BlogHer Book Club: Diary of a Submissive: A Modern True Tale of Sexual Awakening

Diary of a Submissive: A Modern True Tale of Sexual Awakening, by Sophie Morgan was in a word, awful.  

This book, has been compared to other books of note recently that deal with the subject of Dominant/submissive relationships, and it has been touted as a more well written book. While yes, the sentence structure and word choices are more polished, it is still not what I would consider interesting reading.

The subject matter is handled bluntly and openly, and that is not what turns me off about the book, but that it is just boring. Had I not been paid to read this book, I would have stopped after the first few chapters.  

The book felt self indulgent.  You know when you are talking to someone, and it feels like they are talking just because they love to hear the sound of their own voice? Well if you could translate that into reading, that is exactly how I felt reading this book.  I found myself shouting “Shut UP”  in my head.

The book claims to give you insight to a submissive, but all I got was a few sex scenes and the banality of one girl’s life.  I would much rather we call a spade a spade, call the book erotic fiction, rather than a memoir, and the expectation of any literary talent would be at a minimum. (Millions of women did not read that other series for its dynamic prose) The expectation, or maybe it is just my expectation with a memoir, is that the author has at the very least something interesting to say. Sadly nothing could be farther from the truth with Diary of a Submissive: A Modern True Tale of Sexual Awakening.

_________
This is a paid review for the BlogHer Book Club, however the opinions expressed are mine alone.

BlogHer Book Club: Matched

Matched is the first novel in a dystopian trilogy by Ally Condie. This piece of young adult fiction finds us living in “The Society”, where we meet Cassia a young girl, about to take the first step into adulthood.

In this society, everything is predetermined.  There are no choices. Everyone is fed a government prescribed diet. There is no sharing food because the calories are carefully portioned. Your job is based on your aptitude. Free time is portioned out sparingly. Even the day you die is predetermined.

Almost every person attends their Matching Ceremony after their seventeenth birthday to find out who will become their future husband or wife.  Almost always it is a person in a far away region.  In an unlikely outcome Cassia is matched to her best friend Xander.  

Cassia and Xander are childhood friends.  They grew up playing together, they know each other and their families know each other.  Everything is great!  Cassia and Xander are delighted.  That is when everything goes wrong.  

Cassia puts her microchip with information about Xander, her match into her port.  Xander’s face pops up on the screen, but it is quickly replaced with the image of another boy.  And not just any boy, but another she knows well.

The rest of the novel takes us through Cassia’s internal conflict. It raises questions in Cassia that she never had before.  Throughout her life she has been a conformist, never once questioning the rules, or the predetermined outcomes in her life.  Suddenly, she is a fountain of questions.

A pretty typical coming of age scenario, set in a futuristic time and place, but typical none the less. It was a quick read, and I did find myself “reading just one more chapter”, but I think I was expecting more. The cliffhanger does make me hopeful for more adventure and excitement to come in the next two novels, but the ordinary storytelling in Matched does not make me want to go out there and buy them.

This was a paid review for the BlogHer Book Club, however the opinions are all mine.

BlogHer Book Club: The Book of Jonas

The Book of Jonas, a first novel by Stephen Dau interweaves the stories of Jonas, a U.S. Soldier, and His Mother, like a finely woven tapestry. Albeit there are some holes, maybe left by the craftsman intentionally, or just the work of an inexperienced artisan.

Dau's style, short succinct chapters, made The Book of Jonas easy to read, but sometimes hard to follow. I read most of this novel in one two hour block of time, finishing the last 50 or so pages over the next two days. This enabled me to follow the story more easily, however if I was reading The Book of Jonas over many, many, days, I feel I would have been confused easily.

I had a deep desire to come to the end of this book. I just wanted to know that Jonas would be okay. I hoped that all of the foreshadowing was false and that the end would turn in a different direction. The book jacket suggests a surprise ending, but if you follow along, there is no surprise. Each chapter, each sentence, each word leads you to the obvious.

The Book of Jonas was a good read, but it left me wanting more. I loved how one action, like the flap of the wings of a butterfly, could change the lives of so many. I love that theory, but the way in which these stories were told made me feel like something was missing. It may be the writers succinct style, or my recent fondness for overly verbose prose, but I was left missing, wanting, longing.

The central theme of loss may have something to do with my desire to have more. When we suffer great loss, or those around us do, I think it is only natural to want more information, we (Okay, maybe I) want to understand, to see if there is anything we can do to help.

Read a review, join a discussion at Blog Her.com:

http://www.blogher.com/bookclub/now-reading-book-jonas

This has been a paid review for BlogHer, the opinions however are mine, mine, mine.

Blog Her Book Club: The Magic Room

The Magic Room, A Story About the Love We Wish For Our Daughters by Jeffrey Zaslow is a journey into the reality behind one of the most universal dreams of women old and young alike.
The hunt for the perfect wedding dress.

Zaslow searched the country to find Becker's Bridal, a family owned and operated shop in a small Midwestern town Fowler, Michigan where an estimated 100,000 brides have found "The One".

While the book chronicles eight women's journey to Becker's and then to the altar, it expertly weaves in to their stories, and the history of Becker's Bridal. Eva founded the "shop" in 1934, in the general store of Fowler owned by her in-laws. She grew the business by bringing in a dress or two at first, keeping a close eye on trends, being a tough businesswoman, and fulfilling a very special desire. The store passed to her son and daughter in law, in 1975 and finally to Shelley, the present owner. Shelley had to overcome her own parents reluctance to turn over the reins until Shelley made a bold move of her own to force her parents hands 2005.

Shelley then transformed the old vault into "The Magic Room".

This is a story of strong women, Becker's and the brides that have stood in the Magic Room.

Their stories will make you cry, laugh and marvel at the strength of these women. Be it a Becker, a bride, or a mother or grandmother of the bride. Each one has a story, and each story is moving and uplifting.

The Magic Room is a perfect book for for mothers of daughters, fathers of daughters and daughters alike. If you have ever or may ever have an encounter with a wedding dress this book is worth a read.

Read a review, join a discussion at Blog Her.com: http://www.blogher.com/bookclub/now-reading-magic-room

This has been a paid review for BlogHer, the opinions however are mine, mine, mine.

Book Club: Getting to Happy

My second review for the Blog Her Book Club is up. This sequel to Waiting to Exhale is a reminder to us all that a good girlfriend is a valuable thing.

http://www.blogher.com/getting-happy-already

You may have noticed the new little badge on the right of my blog. I joined the Blog Her Book Club!

I read my first book, and posted my first review for the book A Discovery of Witches, it's a great book to take on vacation, or to the beach.

I have to say it was quite a luxury to read a book again, you know, the kind with out pictures!!!

http://www.blogher.com/charmed-meets-twilight