Book Review: Fifty Shades Darker

Fifty Shades Darker by EL James

My favorite parts:
(there are soooo many more, but...they would be spoilers.)

"His magic is powerful, intoxicating. I'm a butterfly caught in his net, unable and unwilling to escape. I'm his...totally his."

"He stares at me blankly, and there it is, his problem in a nutshell - empathy or the lack thereof."

"And I don't know what possesses me, but I suddenly hear my own voice ringing out clearly over the throng.
   'Twenty-four thousand dollars!'"

"Christian stares at him impassively, but he's amused. All eyes are on Christian. What's he going to do? My heart is in my mouth. I feel sick.
    'One hundred thousand dollars,' he says, his voice ringing clear and loud through the tent."

" 'There is poetry of sailing as old as the world,' he murmurs in my ear.
     'That sounds like a quote.'
     I sense his grin. 'It is. Antoine de Saint-Exupery.'
     'Oh... I adore The Little Prince.'
     'Me, too.' "

" 'I was Mrs. Taylor yesterday.' I grin at Taylor, who flushes.
   'That has a nice ring to it, Miss Steele,' Taylor says matter-of-factly.
   'I thought so, too.' "

Personal Reflections:
Getting to know Christian, Mr. Fifty Shades, was exhilarating!
I actually made some parallels in my childhood and was able to piece together some extraordinary insights.
I do believe this book might have saved me thousands of dollars worth of therapy!
It's very rare I sacrifice my sleep for a book. This was an exception to every rule. It was a love affair, an exciting adventure. I was actually a bit disappointed when I was getting close to the end. I slowed the pace a little and prolonged the experience. I have never done that.
EL James gives good read.
Oh.. so good.

Grasp

" On Fridays around these parts we stop, drop, and write.
For fun, for love of the sound of words, for play, for delight, for joy and celebration at the art of communication.
For only five short, bold, beautiful minutes. Unscripted and unedited. We just write without worrying if it’s just right or not."

Today’s prompt: Grasp

 

I was 16. He was 29, a family member. I was curious, he was evil. The serpent. Taking advantage of the situation. Tempted in an old abandoned dirty garage. Mind and body soaring someplace else. One kiss and I was addicted. One touch and no longer the same. Drunk on the forbidden. Lines crossed. I set into motion a series of events that have held me captive. It’s inescapable: this prison I hold myself in. I’m only now starting to see the blood on my hands. The venom- it’s in my touch, in my words, in my mind.



Miranda The Temptest by John William Waterhouse



It's been too long...

I know you haven’t heard from me in too long.

What I’ve been up to lately:

·         Trying to find time to memorize 2 songs and play them well before my piano lesson. If I don’t practice and put in the time, it’s the most miserable hour!

·         Reading Anna Karenina for book club

·         Reading 50 Shades Darker well past midnight

·         Doing Colossians Bible Study with Good Morning Girls.

All of this in the midst of diapers, dishes, caring for a messed up shoulder, trying to stay connected with my man, and sleep… Sleep..haven’t seen her in a long time.

Review: Man in the Blue Moon

Man in the Blue Moon by Michael Morris

Many thanks to Tyndale Publishing for providing a complimentary copy of Man in the Blue Moon. This is one of those books I would have never picked up at the book store.
I'm so glad to be a part of this program which exposes me to different pieces.
This is a jewel of  a book and I'm so glad I read it! I've found a new favorite author.

My favorite parts from this book:

"Kicking the guilt until it balled at his feet, he fought the demons that had driven him to extremes."

"Evil was pumping through his body, he was sure of it. It was the fury of his bloodline that scared him. A tortured beast he could no longer harness."

"A chill snaked down Ella's system and settled so deep that not even the spring sun could thaw it."

"She pictured the fear that had become a constant tormentor as a black mushroom clamped to the side of her brain, a deformity of sorts that she had begun to accept as her lot in life."

"Starting tomorrow, he would display the photograph and explain to the unrefined that the smear of the man walking in the corner of the image was representational of a celestial being standing watch over the brokenhearted woman..."

" 'Is my friend in some sort of danger?'
      The sheriff touched the end of the pencil to his long tongue and steadied his hand on the paper. 'Depends on how fast you can spell.' "


Personal reflections:

This book was like a movie unfolding in my mind. The imagery was vivid and crisp without being too wordy. The main character Ella is the heroine that anyone can relate to. I felt her fears, her pain, her joy and anguish. Life just threw every obstacle in her course. It was awful. She's an orphan raised by her late aunt, has children and a husband who ran off chasing his unfortunate addiction. She develops into a massively strong character. An inspiration really.

The small town mosaic was very typical. Comical- but not really since it's so true.

The story was riveting. There was shock and awe at every chapter. Just when I felt we were coming to the end and everything is going to be okay, BOOM! The story gives me total knock out and I need a day or two to recover.

Something which strikes me as curious, bear with me on this one:
Before finishing Man in the Blue Moon, I read Fifty Shades of Grey. Yes, roll your eyes and get it over with.

One of my favorite quotes from Fifty Shades of Grey was:

“I gasp, and I'm Eve in the Garden of Eden, and he's the serpent, and I cannot resist.”   

Then in Man in the Blue Moon, I come across this where Brother Mabry is addressing a massive crowd:

"Don't be like Eve. Don't be taken in by the serpent who deceives. Hear me now: gaurd your hearts and minds. The devil strikes the hardest where the Lord is working. And make no mistake, ladies and gentlemen, He is working here. The footprints of God are on your very soil."

This is one of the those moments that I KNOW are not a concidence. God speaks to me in various ways throughout my day. Usually he speaks to me through song, a dear friend whose advice I trust most or through his Word. These days he speaks to me through stories. I think he's ALWAYS been speaking to me through stories, this is one of the few times I couldn't ignore.

So what is he telling me in this message? Am I Eve being tempted by something I cannot resist? Is it a warning of things to come? Or.. Am I the serpent? Have my selfishness and pride gotten the better of me?

This will be a book I can come back to always find something new and telling. The only other book I that gives me that experience is To Kill a Mockingbird.

Yes, it was that impressive.

Waiting

waiting

n.

We’ve circled back here. Pain and illness have tied the relationship in a messy, inescapable, tangled, knotty web. Constricting, cutting off circulation slowly killing me, killing us. Hard to see the end. The air is sucked out of me every time I walk in the door. I resign and give up again every day, hoping, praying, needing to return to a normal life. I was elated and joyful when we were married. I thought I’d never be alone again. But here I sit, in the dark, with the glow of the monitor as my only warmth.

The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali

Book Review: Fifty Shades of Grey

Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James

Superlatives:

Most random line
(that has NOTHING to do with the story, there were quite a number of these)

“... when the door opens and a tall, elegantly dressed, attractive African American man with short dreads exits. I have definitely worn the wrong clothes. 
   He turns and says through the door, ‘Golf this week, Grey?’”

Most profound quote:

“I don’t subscribe to luck or chance, Miss Steele. The harder I work the more luck I seem to have. It really is all about having the right people on your team directing their energies accordingly. I think it was Harvey Firestone who said, ‘The growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership.’”

Most likely to have nothing to propel the story forward:

“’I’ll take some coveralls. Heaven forbid I should ruin any clothing,’ he says dryly.”

Most laugh-out-loud-funny-part-that-will-shoot-liquid-out-of-your-nose:

“He smiles.

‘Okay bag out of tea. Sugar?’

For a moment, I’m stunned, thinking it’s an endearment, but fortunately my subconscious kicks in with pursed lips. No, stupid- do you take sugar?”

Best kiss:

~~~Too hot to post!~~~

“The elevator stops, the doors open, and he pushes away from me in the blink of an eye, leaving me hanging…My heart rate is through the roof, I feel like I’ve run an uphill race. I want to lean over and grasp my knees…”

Best use of hands:

“'I see.' Paul looks positively crestfallen, stunned even, and a very small part of me resents that he should find this a surprise. My inner goddess does, too. She makes a very vulgar and unattractive gesture at him with her fingers.”

Best email:

“… Frankly I’m in awe of you, that one so innocent would be willing to try. That says more to me than you could ever know. You fail to see I am caught in your spell, too… My reason vanishes when we’re together- that’s the depth of my feeling for you.”

Best foreshadow:

"And in this quiet moment as I close my eyes, spent and sated, I think I’m in the eye of the storm. And in spite of all he’s said, and what he hasn’t said, I don’t think I have ever been so happy.”

Best Song:

I’m on Fire, Bruce Springsteen

Biggest Eye Roll/You’ve-Got-To-Be-Kidding-Me Moment:

“I gaze at my mom. She is on her fourth marriage. Maybe she does know something about men after all.”

Vocabulary:

gamine

n.

- a neglected girl who is left to run about the streets.

- a diminutive or very slender girl, especially one who is pert, impudent, or playfully mischievous.

edifice 

n.

- a building, especially one of large size or imposing appearance.

- any large, complex system or organization.

jodhpur 

n.

- riding breeches cut very full over the hips and tapering at the knees to become tightfitting from the knees to the ankles.

- Also called jodhpur shoe, jodhpur boot . an ankle-high shoe for wearing with such breeches, having a strap that encircles the ankle and buckles on the side.

phlegmatic

 

adj.

-not easily excited to action or display of emotion; apathetic; sluggish.

-self-possessed, calm, or composed.

-of the nature of or abounding in the humor phlegm.

somnambulant

adj.

-walking or tending to walk while asleep  

in-situ

adj.

-Being in the original position; not having been moved or transferred to another location;

castigate

v.

- To inflict severe punishment on.

- To criticize severely.

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This isn't really a vocabulary word, but I thought it was interesting:

Anastasia:

n.

Resurrection

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Personal reflections:
Can't wait to read book #2!!!

Slow SLOW beginning. Bedroom scenes are HOT! Amateur writing. Not prose. Very entertaining though.
I enjoyed the literature references and was intrigued by the choices of music..
Be still my heart! There's a playlist!!!
Where IS that repeat button!