Nope, I didn't download the third of the Fifty Shades book yet. I need to slow down my spending a bit so that one will just have to wait. It's not like I don't already know what's going to happen! :-) :-)
So, I've been reading some of the treasures that I somehow manage to download from Amazon for free! The best price to pay for a book ever. :-) This time I read Hidden Steel by Doranna Durgin. :-) I looked up what else this writer has available, and it looks like she is a very established writer with a whole lot of books. Yummy! I can't get my hand on one of her other books because I like the way she writes! :-) :-)
This particular book is not really a genre that I really care to read - your Clancy-type-thriller kind of story with spies, CIA, FBI, ABC and whatever other kind of government agency you can think of. I was humbled to not give this genre much of a chance after reading the first chapter of this book - it had me hooked!!! The beginning did not start slow at all. It was action from the first page to almost the very last. :-) :-) I haven't actually read any Clancy or similar writers, but if they're like this, I may have to sneak in a book or two just to make sure. :-) We have a few books that were gifted to my hubby so it's not like I need to purchase them or anything. :-) My wallet and bank account are safe. :-)
I think another reason that I really enjoyed this book was because of the main character - Mickey - yes, as in the mouse (and that line is used in the book). She's playful, likes to dance with brooms, dance on the bed and sings about rainbows when she gets nervous. All of that and she's an uber dangerous not-just-kicks-your-ass kind of lady. I love her! :-) :-) I love super strong characters like Mickey. That was one of the reasons I put up with all of the romance stuff from the Anita Blake series - I really like to read about women that can kick butt. :-) :-)
Now, this book is considered a romance, but it's such a small part of the story that I think even a guy would approve of the story - unless he has a problem with her being more skilled at fighting and weapons than the guy she meets and becomes friends with.
There are some really awesome parts of the story that really touched my heart. Because Mickey needed money to get supplies for her next adventure and couldn't risk having a credit card tracked and that kind of stuff, she went out to where muggers would hide in the shadows to wait for their victims. Then she would go and mug those muggers! And she did it with a sling shot and a tank top hiding her face. Now that's not what made me laugh - she tied the top of the tank top in a bow at the top of her head and cut out two eye holes so she could see. :-) :-) She then turned in whatever wallets, purses and/or weapons that she was able to take off the muggers to the police, and use the cash to purchase what she needed. Whatever she had left over, she would go to a store and buy necessities like toothbrushes, toilet paper, peanut butter and such and distribute them to the homeless people that helped her out at the very beginning of the book.
Now, even with all of this praise that I've written about this book, there was one small weakness that i found. I was not impressed with the ending, but it didn't ruin the whole book for me. I have a story for you about a ruined book because of the ending: in 1992 when hubby and I were on our honeymoon, I read a fairly new book called Dance of the Dead by Christie Golden. This was my first taste to the D&D world of Ravenloft and was drawn into this book not only from the curiosity, but was fascinated by this whole new world. I was able to read this book in 1 day... and just about threw a fit (though my new husband at the time would say differently) with the final line of that story. It was so disappointing that I hated that book since then. I can't even look at the cover without pitching another fit. So, endings are a bit of a big deal for me every since. Thank goodness that even with this weaker ending, it was still good enough for me to not hate it. :-) :-) If I were editing this book though, I would have asked for a different closing line because that line just about started making my eye twitch... :-) :-)
Now, I know my ramblings are not making all that much sense here, but you've got to give this book a try! It's no longer being offered for free through Amazon, but it's still fairly cheap at $4.49. It's not a very long book at 250-ish pages, so it's perfect for a short weekend read or traveling companion when you don't have anything else to do while at the airport.
Happy Reading,
Pinka
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Had to do it again...
I had to get the second book - simply because I hate to be left hanging. Yes, I downloaded and read Fifty Shades Darker by E L James. :-)
I have no idea how long this book was (because I got the Kindle version and don't know how to look for page numbers on this thing) but it was a pretty fast read. I can usually read a 400 page novel in about 3 days when I'm working, and this book only took me two. So, it was either short or really easy to read.
My main complaint about the first book was that the writer didn't show us her true writing ability until almost the very end of the book. I really enjoyed her style and the characters finally started coming to life. I had to find out if the second book was going to be a continuation of not only the story, but the talent that this writer showed us at the end of the first book. So, what I want to know is - why didn't the second book make all of the headlines instead? It's so much better than the first. Okay, maybe it doesn't have the same kind of sex in it that the first book has, but the story and characters develop and flow so much better!
Now, I don't have a fancy English degree, nor do I claim to be a writer of any kind. I have my degree and work experience in accounting and can honestly tell you that this is the only industry I really know. But I do know what I like and when I read, I do read my chosen books with a critical eye. So, what I'm trying to tell you all here, is to not take my little rambles as a true critique or even review of these books. Like the title says, it's just my humble ramblings and thoughts. :-) :-)
Fifty Shades Darker shows us our two main characters in a bit of a different light. I still think they both need more help to fix their heads, but the writer shows us the playful and more normal side of Ana and her Mr. Grey. I found it really interesting how much detail the writer put into the different types of therapy that Grey had gone through for his problems, and even though I really don't like to read or watch movies about mental illness, this impressed me and made me curious. I may have to download a book about psychology next just because of some of the stuff that was mentioned in the book. :-)
Now, at this point we all know that Grey has been see a shrink for some time to help him with his issues, but I wonder if Ana will ever seek the same type of help? Now, yes, she is a fictional character, but I'm concerned with the type of impression that she may be giving. In the time that Ana had started dating Grey, she had lost some weight. She doesn't mind that she's lost that weight, but Grey and a couple of the other characters notice that she's gotten skinnier. Even if Ana is not purposely starving herself, the fact that she always forgets to eat or that it if were not for the fact that Grey is constantly asking her if she's eaten, I'd think that she may have a subconscious issue with eating or food. Most real life situations that I've known, when a person falls head over heals in love, they usually gain a bit of weight, not lose it. Can it be possible that Ana is so addicted to sex now that she can no longer hear when her body is in need of food?
Okay, I'm going to write about my personal experience here which makes me think that Ana, or any real life person with the same symptoms, may have some kind of food and/or eating issues. When I was a junior in high school I started to work part time at a local retail shop in the jewelry department. It was fun and I liked to have some of my own spending money. I continued to work when senior year started and I added more to my plate by taking a calculus class at the local university down the street. By this time I was working more hours and trying to save for college as well as trying to keep my grades up. I pretty much only went home to sleep, and when I did sleep, it was never very much. Because I was either in school or working, I hardly had time to do my banking, so it was rare for me to have any cash on me. I got into the habit of drinking chicken broth that I could buy out of the coffee machine at work because of my lack of cash and most of the time that was all I could ingest in the short time I got for my breaks.
I was already a pretty light weight, skinny person topping the scales at a whopping 85 pounds. I started losing a little bit of weight and noticed that my stomach didn't pooch out anymore and actually liked it. I didn't weigh myself very often, but I saw that my clothes started fitting a bit more loose and that my almost 22 inch waist went down to a bit less than 20. I didn't get the wake up call until the day I graduated from high school when I weighed myself after taking a shower. I weighed 68 pounds and to my horror, I finally started noticing how my bones started sticking out of my skin. I could see my ribs and my elbows looked huge and unnatural on my arms. I realised that day that I was slowly killing myself and didn't even know it!!! After that, I tried to make myself eat at regular intervals like a normal person, but I just couldn't. Sure, food that I liked tasted wonderfully, but I just couldn't eat normal portions or on a regular basis. I'd get almost a high when my stomach grumbled and it felt good. I didn't really have an issue with the food itself, but with eating. It took a long time for me to get over that and finally started eating again. I was really lucky that I had met my husband at such a young age and he knew me while I was going through all of this. It was his friendship and support that helped me get through this and later on in life when the tables turned and I found myself getting fat, it was his support that kept me from going back to those old habits.
So, I'll be really curious if this issue will come up in the third instalment of the Fifty Shades books. For some reason I don't think it will, but I just really hope that some idiot doesn't get it in her head that losing weight by not eating and conveniently 'forgetting' to eat is normal. We have enough of that shit in our society and really don't need a book like this to add to it. I'm sure the chances of someone being influenced to try the whole dominant/submissive world will be more likely, but that is just sex - by two consulting adults. When you get lost in your own head to make yourself think a certain way, well... that's more dangerous in my opinion.
What I did like about this book is how Grey's views on this whole dominant/submissive world changed when Ana left him at the end of the first book. He learn to "make love" instead of "fuck". Is there a difference? Yes, and the writer shows that very well.
So, our wounded soul is starting to heal, but I'm sure that Ana and her Mr. Grey will have a whole other set of worries in the third book. The last chapter gives a hint of what may be expected, and I can probably go ahead and give you a summary of what will happen - simply because some of these plots are so predictable. I wonder... these authors that are lucky enough to get their stuff published - is there a set of formulas that they follow that insures popularity? Maybe that's why I'm starting to enjoy some of the really cheap or free books that are self edited and self published by new authors that are offered through Amazon? Many of these do not have the usual plots, and even though some are written really, really bad, I'm sure that with a bit of coaching that the stories can be made into something spectacular.
I've spend more money on these last two books than I have on all 225 kindle books that I've downloaded in the past year (yeah, I read a lot). I'm not entirely sure if I'll download the third book. i still need to think about it. I like the author and her writing. The sex, as unrealistic as it is, doesn't bother me and is written just as well, but I know what the third book is all about already. So why spend another $9.99 if I don't have to?
I'll read a few of my indi writers in the mean time and think about it. It's not like I have a fan base to please. :-) :-) ...and for the whopping three of you that do read my blog, you'll just have to wait. :-) :-)
Happy reading,
Pinka
I have no idea how long this book was (because I got the Kindle version and don't know how to look for page numbers on this thing) but it was a pretty fast read. I can usually read a 400 page novel in about 3 days when I'm working, and this book only took me two. So, it was either short or really easy to read.
My main complaint about the first book was that the writer didn't show us her true writing ability until almost the very end of the book. I really enjoyed her style and the characters finally started coming to life. I had to find out if the second book was going to be a continuation of not only the story, but the talent that this writer showed us at the end of the first book. So, what I want to know is - why didn't the second book make all of the headlines instead? It's so much better than the first. Okay, maybe it doesn't have the same kind of sex in it that the first book has, but the story and characters develop and flow so much better!
Now, I don't have a fancy English degree, nor do I claim to be a writer of any kind. I have my degree and work experience in accounting and can honestly tell you that this is the only industry I really know. But I do know what I like and when I read, I do read my chosen books with a critical eye. So, what I'm trying to tell you all here, is to not take my little rambles as a true critique or even review of these books. Like the title says, it's just my humble ramblings and thoughts. :-) :-)
Fifty Shades Darker shows us our two main characters in a bit of a different light. I still think they both need more help to fix their heads, but the writer shows us the playful and more normal side of Ana and her Mr. Grey. I found it really interesting how much detail the writer put into the different types of therapy that Grey had gone through for his problems, and even though I really don't like to read or watch movies about mental illness, this impressed me and made me curious. I may have to download a book about psychology next just because of some of the stuff that was mentioned in the book. :-)
Now, at this point we all know that Grey has been see a shrink for some time to help him with his issues, but I wonder if Ana will ever seek the same type of help? Now, yes, she is a fictional character, but I'm concerned with the type of impression that she may be giving. In the time that Ana had started dating Grey, she had lost some weight. She doesn't mind that she's lost that weight, but Grey and a couple of the other characters notice that she's gotten skinnier. Even if Ana is not purposely starving herself, the fact that she always forgets to eat or that it if were not for the fact that Grey is constantly asking her if she's eaten, I'd think that she may have a subconscious issue with eating or food. Most real life situations that I've known, when a person falls head over heals in love, they usually gain a bit of weight, not lose it. Can it be possible that Ana is so addicted to sex now that she can no longer hear when her body is in need of food?
Okay, I'm going to write about my personal experience here which makes me think that Ana, or any real life person with the same symptoms, may have some kind of food and/or eating issues. When I was a junior in high school I started to work part time at a local retail shop in the jewelry department. It was fun and I liked to have some of my own spending money. I continued to work when senior year started and I added more to my plate by taking a calculus class at the local university down the street. By this time I was working more hours and trying to save for college as well as trying to keep my grades up. I pretty much only went home to sleep, and when I did sleep, it was never very much. Because I was either in school or working, I hardly had time to do my banking, so it was rare for me to have any cash on me. I got into the habit of drinking chicken broth that I could buy out of the coffee machine at work because of my lack of cash and most of the time that was all I could ingest in the short time I got for my breaks.
I was already a pretty light weight, skinny person topping the scales at a whopping 85 pounds. I started losing a little bit of weight and noticed that my stomach didn't pooch out anymore and actually liked it. I didn't weigh myself very often, but I saw that my clothes started fitting a bit more loose and that my almost 22 inch waist went down to a bit less than 20. I didn't get the wake up call until the day I graduated from high school when I weighed myself after taking a shower. I weighed 68 pounds and to my horror, I finally started noticing how my bones started sticking out of my skin. I could see my ribs and my elbows looked huge and unnatural on my arms. I realised that day that I was slowly killing myself and didn't even know it!!! After that, I tried to make myself eat at regular intervals like a normal person, but I just couldn't. Sure, food that I liked tasted wonderfully, but I just couldn't eat normal portions or on a regular basis. I'd get almost a high when my stomach grumbled and it felt good. I didn't really have an issue with the food itself, but with eating. It took a long time for me to get over that and finally started eating again. I was really lucky that I had met my husband at such a young age and he knew me while I was going through all of this. It was his friendship and support that helped me get through this and later on in life when the tables turned and I found myself getting fat, it was his support that kept me from going back to those old habits.
So, I'll be really curious if this issue will come up in the third instalment of the Fifty Shades books. For some reason I don't think it will, but I just really hope that some idiot doesn't get it in her head that losing weight by not eating and conveniently 'forgetting' to eat is normal. We have enough of that shit in our society and really don't need a book like this to add to it. I'm sure the chances of someone being influenced to try the whole dominant/submissive world will be more likely, but that is just sex - by two consulting adults. When you get lost in your own head to make yourself think a certain way, well... that's more dangerous in my opinion.
What I did like about this book is how Grey's views on this whole dominant/submissive world changed when Ana left him at the end of the first book. He learn to "make love" instead of "fuck". Is there a difference? Yes, and the writer shows that very well.
So, our wounded soul is starting to heal, but I'm sure that Ana and her Mr. Grey will have a whole other set of worries in the third book. The last chapter gives a hint of what may be expected, and I can probably go ahead and give you a summary of what will happen - simply because some of these plots are so predictable. I wonder... these authors that are lucky enough to get their stuff published - is there a set of formulas that they follow that insures popularity? Maybe that's why I'm starting to enjoy some of the really cheap or free books that are self edited and self published by new authors that are offered through Amazon? Many of these do not have the usual plots, and even though some are written really, really bad, I'm sure that with a bit of coaching that the stories can be made into something spectacular.
I've spend more money on these last two books than I have on all 225 kindle books that I've downloaded in the past year (yeah, I read a lot). I'm not entirely sure if I'll download the third book. i still need to think about it. I like the author and her writing. The sex, as unrealistic as it is, doesn't bother me and is written just as well, but I know what the third book is all about already. So why spend another $9.99 if I don't have to?
I'll read a few of my indi writers in the mean time and think about it. It's not like I have a fan base to please. :-) :-) ...and for the whopping three of you that do read my blog, you'll just have to wait. :-) :-)
Happy reading,
Pinka
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Okay, I had to do it.
Yes, yes. I did it with the Twilight series, then the Harry Potter books. I was able to put it down with Hunger Games, but I think I'll have to continue with this one.
You're probably thinking "What the heck is this lady talking about!" Well, should I hang my head down with shame, or stand an imaginary 10 inches taller than my 5 feet? If anyone that knows me knows - I can read just about anything. Sure, fantasy fiction is probably my favorite genre of all time, but I just can't resist when there is a title that is being a made a big deal. So, I had to do it!
I read Fifty Shades of Grey by E L James.
Okay, if you're easily offended by bad words and sexual content, then stop here. If you're like me and can read just about anything, then read on. :-)
Now, when I first started this book, I didn't find it any different than any other romance novel out there. Shallow characters, weak story and lots of super descriptive sex. Reading about sex, fiction or non-fiction, it doesn't bother me. Sex is a perfectly natural part of life and there is nothing shameful in it as long as the participants are all consulting adults. I've read some series from some pretty good writers like Laurel K. Hamilton or Anya Bast. Sure, their stuff is paranormal, but to me, the books were enjoyable because their writing styles were good - they just throw in the sex to make it sell better - and I'm sure it does.
Now, going back to Fifty Shades, you have two really messed up characters and neither are very likable. Ana, the main character, was almost Twilight Bella depressing, with a totally stupid self image of herself and absolutely no self esteem. Sure, she was young (I believe in her early 20's), but come on! My own 22 year old niece has 100 times more back bone than Ana - and my niece had a pretty messed up childhood! Ana, who grew up with loving parents and had a pretty comfortable, though not spectacular, life. So where the heck did her hang ups come from?!?!?!
Mr. Grey - he's almost as unbelievable as Bella's vampire lover that sparkles. He's super uber rich, owns his own mega empire, beautiful beyond anyone's imagination... but messed up in the head really, really bad. As he described himself in the book: "Fifty shades of fucked up." Yes, this guy should have never allowed himself to have any kind of relationship with anyone with all of his hang ups. So why are so many women going ga ga over this book?
Well, I can't speak for myself, but I'm thinking that Grey was the perfect 'wounded animal' type of characters that they hope the heroine, messed up Ana, will somehow change and save from himself. You can pick up just about any trashy romance novel and see very similar stories.
What made this book different from many of the others that I've read is the detail that goes into the whole dominant/submissive/bondage lifestyle. It certainly gives one a good glimpse into this world, even if the story is totally fictional, I have a feeling that some of that messed up thinking is true with some of the people in that world. What kind of fucked up person do you have to be to actually enjoy beating someone into submission like that? Okay, I can't pass judgement on someone else's personal preference on how they want to have sex. That is something that is almost as personal as someone's religion, but are all dominants and submissive that messed up? Even one of Anita Blake's lovers, who used to be a submissive before she rescued him from that world, was messed up in the head. You know what? I really don't want to know...
Okay, enough of that because I don't think that is what this whole book is about. There actually was a story in there after you get through all of the garbage that is probably the reason that this book became such a hit. About three quarters through the book, Grey and Ana actually start to show signs of having a normal relationship and do fun things together that any 20-something gazillionair may want to shower on his naive and sheltered girlfriend. The story actually becomes cute and a shade of realistic.
Our two lovers also do something that I don't see in some of these other novels that I think makes this one unique in another way - they communicate! They actually go through different points as to what they expect, what they want and what they cannot tolerate. Okay, Grey does this, but it takes Ana almost the whole book to finally open up (yeah, can you tell that this really annoys me?) and grow a backbone. This went into more detail than what you'd expect to see in some of the trashy novels. I just wish that the author didn't have to give us this wonderful treasure of a story at the end of the book!!!
The end is a bit of a cliff hanger, so I have to download the next installment and see what else Ana and her Mr. Grey are up to. I just hope the writer rewards us that choose the next installment with her true writing talent for the whole book instead of just a taste at the end.
As you can tell, I'm not really a huge fan of romance... I've read quite a bit of it - maybe a couple hundred books, so I think I can honestly say that it's not all that great. There are some awesome writers out there - I just wish Laurel K. Hamilton would have been able to stay in my favorite genre of fantasy fiction because she is a wonderful writer. Her Anita Blake books are really popular and I can see why... but I wonder how much better these books would could be if she left all of the sex up to the readers imaginations instead. :-) :-) :-)
You're probably thinking "What the heck is this lady talking about!" Well, should I hang my head down with shame, or stand an imaginary 10 inches taller than my 5 feet? If anyone that knows me knows - I can read just about anything. Sure, fantasy fiction is probably my favorite genre of all time, but I just can't resist when there is a title that is being a made a big deal. So, I had to do it!
I read Fifty Shades of Grey by E L James.
Okay, if you're easily offended by bad words and sexual content, then stop here. If you're like me and can read just about anything, then read on. :-)
Now, when I first started this book, I didn't find it any different than any other romance novel out there. Shallow characters, weak story and lots of super descriptive sex. Reading about sex, fiction or non-fiction, it doesn't bother me. Sex is a perfectly natural part of life and there is nothing shameful in it as long as the participants are all consulting adults. I've read some series from some pretty good writers like Laurel K. Hamilton or Anya Bast. Sure, their stuff is paranormal, but to me, the books were enjoyable because their writing styles were good - they just throw in the sex to make it sell better - and I'm sure it does.
Now, going back to Fifty Shades, you have two really messed up characters and neither are very likable. Ana, the main character, was almost Twilight Bella depressing, with a totally stupid self image of herself and absolutely no self esteem. Sure, she was young (I believe in her early 20's), but come on! My own 22 year old niece has 100 times more back bone than Ana - and my niece had a pretty messed up childhood! Ana, who grew up with loving parents and had a pretty comfortable, though not spectacular, life. So where the heck did her hang ups come from?!?!?!
Mr. Grey - he's almost as unbelievable as Bella's vampire lover that sparkles. He's super uber rich, owns his own mega empire, beautiful beyond anyone's imagination... but messed up in the head really, really bad. As he described himself in the book: "Fifty shades of fucked up." Yes, this guy should have never allowed himself to have any kind of relationship with anyone with all of his hang ups. So why are so many women going ga ga over this book?
Well, I can't speak for myself, but I'm thinking that Grey was the perfect 'wounded animal' type of characters that they hope the heroine, messed up Ana, will somehow change and save from himself. You can pick up just about any trashy romance novel and see very similar stories.
What made this book different from many of the others that I've read is the detail that goes into the whole dominant/submissive/bondage lifestyle. It certainly gives one a good glimpse into this world, even if the story is totally fictional, I have a feeling that some of that messed up thinking is true with some of the people in that world. What kind of fucked up person do you have to be to actually enjoy beating someone into submission like that? Okay, I can't pass judgement on someone else's personal preference on how they want to have sex. That is something that is almost as personal as someone's religion, but are all dominants and submissive that messed up? Even one of Anita Blake's lovers, who used to be a submissive before she rescued him from that world, was messed up in the head. You know what? I really don't want to know...
Okay, enough of that because I don't think that is what this whole book is about. There actually was a story in there after you get through all of the garbage that is probably the reason that this book became such a hit. About three quarters through the book, Grey and Ana actually start to show signs of having a normal relationship and do fun things together that any 20-something gazillionair may want to shower on his naive and sheltered girlfriend. The story actually becomes cute and a shade of realistic.
Our two lovers also do something that I don't see in some of these other novels that I think makes this one unique in another way - they communicate! They actually go through different points as to what they expect, what they want and what they cannot tolerate. Okay, Grey does this, but it takes Ana almost the whole book to finally open up (yeah, can you tell that this really annoys me?) and grow a backbone. This went into more detail than what you'd expect to see in some of the trashy novels. I just wish that the author didn't have to give us this wonderful treasure of a story at the end of the book!!!
The end is a bit of a cliff hanger, so I have to download the next installment and see what else Ana and her Mr. Grey are up to. I just hope the writer rewards us that choose the next installment with her true writing talent for the whole book instead of just a taste at the end.
As you can tell, I'm not really a huge fan of romance... I've read quite a bit of it - maybe a couple hundred books, so I think I can honestly say that it's not all that great. There are some awesome writers out there - I just wish Laurel K. Hamilton would have been able to stay in my favorite genre of fantasy fiction because she is a wonderful writer. Her Anita Blake books are really popular and I can see why... but I wonder how much better these books would could be if she left all of the sex up to the readers imaginations instead. :-) :-) :-)
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