critique cache: the hobbit.

to say that i loved re-reading j.r.r. tolkien's the hobbit is a severe understatement.

i first read the hobbit in a seventh-grade english class. that very copy i read so many years ago was recently discovered in a box, locked away in storage. the degree to which it is battered & time-worn seems a testament to how much i loved it then, & exactly how much more i loved it the second go-round.

first off, the book is filled to the brim with witty, sarcastic, & unexpected tangents & remarks. 

'what do you mean?' he said. 'do you wish me a good morning, or mean that it is a good morning whether i want it or not; or that you feel good this morning; or that it is a morning to be good on?' [page 11].  

'... and knocked their king golfimbul's head clean off with a wooden club. it sailed a hundred yards through the air and went down a rabbit-hole, and in this way the battle was won and the game of Golf invented at the same moment' [page 21].

as the reader progresses through the novel, they will find that remarks such as these are plenty - & these are precisely the reason i love tolkien's style so much in this classic.

not only does tolkien have a knack for wit, he also has a way of charming the reader. 

'it was a beautiful golden harp, and when thorin struck it the music began all at once, so sudden and sweet that bilbo forgot everything else, and was swept away into dark lands under strange moons, far over The Water and very far from his hobbit-hole under The Hill' [page 18].

'their spirits rose as they went down and down. the trees changed to beech and oak, and there was a comfortable feeling in the twilight' [page 44].

'then suddenly when their hope was lowest a red ray of the sun escaped like a finger through a rent in the cloud. a gleam of light came straight through the opening into the bay and fell on the smooth rock-face. the old thrush, who had been watching from a high perch with beady eyes and head cocked on one side, gave a sudden trill. there was a loud crack. a flake of rock split from the wall and fell' [page 162].

the spinning of such vivid & peaceful imagery, the capturing of such alluring energy, seems to be a trademark of tolkien's. i was wooed & drawn in with every passage that resembled that of the above. tolkien is a master at spinning simple phrases that feel impossibly cozy.

and then, of course, the simple bits that leave you captivated, though you have no idea why... tolkien's writing just feels like an old friend.

'he had eaten most, talked most, and laughed most' [page 32].

if you're looking to compare the tolkien's writing to that of rowling's, for example, it seems to me that gandalf - while every bit as lovable - is more believable than dumbledore.

'gandalf thought of most things; and though he could not do everything, he could do a great deal for friends in a tight corner' [page 57].

not to mention, the made-up words [or as i've annotated in my volume, 'the ironic use of non-words'], the tongue-in-cheek remarks amongst one another, & the sense that these are all [well, at least bilbo is] just simple people, on a more-than-simple journey.

i promise you: if you enjoyed any small part of the above - if you liked any of the categories, one, two, or all - you will enjoy reading the hobbit. and perhaps you need a bit more persuading? go see the movie. if anything, it piqued my interest in the written word even more.

p.s. make sure to read a copy with the accompanying illustrations. personally, it made me feel even more connected to the work, when my visions of the words were affirmed.

have you read j.r.r. tolkien's the hobbit? please link up & share below if so.

a note about critique cache + the happiness project.

around six months ago, i started a feature here on siddathornton called critique cache. the idea was that i would review a book or movie that i had read or viewed that month, while also inviting my readers to link-up & share a critique of their own. while i loved being able to share with everyone my love of books & movies, as the wedding [and all the festivities that went along with it] approached, i found myself neither reading nor watching any new movies.

for that reason, i decided to discontinue critique cache until i was again ready to put in the appropriate amount of time & effort to produce something worthwhile for both me & those who happen to read this blog.

which brings me to the exciting news that critique cache will officially be back on wednesday, january 9! all subsequent months' posts will go live the second wednesday of every month.

a couple changes: i will announce the book i plan to review the following month on each critique cache post. that way, you can plan on reading it to link up with the review - thus, making it more like a virtual book club, which was the original premise.

with all that being said, i thought i'd go ahead & write up a book that i finished a few weeks ago...

i'm going to be completely honest: i was expecting a little bit more out of the happiness project, than what i found. maybe it's my tendency to have really high hopes for practically everything, but i feel like this book could have been so much more than what it was. 

when i first started reading the book, i couldn't get over the similarities between myself & rubin. these quotes especially gripped me:

whenever you read this, and wherever you are, you are in the right place to begin.

more than twenty years later, i still remember that gold star, and i still want more of them.

but, as the book went on, i found myself identifying less & less with the author, which made the book hard to get into. this, obviously, doesn't necessarily mean the book is bad, it just means it stopped resonating with me. and that made it difficult to finish.

one thing i also didn't really enjoy was the outline-like fashion in which the topics were laid out at the beginning of each chapter. the generic terms called to mind the type of material i could never commit to memory in school. i guess the bottom line with this, is that i felt it lacked originality, which caused a lack in interest on my part. 

on the flip side, i largely envy rubin's amazing knack for information recall & organization. where most of the time i feel like there's a huge jumble of info bouncing around in my head, making things difficult to retrieve, it seems rubin has all of her thoughts catalogued in a virtual filing cabinet, stored in her head. for me, that was both inspiring & interesting, in equal parts. 

i was also impressed with her drive & self control. these aren't really things that were discussed in the book, but - i guess, indirectly - the purpose of her book was served, in that i was encouraged to make some improvements to better myself, leading to happiness. 

overall grade: B-

did you read the happiness project? write about it & link up below!

a critique: where we belong, by emily giffin.

'"i'll be right back," conrad said,

leaving the radio and air-conditioning on.

relieved that i didn't have to buy the test myself, i slouched down in my seat, switching the stations, wondering what last song i'd hear before i got the bad news confirmed. tlc was singing 'waterfalls' when he returned with a plastic bag and a somber expression.' - pg. 82

well, ladies & gentlemen, emily giffin has done it again.

time & time again, she wins me over with her heartfelt, wrenching, gripping prose that i would even venture to label 'suspenseful.' last summer, i was caught up in the drama of ellen & leo while reading tearing through love the one you're with, & then the tumultuous unfolding of events in heart of the matter, while venturing through south carolina & georgia with justin. and really, who can forget something borrowed & something blue? long story short: i have yet to be disappointed by an emily giffin novel.

so it didn't really surprise me that where we belong saw me keeping late nights, simply dying to know what was going to happen between marian, kirby, conrad, & everyone else involved in the story.

this book centers around secrets. the keeping of them, the reasons for them, & - ultimately - the telling of them. marian is a successful television writer with a big secret: she had a baby at 18 & gave her up for adoption. and her choice to keep the adoption open - to allow her biological daugther access to her files upon her eighteenth birthday - leads to a series of events - & a knock on her door in the middle of the night, that changes everything.

memorable moments:

'"he'd always rather stay at home, read, play solitaire,
watch old movies and television. he even bird-watches,"
she says, finally smiling a real smile. "he's nothing like
the guy you see in the courtroom."' - pg. 68

'conrad kep a running commentary going,
his opinions about music passionate and definite...' - pg. 73

'at some point, conrad put his hand on my knee and kept
it there, even as he took hard, sharp turns through his
neighborhood, moving it only to shift gears as needed.
when he pulled into his driveway, he took my chin and
made me look in his eyes. "it's going to  be okay," he said.
"i got your back."' - pg. 82

most of all, i think what i love about emily giffin's books is the meaningful & touching dialogue between the characters. i love the way she uses their exchanges to bring forth a bigger meaning. the meanings that summon tears, thoughts, & a sense of connection with mankind.

'"so i guess what i'm trying to say is that life is fast.
and it keeps speeding up. sometimes i lose track of the season
- or even the year. and we just have to make the best of
it all. our choices. our fleeting moments together."' - pg. 219

final grade: A+

if you haven't yet picked up where we belong, get to your nearest book store - or, like i did, download it to your nook - & get reading. you won't be sorry.

critique cache september: graceling, by kristin cashore.

it's not that i didn't like graceling - really, that's not it at all. but it did take me entirely too long to read.

and you know, maybe i was just going through a literary dry spell, because those happen.

every time i picked graceling up, though, i was sucked into the story... for a little while. i think it may have to do with kristin cashore's writing style - i'd be hooked, reading about a thrilling situation, or getting worked up over katsa & po's relationship, & then she'd just... switch gears. i know that's a tactic many authors employ, & sometimes i don't mind it [or even notice it], but in graceling, i found it a bit frustrating, like it disjointed the story.

in a similar vein, when not reading graceling, i didn't miss it... didn't yearn for it. and to me, being lonesome for a book is the gauge by which i measure my affection for it.

so graceling... i liked you, but i didn't love you*.

memorable moments:

'a torch on the path nearby caught the glimmer of small gold hoops in his ears.' - pg. 14

'"i trust you," he said suddenly. he stepped out of her path and waved her forward. she thought him very strange, and impulsive, but she saw he'd relaxed his guard, and she wasn't one to waste an opportunity.' - pg. 15

'the city was waking, and the streets smelled of baking bread.' - pg. 22

'perhaps if katsa had six older brothers, she would also have six friends.' - pg. 71

'the days were beginning to shorten. the air would crispen soon, and the castle would smell of wood burning in the fireplaces. the leaves would crackle under her horse's hooves when she went riding.' - pg. 75

'"i know when someone wants to hurt me, and how," he said. "i know if a person looks on me kindly, or if he trusts me. i know if a person doesn't like me. i know when someone intends to deceive me.' - pg. 103

final grade: B-

*there was, however, an excerpt from cashore's bitterblue in the back of the book, which i found more compelling. i may check it out.

what have you been reading lately? listening to? watching?

share on your blog, then link up below.

critique cache august: the flowers of war, by zhang yimou.

it's that time again: critique cache time! this month i am critiquing a film that justin & i watched a little under a month ago.

the flowers of war is a film depicting the horrors of the nanking massacre. not being much of a history buff myself, i am a bit embarrassed to say that, before this film, i wasn't really aquainted with what went on in this particular period of history; however, after viewing this film, i feel much more acquainted with the second sino-japanese war, which took place in 1937. that is to say, i am more acquainted with the senseless & horrific fates met by some of the most innocent & helpless of those involved: young children.

like so many other war films, this one begins on a battlefield. people are running & screaming, explosions are going off, & all the familiar trappings of a recreated war dance across the screen. it is only when the camera focuses on a group of young convent girls that things get especially interesting. horror runs high when you realize that the soldiers are leaving no person alive as they find them - not even the children. the group of girls from the convent do everything in their powers to stay together, but to no avail. they become separated, & some of them are met with a gristly fate.

those who survive, however, encounter an american mortician, john miller [christian bale], who - from the get-go - seems reluctant in his ability to provide any sort of haven for the endangered girls. as the group takes shelter in a catholic church, miller struggles as he is forced to come to terms with the reality of his being cast in the role as protector of so many innocent souls. and upon the arrival of a troupe of prostitutes from the red light district nearby, things get even more interesting in the way of dynamics. the conflicts set forth by the juxtaposition of two very different groups of girls provides undeniable entertainment.

as always, i don't wish to spoil any endings, but i will say that this movie was gripping & ultimately resulted in tears shed on my part. the sacrifices displayed, the loving humanity which emerges in a time of desperation, the surprising acts of charity... this is all the stuff of an afternoon well-spent in front of the television. if you - like me - enjoy the intrigue of history-based movies, but sometimes find yourself yawning inexplicably midway through, i can almost guarantee this particular film will hold your attention. it certainly held mine, & i absolutely feel the better for it.

disclaimer: this film contains extreme acts of violence & could certainly be too much for some viewers. there were times when i had to look away, but i am glad that i finished the film, because it was very moving.

view the trailer here.

before i re-watched the trailer i forgot the beauty & symbolism depicted by the beautiful stained glass window. it was an aspect of this film that i really enjoyed - the beauty of the glass, & the strangeness of this beautiful thing being those hiding in the church's portal through which to view the destruction of their city is an extremely powerful device.

all-in-all, i give it an A- [the minus is only there because of how intense i found some of the violence].

have you seen the flowers of war? what did you think?

--

now, it's your turn! link up below & tell me all about something you've experienced this month, be it a movie, a book, an album... did you love it? did you hate it? did you find it dull? irresistible? please share. i am always looking to expand my horizons & experience new media.

critique cache july: dracula, by bram stoker.

i am about to tell you something a bit embarrassing - especially for a self-proclaimed book lover like me. the last time i attempted reading a classic was in 2008. it was wuthering heights, & my bookmark is still collecting dust somewhere between how can there still be a plot line after that happened & i give up.

so i'm sure you can imagine that i was a bit frightened & skeptical when i [digitally, thanks nook!] cracked open dracula, by bram stoker. something a bit funny is that i purchased a hard copy of this particular book on the exact same day i purchased the aforementioned wuthering heights. these purchases were all part of my attempt at absorbing more of the classics (which you can see really took off for me...).

anyway, back to dracula.

my copy of the book had an introduction by brooke allen. and here's where i'm going to tell you another embarrassing little tid-bit about myself: i never read introductions. but, for some reason, i felt like reading the introduction would be a good idea with this particular read. and it was, because i got to read things like this:

'morally and physically ugly as he is, he is so consistently associated with a very real, tangible, even violent beauty that the beauty ends up in some manner becoming a part of him.'

quotes like that one above made me really want to read this book. i was sucked into the story before even beginning it, & for that reason, i urge you to make sure any copy of dracula you decide to pick up has this particular introduction. the one caveat is that you will indeed know how the book ends & what happens to nearly every character if you read it. i'm sure this won't be a problem for most readers, as they have more than likely seen one of the many film adaptations* of dracula. i had not, but knowing the outcome in no way, shape, or form, extinguished my interest in this suspenseful adventure.

if you're like me & enjoy the romantic language of classics [i'm looking at you, jane austen], you will enjoy a similar effect with this novel. as it was written so long ago, you will find the sing-songy prose endearing & engaging. and, well, if you don't enjoy that kind of language, you may find yourself repelled. the one saving grace is that the book is positively brimming with adventure, & that is why i think many men would enjoy this book. it reminded me a lot of one of my dad's favorite novels, timeline, by michael crichton. similarities between the two tomes include quests of epic proportions, gallantry, pacts between groups of people that deal with something nearly unbelievable, & a profound sense of adventure.

something else i found intriguing about this book is how very long any of the characters put off actually speaking the word vampire. they spoke in circles of this particular type of being, never daring to utter the term... wishing, i think, to dispel thoughts of its existence. when the word is finally said aloud, i breathed an almost audible sigh of relief. finally, finally, they had admitted the truth.

for fear of spoiling any part of this book for potential readers, i'm going to leave you in the dark about the plot. but one last thing i'd like to touch on is the aspect of horror in this work of literature. stoker's novel has been put up to that of poe, & i have to say, i agree. as a poe lover myself, i found that same scared-yet-excited feeling in the pages of dracula - and that fear had me holding on until the very last page was turned.

'but my very feelings changed to repulsion and terror when i saw the whole man slowly emerge from the window and begin to crawl down the castle wall over that dreadful abyss, face down, with his cloak spreading out around him like great wings. at first i could not believe my eyes. i thought it was some trick of the moonlight, some weird effect of shadow; but i kept looking, and it could be no delusion. i saw the fingers and toes grasp the corners of the stones, worn clear of the mortar by the stress of years, and by thus using every projection and inequality move downwards with considerable speed, just as a lizard moves along a wall.'

*i do plan to soon view one of the many film adaptations of dracula, & i will be doing a critique cache follow up post on it sometime in the next month or so.

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now it's your turn! link up this month & share a critique of a book, movie, or whatever you've been experiencing in the past month. i love hearing about what you like & adding it to my list.

justin's adventureland critique.

in the spirit of my new link up, critique cache, justin wanted to do a critique of his own, of a movie we watched the other night. it was not the first viewing of this film for either of us, but i think justin has some really interesting & entertaining observations.

a reminder about critique cache: the anchor post for each month's critique cache will go up on the first wednesday of each month. the link-up will remain open throughout the month & will close the day before the next month's anchor post goes up - this gives you (and me) all month to link up about what we've been reading/listening to/watching/etc. 

--

Adventureland (2009)

Director: Greg Mottola

Adventureland is a comedy set in 1987 in the image of the director, Greg Mottola.  Mottola uses reflective events and characters from his own experiences of a summer job at an amusement park in Long Island, in 1985.  The movie is centered around the main character, James Brennan (Jessie Eisenberg), a recent college graduate who was accepted to grad school at Columbia.  After a parental career setback, Brennan loses his graduation present, a backpacking trip to Europe and paid living expenses for grad school.  Brennan is left with the option of a summer job at a local decrepit amusement park.  Unknown to James, this local job sets a perfect course for him to find love with co-worker Em Lewin (Kristen Stewart).  

Brennan is a socially awkward, early 20s graduate met with disappointment and spoils of the real world.  Casting did well for this find.  Eisenberg, along with Michael Cera, fits the profile of awkward, skinny, dorky, and “good guy likeability.”  It wasn’t long after this movie that Eisenberg played the role of Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network.  Seems that Cera and Eisenberg have a profound “good guy look” and awkward delivery of acting that draw in the audience.  We do know that Mottola used life events and characters to make this movie. So, one would have to believe that James Brennan parallels the life of Mottola.  

Supporting cast: If you have ever worked a summer job, these character roles are going to sound familiar. We find out early in the movie that the only summer job that Brennan can get is with childhood friend, Tommy Frigo (Matt Bush).  Frigo is comic relief throughout the dry points of the movie with his ability to produce nutt-shots to Brennan in his most vulnerable settings. Joel (Martin Starr) brings a dry and sarcastic approach to the summer position. Who doesn’t remember the first person to show you around your work station during the summer? Remember how unenthusiastic and sarcastic that person was and how they immediately became your best friend for the summer?  Starr has an uncanny ability to make you like him without trying. SNL counterparts Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader play the managers of the park.  Wiig and Hader are the bosses you wish you had.  Who wouldn’t want a boss that chases a customer with a bat? Or a boss that tells you, “No one gets a giant panda”. Amazing how this giant panda fiasco introduces Em to the movie. No summer teen movie is complete without the cool, smooth, older guy, Mike Connell (Ryan Reynolds), and the hot chick, Lisa P. (Margarita Levieva).   

Mottola was able to capture the summer job feel and the fact that like all summer jobs they eventually come to an end. I felt that character development with virgin, awkward, 20-year-old Brennan was spot on. Throughout the summer, Brennan gained both confidence and relationship maturity. However, Mottola fell short with casting in my opinion. Stewart is not a believable sex object, and her inability to act as one makes the affair between her and Reynold's character awkward and slightly statutory. Reynolds is pushing 33 years old when cast for this movie, and although Stewart is supposed to be around 22 in this movie, she looks the part of a 16-year-old. One of the “sex scenes” with Reynolds shows Stewart’s inability to make this a believable scene by her just awkward approach to kissing. It's about as bad as the Twilight movie kiss scenes with Robert Pattinson. She’s actually dating that guy in real life and still cant deliver an intimate kiss. Please, someone teach this girl how to make a believable passionate kiss, rather than this peck-on-the-cheek approach she does. Although, I believe the her approach works with the Eisenberg relationship. Probably because he's supposed to be inexperienced, which would make things awkward at first. That being said, the most awkward and worst intimate scene of the movie is at the end. Since there may be some who haven’t seen the movie, I won’t be the spoiler. But let me just say you're going to use the words “what,” “that never happens,” and “gah that was awful,” to describe it.

I can’t let Reynolds off in the hook in this movie, either. Mike Connell is supposed to be a cool, savvy, struggling musician that could have whatever girl he wanted. This is where I feel Mottola missed. I guess I just expected Reynolds to have brought more comedy to this movie, like his character Monty in the movie Waiting..., instead of the serious, boring, married guy routine, who loves his wife yet needs a side affair to keep him young. I don’t feel this was a good role for him, and he should have walked on this movie.  

The setting of the movie was well done. I feel that anyone that grew up in the 80’s could relate to the music and fashion represented throughout. From disco dance clubs, hiked up pants, and hot-pink attire, the 80s were back. Mottola did well with the amusement park also. Reminds me of the local amusement parks as a kid, where you knew the games were rigged and that the rides constantly were broken. I enjoyed the scenes with the staff hanging out in the parking lot after work, talking and waiting for rides. The best part of summer jobs is the immediate friendships you make, because everybody has a story as to why they were left working at this crap job for the summer.

Grades: I believe these are the most important aspects of movies. 

Setting: A 

Plot: B

Casting: C

Character development: B

Acting: B (managers, Eisenberg, and Starr saved this from a C)

Ending: C

Overall: C 

Overall, the movie has funny parts and is relatable to any summer job you’ve ever had. Eisenberg keeps the movie watchable. It’s a movie that I would own and watch occasionally, but not something that has aspects making me want to watch it over and over again.

--

i think justin did a great job writing his first critique!

adventureland is actually one of my favorites -

i could watch it over & over again!

the launch of critique cache: a link up!

after delays upon delays and an impromptu sleepover in DFW... 
it's official: i've finally made it home to kinston. now, on to the link-up!

for as long as i've been blogging, i've been admiring link-ups, both from afar, as well as by participating in some of them nearly every week. i've long been wanting to create a little link-up of my own, but i have been completely stumped as to the material on which i'd want to capitalize. thanks to justin's encouraging suggestions, i have decided to launch critique cache: a monthly book & music review link-up.

on the first wednesday of every month, i will be posting a review of either a book i've read in the previous month, or an album, song, or particular artist i've been listening to non-stop. 

i invite you to join in this little link-up - it will be an exceptional way to discover new literature, as well as music, that you may want to experience. as someone who is constantly searching for a new book to dig in to, or a new album to blast as i kill 30 minutes on the elliptical, i appreciate all the help i can get in this department!

here's how to participate: 

write a post about a book, book series, article, musician, album, or song.

link up over here on siddathornton on the first wednesday of each month.

bonus! feel free to include this button in the body of your post, or as a permanent resident in your sidebar!









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i know this link-up will probably start off slow, but i'm in it for the long-haul. i hope it will serve as a means of inspiration to get out there & experience the ever-changing world of books & music, as that very aspect of culture is a huge passion of mine. yep, that's right - i'm a book & music nerd! 

thank you all for your endless support & love. 

now, let's get to this month's review:

as i am sitting here in the airport, reflecting on my fifty shades experience, i realize i am feeling very similarly to the way i felt upon finishing the twilight saga. that is to say, i am feeling a bit of a lack in purpose.

i find this happens often with series: i have three, may four (maybe seven, if we're talking harry potter) books looming ahead of me, with the promise of a satisfying & intriguing tale to be told. it motivates me in a way i can't describe: with each page that's chipped away, i'm brought closer to having another book series, another whole story, under my belt. and with every volume completed comes a satisfactory trip to the book store, a field trip to pick up the next one - i even get a little thrill in being viewed as a series nerd.


but, i digress.

as i said, i felt a lot like i did when i finished the twilight saga, when i finished the fifty shades trilogy - only the effect was not as strong. i am aware now that these stories began as twilight fan fiction - in fact, it is glaringly obvious as you're reading. the parallels between edward cullen & christian grey are stark & telling - they are basically the same person, only one of them is an emotionally wounded vampire, & the other is an emotionally wounded gazillionaire who's into bdsm. i'm not saying they're not intriguing characters, i'm just saying they are virtually indistinguishable. to me, this weakens fifty's shades' credibility.

in the same vein, bella swan & anastasia steele are nearly identical, save their ages. while twilight begins in bella's high school years, fifty shades begins during anastasia's senior year of college. need i call attention to the fact that both female leads have longer names, the shorter counterparts of which they prefer to be called? [isabella prefers bella, & anastasia prefers ana]. i know - this is splitting hairs.

it started as fan fiction, lauren! that's why there are so many glaring similarities!,

i keep having to tell myself. but i just wish el james, perhaps in her refinement of her story as it was prepared for print, would have changed some of the twilight copy-cat items - i just feel it would have validated the books more, allowing them to stand alone - you know, to be their own thing.

ok, now let's talk about the sexual nature of the book. by now you'll know, this series is classified as erotic fiction. i have heard all levels of reaction to this aspect of the book, ranging from it's evil to it's not bad at all - barely even noticed it! i don't agree with either of those assessments. is this something an 18-year-old won't be able to get through, because they're too embarrassed? no. is this something you'd want to read aloud to the kids you're babysitting? NO. is this something you'd want to listen to as a book on tape? double no. true, parts are blush-worthy, but we're all adults here, right? that's really all there is to say on the matter. just man up if you're planning to read it.

lastly, i have to say some of the literary devices employed in this story are used a bit... rudimentarily. we see two recurring characters, ana's inner goddess & her subconscious. while these elements add a touch of humor to the book, their over-use feels a bit tired, leading the readers to feel disconnected, rather than connected.

similarly, the language & usage leaves a bit to be desired. i found myself cringing over the sugary-sweetness, & the trite nature of their conversations, rather than over the inappropriate parts.

overall, i thought this series was a very quick, suspensful read. as mentioned above, however, some of the literary devices were crudely used, leaving the reader wondering at their effectiveness. don't let my seemingly scathing review fool you, though... i went running to the book store with the rest of them. for this reason, i've decided on the following grade:

B+

what have you been enjoying this month?
do you agree with my assessment of the fifty shades triology? 

link up below & share!









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[yikes - since my linky tools subscription expired, i lost my link-ups. i'm now a member of simply linked, & i don't think this will happen again. sorry for any inconvenience.]