You Had Me at Hola - Alexis Daris

 

One genre I became more interested in reading in 2020 was romances.  I learned a lot about the breadth of romances out there - and allowed myself to just enjoy them as I would a television show - for pure entertainment.  What I also found exciting about this genre is that there are so many authors of color representing people of color falling in love with each other and having rich lives (both financially and metaphorically) being themselves.  It's a refreshing change of pace and really fun to see so many of these authors thriving and bringing their normal into the mainstream.

I received You Had Me at Hola for my birthday from a friend who reads almost exclusively in this genre, so I knew this would be good!  Jasmine Lin Rodriguez is a soap opera star whose recent break-up is all over the tabloids.  She swears off romance and intends only to focus on her goals as a Leading Lady, as she starts the filming on her new series - opposite the wildly popular telenovela star, Ashton Suárez.  Ashton has his own reasons for wanting to stay out of the paparazzi limelight, and for keeping a few secrets from his co-stars.  But, of course, we know where this is headed!  The story is told, in part, through the script and plot of the show that Jasmine and Ashton are staring in - which I found fun and a nice break from the overall narrative.  It was fun to see the motivations and emotions of the characters on screen juxtaposed with the actors.  Definitely a fun story filled with both passion and humor.  Looking forward to reading others by this author.

First Fiction Read of 2021: The Talented Mr. Ripley

Several years ago, I was really on a mystery kick - wanting to read all the old mysteries by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, Dashiell Hammett.  At that time I learned that The Talented Mr. Ripley (I'd seen the movie) was written by a woman in the 1950s.  This intrigued me, so when I came across a collection of the Ripley trilogy in a local bookstore, I picked it up.  And, of course, it then say on my bookshelf for the next 10+ years.  But, I decided to pick it up over this winter vacation, and was immediately taken in by Tom Ripley - the slightly awkward and a bit annoying American who can't quite find his footing.  When the father of an old acquaintance, Dickie Greenleaf, tracks Tom down and offers to finance a trip to Italy so Tom can convince his Playboy trust-fund son to return to the States, Tom figures he might as well get an international trip out of it.  Once in Italy, it becomes clear that Dickie has no intention of returning home, and Tom finds himself infatuated not with Dickie, but with Dickie's lifestyle.  Unlike a typical whoddunit, there is no mystery here about who committed the crimes or where the bodies are buried- only in whether the murderer will get caught.  It is a fascinating examination of Tom Ripley's mind - and the guilt he sometimes carries with him (reminiscent of The Tell-Tale Heart).  And while he is not at all a likeable character, I did find myself anxious that he would be discovered - perhaps only because his life was so unbearably pathetic.  Clearly written and quite the page turner, I found myself pulled in to Ripley's world, and eager to read the next installment (Ripley Under Ground).

Fiction Selections

Every once in awhile, I make a real push to read books that have just been sitting on my bookshelves at home for years.  Sometimes I'm left wondering why I ever bought the book in the first place - where was I in my life that this sounded at all interesting?  Other times I love the book so much I kick myself for letting it sit on the shelf unread for so long!  Here's a mix of the latest flurry from the bookshelves:

The Virgin Blue by Tracy Chevalier: After The Girl with the Pearl Earring, I never pass up a Chevalier novel when I see it at a used bookstore.  But that's not to say it won't sit on my shelf for awhile.  This book alternates between the present day - telling the story of Ella Turner who upon moving to a small town in France, decides to research her own French history.  This leads to the story of Isabelle du Moulin who lived in the same area more than 400 years earlier.  Of course, the two women are linked in some way, but the detective story that emerges as Ella attempts to find herself through her research is a definite page turner.  I should read a bit more of those Chevalier books on my shelves..

Dreaming Water by Gail Tsukiyama: I've enjoyed a number of books by Tsukiyama, including The Samurai's Garden, The Street of a Thousand Blossoms, and The Language of Threads.  I always find her stories engaging and her writing beautiful and straight-forward.  In Dreaming Water, Cate steel grieving the loss of her husband, has to face the fact that her adult daughter, Hana, is dying from a rare disease.  As Cate and Hana come to terms with their pasts and the future they don't want to face, one of Hana's old friends comes back into the picture - and the book explores their friendships and how each one deals with the end in their own way.

In The Language of Miracles by Rajia Hassib:  This story asks the question of how accepted into an "American" community a family of immigrants can be - what happens when a tragedy occurs?  Who will take the blame?  How will each member of a family deal with their loss, grief, and isolation?  The Al-Menshawy family immigrated to a NewJersey suburb from Egypt - they appear to be living the American Dream - their own home, stable jobs, and seemingly true friends in their school and neighborhood.  This book explores the painful reality of how much more it takes, both physically, mentally, and emotionally, to find one's place - especially in a place hell-bent on exclusion.

Fiction: Jean Kwok

I kept seeing Jean Kwok's novel Searching for Sylvie Lee on recommended book lists, but alas the queue at the library was quite long, so I decided to try out her previous novel, Girl in Translation first. I'm glad I did - this is the type of Asian-American fiction that is squarely in my comfort zone - young Asian girl - recent immigrant or child of too-hard-working to be around much immigrants, succeeds in school, but never quite fits in, finds herself and her passion, but at the expense of love or the approval of her parents.  While Girl in Translation follows this formula, it is in no way rote or unimaginative.  There's a reason this story line is so popular - who doesn't love the struggle of a beautiful girl caught between two cultures, with so much promise, and so much obligation?  The writing and storytelling are easy to follow in a "beach read" way, but certainly not mindless.  This book left me wanting to read more by Jean Kwok, so I was quite happy to find Searching for Sylvie Lee waiting for me at the library.

When I was in college, I took a poetry class that was not my favorite.  I found I always wanted some background on the poet - what was s/he going through when they wrote the poem?  What was going on in the world they were living in at the time they wrote the poem?  What was the poem in response to?  What was the poet trying to say?  But every time I wondered these things, my professor - or other more sophisticated students - would inform me that a poem had to stand on its own, and it wasn't about what the poet intended, but what we took from the poem, without all of that background information.  I understood the point, but it didn't make me enjoy or understand the poems any better.  And so it often it when I read novels.  I wonder if the "fiction" is really "fiction."  Why did the author write THIS book about THESE characters?  People say "write what you know," and what is it that the author knew about the characters and places in this particular book?  And so it is with Searching for Sylvie Lee - about the perfect wife and sister who suddenly goes missing.  Her not-as-perfect sister, travels internationally not just to find her, but to find out more about the real life no one ever understood her sister was living.  After thoroughly enjoying Girl in Translation, there were parts of this book that just didn't seem right to me.  I couldn't quite connect to the characters, and felt uncomfortable about some of their relationships with each other - at the risk of including a spoiler, I won't go into it more, but I just could not relate.  But, it was because of this that I just did some brief internet research about the book - to see how it had been received, and it was there that I learned more about Kwok's background, and that she had suffered the disappearance of a sibling.  That she would then write this book is incredibly brave to me - I know it means that the book no longer stood on its own for me - but I don't care.  It made it fascinating and real, and so much more incredibly painful.  I cared more about what happened to Sylvie Lee, and what would become of her sister.  On its own, I don't think I would have appreciated this book as much as I did Girl in Translation, and maybe I didn't read it the way I was supposed to - with a little background - but that did help me connect better, and I do hope the process of writing the novel brought Kwok some much needed peace.

The Great Alone - Kristin Hannah

I had a difficult time getting into Kristin Hannah's acclaimed novel, The Nightingale.  So much so that despite so many people telling me that it was incredible, I just never finished it.  So when several more people recommended this one to me, I was skeptical to say the least.  But, I figured I'd try it out - and I'm glad I did.  This is one of the best novels I've read in quite awhile.  The Great Alone is the story of a teenage girl named Leni.  Her father has returned from Vietnam, suffering from nightmares and all the signs of post-traumatic stress disorder.  Her mother, desperately in love with her husband is willing to do anything to appease him.  And so, the family moves to the Alaskan wilderness where the father, Ernt, is certain his family can make it out their own without any reliance on the Outside.  The family builds their community in Alaska, but Ernt's paranoia and violence isolate the family more and more.  This was a difficult read given both the actual violence, and the threat of violence always lurking, but it was a definite page-turner.  I enjoyed it so much that it might actually give me the push I need to give The Nightingale another try!

Pachinko - Min Jin Lee

I love a good multi-generational story - Pachinko is a perfect beach-read with a little more going on.  It's the story of Sunja who lives in Korea and comes from a poor family.  After finding herself unexpectedly pregnant (and unmarried), she marries a man willing to take her and her unborn child as his own - and moves to Japan.  The book follows the family through generations, as they struggle with poverty and racism in their new country.  For the most part I loved this book - the story is compelling and I cared about what was happening to the characters.  There were some parts of the book that seemed oddly out-of-place to me - scenes where complicated characters were presented as one-dimensional, or simply written off and forgotten.  Like many multi-generational novels that cover so much - I often found myself just wanting to know more about a given character- or to learn more backstory - but I always remind myself that books are like life in this way. There are so many people that come and go in your life, many with interesting backstories that you'll never learn - or perhaps you only get a glimpse when you really want more.  For me, this was exactly the kind of book I like to read while on vacation or on an airplane - when I have time to really get into it.  Not perfect, but one of my favorite reads of the year.

Clock Dance - Anne Tyler

Anne Tyler rarely disappoints - she's one of those writers who always seems to have a new book out.  So, when I experienced a reading drought over the past couple months, I thought Clock Dance might be just the book to get me out of it (the cactus on the front was the perfect symbol for my drought!).  Clock Dance has many of my favorite elements in a story - it's about a woman, takes place over time, and focus on her relationships - to her husbands, to her children, and to others around her - in attempt to find her way.  Willa Drake, the main character, does not have much to commend her.  She seems like the type who goes along to get along - puts up with irritating men, and allows her children to disrespect her.  So when faced with the opportunity to develop a meaningful connection with someone who actually needs her, despite making no logical sense, she finally takes a chance - for herself.  The unfolding of this story is painful at times, but also hopeful - filled with what ifs as Willa is forced to discover how much power she has to undo the terrible decisions she has fallen into over the years and finally make the happy life for her that she deserves.

Fiction: A few stories about family

Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal:  A co-worker recommended this one to me, and I'm so glad - it turned out to be one of my favorite books in awhile.  Eva Thorvald has always been a little different - as a kid bullied and on the outs with her peers, she becomes obsessed with hot peppers, and seems to have a knack for cooking.  There's a little mystery that goes along with her talent, but eventually, her pop-up restaurant becomes one of the hottest tickets in the country.  Along the way, this is a story about family and loss, and a lot about food.  A little fanciful at times, but very enjoyable.

The Heirs by Susa Rieger:  This book is a reminder to me that I always mean to keep better track of where I get my recommendations, so I can go back to the good sources.  This was another solid novel about family and the secrets that threaten to destroy them.  When a wealthy husband and father to five boys passes away, he leaves behind his fortune - and perhaps a mistress and a couple extra children.  This book follows the family as they each cope in their own way with their memories of their father, and the acknowledgement that he possibly was not who they actually thought he was.  I feel like this basic plot has been done over and over, but I appreciated the writing style of The Heirs, and I'm always one for a little dysfunctional family drama.

Songs of Willow Frost by Jamie Ford:  It's hard to imagine that the follow-up to Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet could be anything but a disappointment.  After all, can lightening really strike twice?  So, I approached this novel with a mixture of excitement and a little trepidation - I really wanted to love it, but would have been so sad if I didn't.  Turns out, all my worry was for nothing.  Songs of Willow Frost tells the story of Willam Eng, orphaned as a young child, who becomes convinced that a famous actress is actually his long-lost mother.  William and a friend escape the orphanage, full of hope, on a quest to discover the truth behind the famous Willow Frost.  As the storytelling balances between the Great Depression and the 1920s, I was full of anxiety - hoping for William to find the mother he'd always wanted, and worried that he would find nothing.  A beautiful story of loss and home, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Fiction Hodge-Podge

To say I am behind on reviewing books that I've read lately is an understatement, so my hope is to do a little round-up of fiction and non-fiction books each week so if anyone is following along here and looking for something to read, they can check out the post of the week and see if anything jumps out as potentially interesting.  For my sanity (and yours), I'll try to keep the reviews/descriptions short.  Here are a few fiction books for the week:

The Lady and the Unicorn by Tracy Chevalier: My love of The Girl with the Pearl Earring will keep me coming back to Tracy Chevalier, and lucky for me she has a pretty well-stocked arsenal of novels to keep me reading.  Lady with the Unicorn takes place in Paris in 1490, and centers around a mysterious tapestry that appears to depict the seduction of a unicorn.  The tapestries are commissioned by a French nobleman and created by a talented womanizer who creates chaos at court by seducing everyone from the servants to the nobleman's own wife and daughter.  The book follows the development of the narrative within the tapestry, but also the various relationships and affairs that inform that tapestry.

The Ten Year Nap is the second novel I've read by Meg Wolitzer (The Interestings was the first).  In both, she writes about what I think of as the burden of privilege malaise - that is people who have it all but who are unhappy with their situations, mostly because of choices that they made, but of course also because of circumstance and expectation.  On the one hand, this has made me annoyed and groan at the self-centeredness of the characters.  On the other, the writing is fantastic and the people are basically like real life.  It doesn't necessarily mean you want to read about it, but the again, I kind of do.  The Ten Year Nap focuses on a group of female friends n New York - well educated professional women, who got married, had children, stepped out of the work force, watched their children grow, and then suddenly find themselves in a position of not knowing quite what they themselves actually wanted out of life, but knowing that what they have isn't that satisfying (kind of The Yellow Wallpaper problem all over again).  I think this book has evoked some strong reactions from female readers - we all have opinions about whether moms should work or stay at home, or when they should go back to work, or who should take care of their children if they do go back to work - it's a hot button issue and we all have regrets as well as grateful moments for the decisions we've made.  I think Wolitzer did a find job navigating all these varied perspectives, and still creating a couple characters that were funny and relate-able.  I didn't realize Wolitzer had written so many books - I'm going to try another one and see if it falls into the privilege malaise category...I can only take so much of that each year!

Dreams of Joy by Lisa See:  In the sequel to Shanghai Girls, Pearl's daughter Joy run off back to China in search of her birth father, the renowned artist, Z. G. Li.  Once there, she finds herself swept up in the New Society of Communist China.  While her father lives a life of relative comfort due to his celebrity, Joy becomes determined to be one of the people, living on a farm to provide for the masses.  Back home, Pearl is desperate to find her daughter - and finally chooses to return to China to face her past and save her daughter.  This was a captivating but very painful read - not just because of the strained relationships, filled with misunderstandings and missed opportunities, but because of the horrific treatment of the Chinese people by their government.  Of course so much of the book is about propaganda and how the government censored and shaped the information provided to the people - and certainly that made me question how accurate the depiction in this book was (though seemingly pretty accurate given other non-fiction accounts of the time that I read after this).  Lisa See is a brilliant writer and this was a wonderful story of friendships and family - just emotional and difficult to take at times.

The Girls - Emma Kline

This book is simply creepy.  I kept seeing it on all sorts of "Best of 2016" reading lists, so I thought I better read it.  The book follows the life of a 14-year old Evie (much older as the book opens), during the 1960s who gets caught up in a Charles Mason-esque cult.  We know when the book opens that a gruesome murder has occurred and that Evie is somehow knowledgeable about the murders but not directly involved.  I had a constant feeling of dread the entire time I was reading this book - obviously, I knew what was going to happen with respect to the cult (though there is a lot to be learned in terms of Evie's relationship with her family, what drew her to the group, and her interactions with the cult leader).  I would have liked to see more reflection from the older Evie on why she acted the way she did as a 14-year-old, though there is certainly context in terms of the descriptions of her parents' relationships and their treatment of Evie.  I was also curious about what more she had been doing in the intervening years.  But, overall this was a page-turner - and the fact that I still have so many questions is probably a reflection of the fact that I found Evie to be quite a fascinating character in a very strange time in even stranger circumstances.

Commonwealth - Ann Patchett

I've been a big Ann Patchett fan ever since I read Bel Canto back in 2009 - though I was surprised to just discover that it was published so recently - Patchett seems like an author I have loved for a lifetime!  So, whenever one of her new novels comes out, I am eager to find a quiet chunk of time to really delve into it.  Commonwealth is just the type of book that asks for that kind of uninterrupted time.  The story takes place over 50 years, and focuses on two separate families whose lives are intertwined as the result of an affair.  I'm a sucker in general for stories about families, told over generations, from different people's perspectives and from the present and the future looking back at the past.  Patchett is a wonderful story-teller with a real feel for people.  I can't say that I loved all the characters in this book - and one of the main ones is a young aimless woman who maintains a long-time affair with a much older writer - and I just couldn't really grasp onto the reality of their relationship.  But, that being said, I enjoyed the journey and the different relationships among the characters.  Another great one from an apparently not-that-old favorite!

A Little Adult Fiction

In trying to keep up with all the books my kids are reading, I definitely don't read as many adult novels as I used to - and when I do, I have a hard time finding the time to write my brief reviews of them.  I appreciate having GoodReads to keep track of all my books so when I do have time I can go back and review.  Here are a few from my backlog:

I went to kindergarten with the author of The Possibilities, who gained fame with her first novel The Descendants, which was later made into a movie staring George Clooney.  I was very excited for the release of her second novel, which is set in her new hometown of Breckenridge, Colorado.  The main character has recently lost her 22-year-old son, and is making her way through life - trying to remain as normal as possible, but obviously unable to do so.  While I enjoyed the general story here, I found the main character difficult to comprehend.  I have never lost a child, and clearly every one who has reacts in a different way - copes and grieves in different ways - but there was just something about this character that didn't seem quite realistic to me.  I could, however, be completely wrong.  I found this to be a fine read, but not quite up to the standard of The Descendants.

My mom recently started reading this book and found she couldn't get into it - she asked me if it was worth continuing with - I could not for the life of me remember anything about it.  Exactly the reason I started this blog in the first place - so I could look up books I had read (preferably while still fresh in my mind) and give competent recommendations.  Regardless, my advice to my mom and others is "there are so many books in this world - if there is one that you can't quite get into, move on!"  But, I was myself able to finish this one - it is right up my alley - it's about a few generations of a given family and takes place over several decades (with each chapter representing one year in the life of the family).  It was definitely slow-moving at times, but once I got into the rhythm of the family, I did find myself interested in how it would go.  This is apparently the first book in a proposed trilogy - I hope that the other two will back-track and go more in-depth with certain characters rather than continuing to move forward in this same fashion.

Update: Just realized that the second installment of the trilogy:  Early Warning came out in April.  Looks like it does continue along with the family from 1953 to the early 80s...not what I had in mind, but I am definitely getting myself in the queue at the library!

Anne Tyler is one of my go-to authors for good plot, easy reading.  Her latest is about Abby Whitshank and her family of grown children.  When she starts showing signs of dementia, and her husband Red doesn't seem quite up for the task of taking care of her on his own, two of her children move back home to make sure things keep moving along.  As they come together, the story is told through flashbacks - slowly uncovering various family secrets and hidden motivations.  Kind of one of those books where nothing really happens- except life.  A good beach or lazy Sunday read.

Adult Fiction: Benediction - Kent Haruf

I am a fan of Kent Haruf, having previously read his novels Plainsong, The Tie That Binds, and Where You Once Belonged.  His books are always quick reads about everyday working people in the fictional town of Holt, Colorado.  This one focuses on a dying man and the lives of those in the community around him.  I think Haruf is best read in a single sitting on a lazy afternoon - treating his novels like a slightly long short story, engaging in the characters, and living life in the small town if only for awhile.  His stories remind me of simpler versions of Richard Russo's - but engender the same feelings of familiarity.  Great stories about the importance of friends and family in difficult times.  

Americanah - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

I don't have as much time as I'd like these days to read fat fiction books - but one of my favorite books is Half of a Yellow Sun, so when I heard the author had come out with a new book, I knew it would be worth the time investment.  Americanah is about a young Nigerian woman, Ifemelu, who moves to the United States.  Once here, she finds herself confronted often with the issue of race - in a way she never was at home - not only is she black in America, but she is also African, with all the importance that distinction holds for herself, and often more importantly, for others.  While Ifemelu goes about her everyday life - falling in and out of love, finding and losing employment, spending time with friends, family, and the internet, she observes issues of race in each interaction.  Ultimately, she moves back to Nigeria and is reunited with a childhood love.  At times this book seemed simple in its story-line, but at the same time infinitely complex in its observations about identity and what defines who we are and how we view ourselves.  Definitely worth a read and a re-read.

Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore - Robin Sloan

Ashley always seems to have spot-on recommendations for me. I applaud her for this choice because it has the obvious – a bookstore which speaks to my love of books – but it also has a little sci-fi mixed in, which I appreciate, but she always seems to mock.  Perhaps it is the San Francisco setting, and the other world nature of the novel, but even the writing of this one reminded me a great deal of Christopher Moore’s “You Suck” – which I very much enjoyed.  Lost in the web-design world of start-ups, the protagonist here finds himself working the night-shift as a clerk in North Beach.  There are definitely strange things afoot as buyers come to borrow obscure volumes in secret, and appear to be on the brink of figuring out the answer to an elusive problem.  The protagonist then becomes obsessed with figuring out the answer himself, bringing his friends along on a literary adventure that takes him on a journey both exciting and absurd.  This book was just a lot of fun to read.  At times, it got a little too space-time-travel-weird for me (not that there is space time travel, but just that same feeling of interesting yet far-fetched).  A quick read that definitely put a smile on my face. 

A Hologram for the King - Dave Eggers

While I haven't been reading many fiction books lately, I wanted to give myself the chance to read the latest from Dave Eggers, as I am generally a fan of his writing.  This one was a simple quick read - but left me feeling a bit melancholy.  The main character in this one finds himself on the verge on financial ruin.  He has already old his daughter that she may not return for her next year of college due to his inability to pay her tuition.  But, he finds himself with one last opportunity to remake himself.  He travels to Saudi Arabia for the chance to meet with the King and present his innovative new idea.  But once he arrives, the King is nowhere to be found.  The man is told that the King should be back tomorrow.  Always tomorrow.  And so he waits.  And as he waits he lives his life and maybe falls in love and dreams about the presentation he may never have the chance to give.  The waiting becomes a bit tedious, and the ending wraps up a bit too quickly, but I appreciated the slow-pace.  The narrator himself was a bit too pathetic for me to ever root for, but I enjoyed following his story and wondering if he'd ever really be able to take advantage of an opportunity should it ever present itself.  In short, this is no Zeitoun, but still respectable Eggers.

Fifty Shades Darker - E.L. James (Fifty Shades #2)

Please just shoot me in the head.  I wasted a couple hours skimming this thing.  I can't waste any more of my life writing a review about it.  No more.  Please.  No more.

The Invisible Bridge - Julie Orringer

Well, it's been quite awhile since I've found time to update this blog...I believe I finished reading this book back in early October, while I was on bedrest in the hospital waiting for the birth of my twins.  My sister-in-law loaned this one to me, and when I first read that it was yet another book about WWII, I was not too excited.  But, I'm glad I dove in because this was definitely one of my favorites of the year.  At the outset of this book, a young Hungarian architecture student arrives in Paris to pursue his dreams.  While he is Jewish, and the war has begun, he is seemingly oblivious to the potential dangers in store.  He finds a forbidden love in his new city, and makes strange and wonderful friendships.  Slowly, the realities of the war begin to set in, as the young man sees freedoms around him slowly taken away, and a hate group at his school grow in increasing numbers and power.  This story is told in an beautiful and very readable fashion.  It reminded me of Richard Russo.  Toward the end, the book became difficult to read, just in terms of the subject matter, but overall this is a powerful narrative with rich characters.

Office Girl - Joe Meno

One line of the description of this book hooked me, "Nothing takes place during a World War."  Not that there aren't great books that take place during World Wars, but I have read many of them in my time, and I could use a different setting (as long as it's not also post 9/11 PTSD land).  Office Girl, however, was not quite what I was looking for.  It tells the story of "artists" Odile and Jack and reads like a literary version of Zooey Deschanel's quirky too-cool projects.  As the two work menial office jobs during the day, they spend their evenings contemplating the more esoteric - condemning commercial art and making renegade art of their own.  I think I am too old for this book - not that I'm too mature by any means, but just that I find characters in their 20-somethings who are complaining about life and finding themselves to be tedious.  I just want them to get over themselves.  That being said, some of their art was clever and funny.  Overall, however, I found the book a little too hip for my tastes.

Fifty Shades of Grey - E.L. James

After a long long wait in the library queue, I finally borrowed a copy of this most recent literary phenomenon.  I felt like I had to read it under the same theory I read The Da Vinci Code - because everyone else was, and I needed to see if it was worth all the hype.  After reading it, I can honestly say that I just don't really get it.  But at the same time, I did find that there was quite a bit that it made me think about - so maybe James really is doing something more than just peddling smut.  The basic story is recent college grad/virgin/ingenue meets rich and powerful mogul.  They sense an undeniable attraction for each other.  She is looking for a boyfriend.  He is looking for a submissive to partake in his S&M fantasies - and his relationships come complete with signed contract.  He opens up this whole new world for her - which she's not sure she wants to participate in.  And, of course, there is just "something" about her that makes him break all his rules and maybe, just maybe, fall a little bit in love.  Along the way, the dialogue is more horrendous than Twilight and countless questions are raised about the automony of women and the element of choice in inherently debasing activities.  On the one hand, I thought this book was absolute trash.  Plot-wise, nothing really happens and there is no understanding for why these characters find the other attractive.  On the other hand, I thought this would be a fantastic book to read in one of my college feminist studies classes - to better examine the nature of male/female and dominant/submissive relationships.  And to discuss what it is about this relationship that so many readers are drawn to - is it simply that Christian Grey is a wealthy handsome man?  Is it that women really do want to be treated like objects with no thoughts or opinions of their own?  Is it just another case of a woman believing that she can change a bad boy's behavior? Or is it just the intensely graphic sex scenes (which, if they really are empowering women in some way to demand more spice in their own relationships, I say - more power to them).  So, I definitely don't think this was a very well-written book.  And I didn't even find it that entertaining.  I did, however, think it raised a lot of important questions - including whether it's just a good thing to have people reading actual books (or ebooks), no matter what the subject matter.  And, I'm not sure I know the answer to that question.  I may just have to read the rest of this trilogy to figure it out.