Book #25 Week #22, Fifty Shades Darker by E. L. James

Okay blog I am trying not to neglect you! I have been keeping up with my reading but not with my writing, been having a hard time concentrating since my mother passed. Moving on, I lent my library copy of Fifty Shades of Grey to my reading buddy since I finished it so fast before it was due and she ended up buying the Fifty Shades Darker and I got to skip the library waiting list! Wohoo.

About the book: Darker starts off right were Grey left off with the separation of the unlikely lovebirds. However that separation doesn't last long and Christian comes up with a new plan on how to make a relationship work with Ana and they both decide to give it a try. But something new stands in their way, someone from Christian's past has show up in a creepy, stalking manor. Can Ana deal with Christian's past? Can Christian relinquish some control to make a real relationship work?

My thoughts: I'll have to add these later as I left my notebook in the car.

Quote:
“This is me, Ana. All of me...and I'm all yours. What do I have to do to make you realize that? To make you see that I want you any way I can get you. That I love you.”

Book #24 Week #21, Vaclav & Lena by Haley Tanner

Vaclav & Lena by Haley Tanner has been on my to-read list for awhile, I finally had the library transfer it from another branch. Set in modern day New York, Vaclav & Lena, is the story of two nine year old Russian immigrants named, you guessed it Vaclav and Lena.


Vaclav came to America with his hard working mother and father. After a trip to Coney Island, young Vaclav feels it is his destiny to become a great magician and to have his best and only friend Lena as his assistant. Vaclav is attached faithfully to Lena but her home life is drastically different from his. Being "raised" by her drug using, stripper Aunt, Lena is tiny and shy. Fortunately Vaclav's mother loves the little girl and tries to help her as much as possible until one day she witnesses something horrific and has to involve the authorities. This turn of events tears the two children apart for years until one day they find each other again. 


I found Vaclav & Lena new and different from the stories I usually read. Despite it's momentarily dark turn and a death that much mirrors my own mother's recent passing (that was hard and I almost threw the book at the wall! But I am glad I pushed forward) it was wonderful. I loved reading about two children so wrapped up in well, being children, loving the world and wonder of magic and believing that anything and everything is possible. Refreshing, well written, loved it.


Quote:
 “Vaclav has said goodnight to Lena every night since the night she went away. Out loud. In a whisper. He filled the words with all his love and care and worry for Lena and launched them out to her, and like homing pigeons, he trusted them to find her.”

Book #23 Week #20, Fifty Shades of Grey by E. L. James

After waiting for what seems like forever on the library waiting list (in reality maybe 4 weeks) I finally got my hands on Fifty Shades of Grey by E. L. James. I had to read it to see what all the fuss was about and I can't say I was disappointed! It was a nice distraction from the emotional roller coaster I've been on this past week.

There were somethings that bugged me in Fifty Shades but we'll get to those in a moment. The story starts off with the last week at college for twenty-one year old innocent Anastasia Steele. She has been commissioned to conduct an interview for the school paper by her best friend and flu ridden roommate. Ana goes into the interview completely unprepared and finds herself drawn to the handsome, young entrepreneur Christian Grey. The pair are drawn to each other but despite repeated warnings from Mr. Grey to stay away Ana just can't do that and neither can he.

Although he is charming and handsome, Mr. Grey is an emotionally damaged man and he is hiding his seriously kinky sexual life from Ana because of her lack of experience. After learning of this side of Christian, Ana must choose between going on with her life alone or submitting to Christians demands which comes with emotional and physical tolls.

I really liked Fifty Shades of Grey so much so that I can't wait to get the next book (of which I am currently #67 on the waiting list out of three copies, but only #38 out of five copies for book three how odd!). It wasn't as bad as I was expecting from a first time author of fan fiction and all. I know the author had Twilight in mind when writing this series but the similarities got on my nerves personally. Ana was too clumsy, self-conscious, innocent just like Bella. Christian was a secret keeping, ladies man just like Edward. And surprise, surprise Ana has a best friend, Jose, who is way more into her than she to him just like Bella and Jacob. But that would be easy to look past if you haven't read Twilight : )

My other issue (and this might have only come to light because someone else mentioned to me) was the use of the term "inner goddess". I understand why it is there and so often, to show the difference between the "inner goddess" and Ana's regular conscious, but still! I hate terms like goddess and diva and the like. But the story line was decent and there was a lot of "action" so I can look past that. Besides I, like a lot of women, have developed a thing for Mr. Grey.

Quote:
“This is a man in need. His fear is naked and obvious, but he's lost. . . Somewhere in his darkness.
His eyes wide and bleak and tortured. I can soothe him. Join him briefly in the darkness and bring him into the light.”

Book #22 Week #20, The Servants of Twilight by Dean Koontz

The Servants of Twilight by Dean Koontz (originally published under a pen name btw) probably wasn't the best pick for me. Not the books fault though. I actually finished The Lovely Bones last Thursday May 11th so I started reading this book that weekend and on Monday the 14th my mother passed away : (

But I kept with it to keep my mind off of things. The Servants of Twilight is set in the 1980's and follows single mother Christine and her six year old son Joey. As they are leaving the mall one afternoon they encounter a seemingly ordinary old woman. As luck would have it though the woman is crazy and believes Joey is the devil himself coming back to rule the world for a thousand years.

Basically the crazy lady, Mother Grace, has her own following and plenty of people who are willing to do as she bids. Without much help from the police Christine hires a private investigator to help her and Joey get to the root of the problem and keep them save. Time and time again the followers of Grace are able to find Charlie, Christine and Joey no matter where they hide. If you are like me you will find yourself wondering if there are supernatural powers at play and who really are the good guys.

In the end the book was entertaining and suspenseful but probably not something I'd insist upon others. But I did pick it up in the clearance bin at Target for less that three dollars so it was worth the price paid!

Book #21 Week #19, The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

In The Lovely Bones we follow the aftermath of the brutal murder of fourteen year old Susie Salmon on a cold December night. Her untimely death happens right off the bat in the first few pages of the book. Then we are introduced to her family: mother and father, sister who is a year younger and a much younger brother too young to understand fully what has happened. Oh and a cooky grandmother.

The Lovely Bones was made into a movie and based on the previews of that movie I was lead to believe Susie is trying to get her family to figure out what has happened to her and for justice to be served. The book is sort of like that but not entirely, mostly Susie just cannot move on from her "life" and is watching how her family copes from her version heaven. Even though the subject matter is heavy and my heart broke over and over I liked this book. I found reading from the view point of heaven new and interesting. Also I thought the characters were well developed especially Susie's dad, it was nice to have a warm and caring father figure. Furthermore this is the second book, after last week's The Memory Keeper's Daughter, I've read recently with a detached mother : /

Quote:
“Between a man and a woman there was always one person who was stronger than the other one. That doesn’t mean the weaker one doesn’t love the stronger.”

Book to movies and misc.

I've seen a few book-to-movies this year and thought I'd update them here instead of procrastinating like always.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest (Swedish version) finally watched it on Netflix and thought it was pretty good. There were some changes as to be expected but nothing too far from the main plot line at least. The husband like this movie the most from the series.

Water for Elephants I borrowed from the library (score! I love the library). I was a little nervous with Robert Pattinson (of Twilight fame) playing the male lead but he did surprisingly well! Reese Witherspoon was lovely like always. My biggest complaint was that the character of Uncle Al was cut out completely and that left August to fill the role of ringmaster and owner of the circus. Other changes were minor in comparison for me. Over all I loved the film.

The Hunger Games saw this in the theater with the hubs. I thought it was great. The acting was really good and after this and X-Men First Class I am really liking Jennifer Lawrence. And Liam Hemsworth is a very attractive young man : ) Personally I thought the connection between Katniss and Peeta was a little lost especially with the cutting of a key scene (the hovercraft scene at the end of the games) but on the flip side the hubs, who hasn't read the books, thought  the connection was there. The movie was filled with action but wasn't too gory or cheesy. And I thought the addition of the announcers giving play-by-play on the going ons of the arena really helped fill in people who have not read the books on how the games and the arena work. We both really liked it.

On an unrelated note... due to a pipe bursting in the wall in our apartment I missed the Christopher Moore book signing in my area. So so bummed.

Book #20 Week #18, The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

Let me start by saying my husband thinks I am nuts. We had gone to the library together and I grabbed two books (this one and the next one) because I recognized the titles. However I knew this book was on my to-read-list, couldn't remember what it was about and didn't bother to read the jacket (I do this often btw) but he read the cover and wished me luck.

Well The Memory Keeper's Daughter is an emotional book and hit sort of close to home which made it more emotional for me. We start off during a rare blizzard in 1964 when Dr. David Henry's wife, Norah, goes into labor three weeks early with their first child. The pair head off to David's clinic where his partner just so happens to be an OB/GYN but due to the storm David is forced to deliver the baby himself with only the aid of his nurse. The delivery goes smoothly with David remaining calm and cool and the nurse Caroline, druging up Norah at just the right moments. Before you know it a little boy has entered the world perfect as can be but he is soon followed by a little girl, however the little girl has Down's Syndrome. Unfortunately in 1964 little was known about conditions such as these and often the affected children were placed in institutions, luckily things have a way of changing and when my brother-in-law and his twin sister (her with Down's Syndrome and he without) were born in the mid 1980's the family remained intact .


David makes a rash decision while his wife is still unaware of the second baby and he hands the little girl to Caroline along with an address of an institution for her to take the child to. Reluctantly Caroline agrees to go with the promise from David that he will tell Norah about the little girl. However when she reaches the institution and sees the state it is in she decides she cannot leave a helpless baby there so they go home together. At first Caroline, unmarried and childless in her thirties, is torn between wanting to keep the baby and hoping David and Norah have a change of heart and come to claim their daughter. But a few days later she sees it, a memorial in the newspaper for the Henry girl lost at birth, then the decision is made for her. She leaves town and takes on a new role of mother and advocate for children with learning disabilities. 


Life goes on and despite having a healthy child at home Norah find it very difficult to move on from the daughter she believes died at birth. David is consumed with so much guilt and Paul their son has a hard time connecting with his emotionally distant parents. Meanwhile not too far away little Phoebe is having a wonderful life.


I loved The Memory Keeper's Daughter I thought it was surprising full despite having quite a few characters to follow. And although I did cry a bit it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be so don't be afraid to give it a shot.


Quote:
“You can't spend the rest of your life tiptoeing around to try and avert disaster. It won't work. You'll just end up missing the life you have.”