Question: What do you think about background?

Michel Thomas's, the Pimsleur series, and the Barron's version of the Foreign Service Institute course are the three top-selling courses on Spanish, and I did extensive research on the various high end courses before buying his. I don't have the Pimsleur one but I did buy the U.S. Foreign Service Insitute course in addition to Thomas's, and so I thought I'd make a few comments by way of comparing them in case you find them useful in choosing the right course for you.I have to say Thomas is a gifted teacher and he has a very interesting approach requiring no notes or rote memorization. He also stresses the importance of a natural, stress-free learning environment. Thomas is a savvy guy here as this is probably one of the major stumbling blocks for the new language learner, and so he puts the student at ease right from the very beginning--a nice touch there and I give him points for that.The second cornerstone to Thomas's method is the simulated classroom environment where you work along with two other people in the class, a man and a woman. The third, and perhaps most important aspect of Thomas's course is his memorization and note-free system of learning. Thomas starts with very simple sentences and builds up from there so the student acquires the syntax almost intuitively as he goes along. Thomas also discusses differences in pronunciation as he goes, too.You build vocabulary as you go along also, with Thomas empasizing cognates or words that are almost identical in the two languages initially. Overall, Thomas has done a very nice job here and I can see why people like Woody Allen and others say that his course is the only one that's ever worked for them.The Foreign Service Institute course is more traditional but also very good, and I like it, too. The audio tapes present the sentences and conversations while you follow along with the manual/workbook, which provides the translations. The workbook is very extensive and also has a more detailed discussion of the grammar than you'll get with either the Thomas or Pimsleur courses. There is an advantage to this since, although I think Thomas's method is probably fine for teaching the basic verb conjugations, such as present, past, and future, you're really not going to get a good idea of how the several subjective moods work in Spanish without some systematic study of the grammar there. English has the subjunctive, but it's practical a vestigial construction, but Spanish has it in spades and is a very active part of the language.On a side note, it would be interesting to see how Thomas's approach would work for a language with much simpler grammar than Spanish or French, such as Turkish or Japanese. Turkish has the wonderful distinction of being one of the few languages with no irregular verbs, and Japanese only has two. So at least as far as the verbal systems are concerned, they are much less complex than your typical European language, and the Indo-European languages in general. There are a few other more technical aspects to the two languages, of course, such as the case system in Turkish (which Japanese doesn't have), but verb conjugations are usually the most difficult aspects of the languages in most of the popular European ones because of all the irregular forms. And Spanish has at least 22 common verbs that are irregular in at least the present indicative tense, and many are irregular in several other ways.One other thing the Institute course does is to provide substitution drill sections where you're required to substitute a particular word, and then give the sentence, with any needed changes. This is useful for practicing the verb conjugations and other things. I have a pretty strong background in grammar and linguistics in general so I don't mind slogging through dry discussions of grammar too much, but if you're not someone who enjoys that sort of thing, Thomas's approach may be the one for you. Overall, this is an excellent course from a talented teacher with a unique approach to language learning.

Answer: Michel

<hl> Michel Thomas's, the Pimsleur series, and the Barron's version of the Foreign Service Institute course are the three top-selling courses on Spanish, and I did extensive research on the various high end courses before buying his. <hl> I don't have the Pimsleur one but I did buy the U.S. Foreign Service Insitute course in addition to Thomas's, and so I thought I'd make a few comments by way of comparing them in case you find them useful in choosing the right course for you. I have to say Thomas is a gifted teacher and he has a very interesting approach requiring no notes or rote memorization. He also stresses the importance of a natural, stress-free learning environment. Thomas is a savvy guy here as this is probably one of the major stumbling blocks for the new language learner, and so he puts the student at ease right from the very beginning--a nice touch there and I give him points for that. The second cornerstone to Thomas's method is the simulated classroom environment where you work along with two other people in the class, a man and a woman. The third, and perhaps most important aspect of Thomas's course is his memorization and note-free system of learning. Thomas starts with very simple sentences and builds up from there so the student acquires the syntax almost intuitively as he goes along. Thomas also discusses differences in pronunciation as he goes, too. You build vocabulary as you go along also, with Thomas empasizing cognates or words that are almost identical in the two languages initially. Overall, Thomas has done a very nice job here and I can see why people like Woody Allen and others say that his course is the only one that's ever worked for them. The Foreign Service Institute course is more traditional but also very good, and I like it, too. The audio tapes present the sentences and conversations while you follow along with the manual/workbook, which provides the translations. The workbook is very extensive and also has a more detailed discussion of the grammar than you'll get with either the Thomas or Pimsleur courses. There is an advantage to this since, although I think Thomas's method is probably fine for teaching the basic verb conjugations, such as present, past, and future, you're really not going to get a good idea of how the several subjective moods work in Spanish without some systematic study of the grammar there. English has the subjunctive, but it's practical a vestigial construction, but Spanish has it in spades and is a very active part of the language. On a side note, it would be interesting to see how Thomas's approach would work for a language with much simpler grammar than Spanish or French, such as Turkish or Japanese. Turkish has the wonderful distinction of being one of the few languages with no irregular verbs, and Japanese only has two. So at least as far as the verbal systems are concerned, they are much less complex than your typical European language, and the Indo-European languages in general. There are a few other more technical aspects to the two languages, of course, such as the case system in Turkish (which Japanese doesn't have), but verb conjugations are usually the most difficult aspects of the languages in most of the popular European ones because of all the irregular forms. And Spanish has at least 22 common verbs that are irregular in at least the present indicative tense, and many are irregular in several other ways. One other thing the Institute course does is to provide substitution drill sections where you're required to substitute a particular word, and then give the sentence, with any needed changes. This is useful for practicing the verb conjugations and other things. I have a pretty strong background in grammar and linguistics in general so I don't mind slogging through dry discussions of grammar too much, but if you're not someone who enjoys that sort of thing, Thomas's approach may be the one for you. Overall, this is an excellent course from a talented teacher with a unique approach to language learning.

<hl> Michel <hl> Thomas's, the Pimsleur series, and the Barron's version of the Foreign Service Institute course are the three top-selling courses on Spanish, and I did extensive research on the various high end courses before buying his. I don't have the Pimsleur one but I did buy the U.S. Foreign Service Insitute course in addition to Thomas's, and so I thought I'd make a few comments by way of comparing them in case you find them useful in choosing the right course for you.I have to say Thomas is a gifted teacher and he has a very interesting approach requiring no notes or rote memorization. He also stresses the importance of a natural, stress-free learning environment. Thomas is a savvy guy here as this is probably one of the major stumbling blocks for the new language learner, and so he puts the student at ease right from the very beginning--a nice touch there and I give him points for that.The second cornerstone to Thomas's method is the simulated classroom environment where you work along with two other people in the class, a man and a woman. The third, and perhaps most important aspect of Thomas's course is his memorization and note-free system of learning. Thomas starts with very simple sentences and builds up from there so the student acquires the syntax almost intuitively as he goes along. Thomas also discusses differences in pronunciation as he goes, too.You build vocabulary as you go along also, with Thomas empasizing cognates or words that are almost identical in the two languages initially. Overall, Thomas has done a very nice job here and I can see why people like Woody Allen and others say that his course is the only one that's ever worked for them.The Foreign Service Institute course is more traditional but also very good, and I like it, too. The audio tapes present the sentences and conversations while you follow along with the manual/workbook, which provides the translations. The workbook is very extensive and also has a more detailed discussion of the grammar than you'll get with either the Thomas or Pimsleur courses. There is an advantage to this since, although I think Thomas's method is probably fine for teaching the basic verb conjugations, such as present, past, and future, you're really not going to get a good idea of how the several subjective moods work in Spanish without some systematic study of the grammar there. English has the subjunctive, but it's practical a vestigial construction, but Spanish has it in spades and is a very active part of the language.On a side note, it would be interesting to see how Thomas's approach would work for a language with much simpler grammar than Spanish or French, such as Turkish or Japanese. Turkish has the wonderful distinction of being one of the few languages with no irregular verbs, and Japanese only has two. So at least as far as the verbal systems are concerned, they are much less complex than your typical European language, and the Indo-European languages in general. There are a few other more technical aspects to the two languages, of course, such as the case system in Turkish (which Japanese doesn't have), but verb conjugations are usually the most difficult aspects of the languages in most of the popular European ones because of all the irregular forms. And Spanish has at least 22 common verbs that are irregular in at least the present indicative tense, and many are irregular in several other ways.One other thing the Institute course does is to provide substitution drill sections where you're required to substitute a particular word, and then give the sentence, with any needed changes. This is useful for practicing the verb conjugations and other things. I have a pretty strong background in grammar and linguistics in general so I don't mind slogging through dry discussions of grammar too much, but if you're not someone who enjoys that sort of thing, Thomas's approach may be the one for you. Overall, this is an excellent course from a talented teacher with a unique approach to language learning.


Question: What is your impressions about the material of the book?

"Freakonomic" was an interesting read, but somehow I was expecting more than what it delivered. Though the individual sections were interesting, I was disappointed that there wasn't an overall theme.

Answer: I was disappointed that there wasn't an overall theme

"Freakonomic" was an interesting read, but somehow I was expecting more than what it delivered. <hl> Though the individual sections were interesting, I was disappointed that there wasn't an overall theme . <hl>

"Freakonomic" was an interesting read, but somehow I was expecting more than what it delivered. Though the individual sections were interesting, <hl> I was disappointed that there wasn't an overall theme <hl>.

Though the individual sections were interesting, <hl> I was disappointed that there wasn't an overall theme <hl> .


Question: What do you think about plot?

I cannot understand why so many people thought this was a good book. It has very little to do with life on an island taking care of a lighthouse. It has everything to do with the difficult decisions human beings may make and the painful consequences that may ensue. The idea for the plot is an interesting one. But, the characters were poorly developed, too cookie-cutter, eventually just annoying. The writing style was simple and went on and on and on. Don't good editors exist anymore? The ending was predictable. Blah!

Answer: The idea for the plot is an interesting one

I cannot understand why so many people thought this was a good book. It has very little to do with life on an island taking care of a lighthouse. It has everything to do with the difficult decisions human beings may make and the painful consequences that may ensue. <hl> The idea for the plot is an interesting one . <hl> But, the characters were poorly developed, too cookie-cutter, eventually just annoying. The writing style was simple and went on and on and on. Don't good editors exist anymore? The ending was predictable. Blah!

I cannot understand why so many people thought this was a good book. It has very little to do with life on an island taking care of a lighthouse. It has everything to do with the difficult decisions human beings may make and the painful consequences that may ensue. <hl> The idea for the plot is an interesting one <hl>. But, the characters were poorly developed, too cookie-cutter, eventually just annoying. The writing style was simple and went on and on and on. Don't good editors exist anymore? The ending was predictable. Blah!

<hl> The idea for the plot is an interesting one <hl> .


Question: Why do I have a pretty cover?

Evie has a special ability to see through any paranormal's "glamour". After coming back from a mission she sees through the glamour of the shape shifter who is impersonating her mother figure character, Raquel. Turns out the shape shifter is named Lend. He's male. He's hot. He is the love interest. Unfortunately you also have Reth (Lorethen) who is the evil/beautiful/scary Fairy who is basically trying to stalk her.  I might add right here that I much prefer fairies over vampires and find it so sad that they are used more in literature. Oh, and if your teen loves vampires - they LOOK like nasty rotting corpses to Evie. You might want to warn the teen in question.Anyhow this is the first book in a series so of course we don't get real closure. The whole idea of being able to see through glamour is not unique - it's in all the older fairy tales I'm glad to see it's making its way back into literature. The way the idea is portrayed though makes it make sense. I won't ruin the story by giving out spoilers to the rest just know that someone is killing paranormals as well as killing a large group of the International Paranormal Containment Agency (Evie's group).At the same time though I admit that some of the story felt very Mary Sue-ish. Finding Evie forces the whole Agency to become an international one as EVERYONE wants access to Evie. So in that - the book fails. Overall very good book, and I felt it was thin enough that you could probably get away with giving it to reluctant Readers.Before I forget- 4 stars for me means that I enjoyed reading it, but would not have it on my own personal shelf.

Answer: but would not have it on my own personal shelf

Evie has a special ability to see through any paranormal's "glamour". After coming back from a mission she sees through the glamour of the shape shifter who is impersonating her mother figure character, Raquel. Turns out the shape shifter is named Lend. He's male. He's hot. He is the love interest. Unfortunately you also have Reth (Lorethen) who is the evil/beautiful/scary Fairy who is basically trying to stalk her. I might add right here that I much prefer fairies over vampires and find it so sad that they are used more in literature. Oh, and if your teen loves vampires - they LOOK like nasty rotting corpses to Evie. You might want to warn the teen in question. Anyhow this is the first book in a series so of course we don't get real closure. The whole idea of being able to see through glamour is not unique - it's in all the older fairy tales I'm glad to see it's making its way back into literature. The way the idea is portrayed though makes it make sense. I won't ruin the story by giving out spoilers to the rest just know that someone is killing paranormals as well as killing a large group of the International Paranormal Containment Agency (Evie's group).At the same time though I admit that some of the story felt very Mary Sue-ish. Finding Evie forces the whole Agency to become an international one as EVERYONE wants access to Evie. So in that - the book fails. Overall very good book, and I felt it was thin enough that you could probably get away with giving it to reluctant Readers. <hl> Before I forget- 4 stars for me means that I enjoyed reading it, but would not have it on my own personal shelf . <hl>

Evie has a special ability to see through any paranormal's "glamour". After coming back from a mission she sees through the glamour of the shape shifter who is impersonating her mother figure character, Raquel. Turns out the shape shifter is named Lend. He's male. He's hot. He is the love interest. Unfortunately you also have Reth (Lorethen) who is the evil/beautiful/scary Fairy who is basically trying to stalk her. I might add right here that I much prefer fairies over vampires and find it so sad that they are used more in literature. Oh, and if your teen loves vampires - they LOOK like nasty rotting corpses to Evie. You might want to warn the teen in question.Anyhow this is the first book in a series so of course we don't get real closure. The whole idea of being able to see through glamour is not unique - it's in all the older fairy tales I'm glad to see it's making its way back into literature. The way the idea is portrayed though makes it make sense. I won't ruin the story by giving out spoilers to the rest just know that someone is killing paranormals as well as killing a large group of the International Paranormal Containment Agency (Evie's group).At the same time though I admit that some of the story felt very Mary Sue-ish. Finding Evie forces the whole Agency to become an international one as EVERYONE wants access to Evie. So in that - the book fails. Overall very good book, and I felt it was thin enough that you could probably get away with giving it to reluctant Readers.Before I forget- 4 stars for me means that I enjoyed reading it, <hl> but would not have it on my own personal shelf <hl>.

Before I forget- 4 stars for me means that I enjoyed reading it, <hl> but would not have it on my own personal shelf <hl> .


Question: How are the characters?

So beautifully written, so uplifting, I am so happy that I gave this book a chance.Thank you Rachel Van Dyken for such an inspiring and amazing story of love and courage.I love Wes. He is wise beyond his years and has such a good heart. He is definitely at the top of the list for best book boyfriend.To all my fellow readers please give this book a chance. You will not be sorry.

Answer: So beautifully written, so uplifting, I am so happy that I gave this book a chance

<hl> So beautifully written, so uplifting, I am so happy that I gave this book a chance .Thank <hl> you Rachel Van Dyken for such an inspiring and amazing story of love and courage. I love Wes. He is wise beyond his years and has such a good heart. He is definitely at the top of the list for best book boyfriend. To all my fellow readers please give this book a chance. You will not be sorry.

<hl> So beautifully written, so uplifting, I am so happy that I gave this book a chance <hl>.Thank you Rachel Van Dyken for such an inspiring and amazing story of love and courage.I love Wes. He is wise beyond his years and has such a good heart. He is definitely at the top of the list for best book boyfriend.To all my fellow readers please give this book a chance. You will not be sorry.

<hl> So beautifully written, so uplifting, I am so happy that I gave this book a chance <hl> .Thank


Question: How many flaws have?

Have you ever seen the movie, Misery with Kathy Bates? Well then you don't need to read this book.You never have any connection to the characters, the chapters are incredibly long and anybody can figure out exactly how the book was going to end about halfway through the book. So I took a chance and jumped ahead because I was so bored and sure enough, That was exactly what happened at the end of the book.So anybody who wants to rip me for not reading the middle of the book go ahead. That is why I gave it one star because I hated it.

Answer: That is why I gave it one star because I hated it

Have you ever seen the movie, Misery with Kathy Bates? Well then you don't need to read this book. You never have any connection to the characters, the chapters are incredibly long and anybody can figure out exactly how the book was going to end about halfway through the book. So I took a chance and jumped ahead because I was so bored and sure enough, That was exactly what happened at the end of the book. So anybody who wants to rip me for not reading the middle of the book go ahead. <hl> That is why I gave it one star because I hated it . <hl>

Have you ever seen the movie, Misery with Kathy Bates? Well then you don't need to read this book.You never have any connection to the characters, the chapters are incredibly long and anybody can figure out exactly how the book was going to end about halfway through the book. So I took a chance and jumped ahead because I was so bored and sure enough, That was exactly what happened at the end of the book.So anybody who wants to rip me for not reading the middle of the book go ahead. <hl> That is why I gave it one star because I hated it <hl>.

<hl> That is why I gave it one star because I hated it <hl> .


Question: How is the character?

This book was recommended by a few friends of mine, but I kept putting it off because I thought it would be too political. Was I EVER wrong!!  This was one of the best books I have read in a long time....absolutely impossible to put down.  All the characters are so rich in their descriptions that I feel I would recognize them on the street if I was to run into them. Loved the way the book was written since I really feel I was there in each and every home and situation.  Please do not hesitate to read this wonderful, and I believe classic, novel!!!  You will not regret it!!

Answer: the characters are so rich in their descriptions that I feel I would recognize them on the street

This book was recommended by a few friends of mine, but I kept putting it off because I thought it would be too political. Was I EVER wrong!! This was one of the best books I have read in a long time....absolutely impossible to put down. <hl> All the characters are so rich in their descriptions that I feel I would recognize them on the street if I was to run into them. <hl> Loved the way the book was written since I really feel I was there in each and every home and situation. Please do not hesitate to read this wonderful, and I believe classic, novel!!! You will not regret it!!

This book was recommended by a few friends of mine, but I kept putting it off because I thought it would be too political. Was I EVER wrong!! This was one of the best books I have read in a long time....absolutely impossible to put down. All <hl> the characters are so rich in their descriptions that I feel I would recognize them on the street <hl> if I was to run into them. Loved the way the book was written since I really feel I was there in each and every home and situation. Please do not hesitate to read this wonderful, and I believe classic, novel!!! You will not regret it!!


Question: How is the information?

When I saw this book, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain, I knew I had to choose it for my review. I am an introvert and was interested to see what Mrs. Cain had to say about it.To be honest, I did not finish reading this book. I pretty much sped read through the last half of the book. I was getting a bit bogged down with reading it. I think my favorite section was the introduction. In the author's introduction she mentions Rosa Parks and a few other famous people. There's a questionnaire to find out whether you are more of an introvert or extrovert or in-between. For myself, I definitely am an introvert. She also explains the psychology of introversion/extroversion.There are four parts to this book. In Part Two: The Extrovert Ideal, Susan Cain mentions Dale Carnegie and the changes that he went through and became a great public speaker. Shealso talks about the Tony Robbins seminar (he was driving be bonkers), the Harvard Business School, Saddleback Church, plus many other studies and examples.Part Two: Your Biology, Your Self? has many example of people who were/are extroverts/introverts. I did finally find a nugget that I liked. On page 173, it says,"If you are an introvert, find your flow by using your gifts. You have the power of persistence, the tenacity to solve complex problems, and the clear-sightedness to avoid pitfalls that trip others up....So stay true to your own nature. If you like to do things in a slow and steady way [I do], don't let others make you feel as if you have to race."Part Three: Do All Cultures Have An Extrovert Ideal? and Part Four: How To Love, How to Work, I will not write much about. I skipped over most chapters.The conclusion has a quotation that I like. It's from Anais Nin and it says, "Our culture made a virtue of living only as extroverts. We discouraged the inner journey, the quest for a center. So we lost our center and have to find it again."Susan Cain shares some ideas for those who are extroverts wanting to help introverts or those who are introverts themselves. I like this, especially since I myself was a quiet child and my children are more quiet (in public anyway): "If your children are quiet, help them make peace with new situations and new people, but otherwise let them be themselves. Delight in the originality of their minds. Take pride in the strength of their consciences and the loyalty of their friendships. Don't expect them to follow the gang. Encourage them to follow their passions instead. Throw confetti when they claim the fruits of those passions, whether it's on the drummer's throne, on the softball field, or on the page."Overall it's a good book with some great nuggets to remember.I received this book for free from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers for my honest review.

Answer: I had to choose it for my review

<hl> When I saw this book, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain, I knew I had to choose it for my review . <hl> I am an introvert and was interested to see what Mrs. Cain had to say about it. To be honest, I did not finish reading this book. I pretty much sped read through the last half of the book. I was getting a bit bogged down with reading it. I think my favorite section was the introduction. In the author's introduction she mentions Rosa Parks and a few other famous people. There's a questionnaire to find out whether you are more of an introvert or extrovert or in-between. For myself, I definitely am an introvert. She also explains the psychology of introversion/extroversion. There are four parts to this book. In Part Two: The Extrovert Ideal, Susan Cain mentions Dale Carnegie and the changes that he went through and became a great public speaker. Shealso talks about the Tony Robbins seminar (he was driving be bonkers), the Harvard Business School, Saddleback Church, plus many other studies and examples. Part Two: Your Biology, Your Self? has many example of people who were/are extroverts/introverts. I did finally find a nugget that I liked. On page 173, it says,"If you are an introvert, find your flow by using your gifts. You have the power of persistence, the tenacity to solve complex problems, and the clear-sightedness to avoid pitfalls that trip others up.... So stay true to your own nature. If you like to do things in a slow and steady way [I do], don't let others make you feel as if you have to race. "Part Three: Do All Cultures Have An Extrovert Ideal? and Part Four: How To Love, How to Work, I will not write much about. I skipped over most chapters. The conclusion has a quotation that I like. It's from Anais Nin and it says, "Our culture made a virtue of living only as extroverts. We discouraged the inner journey, the quest for a center. So we lost our center and have to find it again. "Susan Cain shares some ideas for those who are extroverts wanting to help introverts or those who are introverts themselves. I like this, especially since I myself was a quiet child and my children are more quiet (in public anyway): "If your children are quiet, help them make peace with new situations and new people, but otherwise let them be themselves. Delight in the originality of their minds. Take pride in the strength of their consciences and the loyalty of their friendships. Don't expect them to follow the gang. Encourage them to follow their passions instead. Throw confetti when they claim the fruits of those passions, whether it's on the drummer's throne, on the softball field, or on the page. "Overall it's a good book with some great nuggets to remember. I received this book for free from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers for my honest review.

When I saw this book, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain, I knew <hl> I had to choose it for my review <hl>. I am an introvert and was interested to see what Mrs. Cain had to say about it.To be honest, I did not finish reading this book. I pretty much sped read through the last half of the book. I was getting a bit bogged down with reading it. I think my favorite section was the introduction. In the author's introduction she mentions Rosa Parks and a few other famous people. There's a questionnaire to find out whether you are more of an introvert or extrovert or in-between. For myself, I definitely am an introvert. She also explains the psychology of introversion/extroversion.There are four parts to this book. In Part Two: The Extrovert Ideal, Susan Cain mentions Dale Carnegie and the changes that he went through and became a great public speaker. Shealso talks about the Tony Robbins seminar (he was driving be bonkers), the Harvard Business School, Saddleback Church, plus many other studies and examples.Part Two: Your Biology, Your Self? has many example of people who were/are extroverts/introverts. I did finally find a nugget that I liked. On page 173, it says,"If you are an introvert, find your flow by using your gifts. You have the power of persistence, the tenacity to solve complex problems, and the clear-sightedness to avoid pitfalls that trip others up....So stay true to your own nature. If you like to do things in a slow and steady way [I do], don't let others make you feel as if you have to race."Part Three: Do All Cultures Have An Extrovert Ideal? and Part Four: How To Love, How to Work, I will not write much about. I skipped over most chapters.The conclusion has a quotation that I like. It's from Anais Nin and it says, "Our culture made a virtue of living only as extroverts. We discouraged the inner journey, the quest for a center. So we lost our center and have to find it again."Susan Cain shares some ideas for those who are extroverts wanting to help introverts or those who are introverts themselves. I like this, especially since I myself was a quiet child and my children are more quiet (in public anyway): "If your children are quiet, help them make peace with new situations and new people, but otherwise let them be themselves. Delight in the originality of their minds. Take pride in the strength of their consciences and the loyalty of their friendships. Don't expect them to follow the gang. Encourage them to follow their passions instead. Throw confetti when they claim the fruits of those passions, whether it's on the drummer's throne, on the softball field, or on the page."Overall it's a good book with some great nuggets to remember.I received this book for free from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers for my honest review.

When I saw this book, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain, I knew <hl> I had to choose it for my review <hl> .


Question: Do you think that  the story is reflected in a realistic way?

-- A Romantic Book Affairs ReviewOkay, I've obviously lost cool points for not reading Hopeless sooner. I saw the hype on every blog imaginable. My Goodreads feed was bogged down with hundreds of emotional status updates. And nine out of ten reviews were five stars. But I still put off reading it until my co-blogger read it and loved it and told me I MUST read it. So I did. And I loved it. Now, the problem I'm having is writing a review that will do this book justice. I'm feeling defeated by this task. How do you write a review for a book that leaves you feeling dizzy with awe, breathless, speechless, gasping for air? So instead of writing a full review, I give you my...Top Five reasons why I fell hopelessly in love with Hopeless:1. Two words: Dean Holder."Dean Holder? Messy brown hair? Smoldering blue eyes? A temper straight out of Fight Club?"Holder, with his Hopeless tattoo on his arm, is the kind of bad boy that you will fall hopelessly in love with. I fell hard for him. He's passionate, complicated, confident, fiercely protective, and witty. He has lickable dimples and a coma-inducing hot body. And every time he walked on to the pages, he gave me butterflies. And last, but certainly not least, he cuddles. Yep, Holder is book boyfriend worthy."When I touch you, I'm touching you because I want to make you happy. When I kiss you, I'm kissing you because you have the most incredible mouth I've ever seen and you know I can't not kiss it. And when I make love to you--I'm doing exactly that. I'm making love to you because I'm in love with you." - Holder2. Sky Davis, our heroine, is a wonderful, smart, saucy, technologically challenged, snarky, broken but strong, brave, book lover, kind of weird in a cool way, beautiful inside and out, and I would love to have been friends with her in high school. Sky has never felt much, or anything, with a boy the way that Holder makes her feel. Up until they meet, any other boy has made her feel numb. And Holder made her feel everything...especially lust. Lust is a whole new feeling to Sky and she didn't know what to do with it at first. It was awkward for her. And her confusion over her new feelings was endearing and funny at the same time."I've never been swept off my feet. I don't get butterflies. In fact the whole idea of being swooned by anyone is foreign to me... Somehow, in the course of sixty seconds, this guy has managed to swoon me, then terrify the hell out of me." - Sky3. The passion and fire between these two is so incredibly real and intense. The way they felt towards one another is beautiful. Almost magical. And holy sexual tension... these two have the best non-kiss ever. I think I held my breath the entire time they non-kissed. Holder is one sexy mofo with his teasing kisses on Sky's neck, cheek, eyebrow, shoulder...everywhere but the lips. That scene melted my butter."Sky, I'm not kissing you tonight but believe me when I tell you, I've never wanted to kiss a girl more. So stop thinking I'm not attracted to you because you have no idea just how much I am. You can hold my hand, you can run your fingers through my hair, you can straddle me while I feed you spaghetti, but you are not getting kissed tonight. And probably not tomorrow, either. I need this. I need to know for sure that you're feeling every single thing that I'm feeling the moment my lips touch yours. Because I want your first kiss to be the best first kiss in the history of first kisses." - Holder4. The secondary characters. Six is Sky's first best friend in the whole wide world and she is absolutely the coolest chick. She walks to the beat of her drum. I love her blasé attitude. I love her uplifting texts to Sky. I love how she loves Sky. I love how Sky and Six are so different but also so much alike. And they simply accept each other for who they are. This is a true girl-mance at its best."Sky, you are beautiful. You are possibly the most exquisite creature in the universe and if anyone tells you otherwise, I'll cut a bitch." (Text message from Six to Sky)"Only one day at public school and the bitches already made your locker rain?" she laughs. "Impressive." - SixAnd then there is the sassy, bold, and funny Breckin. On Sky's first day of school, he befriends her right away and becomes her second best friend in the whole wide world. He's gay, Mormon, and proud. Breckin rocks."Breckin shrugs. "I'm new here. And if you haven't deducted from my impeccable fashion sense, I think it's safe to say that I'm..." he leans forward and cups his hand to his mouth in secrecy. "Mormon," he whispers." - Breckin5. The writing is amazing. Miz Hoover knows how to write an emotionally-charged story that made me feel every single word deep inside my soul. My mind went through a smattering of emotions that range from smiling and laughing (a lot!), lust, falling in love with the characters, sadness, shock, worry, nervousness, disgust, grief, acceptance, and contentment. The writing is flawless. It flows from word to word smoothly, keeping me enthralled from the beginning to the very last page. Miz Hoover writes my kind of snarky and snappy humor. I laughed out loud on several occasions. The humor adds charm and lightness to a story that could've potentially been overly dark. And the characters are so vividly real, I felt like I was living their life. Oh, and the twist. When we learn about the twist about halfway through the book, my jaw fell on the ground. It was completely unpredictable.In case you haven't noticed by now, I loved this brilliantly told story. If you are one of the few people left, who love new adult romances, and hasn't read Hopeless, read the freaking book now! I can guarantee you are missing out.With that said, I will leave you with one of my most favorite scenes. Sky is my kind of gal. I love the way she thinks..."My locker seems to have become the hub for sticky notes and nasty letters, none of which I ever see actually being placed on or in my locker. I really don't get what people gain out of doing things like this if they don't even own up to it.Like the note that was stuck to my locker this morning. All it said was, "Whore."Really? Where's the creativity in that? They couldn't back it up with an interesting story? Maybe a few details of my indiscretion? If I have to read this s*** every day, the least they could do is make it interesting. If I was going to stoop so low as to leave an unfounded note on someone's locker, I'd at least have the courtesy of entertaining whoever reads it in the process. I'd write something interesting like, "I saw you in bed with my boyfriend last night. I really don't appreciate you getting massage oil on my cucumbers. Whore."I laugh and it feels odd, laughing out loud at my own thoughts. I look around and no one is left in the hallway but me.Rather than rip the sticky notes off of my locker like I probably should, I take out my pen and make them a little more creative. You're welcome, passersby." - SkyRating: AHeat: Warm

Answer: Book

<hl> -- A Romantic Book Affairs ReviewOkay, I've obviously lost cool points for not reading Hopeless sooner. <hl> I saw the hype on every blog imaginable. My Goodreads feed was bogged down with hundreds of emotional status updates. And nine out of ten reviews were five stars. But I still put off reading it until my co-blogger read it and loved it and told me I MUST read it. So I did. And I loved it. Now, the problem I'm having is writing a review that will do this book justice. I'm feeling defeated by this task. How do you write a review for a book that leaves you feeling dizzy with awe, breathless, speechless, gasping for air? So instead of writing a full review, I give you my...Top Five reasons why I fell hopelessly in love with Hopeless:1. Two words: Dean Holder."Dean Holder? Messy brown hair? Smoldering blue eyes? A temper straight out of Fight Club?"Holder, with his Hopeless tattoo on his arm, is the kind of bad boy that you will fall hopelessly in love with. I fell hard for him. He's passionate, complicated, confident, fiercely protective, and witty. He has lickable dimples and a coma-inducing hot body. And every time he walked on to the pages, he gave me butterflies. And last, but certainly not least, he cuddles. Yep, Holder is book boyfriend worthy. "When I touch you, I'm touching you because I want to make you happy. When I kiss you, I'm kissing you because you have the most incredible mouth I've ever seen and you know I can't not kiss it. And when I make love to you--I'm doing exactly that. I'm making love to you because I'm in love with you." - Holder2. Sky Davis, our heroine, is a wonderful, smart, saucy, technologically challenged, snarky, broken but strong, brave, book lover, kind of weird in a cool way, beautiful inside and out, and I would love to have been friends with her in high school. Sky has never felt much, or anything, with a boy the way that Holder makes her feel. Up until they meet, any other boy has made her feel numb. And Holder made her feel everything...especially lust. Lust is a whole new feeling to Sky and she didn't know what to do with it at first. It was awkward for her. And her confusion over her new feelings was endearing and funny at the same time. "I've never been swept off my feet. I don't get butterflies. In fact the whole idea of being swooned by anyone is foreign to me... Somehow, in the course of sixty seconds, this guy has managed to swoon me, then terrify the hell out of me." - Sky3. The passion and fire between these two is so incredibly real and intense. The way they felt towards one another is beautiful. Almost magical. And holy sexual tension... these two have the best non-kiss ever. I think I held my breath the entire time they non-kissed. Holder is one sexy mofo with his teasing kisses on Sky's neck, cheek, eyebrow, shoulder...everywhere but the lips. That scene melted my butter. "Sky, I'm not kissing you tonight but believe me when I tell you, I've never wanted to kiss a girl more. So stop thinking I'm not attracted to you because you have no idea just how much I am. You can hold my hand, you can run your fingers through my hair, you can straddle me while I feed you spaghetti, but you are not getting kissed tonight. And probably not tomorrow, either. I need this. I need to know for sure that you're feeling every single thing that I'm feeling the moment my lips touch yours. Because I want your first kiss to be the best first kiss in the history of first kisses." - Holder4. The secondary characters. Six is Sky's first best friend in the whole wide world and she is absolutely the coolest chick. She walks to the beat of her drum. I love her blasé attitude. I love her uplifting texts to Sky. I love how she loves Sky. I love how Sky and Six are so different but also so much alike. And they simply accept each other for who they are. This is a true girl-mance at its best. "Sky, you are beautiful. You are possibly the most exquisite creature in the universe and if anyone tells you otherwise, I'll cut a bitch." (Text message from Six to Sky)"Only one day at public school and the bitches already made your locker rain?" she laughs. "Impressive." - SixAnd then there is the sassy, bold, and funny Breckin. On Sky's first day of school, he befriends her right away and becomes her second best friend in the whole wide world. He's gay, Mormon, and proud. Breckin rocks. "Breckin shrugs. "I'm new here. And if you haven't deducted from my impeccable fashion sense, I think it's safe to say that I'm..." he leans forward and cups his hand to his mouth in secrecy. "Mormon," he whispers." - Breckin5. The writing is amazing. Miz Hoover knows how to write an emotionally-charged story that made me feel every single word deep inside my soul. My mind went through a smattering of emotions that range from smiling and laughing (a lot!), lust, falling in love with the characters, sadness, shock, worry, nervousness, disgust, grief, acceptance, and contentment. The writing is flawless. It flows from word to word smoothly, keeping me enthralled from the beginning to the very last page. Miz Hoover writes my kind of snarky and snappy humor. I laughed out loud on several occasions. The humor adds charm and lightness to a story that could've potentially been overly dark. And the characters are so vividly real, I felt like I was living their life. Oh, and the twist. When we learn about the twist about halfway through the book, my jaw fell on the ground. It was completely unpredictable. In case you haven't noticed by now, I loved this brilliantly told story. If you are one of the few people left, who love new adult romances, and hasn't read Hopeless, read the freaking book now! I can guarantee you are missing out. With that said, I will leave you with one of my most favorite scenes. Sky is my kind of gal. I love the way she thinks..."My locker seems to have become the hub for sticky notes and nasty letters, none of which I ever see actually being placed on or in my locker. I really don't get what people gain out of doing things like this if they don't even own up to it. Like the note that was stuck to my locker this morning. All it said was, "Whore."Really? Where's the creativity in that? They couldn't back it up with an interesting story? Maybe a few details of my indiscretion? If I have to read this s*** every day, the least they could do is make it interesting. If I was going to stoop so low as to leave an unfounded note on someone's locker, I'd at least have the courtesy of entertaining whoever reads it in the process. I'd write something interesting like, "I saw you in bed with my boyfriend last night. I really don't appreciate you getting massage oil on my cucumbers. Whore. "I laugh and it feels odd, laughing out loud at my own thoughts. I look around and no one is left in the hallway but me. Rather than rip the sticky notes off of my locker like I probably should, I take out my pen and make them a little more creative. You're welcome, passersby." - SkyRating: AHeat: Warm

-- A Romantic <hl> Book <hl> Affairs ReviewOkay, I've obviously lost cool points for not reading Hopeless sooner. I saw the hype on every blog imaginable. My Goodreads feed was bogged down with hundreds of emotional status updates. And nine out of ten reviews were five stars. But I still put off reading it until my co-blogger read it and loved it and told me I MUST read it. So I did. And I loved it. Now, the problem I'm having is writing a review that will do this book justice. I'm feeling defeated by this task. How do you write a review for a book that leaves you feeling dizzy with awe, breathless, speechless, gasping for air? So instead of writing a full review, I give you my...Top Five reasons why I fell hopelessly in love with Hopeless:1. Two words: Dean Holder."Dean Holder? Messy brown hair? Smoldering blue eyes? A temper straight out of Fight Club?"Holder, with his Hopeless tattoo on his arm, is the kind of bad boy that you will fall hopelessly in love with. I fell hard for him. He's passionate, complicated, confident, fiercely protective, and witty. He has lickable dimples and a coma-inducing hot body. And every time he walked on to the pages, he gave me butterflies. And last, but certainly not least, he cuddles. Yep, Holder is book boyfriend worthy."When I touch you, I'm touching you because I want to make you happy. When I kiss you, I'm kissing you because you have the most incredible mouth I've ever seen and you know I can't not kiss it. And when I make love to you--I'm doing exactly that. I'm making love to you because I'm in love with you." - Holder2. Sky Davis, our heroine, is a wonderful, smart, saucy, technologically challenged, snarky, broken but strong, brave, book lover, kind of weird in a cool way, beautiful inside and out, and I would love to have been friends with her in high school. Sky has never felt much, or anything, with a boy the way that Holder makes her feel. Up until they meet, any other boy has made her feel numb. And Holder made her feel everything...especially lust. Lust is a whole new feeling to Sky and she didn't know what to do with it at first. It was awkward for her. And her confusion over her new feelings was endearing and funny at the same time."I've never been swept off my feet. I don't get butterflies. In fact the whole idea of being swooned by anyone is foreign to me... Somehow, in the course of sixty seconds, this guy has managed to swoon me, then terrify the hell out of me." - Sky3. The passion and fire between these two is so incredibly real and intense. The way they felt towards one another is beautiful. Almost magical. And holy sexual tension... these two have the best non-kiss ever. I think I held my breath the entire time they non-kissed. Holder is one sexy mofo with his teasing kisses on Sky's neck, cheek, eyebrow, shoulder...everywhere but the lips. That scene melted my butter."Sky, I'm not kissing you tonight but believe me when I tell you, I've never wanted to kiss a girl more. So stop thinking I'm not attracted to you because you have no idea just how much I am. You can hold my hand, you can run your fingers through my hair, you can straddle me while I feed you spaghetti, but you are not getting kissed tonight. And probably not tomorrow, either. I need this. I need to know for sure that you're feeling every single thing that I'm feeling the moment my lips touch yours. Because I want your first kiss to be the best first kiss in the history of first kisses." - Holder4. The secondary characters. Six is Sky's first best friend in the whole wide world and she is absolutely the coolest chick. She walks to the beat of her drum. I love her blasé attitude. I love her uplifting texts to Sky. I love how she loves Sky. I love how Sky and Six are so different but also so much alike. And they simply accept each other for who they are. This is a true girl-mance at its best."Sky, you are beautiful. You are possibly the most exquisite creature in the universe and if anyone tells you otherwise, I'll cut a bitch." (Text message from Six to Sky)"Only one day at public school and the bitches already made your locker rain?" she laughs. "Impressive." - SixAnd then there is the sassy, bold, and funny Breckin. On Sky's first day of school, he befriends her right away and becomes her second best friend in the whole wide world. He's gay, Mormon, and proud. Breckin rocks."Breckin shrugs. "I'm new here. And if you haven't deducted from my impeccable fashion sense, I think it's safe to say that I'm..." he leans forward and cups his hand to his mouth in secrecy. "Mormon," he whispers." - Breckin5. The writing is amazing. Miz Hoover knows how to write an emotionally-charged story that made me feel every single word deep inside my soul. My mind went through a smattering of emotions that range from smiling and laughing (a lot!), lust, falling in love with the characters, sadness, shock, worry, nervousness, disgust, grief, acceptance, and contentment. The writing is flawless. It flows from word to word smoothly, keeping me enthralled from the beginning to the very last page. Miz Hoover writes my kind of snarky and snappy humor. I laughed out loud on several occasions. The humor adds charm and lightness to a story that could've potentially been overly dark. And the characters are so vividly real, I felt like I was living their life. Oh, and the twist. When we learn about the twist about halfway through the book, my jaw fell on the ground. It was completely unpredictable.In case you haven't noticed by now, I loved this brilliantly told story. If you are one of the few people left, who love new adult romances, and hasn't read Hopeless, read the freaking book now! I can guarantee you are missing out.With that said, I will leave you with one of my most favorite scenes. Sky is my kind of gal. I love the way she thinks..."My locker seems to have become the hub for sticky notes and nasty letters, none of which I ever see actually being placed on or in my locker. I really don't get what people gain out of doing things like this if they don't even own up to it.Like the note that was stuck to my locker this morning. All it said was, "Whore."Really? Where's the creativity in that? They couldn't back it up with an interesting story? Maybe a few details of my indiscretion? If I have to read this s*** every day, the least they could do is make it interesting. If I was going to stoop so low as to leave an unfounded note on someone's locker, I'd at least have the courtesy of entertaining whoever reads it in the process. I'd write something interesting like, "I saw you in bed with my boyfriend last night. I really don't appreciate you getting massage oil on my cucumbers. Whore."I laugh and it feels odd, laughing out loud at my own thoughts. I look around and no one is left in the hallway but me.Rather than rip the sticky notes off of my locker like I probably should, I take out my pen and make them a little more creative. You're welcome, passersby." - SkyRating: AHeat: Warm


Question: How is plot?

Story line was very interesting. Lots of red herrings not confusing tho. Some of the dialects were hard to understand, but not so bad as to put one off the story.

Answer: Story line was very interesting

Story line was very interesting .

<hl> Story line was very interesting . <hl> Lots of red herrings not confusing tho. Some of the dialects were hard to understand, but not so bad as to put one off the story.

<hl> Story line was very interesting <hl>. Lots of red herrings not confusing tho. Some of the dialects were hard to understand, but not so bad as to put one off the story.

<hl> Story line was very interesting <hl> .


Question: What is the quality of feel?

By now, I'm sure everyone is aware that this is a very different novel than anything John Grisham has published previously. This book evokes a particular time and place: the Cotton Belt of the early 1950's, and, like "To Kill a Mockingbird", the story is told from a child's point of view; in this case, a fast-maturing 7-year-old. Unlike "Mockingbird", of course, there are no lawyers or courtroom scenes, although crimes are committed.I highly recommend this book. Nothing much happens in the first 70 pages, but then things get really interesting. In a culture where conservative Christianity is an integral part of every aspect of life, this 7-year-old is quickly faced with a dilemma: lie and be guilty of sin, or tell the truth and risk his family's livelihood (and possibly his own neck). Indeed, the mixed messages that he receives concerning religious beliefs are confusing for a child (and for honest grownups as well). Even more confusing are the early stirrings of sexual attraction toward a girl ten years his senior. This subject is handled in a very tasteful manner, and it inevitably leads, of course, to childhood heartbreak. (Not as serious a heartbreak as the baseball season ending with his beloved Cardinals in third place, however!) He witnesses things a child should never have to see (including two murders) and, as a result, has to grow up faster than most kids his age. His whole style and use of language is fairly mature for a 7-year-old.Unfortunately the last several chapters are not quite as gripping as the middle part of the novel, and the story sort of fizzles out at the end, keeping me from giving it the highest rating. Still, it is very good and worth the time and money. This may not be the Grisham most people are used to, but give it a chance and it will win you over.

Answer: it is very good and worth the time and money

By now, I'm sure everyone is aware that this is a very different novel than anything John Grisham has published previously. This book evokes a particular time and place: the Cotton Belt of the early 1950's, and, like "To Kill a Mockingbird", the story is told from a child's point of view; in this case, a fast-maturing 7-year-old. Unlike "Mockingbird", of course, there are no lawyers or courtroom scenes, although crimes are committed. I highly recommend this book. Nothing much happens in the first 70 pages, but then things get really interesting. In a culture where conservative Christianity is an integral part of every aspect of life, this 7-year-old is quickly faced with a dilemma: lie and be guilty of sin, or tell the truth and risk his family's livelihood (and possibly his own neck). Indeed, the mixed messages that he receives concerning religious beliefs are confusing for a child (and for honest grownups as well). Even more confusing are the early stirrings of sexual attraction toward a girl ten years his senior. This subject is handled in a very tasteful manner, and it inevitably leads, of course, to childhood heartbreak. (Not as serious a heartbreak as the baseball season ending with his beloved Cardinals in third place, however!) He witnesses things a child should never have to see (including two murders) and, as a result, has to grow up faster than most kids his age. His whole style and use of language is fairly mature for a 7-year-old. Unfortunately the last several chapters are not quite as gripping as the middle part of the novel, and the story sort of fizzles out at the end, keeping me from giving it the highest rating. <hl> Still, it is very good and worth the time and money . <hl> This may not be the Grisham most people are used to, but give it a chance and it will win you over.

By now, I'm sure everyone is aware that this is a very different novel than anything John Grisham has published previously. This book evokes a particular time and place: the Cotton Belt of the early 1950's, and, like "To Kill a Mockingbird", the story is told from a child's point of view; in this case, a fast-maturing 7-year-old. Unlike "Mockingbird", of course, there are no lawyers or courtroom scenes, although crimes are committed.I highly recommend this book. Nothing much happens in the first 70 pages, but then things get really interesting. In a culture where conservative Christianity is an integral part of every aspect of life, this 7-year-old is quickly faced with a dilemma: lie and be guilty of sin, or tell the truth and risk his family's livelihood (and possibly his own neck). Indeed, the mixed messages that he receives concerning religious beliefs are confusing for a child (and for honest grownups as well). Even more confusing are the early stirrings of sexual attraction toward a girl ten years his senior. This subject is handled in a very tasteful manner, and it inevitably leads, of course, to childhood heartbreak. (Not as serious a heartbreak as the baseball season ending with his beloved Cardinals in third place, however!) He witnesses things a child should never have to see (including two murders) and, as a result, has to grow up faster than most kids his age. His whole style and use of language is fairly mature for a 7-year-old.Unfortunately the last several chapters are not quite as gripping as the middle part of the novel, and the story sort of fizzles out at the end, keeping me from giving it the highest rating. Still, <hl> it is very good and worth the time and money <hl>. This may not be the Grisham most people are used to, but give it a chance and it will win you over.

Still, <hl> it is very good and worth the time and money <hl> .


Question: Is the journey comfortable or not?

Whether or not you believe in heaven, this story is exceptional! The journey that this little boy took is absolutely amazing and worth the little bit of time it will take to read. I cannot recommend this book enough! Enjoy

Answer: The journey that this little boy took is absolutely amazing and worth the little bit

<hl> Whether or not you believe in heaven, this story is exceptional! The journey that this little boy took is absolutely amazing and worth the little bit of time it will take to read. <hl> I cannot recommend this book enough! Enjoy

Whether or not you believe in heaven, this story is exceptional! <hl> The journey that this little boy took is absolutely amazing and worth the little bit <hl> of time it will take to read. I cannot recommend this book enough! Enjoy


Question: How is the character?

A good story is not easy to find. That was a good story. Actually both together made for a great two part story of a lawyer and his life. The characters were interesting and the history was sad and powerful not only the history from 80 years ago but from the communication just 40 years ago. Powerful stuff. Going to keep me thinking for a long time.

Answer: The characters were interesting and the history was sad

A good story is not easy to find. That was a good story. Actually both together made for a great two part story of a lawyer and his life. <hl> The characters were interesting and the history was sad and powerful not only the history from 80 years ago but from the communication just 40 years ago. <hl> Powerful stuff. Going to keep me thinking for a long time.

A good story is not easy to find. That was a good story. Actually both together made for a great two part story of a lawyer and his life. <hl> The characters were interesting and the history was sad <hl> and powerful not only the history from 80 years ago but from the communication just 40 years ago. Powerful stuff. Going to keep me thinking for a long time.


Question: How is the character?

Confession time! I know you guys just love it when I start a review off like that – but there’s usually a good reason. This time it’s because I’m just a teensy bit hardheaded. You see, I get lovingly ‘bullied’ into reading books a lot. For some reason, those books seem to be the ones that I pick up last. I have no reason and definitely no excuse. That just seems to be the way things go. In the case of Darkhouse it’s even worse, I’ve had a couple people recommend it. I even had one of my blogging buddies offer to buy me the entire series if I would just pick this book up and read it. That was a pretty reasonable, no strings attached request considering it was already on my kindle (and has been for over a YEAR.) Not to mention the fact that it was FREE. *hangs head in shame* Now that I’ve gotten that off my chest, I can move on with the review.Darkhouse wasn’t at all what I expected. From the moment I ‘met’ Perry I was hooked. All good characters have flaws. If they were perfect the average reader wouldn’t be able to relate to them. For me, Perry was much more than relatable, she was real. I loved her. I loved her ‘voice,’ I loved her personality and I loved her spunk. She was lacking in self confidence and she didn’t have a lot of support (even from the people who loved her) but there was just something about her that made me like her. I just knew that once she found her niche things would turn around for her.Then there was Dex. I’m still not quite sure about how I feel about him, but to be fair, neither was Perry by the end of the book. Coming into the Experiment in Terror series late, I know that there is a lot more to come and to be honest, he kind of grew on me. There’s a lot to be learned about Dex and I’m willing to be things get a whole lot more interesting.As far as the story goes… yeah, it was just scary enough to keep the pages turning. Karina Halle definitely kept me on the edge of my seat. I’m not sure if I would have gone to the lighthouse the first time much less the times that Perry and Dex returned, but if they hadn’t, there wouldn’t have been a story, so who am I to argue. (I’m also a confirmed chicken and not afraid to admit it.  )The characters were great, especially Dex and Perry. Out of all of Perry’s family members, Ada and her uncle Al were the ones that I liked the most. Her parents irritated me, for a lot of reasons. You’ll have to read the book to understand why, but if you still don’t know exactly why, feel free to ask. Some of it is because of not wanting to give anything away and a lot of it is because I didn’t like the way Perry was treated. Something tells me that Perry and Dex are going to be good for each other in more ways than one.So yeah, I definitely enjoyed Darkhouse and could kick myself for waiting so long to finally pick it up. I’m sure I will be getting a lot of ‘I told you so’s’ from my blogging buddies. *sigh* On the plus side there are currently 8 books in the series, so I don’t have to wait to read the next one. Red Fox is the second book in the Experiment in Terror series and it’s already on my TBR list.

Answer: All good characters have flaws

All good characters have flaws .

Confession time! I know you guys just love it when I start a review off like that – but there’s usually a good reason. This time it’s because I’m just a teensy bit hardheaded. You see, I get lovingly ‘bullied’ into reading books a lot. For some reason, those books seem to be the ones that I pick up last. I have no reason and definitely no excuse. That just seems to be the way things go. In the case of Darkhouse it’s even worse, I’ve had a couple people recommend it. I even had one of my blogging buddies offer to buy me the entire series if I would just pick this book up and read it. That was a pretty reasonable, no strings attached request considering it was already on my kindle (and has been for over a YEAR.) Not to mention the fact that it was FREE. *hangs head in shame* Now that I’ve gotten that off my chest, I can move on with the review. Darkhouse wasn’t at all what I expected. From the moment I ‘met’ Perry I was hooked. <hl> All good characters have flaws . <hl> If they were perfect the average reader wouldn’t be able to relate to them. For me, Perry was much more than relatable, she was real. I loved her. I loved her ‘voice,’ I loved her personality and I loved her spunk. She was lacking in self confidence and she didn’t have a lot of support (even from the people who loved her) but there was just something about her that made me like her. I just knew that once she found her niche things would turn around for her. Then there was Dex. I’m still not quite sure about how I feel about him, but to be fair, neither was Perry by the end of the book. Coming into the Experiment in Terror series late, I know that there is a lot more to come and to be honest, he kind of grew on me. There’s a lot to be learned about Dex and I’m willing to be things get a whole lot more interesting. As far as the story goes… yeah, it was just scary enough to keep the pages turning. Karina Halle definitely kept me on the edge of my seat. I’m not sure if I would have gone to the lighthouse the first time much less the times that Perry and Dex returned, but if they hadn’t, there wouldn’t have been a story, so who am I to argue. (I’m also a confirmed chicken and not afraid to admit it. ) The characters were great, especially Dex and Perry. Out of all of Perry’s family members, Ada and her uncle Al were the ones that I liked the most. Her parents irritated me, for a lot of reasons. You’ll have to read the book to understand why, but if you still don’t know exactly why, feel free to ask. Some of it is because of not wanting to give anything away and a lot of it is because I didn’t like the way Perry was treated. Something tells me that Perry and Dex are going to be good for each other in more ways than one. So yeah, I definitely enjoyed Darkhouse and could kick myself for waiting so long to finally pick it up. I’m sure I will be getting a lot of ‘I told you so’s’ from my blogging buddies. *sigh* On the plus side there are currently 8 books in the series, so I don’t have to wait to read the next one. Red Fox is the second book in the Experiment in Terror series and it’s already on my TBR list.

Confession time! I know you guys just love it when I start a review off like that – but there’s usually a good reason. This time it’s because I’m just a teensy bit hardheaded. You see, I get lovingly ‘bullied’ into reading books a lot. For some reason, those books seem to be the ones that I pick up last. I have no reason and definitely no excuse. That just seems to be the way things go. In the case of Darkhouse it’s even worse, I’ve had a couple people recommend it. I even had one of my blogging buddies offer to buy me the entire series if I would just pick this book up and read it. That was a pretty reasonable, no strings attached request considering it was already on my kindle (and has been for over a YEAR.) Not to mention the fact that it was FREE. *hangs head in shame* Now that I’ve gotten that off my chest, I can move on with the review.Darkhouse wasn’t at all what I expected. From the moment I ‘met’ Perry I was hooked. <hl> All good characters have flaws <hl>. If they were perfect the average reader wouldn’t be able to relate to them. For me, Perry was much more than relatable, she was real. I loved her. I loved her ‘voice,’ I loved her personality and I loved her spunk. She was lacking in self confidence and she didn’t have a lot of support (even from the people who loved her) but there was just something about her that made me like her. I just knew that once she found her niche things would turn around for her.Then there was Dex. I’m still not quite sure about how I feel about him, but to be fair, neither was Perry by the end of the book. Coming into the Experiment in Terror series late, I know that there is a lot more to come and to be honest, he kind of grew on me. There’s a lot to be learned about Dex and I’m willing to be things get a whole lot more interesting.As far as the story goes… yeah, it was just scary enough to keep the pages turning. Karina Halle definitely kept me on the edge of my seat. I’m not sure if I would have gone to the lighthouse the first time much less the times that Perry and Dex returned, but if they hadn’t, there wouldn’t have been a story, so who am I to argue. (I’m also a confirmed chicken and not afraid to admit it. )The characters were great, especially Dex and Perry. Out of all of Perry’s family members, Ada and her uncle Al were the ones that I liked the most. Her parents irritated me, for a lot of reasons. You’ll have to read the book to understand why, but if you still don’t know exactly why, feel free to ask. Some of it is because of not wanting to give anything away and a lot of it is because I didn’t like the way Perry was treated. Something tells me that Perry and Dex are going to be good for each other in more ways than one.So yeah, I definitely enjoyed Darkhouse and could kick myself for waiting so long to finally pick it up. I’m sure I will be getting a lot of ‘I told you so’s’ from my blogging buddies. *sigh* On the plus side there are currently 8 books in the series, so I don’t have to wait to read the next one. Red Fox is the second book in the Experiment in Terror series and it’s already on my TBR list.

<hl> All good characters have flaws <hl> .


Question: Are those characters simple?

I have to review along with everyone else, even though I know my review will be swallowed up among the thousands of other reviews of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. The book and all of the hype around it is just too fascinating.First of all, I think that Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (and all of the other Harry Potter's) is marvelous. J.K. Rowling is a very good writer. She creates some complete characters alongside some comical stock characters. She uses some brilliant word play, and the atmosphere created in the book is extraordinary. It, at least, is incomparible to any other children's novel. She is very good at incorporating pieces of Greek mythology into the novel. The plot is vastly entertaining.There has been a lot of backlash against the popularity of the Harry Potter novels. But, this really happens to anything that becomes popular. Sure, there are better fantasy novels, and there are much better fantasy novels written for children. I don't think that there is a better place to start reading children's fantasy (or children's lit. for that matter). I also think that any fan of children's fantasy would have to enjoy this whether or not they think there are better books out there....Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is a great book, and I think all of the controversy and hype just make it better and more appealing. I think everyone (including adults) should read this novel. It is well worth the time and money. Then, I think fans should definately move on to some of the other great childrens/adult fantasy classics like Lloyd Alexander's perfect Prydain Chronicles, C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia, J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings Trilogy and Smith of Wooton Major, and Ursula LeGuin's Earthsea Trilogy.

Answer: complete characters

I have to review along with everyone else, even though I know my review will be swallowed up among the thousands of other reviews of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. The book and all of the hype around it is just too fascinating. First of all, I think that Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (and all of the other Harry Potter's) is marvelous. J.K. Rowling is a very good writer. <hl> She creates some complete characters alongside some comical stock characters. <hl> She uses some brilliant word play, and the atmosphere created in the book is extraordinary. It, at least, is incomparible to any other children's novel. She is very good at incorporating pieces of Greek mythology into the novel. The plot is vastly entertaining. There has been a lot of backlash against the popularity of the Harry Potter novels. But, this really happens to anything that becomes popular. Sure, there are better fantasy novels, and there are much better fantasy novels written for children. I don't think that there is a better place to start reading children's fantasy (or children's lit. for that matter). I also think that any fan of children's fantasy would have to enjoy this whether or not they think there are better books out there....Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is a great book, and I think all of the controversy and hype just make it better and more appealing. I think everyone (including adults) should read this novel. It is well worth the time and money. Then, I think fans should definately move on to some of the other great childrens/adult fantasy classics like Lloyd Alexander's perfect Prydain Chronicles, C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia, J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings Trilogy and Smith of Wooton Major, and Ursula LeGuin's Earthsea Trilogy.

I have to review along with everyone else, even though I know my review will be swallowed up among the thousands of other reviews of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. The book and all of the hype around it is just too fascinating.First of all, I think that Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (and all of the other Harry Potter's) is marvelous. J.K. Rowling is a very good writer. She creates some <hl> complete characters <hl> alongside some comical stock characters. She uses some brilliant word play, and the atmosphere created in the book is extraordinary. It, at least, is incomparible to any other children's novel. She is very good at incorporating pieces of Greek mythology into the novel. The plot is vastly entertaining.There has been a lot of backlash against the popularity of the Harry Potter novels. But, this really happens to anything that becomes popular. Sure, there are better fantasy novels, and there are much better fantasy novels written for children. I don't think that there is a better place to start reading children's fantasy (or children's lit. for that matter). I also think that any fan of children's fantasy would have to enjoy this whether or not they think there are better books out there....Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is a great book, and I think all of the controversy and hype just make it better and more appealing. I think everyone (including adults) should read this novel. It is well worth the time and money. Then, I think fans should definately move on to some of the other great childrens/adult fantasy classics like Lloyd Alexander's perfect Prydain Chronicles, C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia, J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings Trilogy and Smith of Wooton Major, and Ursula LeGuin's Earthsea Trilogy.


Question: How was the set?

Spoiler Alert:I find myself annoyed that the ending worked out the way it did.  There was such a build-up for the battle that I was aching for some action.  I was almost certain Aro would bring on the chaos.  But no, peace prevails, and they live happily ever after.  Perhaps Meyers went this route since it is a young adult series.  But it seemed like an easy way out.  Had she wanted to continue the series, the battle could have occurred with us not knowing the outcome while Jacob flees with Renesmee.  A cliffhanger that would have us all waiting with baited breath for the next release.  And here she did so well fleshing out many of the newcomers toward the end.  But for what?  Plus, she fails to resolve that fact that Bella and the Cullen's are okay with letting their kind continue slaughtering humans.  I would have extended the series with the golden eyes growing in numbers and a show down coming against the crimson eyes.  If Bella is such a good person, a natural protector, a shield for others, how can she just go on forever living blissfully knowing her own mother and father, or members of the pack could be slaughtered by vampires that don't care about them?  I just see so much potential in the story once the plot gets beyond Bella's gawking of Edward and her remorse for Jacob.  I daresay it is almost idiotic to go into so much detail about the Volturi and all these vampires and then just say 'the end.'  I see why the reviews are less than the other books, although I have a different set of reasons than most.  The birth scene didn't bother me, nor did the lack of romance at the honeymoon.  People get hung up on the most banal things.  I actually think this was the best book by far as it was easily the most compelling.  But Meyers blew it by wrapping everything into a nice little bow and ending it so suddenly.  I am not against happy endings, but in this case it is just too much.  Even fantasy worlds wouldn't have endings like this.  Come on.  That and the gaping moral loophole that I mentioned just leave me thinking Meyers got tired of the series and threw in the towel.  The Volturi should have been destroyed.  They are murderers!  Hello?  And then the Cullens should have become the new rule setters and forced their breed to go 'vegetarian' or be torn apart and burned.Anyway.  I recommend Gabaldon's Outlander series to you all.  She makes Meyers look like the amateur(albeit talented) author she is.  Gabaldon's depth and understanding of romance makes Bella and Edward's look silly in comparison.  You will not be disappointed.

Answer: I have a different set of reasons than most

Spoiler Alert:I find myself annoyed that the ending worked out the way it did. There was such a build-up for the battle that I was aching for some action. I was almost certain Aro would bring on the chaos. But no, peace prevails, and they live happily ever after. Perhaps Meyers went this route since it is a young adult series. But it seemed like an easy way out. Had she wanted to continue the series, the battle could have occurred with us not knowing the outcome while Jacob flees with Renesmee. A cliffhanger that would have us all waiting with baited breath for the next release. And here she did so well fleshing out many of the newcomers toward the end. But for what? Plus, she fails to resolve that fact that Bella and the Cullen's are okay with letting their kind continue slaughtering humans. I would have extended the series with the golden eyes growing in numbers and a show down coming against the crimson eyes. If Bella is such a good person, a natural protector, a shield for others, how can she just go on forever living blissfully knowing her own mother and father, or members of the pack could be slaughtered by vampires that don't care about them? I just see so much potential in the story once the plot gets beyond Bella's gawking of Edward and her remorse for Jacob. I daresay it is almost idiotic to go into so much detail about the Volturi and all these vampires and then just say 'the end.' <hl> I see why the reviews are less than the other books, although I have a different set of reasons than most . <hl> The birth scene didn't bother me, nor did the lack of romance at the honeymoon. People get hung up on the most banal things. I actually think this was the best book by far as it was easily the most compelling. But Meyers blew it by wrapping everything into a nice little bow and ending it so suddenly. I am not against happy endings, but in this case it is just too much. Even fantasy worlds wouldn't have endings like this. Come on. That and the gaping moral loophole that I mentioned just leave me thinking Meyers got tired of the series and threw in the towel. The Volturi should have been destroyed. They are murderers! Hello? And then the Cullens should have become the new rule setters and forced their breed to go 'vegetarian' or be torn apart and burned. Anyway. I recommend Gabaldon's Outlander series to you all. She makes Meyers look like the amateur(albeit talented) author she is. Gabaldon's depth and understanding of romance makes Bella and Edward's look silly in comparison. You will not be disappointed.

Spoiler Alert:I find myself annoyed that the ending worked out the way it did. There was such a build-up for the battle that I was aching for some action. I was almost certain Aro would bring on the chaos. But no, peace prevails, and they live happily ever after. Perhaps Meyers went this route since it is a young adult series. But it seemed like an easy way out. Had she wanted to continue the series, the battle could have occurred with us not knowing the outcome while Jacob flees with Renesmee. A cliffhanger that would have us all waiting with baited breath for the next release. And here she did so well fleshing out many of the newcomers toward the end. But for what? Plus, she fails to resolve that fact that Bella and the Cullen's are okay with letting their kind continue slaughtering humans. I would have extended the series with the golden eyes growing in numbers and a show down coming against the crimson eyes. If Bella is such a good person, a natural protector, a shield for others, how can she just go on forever living blissfully knowing her own mother and father, or members of the pack could be slaughtered by vampires that don't care about them? I just see so much potential in the story once the plot gets beyond Bella's gawking of Edward and her remorse for Jacob. I daresay it is almost idiotic to go into so much detail about the Volturi and all these vampires and then just say 'the end.' I see why the reviews are less than the other books, although <hl> I have a different set of reasons than most <hl>. The birth scene didn't bother me, nor did the lack of romance at the honeymoon. People get hung up on the most banal things. I actually think this was the best book by far as it was easily the most compelling. But Meyers blew it by wrapping everything into a nice little bow and ending it so suddenly. I am not against happy endings, but in this case it is just too much. Even fantasy worlds wouldn't have endings like this. Come on. That and the gaping moral loophole that I mentioned just leave me thinking Meyers got tired of the series and threw in the towel. The Volturi should have been destroyed. They are murderers! Hello? And then the Cullens should have become the new rule setters and forced their breed to go 'vegetarian' or be torn apart and burned.Anyway. I recommend Gabaldon's Outlander series to you all. She makes Meyers look like the amateur(albeit talented) author she is. Gabaldon's depth and understanding of romance makes Bella and Edward's look silly in comparison. You will not be disappointed.

I see why the reviews are less than the other books, although <hl> I have a different set of reasons than most <hl> .


Question: Who is the best character?

This novel was absolutely outstanding and more than worthy of rewards received.  In depth look at North Korea from the author who went there.  Character development is very intricate, as is the story line. This is literature at its finest.The culture comes alive with all the differences, fears and brainwashing.  Control of a people and gradual shifting of Jun Do and others' who come to understand their lives mean little.This is a very deep read and one needs attention to detail. To fully enjoy and appreciate the subtleties.

Answer: Character development is very intricate

This novel was absolutely outstanding and more than worthy of rewards received. In depth look at North Korea from the author who went there. <hl> Character development is very intricate , as is the story line. <hl> This is literature at its finest. The culture comes alive with all the differences, fears and brainwashing. Control of a people and gradual shifting of Jun Do and others' who come to understand their lives mean little. This is a very deep read and one needs attention to detail. To fully enjoy and appreciate the subtleties.

This novel was absolutely outstanding and more than worthy of rewards received. In depth look at North Korea from the author who went there. <hl> Character development is very intricate <hl>, as is the story line. This is literature at its finest.The culture comes alive with all the differences, fears and brainwashing. Control of a people and gradual shifting of Jun Do and others' who come to understand their lives mean little.This is a very deep read and one needs attention to detail. To fully enjoy and appreciate the subtleties.

<hl> Character development is very intricate <hl> , as is the story line.


Question: How is the life of the man?

So we all know there is major hype with this book.  And like all curious minds, I caved figuring it had to be at least halfway good considering all the mad crazy eyed people singing its praise.  Unfortunately, about midway into the book I kept questioning if I was reading the same thing.  From all the craze, I expected great writing, engaging characters, an interesting plot, and namely all the ingredients for a good novel. What I received in reality was a subpar erotic romance with one dimensional characters, and an iffy plot.Fifty Shades of Grey starts with the main character, Anastasia, or Ana as she likes to be called, who is on the cusp of graduating college.  She's a clumsy, nave, young female, who never wears makeup, tries to hide in a crowd, and doesn't see her own beauty.  And, because she is so utterly sweet, is cajoled into interviewing Christian Grey, a mega rich, surprisingly young man with a million dollar company, for her best friend's school paper.  From that moment forward, it seems Christian just can't keep his eyes off little Miss Ana, and manipulates a few non-chanced meetings. Things seem to get hot and heavy between them, but Christian tends to frighten Ana, especially with his needs and intense nature.  As an adopted orphan, he went through his own living hell, and has the emotional and physical issues to prove it. But Ana is slowly losing her heart to him, and can only hope that she has the stamina and strength needed to not only help Christian, but to see if he can learn to care for her as well.**Slight Spoilers**With the synopsis, such as it is, out of the way, let me start by saying I still don't understand the hype.  If people are reading this for the erotica alone, then I pity them as there are tons of authors who actually know how to write to keep a reader engaged, and the love scenes are way hotter.  If you don't believe me, just check Amazons kindle section in fiction. They have enough variations in erotica for all kinks of life.  Now if you are going into this for the romance/plot...I still hold by my "there are way better authors out there" mentality. The plot isn't new or unique by any standard, and the writing was subpar at best.  It all boils down to Christian having major issues from being abused as a child, and because of this he uses BDSM as a form of management for his internal struggle.  It's like he has to have control over everything as an adult as he couldn't control anything as a child.  (think Sleeping with the Enemy without the husband being totally psychotic)  Ana is totally innocent in all things sexual, and Christians kink causes such a big shock that she doesn't know whether she likes it or not.  So nearly the whole book is a revolving "yes, no, yes, no" with her.  And speaking of the characters: I found that Christian had more personality than Ana, and that's saying something as this is told in first person from Ana's point of view.  Christian is definitely an alpha male (which I do love alpha males), but his personal demons cause him to be slightly cruel in my opinion. Ana is a complete spindly individual who was written so nave that it held me in shock.  She doesn't understand some of the innuendo or "devices" Christian wants to use that even if you aren't in the world of BDSM you've at least heard of.  If I could, I would give this book two and a half stars, as it wasn't horrible, but it could've been written a lot better.  It did cause me to want to know what happens at the end, so I'll give it that, but all in all Fifty Shades of Grey just didn't do it for me, and I feel slightly duped for giving in to my curiosity.

Answer: Christian Grey, a mega rich

So we all know there is major hype with this book. And like all curious minds, I caved figuring it had to be at least halfway good considering all the mad crazy eyed people singing its praise. Unfortunately, about midway into the book I kept questioning if I was reading the same thing. From all the craze, I expected great writing, engaging characters, an interesting plot, and namely all the ingredients for a good novel. What I received in reality was a subpar erotic romance with one dimensional characters, and an iffy plot. Fifty Shades of Grey starts with the main character, Anastasia, or Ana as she likes to be called, who is on the cusp of graduating college. She's a clumsy, nave, young female, who never wears makeup, tries to hide in a crowd, and doesn't see her own beauty. <hl> And, because she is so utterly sweet, is cajoled into interviewing Christian Grey, a mega rich , surprisingly young man with a million dollar company, for her best friend's school paper. <hl> From that moment forward, it seems Christian just can't keep his eyes off little Miss Ana, and manipulates a few non-chanced meetings. Things seem to get hot and heavy between them, but Christian tends to frighten Ana, especially with his needs and intense nature. As an adopted orphan, he went through his own living hell, and has the emotional and physical issues to prove it. But Ana is slowly losing her heart to him, and can only hope that she has the stamina and strength needed to not only help Christian, but to see if he can learn to care for her as well.**Slight Spoilers**With the synopsis, such as it is, out of the way, let me start by saying I still don't understand the hype. If people are reading this for the erotica alone, then I pity them as there are tons of authors who actually know how to write to keep a reader engaged, and the love scenes are way hotter. If you don't believe me, just check Amazons kindle section in fiction. They have enough variations in erotica for all kinks of life. Now if you are going into this for the romance/plot...I still hold by my "there are way better authors out there" mentality. The plot isn't new or unique by any standard, and the writing was subpar at best. It all boils down to Christian having major issues from being abused as a child, and because of this he uses BDSM as a form of management for his internal struggle. It's like he has to have control over everything as an adult as he couldn't control anything as a child. (think Sleeping with the Enemy without the husband being totally psychotic) Ana is totally innocent in all things sexual, and Christians kink causes such a big shock that she doesn't know whether she likes it or not. So nearly the whole book is a revolving "yes, no, yes, no" with her. And speaking of the characters: I found that Christian had more personality than Ana, and that's saying something as this is told in first person from Ana's point of view. Christian is definitely an alpha male (which I do love alpha males), but his personal demons cause him to be slightly cruel in my opinion. Ana is a complete spindly individual who was written so nave that it held me in shock. She doesn't understand some of the innuendo or "devices" Christian wants to use that even if you aren't in the world of BDSM you've at least heard of. If I could, I would give this book two and a half stars, as it wasn't horrible, but it could've been written a lot better. It did cause me to want to know what happens at the end, so I'll give it that, but all in all Fifty Shades of Grey just didn't do it for me, and I feel slightly duped for giving in to my curiosity.

So we all know there is major hype with this book. And like all curious minds, I caved figuring it had to be at least halfway good considering all the mad crazy eyed people singing its praise. Unfortunately, about midway into the book I kept questioning if I was reading the same thing. From all the craze, I expected great writing, engaging characters, an interesting plot, and namely all the ingredients for a good novel. What I received in reality was a subpar erotic romance with one dimensional characters, and an iffy plot.Fifty Shades of Grey starts with the main character, Anastasia, or Ana as she likes to be called, who is on the cusp of graduating college. She's a clumsy, nave, young female, who never wears makeup, tries to hide in a crowd, and doesn't see her own beauty. And, because she is so utterly sweet, is cajoled into interviewing <hl> Christian Grey, a mega rich <hl>, surprisingly young man with a million dollar company, for her best friend's school paper. From that moment forward, it seems Christian just can't keep his eyes off little Miss Ana, and manipulates a few non-chanced meetings. Things seem to get hot and heavy between them, but Christian tends to frighten Ana, especially with his needs and intense nature. As an adopted orphan, he went through his own living hell, and has the emotional and physical issues to prove it. But Ana is slowly losing her heart to him, and can only hope that she has the stamina and strength needed to not only help Christian, but to see if he can learn to care for her as well.**Slight Spoilers**With the synopsis, such as it is, out of the way, let me start by saying I still don't understand the hype. If people are reading this for the erotica alone, then I pity them as there are tons of authors who actually know how to write to keep a reader engaged, and the love scenes are way hotter. If you don't believe me, just check Amazons kindle section in fiction. They have enough variations in erotica for all kinks of life. Now if you are going into this for the romance/plot...I still hold by my "there are way better authors out there" mentality. The plot isn't new or unique by any standard, and the writing was subpar at best. It all boils down to Christian having major issues from being abused as a child, and because of this he uses BDSM as a form of management for his internal struggle. It's like he has to have control over everything as an adult as he couldn't control anything as a child. (think Sleeping with the Enemy without the husband being totally psychotic) Ana is totally innocent in all things sexual, and Christians kink causes such a big shock that she doesn't know whether she likes it or not. So nearly the whole book is a revolving "yes, no, yes, no" with her. And speaking of the characters: I found that Christian had more personality than Ana, and that's saying something as this is told in first person from Ana's point of view. Christian is definitely an alpha male (which I do love alpha males), but his personal demons cause him to be slightly cruel in my opinion. Ana is a complete spindly individual who was written so nave that it held me in shock. She doesn't understand some of the innuendo or "devices" Christian wants to use that even if you aren't in the world of BDSM you've at least heard of. If I could, I would give this book two and a half stars, as it wasn't horrible, but it could've been written a lot better. It did cause me to want to know what happens at the end, so I'll give it that, but all in all Fifty Shades of Grey just didn't do it for me, and I feel slightly duped for giving in to my curiosity.

And, because she is so utterly sweet, is cajoled into interviewing <hl> Christian Grey, a mega rich <hl> , surprisingly young man with a million dollar company, for her best friend's school paper.