Book Review for: 50 Shades of Grey

Book Review for: Fifty Shades of Grey
Written by: E.L. James
978-0-345-80348-1
Avail: as a print book
4 Stars

James pens a character driven romance full of inner conflict and nail-biting tension with "Fifty Shades of Grey." Christian Grey is a successful businessman determined to dominate in all things. Enter Anastasia Steele. She challenges him at every turn. Dare he give his heart to her?

Set in contemporary Seattle, Anastasia is a grad student who interviews Christian for her friend, Kate. Ana and Christian can't deny there's a charge of attraction between them. Later, Christian finds Ana and they have a coffee date. Christian would like her to enter into a relationship with him. For Ana, Christian's proposal is shocking, but she's game to try. However, when she wants "more," is Christian willing to meet her in the middle?

James uses a strong character voice that easily pulls the reader into Ana's world. The story is written in the first person, present tense. At times, I found the present tense a bit disconcerting, but the characterization is so strong, I enjoyed the novel very much.

What makes the novel resonate is the characterization. Christian is forceful, bossy, dominant even, but he reveals to Ana another side of himself that he hasn't before. Ana is strong, made of "steele." She may be willing to try Christian's suggestions, but she speaks her mind all things.

The novel explores darker topics and erotic themes in a mature way. Can the light of love break through the secrets which have hardened Christian's heart? "Fifty Shades of Grey" is more than an exploration of the erotic – it dares to peer into the dark parts of our souls to see just how much the human spirit can endure, as in Christian's case. Due to the erotic/intimate scenes I would recommend this book for mature readers. "Fifty Shades of Grey" will leave you breathless and wanting to read the sequel.

News from the Publishing World - June 2012

Kobo Vox, price: 179.00

I haven't had a chance to compile my "News from the Publishing World" in a while, but I'm back. Enjoy!

** Ebook Retailer Kobo unveiled its "Kobo Writing Life" at Book Expo America. "Kobo Writing Life" is a self-publishing platform similar to Amazon's. (KDP Select) The new service will use the epub format and offers independent authors 70% of royalties up to $12.99. Over 1,600 writers have signed up to use the service.

Steph's Note: While not as big in the U.S. as Amazon and B&N, I have noticed Kobo is worldwide, reaching readers form Canada to New Zealand. I'm curious how well the program will do with the international markets.

** Rick Riordan who writes the "Percy Jackson" Series is due out with his 3rd Heroes of Olympus book, "The Mark of Athena" on October 2, 2012.

Riordan is also traveling to Europe to research a new series based on Norse lore.

Riordan's "Sea of Monsters," Book 2 in the 1st Percy Jackson Series will be released as a movie March 15, 2013. Logan Lerman will return as Percy.

Steph's Note: I saw the "The Lightning Thief" with my son, Andrew a couple of weeks ago. While it wasn't very accurate in reflecting the novel, my son enjoyed the movie very much. Sean Bean played Zeus, Kevin McKidd was Poseidon and Melina Kankakaredes was Athena.

Riordan says he wrote the stories for his sons and is fortunate to have the level of success he's had.

** Random House reported that six weeks after taking over the publication of "50 Shades of Grey," the series had sold over 10 million copies, print and digital.

** Oprah's Book Club is back! Now called "Oprah's Book Clue 2.0," her pick for June is "Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail," by Cheryl Strayed. The story is a memoir of the author's 1,100 mile hike she took after a personal tragedy.

Reference: Information for today's blog was taken from Publisher's Weekly, an online magazine.