Fifty Shades of Grey - Series Review

Grab a glass of wine (or a mimosa if it's before noon) and sit down for a second. It's Book Club Friday, and I want to talk about Fifty Shades of Grey. Honestly, I finished it two months ago but haven't had the gumption to write about my review.

In my first post about Fifty, I admitted that at age 28 I had never read a romance novel. I thought they were cheesy, bad literature, and just bad form for a "true reader" like me.

it was cheesy.. but I loved it anyways

Despite the cliché phrases and predictable plot, I still found myself wrapped up in the story of Anna and Christian. By the second book, I really wanted to know what was going to happen next. Even her Inner Goddess started to grow on me {although the emails never did.}

I know that life is never this perfect and this story is extremely far-fetched, but I think that was one of the things I liked best about it. A little bit of reading escapism, something totally different than what I am accustomed to reading.

the s-e-x caught me off guard

In a good way. I thought it would be hard to read once I was warned about 'the red room of pain.' But it really wasn't that bad. The first novel really makes you think that The Contract is going to play a huge role in the story, which thankfully is not true. I don't think I'm ready to read a true bdsm novel, but I might be ready to add a little romance every now and then to my reading rotation. {Any Suggestions?}

it was a full story

There were ups & downs, things that were unbelievable and things that totally grossed me out. I felt like I grew with Anna and went from loving to hating to loving Christian.

I always enjoy books that take give you a glimpse into the future at the end. I guess I'm a sucker for happy endings. James may have taken this one a little too far with the last chapter, but you can't blame her for wanting to 'tie things up' in the end.

Journey Forward ∴ 9 - Quarter Check In

Can you believe we are a quarter through twenty12 already? This weeks Journey Forward was to look back at the progress we have made towards our one word & goals.

• Complete 4 or more blog designs per month.

Holla! I'm not quite up to four every month, but my average is right around four. Blog design can be tricky in that some projects take longer than others & carry over from month to month. Nevertheless, I'm quite proud of myself & these 15 designs!

January (3): Mrs. Alana's Miscellany, Lattes & Love, Of Our Parents
February (6): The Shelton Family, Reading, Eating & Dreaming, You are the Roots, Post Cards from TG, Creative Bug
March (3): Human Sparkler, Keep Your Sunnyside Up, C Squared W
April (3): Maggiano Takes Austin, Lovely, Flowers, Ribbons and Pearls

• Find an online teaching job at a college or university. 

Fail. I did have one fun job opportunity sent my way, but it didn't work out. I have a feeling this is going to be hard to accomplish before moving back to the states. The good news is that I have my portfolio & resume all ready to go when the time comes! {www.kathrynprice.info}

• Make dates with my husband to have fun together at least twice a month.

At the beginning of the semester Chris and I were going out together almost every Saturday night. In March we had fun at his 4th Semester Banquet. But as the semester has started closing in (tests!) he just hasn't had the time for it. Hopefully in 5th semester there will be more time for these sorts of things without the stress of so many exams.

• Read 12 books. 

Yes! I'm at 4 books: Love Wins, Outlander, Sing You Home, Fifty Shades of Grey. Reading is one of my favorite things to do, so I think I will always find time for it. It helps me to relax.

• Relax

Seriously, I feel like I'm working on this daily. Starting my own little design company has been a lot of hard work and a lot of long hours. That little list of 15 blogs up there represents my heart and soul for the past 4 months.

I feel like the Journey Forward challenge has helped me stay accountable during this time. Knowing that I have to write a post every week about how I am doing with relaxing has really helped me to stay in check. I get so easily lost in my computer & design; two hours can feel like twenty minutes for me. Living with a relaxed attitude is a work in progress for me.

1  ∴  2  ∴  3 ∴  4 ∴  5 ∴ 6 ∴ 7 ∴ 8

What about you? Do you want to join in on the Journey Forward challenge? It's not too late!