Book Rewind: 50 Shades of Grey

50 Shades of Grey
by E.L. James

Synopsis

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.

This book is intended for mature audiences.

Time to Rewind

If you haven't already read my review for this book, please head over to this post.

So - it doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand that I did not like this book, but I could find something of a novel idea in it. I mean, two very different people with obviously different experiences and point of views who fall for each other? This book and its series could have been so much more. The psychological aspect alone! But alas, it was not meant to go that way.

Now the question - why am I "rewinding" a book I did not like? Well, because I watched the movie, of course.

Better question: Why in the world would I see the movie of a book I basically hated? Easy - I was curious. Not about the sex because, heaven knows, I read all about that in this book (and half of the second). No, I was curious to see how Hollywood would change the story to make it seem more appealing to watchers. Granted, it didn't matter what was changed, really, because people enjoyed this book and movie - regardless of it's undertones. 

If I thought reading this book was silly/somewhat of a waste/devoid of actual emotion, watching it was downright cringe-worthy. 

First of all, I watched it by myself. It was the second movie ever watched by my lonesome (the first was The Duff - but that's for another post). I knew my husband wouldn't want to see it and I didn't feel comfortable inviting anyone when I knew...I KNEW...I would ultimately hate the movie.

And boy was I right.

First, the technical. The dialogue sounded even worse when heard aloud. Grey came off as creepy from the get go. Douche-y, even. Steele came off as ignorant/oblivious (she is a college graduate, come on now...). 

Second, the undertones. I do not get squeamish/embarrassed by sex scenes in books or movies. I just don't. Sometimes, if written or portrayed right - they can be very enjoyable. However, this...relationship between Grey and Steele made me feel so uncomfortable from the beginning. There is no respect between man and woman, dom and sub. There is no communication. There is simply: want, take, have. I'm not saying passion can't be like that, but in this situation, it's not passionate, it's abusive. As a relationship (which it obviously isn't because Grey tells Steele and us repeatedly that he just doesn't do that), Grey does not listen to Steele. He knows she's uncomfortable, afraid of hurting, wanting to be close to him, but he does not acknowledge any of it. He sees it, as it is obvious, and continues to the want, take, have. As a BDSM relationship (of which I don't believe this is an example of), Grey as a dom does not respect his sub. Bottom line. He allows his anger to seep through his treatment of Steele. To sum it up - dude has mommy issues. Hey, that's okay! But guess what, not every woman is a representation of the one that hurt you, dude!

And that's where I think - this could have been so much better. If only James would care enough about her characters to allow them to become more than one-dimensional characters. An exploration of trauma and experiences that leads to understanding another person - that would have been great. But instead, we get a man that doesn't listen, a woman who seems oblivious most of the time, and a story that makes these two crash and burn in a bad way.  

So - why am I spending so much brain-power on this book? Because it makes me so angry.

Authors, artists, celebrities, ORDINARY PEOPLE sometimes like to think their actions don't matter. They are simply smaller pieces of a infinite puzzle - how could they matter?

But it does. From the most famous to the seemingly unimportant - actions and words MATTER. 

I don't like censorship. I want people to express themselves. But if you're going to write about something - portray it the way it is. If you want to write about a BDSM lifestyle - research it. Talk to people. GOOGLE IT. Don't gift wrap abuse and call it something else. It's still abuse.

We unfortunately live in a world where women are still fighting to be respected, taken seriously and not hurt/killed/assaulted/raped/abused for simply being women. A story like this...where the man doesn't listen to the woman, where the virginal woman is forced (because if she doesn't join, she doesn't get to be with the person she thinks she loves. That's called being forced) into a world she wasn't sure she wanted to be in...it blurs too many lines and unfortunately too many people take it at face value. 

So, I am spending time thinking about this because it makes me so very angry. I care about everyone. That's right, everyone. And I want people in safe and consensual relationships/situations. Whether that's two church-goers, two gay men, casual daters, a BDSM couple - I don't care. I want people safe. And this book? This movie? It highlights the opposite. It's basically a book where one person is constantly persuaded, encouraged to follow a lifestyle she knows nothing about. Where one person is constantly being followed, messaged, and having life interfered by another person. It's about a person whose wish to be in a relationship is ignored. Grey doesn't care about Steele. He cares about what he wants from her. Now, isn't that a nice precedent?

I'll be getting off my soapbox now and I will no longer be talking about this movie or book (unless I'm asked about it). Feel free to share your thoughts though. Your thoughts are always welcomed - even if you disagree with me. 

Revisiting:The Duff *SPOILERS*

The Duff
by Kody Keplinger

Synopsis

Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn’t think she’s the prettiest of her friends by a long shot. She’s also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames her “the Duff,” she throws her Coke in his face. 

But things aren’t so great at home right now, and Bianca is desperate for a distraction. She ends up kissing Wesley. Worse, she likes it. Eager for escape, Bianca throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with him. 

Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out Wesley isn’t such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she’s falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone.

Let's Revisit

It's been a long time since I first read Keplinger's The Duff. My mind wanders back to that book every now and then and especially now that the movie has been announced. 

From the trailer, the movie seems fun/funny and I'll probably watch it. However, lets not get all crazy calling that movie an adaptation of The Duff. If the trailer says anything about the movie itself, than I already know I will be disappointed with it in comparison with the book. 

Which brings me to my post today, a revisitation with The Duff. It is the one book I have re-read, not just twice, but a solid three times and I foresee re-reading it in the future. But why? What is so captivating about this book that makes me want to read and re-read countless times?

The answer is simple and, sadly, rare amongst other books. The book, its writing and characters, are honest. They are flawed and lonely and honest. 

Bianca is the "Duff," the designated ugly fat friend who happens to be friends with two gorgeous and popular girls. The fact is not lost on her, but it's until Wesley, an arrogant and promiscuous classmate, provides her a namesake that explains her "place." It's through Wesley that Bianca finds an outlet for everything that's going wrong in her life: parents divorcing, father's alcoholism, an ex-boyfriend coming into town. 

Keplinger does not provide us with vague feelings and physicalness. Instead, she gives us these two individuals, each feeling broken and lonely, and provides for them an outlet - sex. Is it the best outlet? No. Is it realistic, something honest? Yes. The author gives these certain scenes with Bianca and Wesley a fierce almost animalistic urgency. It's not dirty or gross - it's a need to escape.

It would have been very easy for Keplinger to "take the easy way out" and have sex be the focus of the story or even to do the opposite and say how wrong it is for sex to be the focus of Bianca and Wesley's story. Keplinger, however, does neither of these things. The story tightens to a point in which there is no moving on and then slowly begins to unravel. 

The transition from fierce and frantic sex to something more happens subtly. The pair lose their urgency and begin to take their time. There is more conversation and playfulness. There is some respect and care between the two. And slowly, but surely, they begin to realize it themselves. These characters transform from who they used to be, and it has to do with something more than just sex. Bianca learns to not be so judgmental, of herself or others, and that sometimes, you need to ask for help. Wesley learns that, although it's great to be honest and true to yourself, sometimes we learn to communicate a different part of ourselves to show those around us how much we love them. These characters learn from each other and it is beyond sex. 

From a feminist perspective, this book has it going on. It shows a young woman making her own decisions about what to do with her body. No one is forcing her to have sex and in the end, the person that is most critical of her is herself. Through these experiences with Wesley, she learns how easy and dangerous it can be to judge someone for what you see on the surface level. This causes her to think differently and be better.

Likewise, we learn how Wesley is judged for his behavior without knowing the whole story. I enjoyed that this story crossed the gender bias when it came to sex. It was Wesley that was known for always having sex with women - Bianca herself referring to him as a "slut." But in the end, Wesley accepts that he is more than what he does. He has always had the power to do something different and he finally found a reason to in Bianca. 

In the end, this book was about our choices, flawed or not, and how quick we all are to judge others. Thankfully, this book is also about realizing we are all flawed, but that doesn't mean we can't try and be better for ourselves and those we love. 

Review: Take Me For Granted (Take Me #1)

Take Me for Granted
by K.A. Linde

Synopsis

Grant
Manwhore. Adrenaline junkie. Lead singer of ContraBand. What you see is what you get. I make no apologies for my actions, and by now no one expects any from me. I live my life the way I want and as long as it pushes the demons back, then I'm solid. I've never needed a chick for more than a good lay. Why would I need just one when I can have a different one every night?

Until she walks into my world.

Aribel
Mouthy. Perfectionist. Princeton student. Chemistry major. Yes, that pretty much describes me. Oh, and virgin. But I'm only nineteen, and have more important things to concern myself with. What really matters is finishing my degree and getting a good job. I’ve worked hard for what I want, and do what’s expected of me. I don’t need anyone to get in my way.

Until he opens up my world.

But if I give you my world, whatever you do…don’t TAKE ME for granted.

Review

This book is like popcorn. It's good while you're reading it and then toward the end, you've kinda already reached your limit. I'm a sucker for the bad boy/good girl stories. Just like junk food - it's bad for me but is so satisfying at the moment. 

It's not a bad book if this is the kind of book that you're into. Nothing is really special about it and it is created for individuals who love these stories. This is the main reason why I only read these stories in ebook format - because there isn't much that is memorable about it. 

Aribel is a good girl who is inexperienced in life due to being sheltered by family and her own self. Grant is a playboy who plays by his own rules whose game changes once he meets Aribel - the one girl who isn't charmed by him. It doesn't take long until Aribel is seduced by Grant's charm though. And that - for me - is the problem. Aribel is built up to be this strong-willed, intelligent girl but it doesn't take long for her to be completely under Grant's spell. I've read many a young adult female protagonist that have held out longer than her. BUT like I mentioned before, this book was written for people who like the same story over and over again. It's not a bad thing - just not my thing.

Verdict

If you like the bad boy/good girl story and like reading about sex - this book will satisfy. If you like that stuff AND a good leading lady - maybe not so much. 

Review: The Infinite Moment of Us

The Infinite Moment of Us
by Lauren Myracle

Synopsis

For as long as she can remember, Wren Gray’s goal has been to please her parents. But as high school graduation nears, so does an uncomfortable realization: Pleasing her parents once overlapped with pleasing herself, but now . . . not so much. Wren needs to honor her own desires, but how can she if she doesn’t even know what they are?
Charlie Parker, on the other hand, is painfully aware of his heart’s desire. A gentle boy with a troubled past, Charlie has loved Wren since the day he first saw her. But a girl like Wren would never fall for a guy like Charlie—at least not the sort of guy Charlie believes himself to be.

And yet certain things are written in the stars. And in the summer after high school, Wren and Charlie’s souls will collide. But souls are complicated, as are the bodies that house them . . .
Sexy, romantic, and oh-so-true to life, this is an unforgettable look at first love from one of young adult fiction’s greatest writers.

Review

I'm so horribly confused.

Is this a young adult book? Like, really? I don't mean to make that sound like an insult. Maybe it's the fact that I'm older - maybe it's a bunch of other things, but this book did not read like a young adult book. It had an angst romance, but I felt that too many things were happening at too fast a pace. 

Let's go back.

Charlie has admired Wren (I love her name) from afar for awhile. Once Wren notices Charlie, she begins to gain an interest in him too. This is where it's all nice and sweet because it's the blossoming of first love for both of them. They each have their struggles, but hey, they have each other. I really was drawn into the story at this point because I like to read about two people who care about each other finally getting together. 

But then it just got weird in my opinion. And these are the reasons why. 

*SPOILERS. I NEVER PUT THEM SO THIS SHOULD BE YOUR WARNING*

It got weird with all the sex. I was shocked to read so much sex in a young adult book. I'm going to be honest and tell you that sex in YA doesn't bother me. Not at all. Teenagers have sex and it should be included in some books. However, I also think that the way it's expressed can have a lot to do with how it is received from the reader. The problem, for me, with the sex scenes in this book have mostly to do with the fact that I think it ruined the flow of the story. It suddenly all became about sex. Hey, I know that some relationships are like that - but Wren and Charlie actually had a very sweet thing going and the sex just took over EVERYTHING. Like, the WHOLE STORY. 

Another thing - Tessa and Wren's parents. Tessa is supposed to be this great friend to Wren and I really liked her character - but we hardly see her! It was as if Wren had NO friends and was having a dangerous co-dependent relationship with Charlie. Actually, that's exactly what it was. We don't even get to read any other experiences about Wren's job or even any excitement for Project Unity - something SHE wanted to go to! As for Wren's parents, I totally liked the whole struggle with living up to their expectations. But in the end? It was just too easy. The dad just realizes he should apologize? What? *sigh*

As for Charlie - he was just as co-dependent as Wren. I like that he had his own background, his own story - but well, both Wren and Charlie got a bit too creepy with each other for my liking. Creepy = REALLY CODEPENDENT 

Also? Starrla's character was so annoying. Just - too much. And was not important to the story at all. 

I know that as humans we feel intensely. Maybe I just didn't like young adult pretending to be adult? Take that any which way you want, reader. 

The end was tied up too cleanly. Sure, a lot was left to the reader's imagination, but I don't think this story deserved that. The reader basically goes on this roller coaster of a relationship (which doesn't feel like a relationship) to be given nothing at the end. 

As you can see, I am pretty passionate about this review. I even included spoilers!

Verdict

Proceed with caution. There's a lot of sex. A lot of "ass" "baby" etc. etc. Language that doesn't offend me and it normally wouldn't sway me from reading a story, but I think those words were unnecessary. It was used to no effect on this reader. 

Extra

If you're wondering about a book I thought included teenagers, sex and was written extremely well in a somewhat believable way - pick up The DUFF by Kody Keplinger.

Top Shelf Short Stories: Big Girls Do It Better

Big Girls Do It Better

By Jasinda Wilder

Synopsis

Gorgeous, rock-star guys like Chase Delany don't go for girls like me. They go for supermodels and actresses, skinny-girls who never eat and spend all day working out. I'm not that girl. So when he locked his fiery brown eyes on me for the first time, I couldn't quite believe it was really happening to me. It was the second night I spent with him that I'll never forget. 

Review

I don't know whT I expected from this short story. Sex? Yes. A big girl? Yes. But I didn't think it would the story would come out so...hurried? Unbelievable? I know it's fiction and all that! But I would have loved a more subtle attraction between the characters. I have no problem with reading about sex, but the scenes just seemed a bit much for me. 

Verdict

Lovers of steamy romances will love this short story. It just wasn't for me. 

Review: Grimspace

Grimspace (Sirantha Jax #1)
by Ann Aguirre

Synopsis

As the carrier of a rare gene, Sirantha Jax has the ability to jump ships through grimspace-a talent which makes her a highly prized navigator for the Corp. Then a crash landing kills everyone on board, leaving Jax in a jail cell with no memory of the crash. But her fun's not over. A group of rogue fighters frees her...for a price: her help in overthrowing the established order.

Review

Hooray! This is my first official introduction to the world of science fiction...and it was awesome! Sirantha Jax is this woman with a rare gene that allows her to jump ships through grim space, something that is highly sought after but could also kill her one day. After a crash with a previous ship, Jax is jailed until one day when March, a member of a rogue fighting group comes to rescue her in return for help in their mission. Jax reluctantly accepts. 

Jax is an extremely character (for me, anyway) due to her strength and her ability to be honest with the people around her. A lot of female characters come off as being too perfect in my opinion, but Jax is very much flawed which makes her character worthwhile. Also, March could have come off as a possessive jackass, but his character is much like Jax's in that he wears his heart and flaws on his sleeve. The supporting characters, Dina and the doctor are also quite likable as well, which is awesome. Mix the great characterization with a science fiction backdrop and it works for a person who isn't doesn't know her sci-fi. 

Verdict

Great story to get into if science fiction isn't totally your thing yet. And the love story is really nice and realistic (yes, even though it takes place in space). Also, sex. You've been warned if that's not your thing.