Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James

Fifty Shades of Crap.

When I first finished the Twilight series and was looking around for something similar, I happened upon the fan fiction sites. I refused to read this then because I think that anyone who can’t come up with their own set of characters to write about in a novel is an idiot. Not long after I noticed that Fifty Shades was available as an eBook on Amazon. I also saw it on the shelves in Barnes and Noble. Everyone started talking about it and raving about it so I thought maybe I was wrong. I downloaded it to my Kindle and started reading.

First off, the author might as well have called the characters “Bedward” and “Ella”. He has tousled, copper-colored hair, gray eyes, he’s wealthy, drives fast sports cars, he’s the gorgeous bad boy. She’s a brunette, shy, nervous, awkward, trips over her own two feet, no self-confidence; she’s a misfit and thinks no one notices her. Seriously? She couldn’t even change the basics about the characters?

I read the first twelve chapters (39% through, page 151) and can’t go any further. Can you delete something from your Kindle? What an awful mess this book is. Everyone jokes about how horribly written the Stephenie Meyer books are – this is worse. At least Meyer’s books are readable. This is squirm-worthy. When she uses his toothbrush, ick. When he drinks the wine and spits it out into her mouth while she’s blindfolded, ick. So far, he’s only tied her up a couple of times and slapped her once. I haven’t even gotten to the scenes in the Red Room of Pain yet, and I can go no further. The Christian character is a controlling, sick freak, and she’s a sad, desperate moron to think he’s worthy of her attention. Who would sign a contract agreeing to what she is contemplating agreeing to? How about for safe words we use “nauseating” and “garbage”?

Seriously, don’t waste your time or your money on this dreck. There are so many other good books out there to be read.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

I saw the movie first and thought it was well done.  The acting was superb. It was tragic, funny and heartwarming.  I bought the book and struggled some to get through it. It seemed to drag in places, and I had to force myself to stick with it. I did enjoy reading it, though. The story takes place in the 60's and is about black women (the Help) taking care of white families and their children.  The way they were treated (like less than human) was sad.  They were okay to raise the babies, but they couldn't use the bathroom inside the house because they were thought to be "diseased". It was terrible the way they were treated. The movie flowed better than the book, and maybe it's because the story did have several disturbing/tragic parts that it was easier to get through those parts on film than in print. I would recommend this book, but I also recommend the movie.

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

I could not wait for this book to come out.  I loved Divergent. It was dark, a little creepy, and I could not put it down.  I follow Veronica Roth on Goodreads and Facebook, and I enjoy reading her blog posts.  Both books (Divergent and Insurgent) are about a dystopian world. Everyone is divided into factions, and they all have their places within their communities. If you are going to read Insurgent, read Divergent first. Insurgent picks up where Divergent left off. Insurgent was also creepy, violent and fast-paced.  Its ending is a cliffhanger, and there's a definite twist there. I enjoyed the main character, Tris, more in the first book.  I enjoyed the hero, Tobias (Four), in both books. The books are part of a planned trilogy so I am eager to see  how Roth plans to end the story.

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

Having never read this book as a child, I decided to give it a try.  It was just okay. The children were definitely the focus of the story, and the parents were minor characters. I am not even sure if it was clear when the story took place.  I liked Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who and Mrs. Which.  It was kind-of left up in the air as to what they were, but they seemed to be guardian angels of some sort.  I liked Meg (although she cried an awful lot for a 12 year old), and I liked Calvin.  I wasn't crazy about the Charles Wallace character.  What was with the two names?  And, why was a 5 year old so articulate?  I found him a little strange.  His character was hard to like, and I didn't care whether or not they got him away from IT.  I wish the parents had been a little stronger, but I believe the story was supposed to be about the kids and their adventures.  The parents are scientists, but they seemed a little clueless to me.  I probably will read the next story in the series just to see where she goes with the Murry family.  From reviews I've seen, I gather it's better than the first book.  I can only hope that's true. Maybe I was expecting too much from a children's book, but it won all kinds of awards, and people claim it's their favorite book ever.  I'm not sure why.