Sandford shows no signs of flagging.
3. The Shoemaker’s Wife by Adriana Trigiani is based
on her grandparents’ courtship and is set in both Italy and New York. Our director just finished reading it and he
says it has a rich backdrop that includes the world of opera when Enrico Caruso
reigned supreme.
2. Fifty Shades of
Grey by E. L. James is the one that started all the fuss!
And the number one reserve book is:
Deadlocked: A Southern Vampire Mystery, the penultimate
Sookie Stackhouse book, if Charlaine Harris sticks to her plans. It appears that she intends to, as she is
wrapping up some storylines in this one.
