Fifty Shades of What's the Big Deal
Next month, we are reading "50 Shades of Grey" for our book group because everyone in the world is apparently reading it. We normally read decent books- not necessarily pop culture lit. We've even read a few novels BEFORE Oprah.
We are that cool.
So for summer we decided why not? We are going out to dinner in lieu of our normal meeting at someone's house and making it an event.
One of the women decided not to read the book and sent us a link to a blog that discussed how good Christians shouldn't read the book. I have absolutely no issue with her decision to not read the book. It's definitely not for everyone. I respect her decision to step out, allow us to have fun with it, because she was uncomfortable and would have been uncomfortable discussing it.
My issue with the blog was the woman who wrote it actually hadn't read the book and made a LOT of assumptions of what it was about. She got a lot of "Amens" to her post from others that hadn't read it either and a few from people who had that said "Um... that's not even what the book is about...."
First of all, when faced with other people telling me what they think I should and shouldn't do, especially when they are speaking on behalf of God, I usually smirk. Then I ask "What would Jesus do?"
I don't especially think Jesus would have read the book. Not because it's smut (it really isn't- there is a plot), but because there are far better things to read. I would have hoped in his divinity he would have been able to go "Hmmm... thin, cheesy story line... I'll pass." But again, unlike so many people, I am not going to pretend to speak on behalf of Jesus.
I am not going to lie-- I read all three- well, I started skimming in the second and only read about a quarter of the last one. It's an interesting mystery. But the actual writing didn't keep me spellbound.
The love story is hilarious. Plain Jane is courted by eccentric young, gorgeous billionaire. She is unaware of her inner beauty and he, through his magic connection to her, despite his early childhood abuse before being adopted by a saintly, wealthy couple, manages to pull out her inner, savage, sexiness.
Yes, you've read it before. Your first (and hopefully, last) Harlequin romance novel. As my friend Millie pointed out, it's from the more, um, "explicit" line they have.
My work colleague said she found herself flipping through the sex sections and going..."whatever.... get back to the story." I found myself doing the same. All right, already, sex on the car, sex on the pool table, sex on the kitchen counter, sex on the yacht...
Ee gads. Don't these people have cable? When do they find time to watch "House Hunters International?"
Don't get me wrong, I love my husband. But sometimes I want to see what apartments in Paris go for.
With that said, I was intrigued by the story line. Especially how it unfolds. And each book has a cliffhanger at the end, sucking me into buying the next book. Pardon the term.
And the sex.
Yes, there was sex. Maybe it's because I had just seen a "Dateline" on kinky sex clubs, maybe it's because I live in Vegas and there's a Starbucks, Walgreen's, pawn shop and "adult" store on more than one corner, or maybe I've watched one too many "Sex and the City" episodes, but I didn't exactly find it horribly shocking. Some of it, yes, but most of it, I was aware that there was a freaky, counter culture alive and well in our country. Because I do have cable.
But the story was really about 2 people who fell in love. He introduced her to kinky sex. She consented and liked it. A few people tried to kill them. They lived happily ever after. Married, monogamous and into their freaky shit.
And the dialogue-- I swear, I think the author had one of those "Word of the Day" calendars and tried to fit in a fancy, schmancy word at least 1-2 per chapter. The characters sounded ridiculous.
Not exactly the type of book that will lead to the demise of marriage and the eventual collapse of the human race. In fact, having read the book, the other blog was flipping hilarious. The Kardashians are much more harmful to marriage than this book.
Here's what I think the book will do-- it will get a bunch of women to read it, discuss it and giggle. Maybe a few will find their inner goddesses and get their freak on. I don't know. I don't want to think about my neighbors getting busy any more than they want the frightening visual of my husband and I getting kinky.
It's silly pop culture. If your marriage or lifestyle is threatened by a silly, cheesy book you need to evaluate your life-- not the book. It's just not that life changing. At all. If anything, it's pro marriage. Even kinky sex freaks can find their soul mates.
I would write more but I have to go get the harness and hot wax ready.... kidding... or am I??
We are that cool.
So for summer we decided why not? We are going out to dinner in lieu of our normal meeting at someone's house and making it an event.
One of the women decided not to read the book and sent us a link to a blog that discussed how good Christians shouldn't read the book. I have absolutely no issue with her decision to not read the book. It's definitely not for everyone. I respect her decision to step out, allow us to have fun with it, because she was uncomfortable and would have been uncomfortable discussing it.
My issue with the blog was the woman who wrote it actually hadn't read the book and made a LOT of assumptions of what it was about. She got a lot of "Amens" to her post from others that hadn't read it either and a few from people who had that said "Um... that's not even what the book is about...."
First of all, when faced with other people telling me what they think I should and shouldn't do, especially when they are speaking on behalf of God, I usually smirk. Then I ask "What would Jesus do?"
I don't especially think Jesus would have read the book. Not because it's smut (it really isn't- there is a plot), but because there are far better things to read. I would have hoped in his divinity he would have been able to go "Hmmm... thin, cheesy story line... I'll pass." But again, unlike so many people, I am not going to pretend to speak on behalf of Jesus.
I am not going to lie-- I read all three- well, I started skimming in the second and only read about a quarter of the last one. It's an interesting mystery. But the actual writing didn't keep me spellbound.
The love story is hilarious. Plain Jane is courted by eccentric young, gorgeous billionaire. She is unaware of her inner beauty and he, through his magic connection to her, despite his early childhood abuse before being adopted by a saintly, wealthy couple, manages to pull out her inner, savage, sexiness.
Yes, you've read it before. Your first (and hopefully, last) Harlequin romance novel. As my friend Millie pointed out, it's from the more, um, "explicit" line they have.
My work colleague said she found herself flipping through the sex sections and going..."whatever.... get back to the story." I found myself doing the same. All right, already, sex on the car, sex on the pool table, sex on the kitchen counter, sex on the yacht...
Ee gads. Don't these people have cable? When do they find time to watch "House Hunters International?"
Don't get me wrong, I love my husband. But sometimes I want to see what apartments in Paris go for.
With that said, I was intrigued by the story line. Especially how it unfolds. And each book has a cliffhanger at the end, sucking me into buying the next book. Pardon the term.
And the sex.
Yes, there was sex. Maybe it's because I had just seen a "Dateline" on kinky sex clubs, maybe it's because I live in Vegas and there's a Starbucks, Walgreen's, pawn shop and "adult" store on more than one corner, or maybe I've watched one too many "Sex and the City" episodes, but I didn't exactly find it horribly shocking. Some of it, yes, but most of it, I was aware that there was a freaky, counter culture alive and well in our country. Because I do have cable.
But the story was really about 2 people who fell in love. He introduced her to kinky sex. She consented and liked it. A few people tried to kill them. They lived happily ever after. Married, monogamous and into their freaky shit.
And the dialogue-- I swear, I think the author had one of those "Word of the Day" calendars and tried to fit in a fancy, schmancy word at least 1-2 per chapter. The characters sounded ridiculous.
Not exactly the type of book that will lead to the demise of marriage and the eventual collapse of the human race. In fact, having read the book, the other blog was flipping hilarious. The Kardashians are much more harmful to marriage than this book.
Here's what I think the book will do-- it will get a bunch of women to read it, discuss it and giggle. Maybe a few will find their inner goddesses and get their freak on. I don't know. I don't want to think about my neighbors getting busy any more than they want the frightening visual of my husband and I getting kinky.
It's silly pop culture. If your marriage or lifestyle is threatened by a silly, cheesy book you need to evaluate your life-- not the book. It's just not that life changing. At all. If anything, it's pro marriage. Even kinky sex freaks can find their soul mates.
I would write more but I have to go get the harness and hot wax ready.... kidding... or am I??
Comments