...And I'm Spent: The Conclusion of My Fifty Shades Adventure

"I want your world to begin and end with me"

What a perfect series to write about on Valentine's Day! But..can I just say how happy I am that this series is over. By the end of the 3rd book I honestly couldn't read fast enough!
In this last book, I really started to hate Christian. In the beginning he just seemed like your typical controlling business man but by the 3rd book he has gone full "American Psycho" on us. He wants Ana's world to begin and end with him and that does not sit well with me. Maybe it's my cynicism about love but I feel like that wouldn't be the healthiest thing. In relationships don't you need a little space sometimes? A little alone time? No one can be around someone else 24/7 and not get a little antsy. Sometimes space is good to regroup and get your thoughts together. You also don't want to turn into a person who's thoughts and ideas are all constructed based upon another person. That looks like losing oneself to me and that is pretty scary. Sadly, Ana began loosing herself around the 2nd book. I'm happy that in this book she stood up to Christian a little more. Granted he fucked up...more than once!

You would think by the 3rd book, Christian's insecurities would diminish a bit but sadly they are in full swing. He's insecure about Ana not changing her last name, turns mad when Leila visits Ana at her office, and goes completely psycho at the announcement of the baby. This had to be the moment when I hated Christian the most. 1. He assumed that Ana did this on purpose when it's clear that she was upset about the pregnancy as well 2. He ran back to his ex and got drunk with her. That's definitely not the way to handle the news of an unexpected pregnancy. If my HUSBAND reacted like that I'd be livid. That is a complete breach of trust no matter which way you look at it. I'm glad that Christian realized that he fucked up royally. It's too bad that it took Ana getting beat up and landing in the hospital for him to realize that.


I would give the series as a whole 4/5 stars. It's not profound literature but it's the first erotica series I made it through and as absurd as it was, it did what it was supposed to do; it excited me, angered me, and made me swoon all at the same time. This series is so much more than just erotica. It seems that many people only focus on the erotica, but as the series went on the erotica became less and less and just focused on the life and love of Christian and Anastasia. This is the exaggerated telling of love in the 21st century. It's romantic love mixed with angry love, jealous love, insecure love, and sexual love. Our "hero" is as insecure as a 5 year old boy and our "damsel" is by no means in distress. Living in a world where women are more powerful than ever and communication is lost is translation, I can truly appreciate this tale of flawed love.

Happy Valentine's Day!

S.

January Wrap-Up!

Well it's the end of January. The first month of my challenge is over. I only read 5 books this month. (I'm counting Fifty Shades Darker as part of my January reads because I finished the biggest chunk of it in January). Coming out of this month I learned that I need to pick up my reading pace. To complete my goal of 100 books I need to read at least 8.33333 books each month. At this rate I am 3 books behind! 

Books Read in January

Lone Survivor

Life After Life

Carrie

Fifty Shades of Grey

Fifty Shades Darker

Here We Go Again: My Second Encounter with Mr. Grey

"I'm a sadist"

As we all know Fifty Shades Darker is the second installment in the Fifty Shades Trilogy. After reading the first one, Fifty Shades of Grey, I really didn't know what to expect from this book. Usually the first book sets everything up and is exciting because everything we are being exposed to is new, and then we get to the second book and it's like..okay..what now? In this book we get the continuation of the erotic love story between Mr. Christian Grey and Anastasia Steel. I feel like I don't know what to say about this installment. I was taken aback by the first book but this second book was just okay. Nothing spectacular for me to marvel at. I've heard the third book is people's favorite book so I'm interested to see what's next for the married couple. 

I had a couple issues with this book but at the same time there were things I really liked. I really thought this second book did a great job at portraying the modern day Prince Charming. For girls, Prince Charming is this perfect guy who is supposed to ride up on a white stallion and sweep you off your feet. Granted, Christian does sweep Ana off her feet but there is no white stallion and their are actual flaws. In today's world, even the most "perfect" guy has insecurities which I can respect. I like that even though Grey is this super sexy, multi-billion dollar mogul he still has deep seeded issues that shine through. He is a real man with a flaw, a sadistic flaw, but a flaw none the less. I can see why so many women have fallen in love with him. Ana even has her own insecurities and even though her and Grey have gone through very different life experiences they both do not feel good enough for each other. These are realistic insecurities that come up in relationships. I must say, I thought Grey's official wedding proposal was beautiful. "You have my heart, and here are the flowers". I even shed a tear, and I am not a book or movie crier. 

The only thing I didn't like about the book was around page 200 when I feel that Ana loses her independence. She allows Grey to order for her without any hesitation. In the first book this would not have been accepted. Her independence rears it's head up every now and then but by the end of the book she has given herself completely to Grey. I don't know, maybe this is how "can't live without each other love" is supposed to go! I'm also a little disturbed by how quickly this relationship evolved. From a chance meeting to marriage in the span of a month. The magic of books and movies. I will let this slide for the time being. 

I'm interested to see how the series ends, but I think I need a break from Mr. Christian Grey, but not to long of a break. Until next time..

S.

The 50 shades of Mr. Grey

A quote from Tess of the d'Urbervilles used in Fifty Shades of Grey: "I agree to the conditions, Angel; because you know best what my punishment ought to be; only--only--don't make it more than I can bear!"

I'm a hundred and thirty pages into Fifty Shades Darker and I realize I should probably get all my thoughts out about Fifty Shades of Grey before I go deeper into the broodish world of Mr. Christian Grey.

I've had these books for at least a year but could never bring myself to read them but I figured I'd give them a chance since I'm trying to read 100 books this year.

First off, I have to say the story is completely absurd BUT wildly entertaining at the same time. I can see why middle aged women love these books. First off I need to talk about Mr. Christian Grey himself. Can we say CREEPY? If someone thinks it's sweet that a man that you don't know tracks your phone and knows your address without you telling him then you might need to seek a little help. I found him to be quiet creepy and way too controlling for most of the book, but then he goes and writes that beautiful letter to Ana actually expressing his feelings. If I could find a man who was actually able to opening and honestly speak about his feelings I would be more than ecstatic. Granted, he is still a pretty fucked up character. His control issues go beyond anything I have ever seen before and I need to find out why.

This book really made me want to learn more about Dom/Sub relationships. Real Dom/Sub relationships! Not this "oh I want a Dom/Sub relationship with all these rules BUT I'm still going to sleep in a bed with you even though I don't "sleep" with anyone and I'm still going to do things for you that I've never done for anyone else" kind of Dom/Sub relationship! It confused me to no extent when Grey states that he wants a Dom/Sub relationship only on the weekends but still needs to be in contact with Ana 24/7. That sounds like a relationship to me. This is why I need to talk to a real Submissive or Dominant! I would have so many questions like.... Is this a weekend thing or an entire lifestyle? If it is just a weekend thing, what do you do on a day when you not being a Submissive? Do traits from you submissive or dominant lifestyle ever spill over into your "regular" lifestyle? I am so fascinated by this whole idea! If a Dom or Sub ever runs across my blog please comment!!!

Lastly, I found this article on Twitter: How to be Well-Read. It's Book Riots list of 100 books that would make someone a "well-read" person. Ironically, Fifty Shades of Grey made it onto the list. The list includes selections like Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, The DaVinci Code, & Invisible Man (One of my favorite books). A lot of people were not happy that Fifty Shades of Grey actually made it onto the list, but I can clearly see why it did. Let me explain. The newest generation is one of pop culture, technology, and sexual liberation. It only makes sense that a book about power and sex would make it onto this list. Having a book deemed "erotica" make it on the New York Times Bestseller list and stay there, it's #3 as we speak, is an amazing accomplishment. The success of this book speaks to how sexually free this new generation is. We've brought kinky BDSM sex to the forefront of pop culture and made it A-okay! Not to mention in about a year we will have a feature film starring Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson. That is a big accomplishment so I have to say congrats to Miss E.L. James!

Like I stated earlier, I'm too far in to give up now. I'm moving on to the second book! Posts coming soon!

S.

Don't Fuck With Carrie White!

"I just want them to know me"

Carrie, written by Stephen King, is the horrifying novel about Carrie White. A regular high school student with a not so regular power. Carrie has TK or telekinesis, which means she can control things with the power of just her mind (I would love a power like this). Surrounded by an overtly religious mother, and her peers, who attempt to make her life hell, Carrie is what happens when you push someone too far.

As book-nerdy as I am this is surprisingly my first Stephen King novel. It's ironic that it's also the first novel he ever wrote. Not bad! When I was younger I really tried to give Stephen King a chance. I remember checking out The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon from the library but for some reason I just couldn't get into it like I wanted to. Maybe it was because I was young,who knows. Putting my failed attempts aside, I thought I'd give the horror "King" another go, and I'm happy I did. I thought Carrie was a great piece of fiction that has obviously stood the test of time. By taking a regular girl and subjecting her to almost typical high school bullying Carrie combines creepiness with just enough humanity.

In a world where bullying has gotten much worse, is it wrong to see the bullied get justice? Granted, Carrie didn't have to destroy an entire town, killing many "innocent" people, but it almost poses the questions, how much is a person supposed to take before they fight back and is anyone really "innocent" in this novel?  For a girl, getting your period for the first time is a horrifying experience in itself but to share that experience with a bunch of nasty girls who throw tampons and sanitary napkins at you while making you the butt of a joke, that can be life shattering. Then...PROM! Prom is supposed to be one of the "best nights of your life" for a teenage girl, but then to get asked to prom by the star quarterback just to get a bucket of pigs blood dumped all over your dress, that is soul crushing and humiliating. Two big events in a girls life... ruined by blood! 

Can we just talk about Carrie's mom for one second? She continuously claimed that Carrie was possessed by the devil, but in my opinion, the mom was definitely overcome with something ungodly! That kind of over zealous religion scares the living daylights out of me. Carrie was just as much a victim of the bullies as she was of her mother's crazy religious views. The mother was probably the creepiest part of the novel. 

If Stephen King's work only gets better from here, I can't wait to see what his books, Pet Sematary, The Shining, Misery, & 11/22/63  are all about. Look out for reviews for these novels later in the challenge!

S.

Life After Life??

"What if you could live your life over and over again until you got it right?" 

Named the Best Book of 2013 by Time Magazine. 

*Review contains spoilers

The Butterfly Effect meets Jane Austen!

I honestly don't even know what to say about this book, except that it was one of the most confusing books I have ever read. Sadly, I'm not sure if it was confusing because my brain could not wrap itself around the concept or it's just a genuinely confusing piece of fiction.

Life After Life follows a woman named Ursela as she relives her life over and over again. Each time something a little different happens.Circumstances change, people change, people die, people don't die. It's a mixture of different life outcomes all shrouded by WWII.

Now, Life After Life  is a pretty lengthly book and it took me about 200 pages to grasp even the slightest bit of what was going on. On one page Ursula is drowning in the ocean and things go dark. Then on the next  page she is getting saved by some guy who was paining at the beach. This sort of thing happens numerous times. I started to think, maybe she isn't dying? But then there is a scene where she clearly jumps out of a window...and dies. The next thing you know she didn't jump out of the window, she "hesitated", the book claims. Confusing!!! When I finally did catch on to the way her life was working, things changed again. As confusing as the book was, I really did appreciate one scene that caused a 200 page chain reaction. On Ursela's 16th birthday, she gets her first kiss. This single kiss leads to her rape, an abortion, and marrying a man who tries to kill her. Two-hundred pages later, we revisit that same 16th birthday scene and she does not allow that kiss to happen, therefore  she is not subjected to rape and doesn't end up with her crazy abusive husband. She is able to go back to school and live a happier life. Granted, we return to that 16th birthday scene multiple times and she still dies in the end, but it goes to show you the power of how changing one little detail can affect your entire life. Sadly for us, we only get to live our lives once. 

Even though I could appreciate some chain reactions, I really didn't appreciate how we never find out why or how this whole weird circumstance is taking place. Ursula goes to a psychiatrist who tells her about reincarnation but as we all know, in reincarnation people come back as different things or different people. In Ursula's case she always comes back as herself, with the same social circumstances, while only certain events are changing. So this could be a twisted form of reincarnation which in that case Kate Atkinson is one clever bitch! I just wish I knew more as to why this was happening. Was Ursula born with some kind of birth defect that causes her to repeat her life over and over again until she gets it right? But that also makes you think, how do we ever know when it's "right?"

S.

Thank You Marcus Luttrell

"Anything in life worth doing is worth overdoing"

When I started this challenge on January 1st, I was actually planning on reading a book called "You'll Get Through This" which probably would've been a great book but I don't think I was in the right mindset to read it. So I picked up this book instead. Even though it was my second choice, Lone Survivor is one of the best books I've ever read. Lone Survivor is filled with action, adventure, and a true heartfelt essence that cannot be duplicated. This is actually the first book I've read about the U.S Armed Forces and I was not disappointed. 

Lone Survivor is the true life account of Marcus Luttrell, Seal Team 10, and the failed mission of Operation Red Wing. When I started this book I had actually already seen the movie and being the book nerd I am, I usually like to read the book before I see the movie but after watching the movie I knew there had to be more to the story. Boy was I right! Marcus describes his team and the men who serve our country as Navy Seals with praise and compassion. In great detail he describes just what it takes to be a Navy Seal, the actual mission, and the aftermath. His book gave us an amazing insight into the lives of Navy Seals and what they go through on a daily basis. 

If you want to see the astounding book translated onto the big screen, go watch the movie of the same name Lone Survivor starring Mark Wahlberg, Ben Foster, Taylor Kitsch, and Emile Hirsch. Since it was in limited release at ArcLight Hollywood on Christmas day, I was able to go see it before it's wide release last weekend. I have to say that this film was one of the best films I saw in 2013. Grantland's Bill Simmons says it's "The most extraordinary war film since Saving Private Ryan". Granted I haven't seen Saving Private Ryan in quite sometime but I do agree that that is an extraordinary movie, but Lone Survivor is a mix of action and heart that speaks to the general audience while placing the war in present day reality.  If you've never experienced war, which most of us haven't, you can still appreciate this film as more than just an action movie. All 4 guys did an amazing job portraying the terrifying idea that is war. I must say this though, obviously the movie was made for the American public. What I mean by that is this. The movie was great, the pace was great, and the action was amazing but the book is almost completely different, but surprisingly I am okay with that. Movie magic lightens the original story but the heroism is still there. 

If you haven't read the book, READ IT! If you haven't watched the movie, WATCH IT! You will not be disappointed by either. 

Lastly, I want to give a big THANK YOU to Marcus Luttrell, the men we lost on that day, and all the men who fight for our country. I never knew the politics behind war but thanks to you, now i do. 

-S