I love to read. I have always loved to read (except for textbooks, because that crap is "required" and I don't like being told what to do!). I enjoyed (most of) the books I read in High School, and often found myself curled up at Barnes & Noble immersed in a new tale while in college (again, avoiding those damn textbooks). Before, during, and after I was pregnant with K&K though, I found that the majority of the books I was reading were either baby related or had no words. As the boys got older I would grab the occasional $5 romance novel while at Target or Wal-Mart, but I wasn't reading anything that just captured my attention and held it throughout the entire book.
Then, one of my besties, Brandy, told me to start reading the Sookie Stackhouse series. At that point, I had heard of the HBO show "True Blood", but had never seen them and had no idea the show was based (loosely) on these books. Brandy lent me the entire first box set in the Summer of '09, and I tore those bad boys up! I wasn't sure how I would feel about the whole supernatural thing (vampires and werewolves and shifters, oh my!), having never been a huge fan (which was my bad because I hadn't given it a chance). Once I figured out all of the supernatural lingo though, I was hooked. I couldn't put the books down, reading one book a DAY! There were only 7 books though, so when I finished the last one, I started thinking WTF am I supposed to do now? The next book in the series wasn't due out for almost an entire year! I was disappointed, but my desire to start reading again was completely refueled. Since then, I have continued reading the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris, as well as the Harper Connelly series.
This past summer I read a book called 50 Shades of Grey, you may have heard of it. Once again it was one of those books that had been out for a while, and I had heard of, but had no idea what it was about or how big of a deal it would become. My cousin Lindsey is the one who finally told me to get my ass in gear and start reading it. She gave me the vaguest possible description that she knew I wouldn't be able to resist reading more about! "So there's this book...its got "vanilla sex" in it...(huh?) and there's a red room of pain (I beg your pardon?)...and this guy Christian is really effed up (aren't most guys?)...and he basically likes to do crazy messed up things in the bedroom that will make you blush but you won't be able to stop reading!" Ok, those may not have been her *exact* words, but it's pretty darn close! Needless to say, I went out and bought the book.
If you've read it, you know it is CUH-RAZY. But, it's not just about sex. So many people are calling this trilogy of 50 "mommy porn" and a bunch of other ridiculous things that I think are just wrong. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, IF YOU'VE READ THE BOOK. But there are a lot of people out there judging the book (and those who have chosen to read it) who haven't read past the cover of the book. There is more to the story than just sex. Is there a lot of sexual content in it? Yup. Is some of it extremely unconventional and somewhat uncomfortable to read? Absolutely. Did I blush multiple times and consider not reading any further a time or two? I sholl did. BUT, once I figured out the story behind Christian Grey and his lifestyle, it made sense. In a nutshell...young boy is abused as a child, befriended by a cougar, and is all kinds of effed up because of his past, which dictates how he lives his life now; falls in love, doesn't know how to cope, etc. etc. etc. Is this book for everyone? Probably not. Am I going to read it again? Yup. Do I wish the author would write the same books but from Christian's perspective? You bet your sweet ass! And don't get me started on who should (and more importantly SHOULDN'T) play the roles of Christian and Anastasia should they ever make a movie! I will punch someone in the throat if they say Ryan Gosling as Christian Grey. I love him, but no.
Moving along now...after I finished the third and final 50 book, I was sad. I seriously didn't want the story to end. I had been so engulfed in the lives of the characters that I wasn't ready for it to be over. I found myself bummed because I wasn't sure how it would be possible to find a new book that wouldn't miserably pale in comparison to the 50 stories. I read a few books here and there, but they did nothing for me. Finally a friend suggested the book Bared to You. It was similar to 50, but minus a lot of the kinky crazy shit that scared a lot of people away from 50 shades. I really enjoyed it and once again was ticked because after finishing it and realizing there was a second book...I found out it didn't come out until October 2nd!! It was only the end of July at that point. But guess what today is hoes...it's October 2nd! And guess what I did as soon as I woke up this morning...I bought the book! I can't wait to go home tonight after my workout, feed/shower myself and my kids, watch New Girl, and curl up with Reflected in You!
If there are any books I have mentioned that you haven't read, give them a try. Everyone has their own personal taste, but sometimes it's nice to step out of your comfort zone. Trust me, I never thought I'd enjoy reading about vampires or spankings (bahaha), but I'm clearly a lot crazier than I gave myself credit for.
My super awesome cousin Lindsey also suggested the books below to me, and in my efforts to hold myself over until October 2nd, I have read them all in the past week! I think it's funny that men always act like it's us women who have "issues" and cause drama in relationships. But once you read these books, it is painfully obvious that there are a lot of guys out there who out crazy us women 10 to none. If you read any of these books and have any comments/opinions (but ONLY if you actually READ them) let me know! Or, if you have any suggestions for books I should check out, hit me up! I will read just about anything (or try to anyway)!
Book #1:
Great book, will leave you feeling torn about the main characters and their love triangle, couldn't put it down. Side note, it does start out kind of slow, but it eventually picks up momentum and you won't be able to stop reading.
Book #2:
Follow-up book to "Thoughtless". Again, great book. Took me less than two days to read. Had no problems with it being "slow" like the first one.
Book #3:
I am still on the fence about this one. It was a great read (and it probably helped that I envisioned the main character "Travis" as a taller more beefed up Adam Levine) but I'm still not sure how I feel about the way it ended. The first half of the book was intriguing, but the last half...idk if it just seemed to fall apart for me or maybe the way it ended so abruptly was the problem...I'm not sure. I think I will read it again to try and figure it out. And yes because I'd even consider reading it a second time, I would recommed you reading it at least once. Beware though, this is another one of those that has a second book coming, but not until the Spring of 2013! You have been warned.
Side note...if you don't own an "e-reader", I strongly suggest the Kindle Fire. I purchased mine this summer (which was a huge deal because 1. I rarely spend money on myself 2. I'm cheap and 3. I enjoy holding actual books in my hands) and I. AM. IN. LOVE. It fits perfectly in my hands and is very lightweight that's what she said. I have NEVER had any problems with it. I love the color, love how fast it is and I love that anytime I want a book, all I have to do is look it up and purchase it. No more going to the bookstore and finding out your book is out of stock. No more leaving the house for a book period. I have several apps on it as well and they all work perfectly. The battery life is great. Seriously, go buy one. You won't miss the novelty of turning real pages. If you do, flip through your mail and then go back to your kindle and read. I'm on mine constantly. Sometimes I'm afraid my guy is going to hide it from me because I read too much...I try to remind him that this dirty brain doesn't always happen on it's own and he has some of those books to thank, so we should be good :)
Happy reading you cootie queens!
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