Recent Reads

I've read a ton of books lately and am FINALLY getting around to sharing with you guys my thoughts. 

ROOM

To five-year-old-Jack, Room is the world...It's where he was born, it's where he and his Ma eat and sleep and play and learn. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits. 

Room is home to Jack, but to Ma it's the prison where she has been held for seven years. Through her fierce love for her son, she has created a life for him in this eleven-by-eleven-foot space. But with Jack's curiosity building alongside her own desperation, she knows that Room cannot contain either much longer. 

Room is a tale at once shocking, riveting, exhilarating--a story of unconquerable love in harrowing circumstances, and of the diamond-hard bond between a mother and her child. 

I LOVED this book! It was a really quick read and it was an incredible story. It was gut-wrenching and heartbreaking but I really loved it and would definitely recommend it! 

WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU'RE EXPECTING

Of course, now that I'm expecting, I wanted to read this book. I thought it was very informative, almost too much so. I skimmed over a lot of it because it goes into great detail on a lot of possible diseases and complications. It's good to at least be aware of them, but I didn't want to dwell on all that could possibly go wrong. 

YOUR PREGNANCY WEEK BY WEEK

This book is very similar to What to Expect but not quite as intense. If you're trying to decide between the two I would actually recommend this one. 

BELLY LAUGHS

This was a great book! Totally hilarious and a book on what pregnancy is REALLY like. Plus hearing it from Jenny McCarthy who is not only famous but GORGEOUS was awesome. It's nice to know the rich and famous go through the same things I'm feeling. 

THE GIRLFRIEND'S GUIDE TO PREGNANCY

Four-time delivery room veteran Vicki Iovine, "the Carrie Bradshaw of pregnancy" (Wall Street Journal), talks to you the way only a best friend can -- in the book that will go the whole nine months for every mother-to-be. Now, in this newly revised and updated edition, get the lowdown on all those little things that are too strange or embarrassing to ask, practical tips, and hilarious takes on everything pregnant. 

This was without a doubt my favorite pregnancy book! Girlfriends beware, if and when you all get pregnant I will be buying you this book! As the description said, it's like reading a book written by your friends about what pregnancy is REALLY like. It is HILARIOUS and totally true! I highly, highly, highly recommend it! 

Even if you're not pregnant, READ IT. It will properly prepare you for what pregnancy is like. 

WHAT TO EXPECT THE FIRST YEAR

Same as the Pregnancy book, it was A LOT of information, not all of which was pertinent. But, it was really helpful in preparing for baby and I will definitely be using it as a resource once the bambino arrives. 

THE GIRLFRIENDS GUIDE TO SURVIVING THE FIRST YEAR OF MOTHERHOOD

Again, I read this one in preparation and again, it was hilarious! I definitely recommend this one too. Just like the pregnancy book it tells it as it is and prepares you for what motherhood is REALLY like. 

FIFTY SHADES OF GREY TRILOGY

When literature student Anastasia Steele goes to interview young entrepreneur Christian Grey, she encounters a man who is beautiful, brilliant, and intimidating. The unworldly, innocent Ana is startled to realize she wants this man and, despite his enigmatic reserve, finds she is desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana's quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her, too --but on his own terms. 

Shocked yet thrilled by Grey's singular erotic tastes, Ana hesitates. For all the trappings of success --his multinational businesses, his vast wealth, his loving family -- Grey is a man tormented by demons and consumed by the need to control. When the couple embarks on a daring, passionately physical affair, Ana discovers Christian Grey's secrets and explores her own dark desires. 

Erotic, amusing, and deeply moving, the Fifty Shades Trilogy is a tale that will obsess you, possess you, and stay with you forever. 

OK, so now to the good stuff. I know A LOT of you have read these books or are at least thinking of reading these books. If you have not read them yet, here's my recommendation: read them! These books are now a part of pop culture and if for nothing else read them so you get all the references and jokes going around. With that being said...here's my review of the books.

I had mentioned before that I had a love/hate relationship with the books and it's totally true. I loved that this was a love story different than all the stereotypical Nicholas Sparks type novels (which, don't get me wrong, I love). The books had a darker story line and everyone knows about the extreme sexual content, which was definitely different than any other book I've ever read. The storyline definitely pulled me in and I was dying to know how it all ended. 

BUT, I absolutely HATED the writing. I think these could quite possibly be the worst written books in the history of the world. 

A direct quote from the book: 

"He smirks and cranks his glorious smile up another notch so it's in full HD IMAX."

I almost threw my Nook out the window when I read that, anyone with an OUNCE of literary talent could have come up with a better way to describe someone's smile. I could go on and on about how terrible the writing is, not just the language but the book is SO repetitive. 

I know people are ga-ga over these books, and I totally get why, I just couldn't get past the writing. 

Those of you who have read them, what are your thoughts?

Now I need something new to read. Any suggestions?


ps.
  HAPPY BIRTHDAY
to my not-so-baby-sister who turns 15 today!