I had to read it. I had to. How can you read the other three and not read this one? And I swore that I was going to read it on my Nook so that no one knew I was reading it and yet I bought a copy at COSTCO because it was cheaper than the Nook price. So, I've left it at home several times so no one would know I was reading it. Why? Because I was avoiding the swoons and the eyebrow raising that so often accompanies a reading of this book. Oh, I do so wonder what Dr. Hampton, my Human Sexuality professor from college, is making of this text?
Here's my take...
I read all of the 50 Shades books and I even watched the terrible movie adaptation of the series (yes...I found it to be ridiculous). I am not afraid to read these books, or others like it, and they do not embarrass me. People's reactions embarrass me because I feel as though outsiders who have never read a single one of the book are making assumptions about women who read them. That women are sex-starved, or are closet submissives. That we really yearn for sexual domination. Good grief. And what real gets my goat is the number of people who blog about or comment about the books (and movie) who have never even read them. Seriously? How you can have any opinion about a book you've never experienced?
So, in light of all of that, I go back to my original take on 50 Shades and Grey corroborates my initial reactions and feelings. EL James is brilliant because she has made a fortune capitalizing on a basic human emotion--our need to be wanted. Women love Christian Grey because he makes Ana feel wanted and we all want a man in our lives who makes us feel as wanted and as special. When we read these books, we are not thinking about Christian's weirdo fetishes, we are thinking how amazing it must be to be wanted so much by another human being. How amazing it would be to have someone buy you a new car because he fears yours isn't safe enough. How amazing it must be to have someone fly clear across the country to see you because he misses your face. How amazing it must be to have someone stare at you like you are the most beautiful sight he's ever seen. THIS is why women read these books.
Well...that and the romantic idea that women can change men. We know we can't really change men. Not really. But, but the end of the 50 Shades Trilogy, Ana sure has changed Christian. Ana and love changed him. Love took over and changed a truly disturbed man and women all over the world are eating this story up because proves that love can conquer all.
But ladies, it's fiction. And we have to remember that it's fiction. I have to remind myself the same thing when I read any book by Nicholas Sparks. Those men don't really exist. Neither does Christian Grey.
However, I will admit that it was interesting to read the first part of a very long story (Grey is 50 Shades of Grey told from Christian's point of view) from his point of view. Through Grey, you catch small glimpses of what made him turn to his controlling lifestyle and I do feel terrible that such a small boy had to see what he did for so long before Grace rescued him. As I was reading, I wondered if EL James ever considered telling the original 2 books from alternating chapters in order to capture both perspectives as the story was told. I also wonder if she will write two more books to finish out the story from his perspective. If so, I want to go on record as saying that I will NOT read those. I am finished reading about Christian Grey and Ana Steele.
My next book is Harper Lee's Go Set a Watchman. I can't wait for it to arrive today. History in the making.
Happy reading, everyone!
-Dodie
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
#34: A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler
I first read Anne Tyler in college in a class taught by the most southern woman I have ever met. Tall, blonde (well...probably gray, but blonde once upon a time), polished, proper, and very southern in her old-fashioned ways. I could just see her sitting on a porch swing sipping sweet tea as she read book after book. I loved her class. And because of her (her name escapes me, sadly) I loved Anne Tyler. Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant was the first book by Tyler that I read. I still categorize people as either "feeders" or "eaters" because of Dinner. I am an eater. Try as I might, I will never be a feeder. My good friend Pam is a feeder. So is my mother. So is Rob.
Anyway, I love reading Tyler's novels. They are slow, deliberate, and chock full of the most beautifully orchestrated words you will ever read. A Spool of Blue Thread, her newest novel, is no different. The novel is divided into four parts and it tells the story of the Whitshank family: Red and Abby and they children: Denny, Stem, Amanda, and Jeannie. It also tells the story of their Baltimore home, a home built by Red's father and cherished in a way that only Tyler can describe, and its legacy in their family and in their town.
As often happens when I read, Rob asked what the book was about and I found that I couldn't really tell him. It was so full of familial descriptions and background information on each family member that nothing really happened plot-wise for a long time. And then, even when something big did happen, I realized that the events of the Whitshank family was secondary to the family itself. This book isn't about what happens to the Whitshank family. This book is about the existence and importance of the Whitshank family. It reminded me of descriptions of the TV show "Seinfeld." People always said it was a show about nothing in particular. A Spool of Blue Thread is the same. It's a book about nothing in particular as it surrounds the day-to-day life of the Whitshanks. Yet, as we learn more and more about this family and their heritage and their love for one another, we realize that the real message is that families are special and important just simply because they are families. And each person in the family, while seemingly never really doing anything out of the ordinary, is a critical part of the overall family unit. After reading this novel, I felt special to have been a part of the family that surrounds me, as crazy as some of my relatives are, they are my family. They made me who I am.
A Spool of Blue Thread won't be devoured in a day, and it's not a real page-turner. But, it is a beautiful story that will open your mind and heart in a way that only Tyler can do. I am anxious to read more of her books that I picked up recently at the Green Valley Bookfair in Harrisonburg. If you've never been, you should go. It's worth a boring drive on 64 to get there. :)
Happy reading, everyone!
-Dodie
Anyway, I love reading Tyler's novels. They are slow, deliberate, and chock full of the most beautifully orchestrated words you will ever read. A Spool of Blue Thread, her newest novel, is no different. The novel is divided into four parts and it tells the story of the Whitshank family: Red and Abby and they children: Denny, Stem, Amanda, and Jeannie. It also tells the story of their Baltimore home, a home built by Red's father and cherished in a way that only Tyler can describe, and its legacy in their family and in their town.
As often happens when I read, Rob asked what the book was about and I found that I couldn't really tell him. It was so full of familial descriptions and background information on each family member that nothing really happened plot-wise for a long time. And then, even when something big did happen, I realized that the events of the Whitshank family was secondary to the family itself. This book isn't about what happens to the Whitshank family. This book is about the existence and importance of the Whitshank family. It reminded me of descriptions of the TV show "Seinfeld." People always said it was a show about nothing in particular. A Spool of Blue Thread is the same. It's a book about nothing in particular as it surrounds the day-to-day life of the Whitshanks. Yet, as we learn more and more about this family and their heritage and their love for one another, we realize that the real message is that families are special and important just simply because they are families. And each person in the family, while seemingly never really doing anything out of the ordinary, is a critical part of the overall family unit. After reading this novel, I felt special to have been a part of the family that surrounds me, as crazy as some of my relatives are, they are my family. They made me who I am.
A Spool of Blue Thread won't be devoured in a day, and it's not a real page-turner. But, it is a beautiful story that will open your mind and heart in a way that only Tyler can do. I am anxious to read more of her books that I picked up recently at the Green Valley Bookfair in Harrisonburg. If you've never been, you should go. It's worth a boring drive on 64 to get there. :)
Happy reading, everyone!
-Dodie
Tuesday, June 30, 2015
#33: The Girls of Mischief Bay by Susan Mallery
I really enjoyed reading this first Mischief Bay novel, a series that Mallory says she hopes to continue for a long time. And I hope that they are all as real as this one is.
The novel explores the very different stories of three women, all friends who work out and do yoga together. Nicole, the owner of the yoga studio, Shannon, a VP who is looking for a husband, and Pam, an empty-nester who suffers a terribly tragedy just as she and her husband were re-connecting.
I think what I liked most about this book is that it shows life as life really is: anything but perfect. All too often Romance novels portray life as just too easy, simple, and perfect when it really is messy, dirty, and for most a daily struggle. Nicole is ready to leave her husband because he up and quit his job--without consulting her--to write a screenplay. She juggles her yoga studio, their pre-schooler, and the rest of life because he's too busy writing. Shannon has an incredible job but can't find a partner because she spends too much time working and can't find someone who understands ow important her work is to her. And Pam, well...I can't even elaborate on poor Pam and what happens to her. You will have to read the book in order to find out.
In the end, nothing turns out like you'd think it would in a romance novel. But, the women, much like real women, just keep on going. I was proud of them and it gave me hope that should I ever have to deal with a situation that is less than ideal in my life, that I could. I would not need to give up, or jump ship, but I could move on. Even if just very slowly at first.
This is a good book for inspiring hope.
Happy reading, everyone!
:) Dodie
The novel explores the very different stories of three women, all friends who work out and do yoga together. Nicole, the owner of the yoga studio, Shannon, a VP who is looking for a husband, and Pam, an empty-nester who suffers a terribly tragedy just as she and her husband were re-connecting.
I think what I liked most about this book is that it shows life as life really is: anything but perfect. All too often Romance novels portray life as just too easy, simple, and perfect when it really is messy, dirty, and for most a daily struggle. Nicole is ready to leave her husband because he up and quit his job--without consulting her--to write a screenplay. She juggles her yoga studio, their pre-schooler, and the rest of life because he's too busy writing. Shannon has an incredible job but can't find a partner because she spends too much time working and can't find someone who understands ow important her work is to her. And Pam, well...I can't even elaborate on poor Pam and what happens to her. You will have to read the book in order to find out.
In the end, nothing turns out like you'd think it would in a romance novel. But, the women, much like real women, just keep on going. I was proud of them and it gave me hope that should I ever have to deal with a situation that is less than ideal in my life, that I could. I would not need to give up, or jump ship, but I could move on. Even if just very slowly at first.
This is a good book for inspiring hope.
Happy reading, everyone!
:) Dodie
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
#32: Three Sisters by Susan Mallery
I am not sure that I have ever read a book by Susan Mallery that I did not love. Three Sisters is a wonderful, heart-warming story of female friendships that made me wish that I lived on Blackberry Island in a wonderful old victorian home. Sigh...
Three Sisters is not, in fact, named for three sisters, but instead for three old victorian homes that were built on the same street and are currently inhabited by Boston and her husband Zeke, Deanna and her husband and five daughters, and Andi. Andi is an unmarried pediatrician who happens to buy the sister in the middle--the sister in need of a full renovation. Boston and Deanna's homes have been remodeled and restored to fit the character of the family that lives in each. As you get to know each character, you understand why each house is the way it is. They all match up nicely.
If I had to pick, I'd say that Three Sisters is predominantly Andi's story, but Andi isn't able to grow and change without Boston and Deanna, so it's really a book about all three women. It's a beautifully written, fun story that left me feeling proud to be a woman with female friends that I know I can count on.
Now...if two of them would just move in on either side of my house, I'd really be set!
Happy reading, everyone!
:) Dodie
Three Sisters is not, in fact, named for three sisters, but instead for three old victorian homes that were built on the same street and are currently inhabited by Boston and her husband Zeke, Deanna and her husband and five daughters, and Andi. Andi is an unmarried pediatrician who happens to buy the sister in the middle--the sister in need of a full renovation. Boston and Deanna's homes have been remodeled and restored to fit the character of the family that lives in each. As you get to know each character, you understand why each house is the way it is. They all match up nicely.
If I had to pick, I'd say that Three Sisters is predominantly Andi's story, but Andi isn't able to grow and change without Boston and Deanna, so it's really a book about all three women. It's a beautifully written, fun story that left me feeling proud to be a woman with female friends that I know I can count on.
Now...if two of them would just move in on either side of my house, I'd really be set!
Happy reading, everyone!
:) Dodie
Monday, June 22, 2015
#31: Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson
If you are a fan of Gone Girl, this novel is for you. Before I Go to Sleep is the story of Christine Lucas, a woman suffering from such a severe case of amnesia that she forgets her life, who she is, everything, each night as she sleeps. With the help of her doctor, Ed Nash, and a journal she keeps (but needs a daily phone call from Dr. Nash to remind her where she keeps it) she is able to piece together her life and to recall the events that led to her memory loss. It is a frightening story, a true page turner, and one whose ending you will never see coming. Never.
Thanks, Pam, for recommending this one to me. It's a good, quick read.
Happy reading, everyone!
:) Dodie
Thanks, Pam, for recommending this one to me. It's a good, quick read.
Happy reading, everyone!
:) Dodie
#30: In the Unlikely Event by Judy Blume
Judy Blume was my favorite author as a child. I read every one of her books, sometimes more than once. Sometimes more than twice! When I heard she had written a new book for adults, I pre-ordered it and waited for it to arrive.
Her newest book is called In the Unlikely Event and is about three very tragic plane crashes in Elizabeth, NJ back in the 1950's. It is based on events that happened while Blume, herself, lived in this small town, but it is still mostly fictional.
The book is divided into different parts based on year and time of year and within each part there are sections of the story told about each of the many, many characters that make up this intense story. To be honest, I read half of the book before I could keep many of the characters straight in my head. They all know each other in some way, they all overlap, and at first it is very overwhelming. But, as I grew to realize as I was reading, that's exactly what Blume intended--these characters were meant to overlap and connect. That's what makes the plane crashes and the events surrounding them so tragic.
After the first plane crash, as I read what these brave people had to endure, I couldn't imagine reading about another one. Much less a third crash. Honestly, I put the book down and read another novel. I just could't read on. But I am so glad that I went back to it (as I always do) because I realized that the one of the messages of this book is that life really does go on. It does, whether we want it to or not. The people of Elizabeth, NJ are proof.
The title of the book, "In the Unlikely Event..." which we often hear flight attendants explain as they review safety information pre-flight, was explained even further at the end of the book: "Life is a series of unlikely events, isn't it? ...One unlikely event after another, adding up to a rich, complicated whole." It's so true. Life is a series of unlikely events. And when you put them all together, the good, the bad, and the ugly, you get a pretty decent story in the end. Life isn't easy, as every character in this book will attest to, but in the end, it's life and we have to live it and to make the best of it.
Aside from the basic reminder that each day is a gift, I adored the glimpse into the 50's that this book afforded. I wish that my girls would read this to see what life was like back in the day. When girls wore modest clothing, when boys were respectful, when people had actual conversations and dance parties in order to get to know each other. I think I lived in the wrong time. When girls dreamed of getting cashmere sweaters for Christmas and birthdays and their mothers loaned them pearls for their dates...oh yeah...that's my kind of decade!
Judy Blume does it again!
Happy reading, everyone!
:) Dodie
Her newest book is called In the Unlikely Event and is about three very tragic plane crashes in Elizabeth, NJ back in the 1950's. It is based on events that happened while Blume, herself, lived in this small town, but it is still mostly fictional.
The book is divided into different parts based on year and time of year and within each part there are sections of the story told about each of the many, many characters that make up this intense story. To be honest, I read half of the book before I could keep many of the characters straight in my head. They all know each other in some way, they all overlap, and at first it is very overwhelming. But, as I grew to realize as I was reading, that's exactly what Blume intended--these characters were meant to overlap and connect. That's what makes the plane crashes and the events surrounding them so tragic.
After the first plane crash, as I read what these brave people had to endure, I couldn't imagine reading about another one. Much less a third crash. Honestly, I put the book down and read another novel. I just could't read on. But I am so glad that I went back to it (as I always do) because I realized that the one of the messages of this book is that life really does go on. It does, whether we want it to or not. The people of Elizabeth, NJ are proof.
The title of the book, "In the Unlikely Event..." which we often hear flight attendants explain as they review safety information pre-flight, was explained even further at the end of the book: "Life is a series of unlikely events, isn't it? ...One unlikely event after another, adding up to a rich, complicated whole." It's so true. Life is a series of unlikely events. And when you put them all together, the good, the bad, and the ugly, you get a pretty decent story in the end. Life isn't easy, as every character in this book will attest to, but in the end, it's life and we have to live it and to make the best of it.
Aside from the basic reminder that each day is a gift, I adored the glimpse into the 50's that this book afforded. I wish that my girls would read this to see what life was like back in the day. When girls wore modest clothing, when boys were respectful, when people had actual conversations and dance parties in order to get to know each other. I think I lived in the wrong time. When girls dreamed of getting cashmere sweaters for Christmas and birthdays and their mothers loaned them pearls for their dates...oh yeah...that's my kind of decade!
Judy Blume does it again!
Happy reading, everyone!
:) Dodie
#29: Every Time I think of You by Tracey Garvis Graves
As hoped for, I found one more book by Tracey Garvis Graves: Every Time I think of You. It was not as much of a page turner as the On the Island and Covet, but I still liked the story and have grown fond of Graves' style of writing. This one was less romance and more mystery, as Daisy tries to figure out who may have killed her grandmother as her three year old son, Elliott, hid under a bed in the next room. Brooks, a super-cute reporter who has relocated to help his father with his ailing mother, steps in to report on the murder and never seems to be able to full step away from Daisy and Elliott once they've met.
As seems to be the style of Graves, these novel unfolds in a series of alternating chapters between Daisy, Brooks, and Daisy's ex-husband. It is not predictable and you will love Brooks by the end of the book, if not before. But the character who will really steal your heart in this novel is Elliott. What a cutie-pie!
Happy reading, everyone!
:) Dodie
As seems to be the style of Graves, these novel unfolds in a series of alternating chapters between Daisy, Brooks, and Daisy's ex-husband. It is not predictable and you will love Brooks by the end of the book, if not before. But the character who will really steal your heart in this novel is Elliott. What a cutie-pie!
Happy reading, everyone!
:) Dodie
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