What I Read Wednesdays: Getting Attached

Have you ever gotten so attached to a character, a book, a series, that when you're done reading you can't pick up another book immediately because you aren't ready to let go? I first had that problem with The Twilight Series. When I finished Breaking Dawn I didn't read anything for a while. Then I read the other books by Stephenie Meyer and I was sated.  I read The Hunger Games even faster than the Twilight books, but I think that is mainly because they're half as long. To get over my attachment to that series I read Divergent, by Veronica Roth. It's a similar book but with better characters and less killing of teenagers. Now I'm hooked on The Fifty Shades Trilogy, in case you hadn't noticed! I haven't been able to read anything else since I started reading Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James.  I'm now almost done reading the entire series for the second time, and I think I've enjoyed it more the second time.

In the first book, you meet the characters and watch them fall in love. In the second book you watch their walls break down and they begin to understand each other and their love. In the third book you get to see their life together unfold. It's so captivating that I can't help but think about the books even after I'm finished reading them.

Last week I went to Florida and we saw a helicopter take off in Orlando, right next to the highway. Immediately I thought of Christian and Ana's first flight in Charlie Tango. Later we went to the beach, passing several large marinas on our way. I thought of Christian's boat, The Grace, and tried to pick out a boat that might be similar. I also notice the yachts off shore, imagining that one of them was the Fair Lady, the boat that Christian and Ana honeymooned on.  I neglected to share my thoughts with my husband because I'm pretty sure he already things I'm a little too obsessed with these books. I enjoyed keeping it to myself - almost like a fond memory that only I was privy to.

I have about 100 pages left of Fifty Shades Freed, and I have no idea what I'm going to read next. I have a ton of books on my nook just waiting to be read, but I'm not ready to let go!  Have you ever felt that way about a book?

What I Read Wednesday: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

After seeing all of the movie previews for Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer, I borrowed the ebook from a friend of mine. I didn't have any expectations when I started the book, so I can't say that I was disappointed, but I didn't love it. 


Brief Synopsis:
A young boy, Oskar Schell, loses his father in the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center, after which he finds a key in his father's belongings. He sets out to find the lock that the key goes to by visiting every person in the phone book with the last name black, in alphabetical order. Through a series of letters, a separate story unfolds about Oskar's Grandparents, which finally converges with the main story.

Overall Review: 
The overall story line is good, but the book was choppy and disjointed. I had a hard time keeping track of which character was narrating and found myself re-reading a lot. It was the telling of the two stories, and that fact that they were seemingly unrelated that made it confusing.

I didn't feel like the plot line built up to a good climax, and didn't love the ending. Overall, I would not recommend this book. I only finished it because I was hoping it would get better. Now that the movie is out on video, I might watch it, but it's not high on my list. I have to give this one a thumb's down.

Did you read this book? What did you think? Did you see the movie? I'm curious to know if others feel the same as I do about the book and if watching the movie might be better.  Please share!

What I Read Wednesdays: Fifty Shades Trilogy

I first have to apologize for being almost completely absent for the past 6 days or so. I didn't write a single blog post, and barely posted to FB or Twitter. I blame in all on E.L. James' Fifty Shades Trilogy: Fifty Shades of Grey, Fifty Shades Darker, and Fifty Shades Freed. Once I started reading the first one, it was on! I stayed up until 4:00am most nights (mornings?) just to finish a book...and then start the next one. I neglected pretty much everything else to read these books, and it was so worth it!

If you haven't heard about these books because you live under a rock  from one of your girlfriends, or from Good Morning America, allow me let you in on the secret - it's being dubbed "mommy-porn" and it's awesome! What I love most is that the story isn't just about sex, although it is really hot. It's about relationships of all sorts, and the flaws that make us human. It's about overcoming your past (and your present), to have the future that you deserve.

So here is a brief synopsis:
A fairly plain 21 year old virgin, Anastasia Steele, is forced to interview an extremely gorgeous, and tremendously wealthy, young entrepreneur, Christian Grey, for the school newspaper because her roommate catches the flu and can't go. That one chance meeting turns out to the be the biggest game changer of her life. She soon realizes that he is scarred, and deeply flawed by his haunting past, but she can't resist him. He wants to possess her, and make her his submissive...until he falls for her.  He realizes that she will never be what he wants her to be, but she is everything that he needs her to be. He tries as hard as he can to pull her into his lifestyle, and she does her best to acquiesce. The heat and passion that ensues as they battle over where to draw the line is intense. They fight, they make up, they hurt one another, and they heal each other.

Although I have no doubt that these books will become equally as popular, they were not written for the young adult audience that The Twilight series and the Hunger Games Trilogy were, and I like it that way. While I am perfectly happy to read a story about teenage romance (because I was there, once) I can truly appreciate (and welcome) a well written, appropriately placed sex scene. These books are loaded with hot, steamy sexcapades, but the story isn't diminished by it -  it's enhanced by it. It's part of what makes this trilogy so captivating. If you're insulted by the f-word, however, I don't think these books are for you!

There is a lot of discussion about whether or not these books are fan fiction. Originally, before it was rewritten, this story was inspired by and based on the characters of Twilight. While you can definitely see some similarities between some of the characters, especially Bella and Edward vs. Ana and Christian, for me that is where the similarities end. There is no supernatural element to these books, unless you consider Christian Grey's supernatural good looks and heavenly body, and these are adult relationships with adult problems.  Personally, I don't care what inspired this story, I'm just glad it was written. Call it fan fiction, erotic fiction, erotica, or any other name of your choosing, it's a great trilogy to read, and then reread!

So have you read these books yet? What did you think?  Who would you like to see cast in the movie?

What I Read Wednesdays: The Lucky One

I used to write a separate blog about what I read, but it got to be too much to keep up with. Instead, I added a page to this blog for my reading list, but as I add to the list, I find myself wanting to tell you all about each book, whether good or bad! I wasn't sure how I wanted it to fit into my blog, so I took my queue's from other bloggers that I follow.

I recently started Movie Mondays here at Musings of a Cul-de-sac Mom. Nikki at Chef-in-Training has a feature called Tuesday Talent Show.  Mandy at Sugar Bee Crafts has a weekly blog feature called What I Wear Wednesdays. Pocket Full of Pink has Friday Frolics. I like the alliteration of the names of these features. I also like that it gives bloggers something to write about every week on a certain day. Unfortunately, no day of the week goes with reading, or books, or anything along those lines. So I decided to go with What I Read Wednesdays. It's not perfect, but it will work!

First up: The Lucky One by Nicolas Sparks,

I devoured the Hunger Games over the holidays like my kids tore into their presents on Christmas morning. The books consumed me, and I am now waiting not-so-patiently for the movie to come out next month.While I wait, I've decided to read other books that have been made into movies.

A few weeks ago I went to the theater to see One for the Money. One of the previews that they showed was for The Lucky One, based on Nicolas Sparks' book. The preview was sexy and alluring, and made me want to read the book. I came home from the movies and immediately downloaded the ebook onto my Nook. I read it in a day and a half. I was pulled into the story from the very beginning and had a hard time putting it down.

A little bit about the story:
A deployed soldier finds a picture of a beautiful woman that he carries with him everywhere. It becomes his good luck charm, winning him money at the poker table and saving his life when his fellow soldiers aren't so lucky. He decides that he has to meet her, so he travels on foot with his dog, all the way from Colorado to North Carolina. He starts working at her Grandmother's kennel and they form a bond. He also forms a bond with her son, who has a hard time connecting with his father.

Without giving the everything away, the ex-husband causes trouble and alienates the son. Their relationship is in jeopardy, but there is a catastrophe that brings them back together.

Overall, I loved the book, and would highly recommend it. It was fast moving and engaging. The characters were believable, and so were their struggles. The only downfall?  There was a lot of heat between the main characters, but no descriptive love scene. Judging by the trailer, the movie will make up for that oversight!

Have you read this book? Did you like it as much as I did? I'd love it if you would share your comments below!



Next up: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer, and Divergence by Veronica Roth.