While walking around Barnes and Noble today I realized that I can only read a book if I purchase it (yes, I have to spend money then instead of renting it from the library for FREE!). So, I made a purchase today: 50 Shades of Grey. The smell of a new book is something I can never let go. Despite modern technology (as in E-Books and Kindles), I would prefer to crack out a book and read it cover to cover. Touching a screen to flip a page is not and never will be the same.
I heard it was supposed to be disturbing and very inappropriate, but it intrigued me because how can a book that gets harsh reviews like that be so amazing according to the critics? I had to read it. It definitely isn't my first choice on topic or plot, but who knows! It may actually be good if I can look past the very inappropriate concepts. I won't be starting it until next week (tonsils out tomorrow), but I can't wait to see what all the hype is about!
In case you haven't heard about the book, here is a brief description:
"The plot traces the relationship between recent college graduate Anastasia Steele and manipulative billionaire Christian Grey. Steele is required by Grey to sign a contract allowing him complete control over her life as well as a non-disclosure agreement, something that he has required from all of his previous submissives. Upon learning that she is a virgin, Grey agrees to have sex with her in order to prepare her for later encounters, fully intending that the contract would be signed. As she gets to know him, she learns that his sexual tastes involve bondage, domination, and sadism, and that childhood abuse left him a deeply damaged individual. In order to be his partner, she agrees to experiment with BDSM, but she struggles to reconcile who she is (a virgin who has never previously had a boyfriend) with whom Christian wants her to be, his submissive and a to-do-with-as-he-pleases partner in his "Red Room of Pain"."
After I read 50 Shades of Grey I have whole other list of (normal) books that I want to read. Thank goodness I have 4 more plane rides and a long car ride left this summer.
Southern Charm by Tinsley Mortimer

"Southern girl Minty Davenport always dreamed of skyscrapers, yellow cabs, and a life like Eloise's in New York City. So upon graduation from college, she bids adieu to Charleston and makes a beeline for the Big Apple. Almost instantly, she finds herself at an event being photographed for Women's Wear Daily, and her career as a New York society "It Girl" is launched.As Minty navigates the ironclad customs of New York society, a blossoming love life, and a job working for a ruthless and powerful publicist, she finds that the rules a Southern belle lives by-being nice to everyone, accentuating her femininity, and minding her manners-don't necessarily guarantee success in Manhattan. She may indeed be accumulating new friends and opportunities along with bold-faced mentions and a very eligible bachelor boyfriend, but someone is plotting her very public downfall. When Minty gets to the top of the social ladder, she must decide if the glamorous life she thought she wanted is really everything she hoped it would be."
Faking It by Elisa Lorello
"After breaking off her engagement, thirty-something writing professor Andi Cutrone abandons New England for her native Long Island to focus on her career and start over. When she meets Devin at a cocktail party, the sight of an honest-to-goodness male escort shocks her—and fascinates her more than a little. Months later, Andi impulsively calls Devin. Over cheesecake in Brooklyn, she offers him a proposition: he will teach her how to be a better lover, and in return, she will give him writing lessons. He agrees, and together they embark upon an intense partnership that proves to be as instructive as it is arousing. For in the midst of lessons in rhetorical theory and foreplay, Andi and Devin delve into deeper questions about truth, beauty, and self, gradually coming face-to-face with the issues at the core of their emotional limitations."
Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld
"This tells the story of a young girl, Lee Fiora, from South Bend, Indiana, who goes to Ault School, an elite boarding school near Boston, Massachusetts. The plot deals with coming of age, self identity, and class distinctions in the preppy and competitive atmosphere."
*Special thanks to Amazon.com for the book descriptions*
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