Thursday, August 9, 2012

Guest Post: A Review of The Surgeons Wife by William H Coles


See? Adorable.
Here is a review from my friend Jaymie. I'm hoping she enjoyed reviewing an adult book, because at Snacks for Max  she reviews kids books (and shares pictures of her adorable son.) 






SUMMARY:
(From Amazon – and the back of the book)

Mike Boudreaux, as a trauma surgeon Chief of Service, must discipline an impaired surgeon performing unnecessary and dangerous surgery for the obese. He is Boudreaux's former teacher and mentor, and Boudreaux falls in love with his young, beautiful, New-Orleans-socially-prominent wife.

Boudreaux cannot hide the adulterous affair that erodes his career authority and reputation. Family and society reject the woman he loves unconditionally; when she moves in with Boudreaux, her rebellious daughter disappears.

As Boudreaux tries to retrieve and convince the daughter to support her mother, the jealous husband's surgical career declines; a young patient dies; the public is outraged. The crazed husband blames his wife and Boudreaux for his decline and threatens violent revenge. The couple plans marriage and strains to regain pride and confidence amidst the hostility of accusatory taunts of friends, family and society.

REVIEW:
Coles is a good writer – especially as he’s describing hospital scenes and setting the reader up to understand complex medical and political issues. I am by no means even an intermediate in these areas, and I think I had a pretty good grasp of what was going on in the book.
My mental love affair with Patrick Dempsey, wherein I watch Grey’s Anatomy religiously and pretend I’m Dempsey’s love interest, probably helped with that understanding.

However, I had a couple of big problems with The Surgeon’s Wife:
The main character, Mike Boudreaux, and his mentor’s wife have a buddy-buddy, friend-of-the-family type relationship throughout the first 17 chapters of the book. Then, right in the middle of the book, she’s all of a sudden in love with him.
It’s not clear whether he loves her back at this point or is just as suddenly in lust, but it only takes the good doctor a day or two to decide Catherine, who he sees every once in a while at hospital events and sometimes a friendly dinner, is more important than his mentor, with whom he interacts every day.

Apparently Boudreaux doesn’t subscribe to the bromantic “Bros before ‘hos” adage.

I know readers are asked to suspend reality in most books, but at least lead me into the love story gently!
What I took to be the main thrust of the book – hospital ethics and mores – is all of a sudden dropped once the affair gets going. WHAT?!

That’s the part I was invested in, not this surprise love between Boudreaux and his mentor’s wife (okay, not surprising factually, since it’s the indication of the title and introduced on the back of the book, but surprising because their feelings for each other are apparently too well hidden in the first half of the book).

VERDICT:
If the entire book had concentrated on the surgery for the obese, rather than straying away from this important issue once the adulterous relationship emerged, I would have loved it. Coles could have axed most of the “rebellious daughter” storyline and added more about the professional angle of the story.

As it is? I’m not a huge fan.

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Book Review: We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

Summary:
We Need to Talk About Kevin is a dramatic telling of how a tragedy came to be.

After her 15 year-old-son massacres his fellow classmates at school, Eva Katchadourian is left with only her memories of her son and her internal struggle. Nature versus nurture takes a spotlight in this dark novel.

After years of a very happy marriage, Eva and her husband Franklin, in a slow and almost grueling process, decide to get pregnant with a child. While Franklin bursts with excitement at the joyous prospects of being a father, which would only befit the American Dream he so desires, Eva only feels anxious. Can she be a mother? A mother who can fit perfectly inside her husband's dream?

As soon as Kevin is born, Eva senses something is off about her son. He refuses to be potty-trained, has no favorite toys, games, or books, and is increasingly antagonistic towards his mother. He portrays a perfect son persona toward his father. As he grows, his increasingly sardonic attitude only irritates and frightens Eva more, while Franklin refuses to see anything wrong with his son and his world.

Review:
We Need to Talk About Kevin was recommended to me by a coworker and friend. I had initially seen a trailer for the movie of the same title a few months ago, and I was instantly intrigued. While Tilda Swinton kind of scares me (because she has no eyebrows and looks like Conan O'Brien) and John C. Reilly annoys me more often than not, this movie looked right up my alley.

See? No eyebrows. And only Conan can pull off the Conan look.

I adore suspense, thriller, and horror movies. So imagine my delight when I was told it was a book.

It was kind of like this.

As soon as I got the book I started reading it- and it was slow. Shriver is so wordy. It gets distracting. Why can't the blue chaise lounge just be a chair? Is it really necessary to describe the exact feeling of the wind on that autumn day and every vein in that leaf? I've seen a leaf. Trust me. It felt more like Shriver was trying to impress me with his her huge vocabulary.

Freud would probably have a lot to say about that.

Apparently Shriver is a chick, so there goes my Freud joke.

I was about 80 pages in before I started getting into what I really wanted to know.

After that, I couldn't stop reading. I read majority of the book in three days. The story is simply so engaging, and when you're done, you can't stop thinking about it. For a large part of it, I became afraid of having children.

So don't read this if you want them.

Just kidding....

Not really....

I really disliked the ending, but only because I disagreed with the choices of Eva, not because it ended with huge plot holes or anything. I ended up calling my friend who suggested it and we spent a decent amount of time talking about the book. And I'm hoping she chooses it for book club so I don't have to read another book can talk about it more.

This book really lets you see horrific incidents from the perspective of those usually condemned- the family of the suspects. It also demands that you think of the realities and pressures of motherhood, and nature versus nurture. Are children who they are because of how they were raised, or do they turn out exactly how they were meant to?

Verdict
Read this book. If you love thrillers and suspense, read. This. Book. It may scare you for a bit, but I think that is simply a mark of how good of a writer Shriver is.

I also want to say that if anybody is emotionally reeling from any of the recent attacks in Aurora, Wisconsin, or any other attacks, please do not read this book. It will probably be very painful.


Thursday, July 26, 2012

If I Win, I'll Have a Song and Dance A La Hugh Jackman.

No big. Nominated for an award. Be jealous.

OK it's not really that big of a deal. I'm just pretending I'm accepting an Emmy or Oscar nomination.

My dear blogger buddy Jaymie at Snacks for Max  has nominated for to a Liebster Blog Award.

This is exactly what I love about blogging communities- they are really supportive of one another.

A Liebster Blog Award is given to bloggers by bloggers. It is a way to acknowledge each other and say "you're doing a great job." Is is for blogs with 200 or less followers, so it's also a great way to spread the word about smaller blogs and get them more readers and followers! When you receive the award, you post 11 random facts about yourself and answer 11 questions from the person(s) who nominated you. You pass the Award onto 11 other blogs (make sure you tell them you nominated them!) and ask them 11 questions. You're not allowed to nominate the blog(s) who nominated you!

So heeeeere we go.

11 Random Facts About Moi:

1) I have a strange obsession with the Tudors- I'll pretty much read or watch anything that has to do with Henry VIII, his wives, his kids, or his other distant relatives (in-laws, etc.)
2) I own books I've never read. I'll get to them eventually... 
3) I kind of like it that my fiance isn't a bookworm. He has his video games and other nerdy endeavors, so I read while he does that.
4) I own over 400 movies. Be jealous.
5) When I was in elementary school, I couldn't read to save my life. I had to go to extra classes and take home extra reading assignments.
6) I don't have a favorite author or even a favorite book. Granted, I have entire pages of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone memorized, but that's because it's the oldest book I own. I just like so many books, it's impossible to pick a favorite.
7) I hate when people misuse the word "literally." (link may offend.) "In 2007, Eclipse literally landed around the world and fans made the Twilight Saga a worldwide phenomenon!" <- I'm pretty sure Stephanie Meyer wrote this (which is from her website.) I'm simply picturing books flying of their own accord and then landing in bookstores. 
8) In the last episode of Dr. Who that David Tennant was in, I cried the entire time.
9) I love words. And when I'm upset, I don't yell. I use words like "indefatigable" & "androgynous."
10) I'm considering speaking with a British accent to my children for the first 7-10 years of their lives so they grow up with an adorable British accent.
11) I love scary movies. I love the terrifying ones as well as the really bad ones.

Questions from my Nominee-er 


1) How long have you been blogging? 
This is really the most consistent blog I've had, and I've had it for about 2 months. But I've had a few blogs here and there for over a year.
2) What is your goal with your blog?
I want people to send me free books to review! Okay not really. (Although I wouldn't say no...) I figured I like to tell people about books any way, so I may as well tell as many people as I can.
3) What topic has brought the most traffic to your blog?
My review/thoughts on Fifty Shades of Grey. That was also the most fun blog to write.
4) What was the best book you read last month?
Um.... I honestly can't think of exactly what I read in June.... I started a lot of books.... I'm going to say Before I Go To Sleep, even though it wasn't last month.
5) Did you have a diary/journal growing up? Where did you hide it?
Yes I did, and I still do. And I don't know where I hid it. Usually just next to my bed.
6) What's your favorite someecard?
These ones!






7) What singer would star in the soundtrack of your life?
Probably Queen. I know, it's a band. Whatever. I cheated.
8) What's your favorite reality show? Why that one?
Erm.... I dunno.... I don't really watch reality shows. I guess Say Yes to the Dress- cause I judge them. I judge all of them.
9) What's your go-to bridal shower or baby shower gift?
Honestly haven't been to too many of either. Books though. One can never have too many books.
10) What cartoon character would you be?
Disney- Belle. Cause I want her library. Not Disney- Leela (Futurama) cause I want her wrist thingy.
11) Who do you retweet the most?
I honestly don't know. Kind of whoever amuses me the most.

I'm going to be a horrible person and not nominate any blogs, because I don't really know of too many blogs with under 200 followers. And all the ones I do know have already been nominated, and they really shouldn't have to do this 30 times.


Any way, this was a ton of fun! Any excuse to talk about myself is always good.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Review: Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson

Summary


I'm going to go ahead and admit that I cannot summarize this book effectively, so here is the description of Before I Go to Sleep courtesy of our uber friend, Amazon.


Memories define us.So what if you lost yours every time you went to sleep?
Your name, your identity, your past, even the people you love—all forgotten overnight. And the one person you trust may be telling you only half the story.
Welcome to Christine’s life.

Everybody I've told about this book goes "Oh, so it's Fifty First Dates?" 

No.

It is not.

Let's move on.


Review

Before I Go to Sleep is without a doubt amazing. I was only ten pages into it when I decided this. S.J. Watson sucks you in and it is impossible to get out. Not that you want to get out.

The book begins with Christine waking up, assuming she is in her twenties and accidentally slept with a married man. She goes to the bathroom to wash up and is scared terrified to find that she has somehow aged 20+ years overnight. (Wouldn't that make an awesome sci-fi book?) Pictures around the mirror clearly show her with the man she woke up next to, but she is younger in the images. The man she woke up next to explains that he is her husband and that she was in a car accident and the brain trauma causes her to lose her memory every night when she goes to sleep. (Oh now I get the title!)

(Just kidding.) 

The best part about this book is that it is told from first-person perspective. Christine writes in a journal every day, and that's how the story progresses. You are Christine. This is sometimes terrifying. Now it may have been because I had an ear infection and spent the entire day really dizzy, but this almost made me paranoid. I sat around, my head spinning (partially because of the book,) thinking holy crap, what did I do yesterday? Am I remembering a memory or did Jeff tell me about that yesterday? Oh dear Lord I'm unhealthy. I have a tumor. I had an accident. I'm never leaving my couch. 

With every new revelation Christine made, my mouth would drop open. The book is so full of M. Night Shyamalan moments  twists, you are kept on the edge of your seat the entire length of the book.

Before I Go to Sleep was incredibly well-written. I was surprised to discover that S.J. Watson was a man- because the novel was told from a woman's point of view, I expected a woman to have written it. Watson is able to accurately portray Christine's emotions very well, from fear to love to excitement. 

The ending of the book was great. It left you thinking well after finishing the book. I enjoyed it particularly because I'm a fan of Christopher Nolan movie endings. I'll leave it at that, though. 

Verdict

Check this book out. I'm happy I have it on my Nook- it's mine forever. 

Although I'm probably not going to read it when I feel sick again. 


Tuesday, July 10, 2012

The Issue with Authors

OK, so maybe it's not the author's fault I'm an obsessive reader. How was he to know that I would fall completely in love with his book? Could he have possibly predicted that the manner in which I devoured page after page was akin to a man dying of thirst in the dessert and finding the sweet relief of an oasis? Was it his duty to make sure I read the book slowly, savoring it?

The true problem here is me. I love books. And when I love a book, I stay awake until the wee hours of the night/morning, reading as much as my dry and sore eyes will allow. And when I finish one book, I find other books by the author, and devour those in much the same manner.
Me, except with books instead of booze. 

Occasionally I will try to force myself to slow down. If I know the book is the last or second-to-last in a series, I try not to read the whole thing in a day. Sometimes I miserably fail. For example: When I was in 9th-ish grade, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince came out. I was enthralled. I remember getting the book- I demanded my mom take me to Barnes and Noble, where I had pre-ordered it as soon as humanly possible. I got it at around 11 in the morning, and as soon as we got in the car, I opened the book.

I read the entire book in a single day. That's 652 pages.

I think I ate dinner.

At one point near the end of the book, I was seriously confused about what was happening. Characters were talking about scenes I had no clue happened. So I flipped back through the book, and realized, to my horror, that I had somehow skipped an entire chapter.

It was at that moment my older brother told me I should slow down.

But I didn't. I simple read that chapter, and finished the book.

(Side note: I feel no shame in remembering every last detail of that day. I loved that book.)

So the problem today? I made the mistake of reading The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. I sobbed like a toddler who had just been told Mickey Mouse was no longer going to be on TV. I absolutely loved the book, and as soon as I finished it, I read it again. Then I moved on to A Thousand Splendid Suns. And I loved that one just as much.

And now, there are no more books. I have checked up on Khaled Hosseini multiple times, and I've never found anything about books he's working on or any that will be published soon. And it kind of breaks my heart.

Two books is not nearly enough to satisfy me. I need more of his writing.

So to deal, I read A Thousand Splendid Suns and The Kite Runner multiple times a year. My copies of both are kind of beat up, and I'll probably have to replace them in a few years.

But really, it's all Khaled Hosseini's fault.

Him and his amazing books.

Friday, July 6, 2012

Review: Arise, O Pheonix by Lisa K. Drucker

Summary
Arise, O Phoenix depicts the tragic romance between journalist Josselyn Jeffrey and G.I./Military man Cameron Burke. The story begins on the morning of September 11, 2001- Josselyn is near the Twin Towers while Burke is running late for a meeting at the Pentagon. After the attacks, Josselyn and Burke are both reeling, re-evaluating their lives and choices to be without their true loves.

The story turns back in time to when Josselyn, a young war correspondent looking for her first big story, is in Vietnam to interview a soldier for her story, The Life of a G.I. Burke and Josselyn meet for the first time, and their lives are changed irrevocably. For the limited amount of time they are together in Vietnam, Josselyn and Burke are passionately in love. But the lives of a journalist and a G.I. in Vietnam are never predictable. Before they know it, Josselyn and Burke must leave one another. Amid promises of never-ending love, Josselyn must head home to attend to her dying mother, while Burke is sent on more missions.

As years pass, Josselyn and Burke are kept apart. First by distance, then by more wars, marriage, children, and obligations. Never forgetting their passion for one another, both Josselyn and Burke try to continue leading their lives as if they had not met. However, a love like their's was never capable of fading.

Review
Arise, O Phoenix started out with instant action. The terrorist attacks of 9/11 made many Americans realize just how fragile life is, and Josselyn and Burke were no exceptions. These attacks made both Josselyn and Burke re-evaluate life and love. I enjoyed the way the love story was told, from beginning to end. While Drucker could have had the characters reminiscing about their loves from a present-day perspective, it was much easier and more pleasant to follow as they fell in love with one another.

Drucker is a very good writer. Although the characters aged about 40 years within the book, she never once had them acting or speaking out of their age ranges. A pet peeve of mine is when writers would rather tell you what happened, as opposed to show you what happened. Drucker did a fabulous job of keeping the reader in the story, walking through the jungles of Vietnam and sitting down to coffee in New York.

One complaint about Arise, O Phoenix was the sheer amount of love in the book, which almost completely sucked the realism out of it. While I can deal with the main characters deciding they were passionately in love after literally a minute of knowing each other (Josselyn immediately started referring to Burke as darling, which is also my least favorite term of endearment,) I cannot buy it happening more than once in the book. Perhaps the issue was that time was never marked in the book. When Burke met his wife Patricia, she declared she loved him seemingly within days. Then he proposed seemingly a few days later. If a mention of a few months had been thrown in there, I wouldn't have been so irritated.

My second qualm about falling in love so quickly was that years later, when Burke saw Josselyn again, he mentioned that he knew she was a bad liar. This would indicate that he knew her fairly well, therefore for a fairly longer amount of time than one week. I just couldn't get over someone deciding they were so intensely in love after just a few minutes of meeting. It took the realism out of it. Also, I think part of the fun of reading a romance novel is falling in love with the characters.

Oh well.

Verdict
Overall, I would say this was a decent read. Drucker is a very talented writer, and in a few years after honing her skills, I can see her writing a book I can't put down. I would recommend this book to anybody who loves being in love, and doesn't mind some tragedy along the way. For those who love tragic romances.





Monday, July 2, 2012

An Intelligent Obsession- I'm Getting a New Book

As you may remember from my past posts, I love anything and everything related to King Henry VIII & the Tudors. I justify my obsession by reminding others that it is an intelligent obsession- I enjoy thinking about the history and the true stories, as opposed to being obsessed with.... I dunno.... ceramic cats.

So to feed my obsession, I've liked a lot of Facebook pages about the Tudors. I know the Tudor story- They met, they married, they divorced, they met, they married, one was beheaded.... It's always going to be that story. But what I truly love are the people. Henry and Katherine and Anne and Jane and Anne and Katherine and Katherine (he clearly had a thing for Katherines.) I love getting different perspectives on the personalities and truths behind the people. And these Facebook pages provide so many different perspectives.



The page The Tudor Enthusiast recently held a competition- tell the page why you love the Tudors, and you can win a copy of Sister Queens. Of course I enthused about the family I love the most, and I ended up winning!

The Sister Queens is about Katherine of Aragon and her sister, Juana of Castile. I'm really excited because so many of the books I've read are about the marriages after Katherine. But Katherine was an amazing woman. While Henry was fighting the French, Katherine took an army to the England border and defeated the Scots. Of course, she's remembered as the jilted woman, the pious woman, the noble woman. And she was. But she was so much more than that. So many of her amazing feats are completely forgotten because of Anne (don't get me wrong, I love Anne) and Henry. I am so excited to learn more about Katherine.

Juana of Castile is remembered as the "Mad Queen." I don't know much about her, besides that she had her throne taken from her twice- once by her husband, then by her son (the future Holy Roman Emperor Charles.) Keep in mind that she was the blood daughter of Isabella of Castile, and she should have remained queen because of her direct relation.

Almost proud that I knew all of that ^ without looking at Wikipedia.

Needless to say, I am really excited to read this book. Once I finish it, I will have a review up. In the meantime, I'm reading Pleasure Palace. That one will be up shortly as well.

I bid you adieu.

Friday, June 29, 2012

Review: The Emerson Gospel by Robbyn Burger

Summary
The Emerson Gospel is the story of a young woman from New York and the lessons she learns about life, family, and battling your demons.

Haley Emerson is the daughter of a strained marriage between famous country crooner Ray Emerson and his religious & abused wife.  Together with her two sisters, Kendall and Jenny, and her brother Robert, Haley has seen her father womanize, battle addiction and alcoholism, and end up divorced. Family gatherings were always arduous; Kendall and their mother were always willing to give their father a second chance, whereas Jenny and Haley were less tolerant.

To escape her family and the lives they've chosen, Haley moves to New York City to works at a successful brokerage firm. In New York, the good times, booze, and money never cease to roll in. Haley visits her family on Thanksgiving and Christmas out of loyalty.

The story begins on Christmas of 1997. Haley is at home in Tennessee, going through the motions of family obligation. We are introduced to each member of the Emerson family and learn of what a black sheep Haley is. She returns to New York where she meets and starts dating Alex, a successful attorney. Haley is used to the party scene, drinking to excess and recreationally using drugs. Even though she has seen how drugs and alcohol have torn her family apart, Haley denies any issues. We see the lives and personal issues the other Emerson children have, including abuse and uncertainty. As the year goes on, Haley must admit to and confront her demons, or risk turning out exactly like her father.

Review
The Emerson Gospel is not a traditional story. There is no typical mustache-twirling villain. Instead, you find yourself hoping Haley is able to recognize what is staring her in the face and overcome her ego to get help. Even her womanizing and abusive father redeems himself. We never see the side of him Haley describes seeing as a child. Instead, Ray is recovered and genuinely apologetic, a completely different man from the one described. He tries to help Haley recognize her demons and get help, hoping to avert her from the life he led.

My one complaint about The Emerson Gospel is the amount of time it took to get to Haley's problems. Although there are a few definite instances of alcohol abuse within the first chapters (drunk driving to get away from Alex's sorry excuse for a family,)  the rising action is more of a steady incline. However, a lot was spent learning about more of the characters and their backgrounds.

Verdict
Overall, The Emerson Gospel was a good read. It's not overly involved, and you want to cheer on the characters. I would recommend it to anybody who is into books about learning to accept yourself, battle your demons, and returning to your roots. Like I said, no mustache-twirling villain, so if that's what you're looking for,  you won't find it here.



3 stars 


Friday, June 8, 2012

A Slew of Books: What I'm Reading

  As of today, I am reading three books. And yeah, I'm reading them all at the same time. It's cool, I've got a system worked out for reading.

Seeing as I love the show, I figured I'd read the book. Usually books and TV shows are quite different; sometimes the written word just doesn't translate to the screen very well. This book is not the case. Reading the book is like reading a very detailed script. I'm enjoying it so far (mainly because now I can remember the character's names when watching the show.) It's witty, full of drama, and beautifully written. George R.R. Martin definitely has a talent. I'm only about three hundred pages in, but already I would recommend it to anybody who is into the show.

Appeals To: Fans of GOT Show on HBO; LOTR fans, anybody into Dark Ages type drama.


Arise, O Phoenix is a love story set against the backdrop of 9/11. Josselyn Jeffrey, a newspaper reporter, and Cameron Burke, a Pentagon official, both reexamine their lives after witnessing the horror of 9/11. Josselyn and Cameron both recall their time together and clearly regret their disconnection.

Although I'm not very far in this book, so far it is very touching. Perspective jumps around from character to character, but Lisa Drucker does a good job of showing the emotions of so many different people; a journalist, an almost-victim, a firefighter, a firefighter's wife, and an artist. Lisa has talent, and I'm definitely planning on reviewing this book soon.

Bring Up the Bodies  is a sequel to Wolf Hall. I have a sick obsession with anything relevant to King Henry VIII, especially Anne Boleyn. Once again, I'm not very far in the book, but it's pretty good. It's a strange book, written as half biography and half historical fiction. Although I pretty much know a lot of the facts about Anne Boleyn's rise and fall, I love hearing other people's interpretations of both her and King Henry's character. Some see Anne as a conniving woman, other's as a victim of Henry's obsession with having a male heir (on a side note, I always found it amusingly ironic that his daughter Elizabeth became an incredible monarch, even though he was convinced only a male heir could rule effectively.) This book sees Henry as a boisterous spoiled young adult who is used to getting his way, but is still an effective (if dramatic) monarch. This book covers the three weeks of her trial for treason, adultery, and witchcraft, while Jane Seymour waits to take the crown. The Boleyns must face the numerous enemies they've made at court during Anne's reign. I'm excited about this book because most only cover Anne's rise and reign, and very rarely go into detail about her trial. 

So here are my books. If anybody has any recommendations, leave 'em in the comments!


Tuesday, May 29, 2012

I Jumped on the Bandwagon...

Maybe "jumped" is a bit too judicial. Rather, I contemplated the bandwagon as it passed by.

I flipped through a copy of Fifty Shades of Grey.

This book has been recommended to me. Not just by the instant emails I get from Barnes and Noble telling me to buy the newest, hottest, sexiest, funniest, scariest, most political, most genius, blah blah blah books, but from actual human beings. My first introduction to this was Ellen DeGeneres recording an audio book on her show. Then I found out it was inspired by Twilight (cue group groan.) My co-workers and I sat around discussing its inexplicable popularity. We just couldn't understand it.

So I found a copy, flipped through, and read some passages.

Here's a brief summary of the book from our BFF, Barnes and Noble.


When literature student Anastasia Steele goes to interview young entrepreneur Christian Grey, she encounters a man who is beautiful, brilliant, and intimidating. The unworldly, innocent Ana is startled to realize she wants this man and, despite his enigmatic reserve, finds she is desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana’s quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her, too—but on his own terms.



Shocked yet thrilled by Grey’s singular erotic tastes, Ana hesitates. For all the trappings of success—his multinational businesses, his vast wealth, his loving family—Grey is a man tormented by demons and consumed by the need to control. When the couple embarks on a daring, passionately physical affair, Ana discovers Christian Grey’s secrets and explores her own dark desires.
Erotic, amusing, and deeply moving, the Fifty Shades Trilogy is a tale that will obsess you, possess you, and stay with you forever.



And I STILL don't get it.


I don't understand what sets Fifty Shades apart from every other romance/erotica novel out there. I suppose because it was inspired by Twilight and the main characters in Twilight, women can fantasize about Edward-As-Grey in a more adult fashion than when Edward is a 17 year old. But couldn't you do that with ANY romance novel?

I think the real problem is I cannot enjoy a book when it is poorly written. And let's face it, E.L. James is no Stephen King. She's a Stephanie Meyer. She's a fanfic writer. Not to disparage those who do write fanfic. Hoopla to you for having the huevos to put your writing out there. But to put that in perspective, I could go online, write a story about a flying narwhal who falls in love with a polar bear, and as long as something kinky is added, it's "good."

So what is it that makes Fifty Shades so successful? According to a New York Times review, its some sort of Cinderella Story. I promise you, my children will not be reading that version. Maybe it's that it is something new? Or does Fifty Shades have some story in it that I'm not seeing? The basic equation for a romance novel is female heroine + sexy man (with possible emotional issues) + sex + love. This book is no different.


I'll be clear and tell you exactly what I didn't enjoy about those few passages I read.
1) The names. Can you get any more porn star than Anastasia Steele?
2) The repetition. Within one page, the phrases holy sh** and holy fu$# were used four times.She also says "oh my" more times than you can count. The English language is vast. Please, utilize it. Ex) "He kisses... with cool, cold lips." <- um, they mean the same thing.
3) The weird analogies and descriptions. Ex) "I nod, wide-eyed, my heart bouncing off my ribs, my blood thundering around me body." <- This sounds like she needs to go to a hospital. Blood should never thunder.
4) Her "inner goddess." I'm pretty sure it's her way of saying her inner sex-fiend. But her "inner goddess" is really just a pouting 15 year old.
5) The horrible writing in general. Ex) My subconscious purses her lips and mouths the word 'ho.' <-Try this. Seriously. Go ahead. I'll wait....

Thus was my (thankfully) brief experience with Fifty Shades of Grey. I don't think I'll be attempting to read it anytime soon.

Review: The American Heiress

Summary
The American Heiress is the story of Cora Cash, an entitled, beautiful, charming, and vivacious young woman from New York at the turn of the 19th century. The granddaughter of a man who made his fortune through a flour mill, Cora has the best of the best. As entitled as she is, Cora's mother thinks she is in need of one more thing: a title.

After heading to England at the end of the social season, Cora meets and quickly marries the Duke of Wareham. However, Cora is unprepared for the drastic difference between the New York and English societies. Struggling to be the perfect American Duchess in a society of betrayals, Cora must impress her mother-in-law the Double Duchess and her new husband's colleagues and peers. Cora also has to learn how to handle the secrets her new husband has been keeping from her.

Review
The American Heiress was an intriguing novel at first. I'm always drawn towards historical fiction, especially anything in the Victorian era. I was able to look past the almost tongue-in-cheek name Cora Cash (Really?  Why not just name her Filthy Rich McBimbo?) and enjoy parts of the story. Cora was not my favorite character. She is snobby,  stubborn, and has very few redeeming qualities.
I did enjoy the novel as a quick read. Some of the characters were fun, especially Teddy, Cora's New York man friend (for lack of better term.) Throughout the novel I hoped she would get together with him, as he is clearly in love with her and the best thing that could happen to her. The Duke's secret, which is unraveled bit by bit throughout, kept me reading until the very end (indeed, at some points it was the only thing that kept me reading.) Although it turned out to be somewhat disappointing, it still kept me going.

Verdict
This book is probably not one I would pick up again. If you are interested in reading it, get it from the library. I liked the time period, a few characters, and examining the differences between New York and London society. It was an easy read, but an almost forgettable book.