Category: Gen Lit

Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Gen Lit, Literary Criticism, Reading

Review: Fifty Shades of Grey (Fifty Shades #1) by E. L. James

by The Lit Bitch7 Comments on Review: Fifty Shades of Grey (Fifty Shades #1) by E. L. James

I decided it was time to indulge to my inner curiosity about the wildly popular series Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James. After all, what kind of book reviewer would I be if I didn’t at least glance at the best seller list once in a while?

This book has been burning up the Amazon bestseller list and the NY Times….to mention I get asked a million times a week if I have read the book. From the other reviews I had read, it seems as though you either like the book or you hate it.

There is no denying that writing a book like the controversial Fifty Shades trilogy takes guts. This book was disturbing yet oddly intriguing. I had to wait a couple of days to digest that book, I want to give it a fair review, but I was so bothered by the content that I needed to think on it for a bit.

Anastasia Steele (Ana) gets tasked with interviewing billionaire, Christian Grey for her college newspaper when her friend falls ill. As luck would have it, Grey is good looking, sexy, witty, and rich….and a total control freak. Continue reading “Review: Fifty Shades of Grey (Fifty Shades #1) by E. L. James” →

Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Gen Lit, Literary Criticism, Reading

Review: Deadlocked (Sookie Stackhouse #12) by Charlaine Harris

by The Lit Bitch3 Comments on Review: Deadlocked (Sookie Stackhouse #12) by Charlaine Harris

The Southern Vampire Mystery Series prepares to meet the true death.

In the latest Sookie Stackhouse installment, Deadlocked, writer Charlaine Harris seems to be tying up a lot of loose ends in preparation for the final installment due out next year (2013).

The last few books have sort of dwindled in excitement and interest for me….particularly All Dead in the Family (Book 10) and Dead Reckoning (Book 11) so I’ll be honest I didn’t have high expectations for this installment.

I was pleasantly surprised with the way Deadlock unfolded. I didn’t feel the need to devour the book rapidly…though I did finish it quickly, I didn’t feel like every page was soaked in blood and action.

When the series began, the first 4 books were solidly written and action packed. Then books 5-7 got a little weird for me, but still fairly well written….books 5-7 seemed to be more about the supernatural than the mystery though which was a hard transition for the audience I think. Continue reading “Review: Deadlocked (Sookie Stackhouse #12) by Charlaine Harris” →

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Review: The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley

by The Lit Bitch5 Comments on Review: The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley

All things have a way of coming back to us in the end. Even if just as a memory from long ago, they are still with us….always.

Memories are a funny thing. How accurate are your memories? Has your subconscious twisted your memories and changed the from what really happened to what you remember? How much can you truly trust your memory? Those little moments of déjà vu, was it just that or perhaps you had really been there before in a past life. What recalls a memory most to you, scent? Sound? A place?

There is much that science doesn’t know about memory and much that simply cannot be explained. What if memories could be passed down, like DNA from generation to generation and you just inherit them the same way you do eye color? That is the question that Susanne Kearsley explores in her book The Winter Sea….could time travel through Jungian theory be possible? Continue reading “Review: The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley” →

Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Gen Lit, Literary Criticism, Reading

Review: Wentworth Hall by Abby Grahame

by The Lit Bitch2 Comments on Review: Wentworth Hall by Abby Grahame

All secrets have a way of coming out in the end.

Every family has their own secrets that they would rather not become public knowledge….but when your family is rich….the gossip columns love nothing better than a juicy family secret.

At Wentworth Hall, while family fortune might be in short supply….juicy secrets are not.

Maggie Darlington has just returned from a year abroad in France with her mother and new born baby brother and his French nanny. While abroad Maggie has matured, almost beyond recognition….. she has cast off her girlish styles, activities, and friends. The once spirited, will-full teen has now conformed into a model young woman and with the Wentworth name still commanding respect….Maggie Darlington has become very desirable marriage material!

But the Darlington family has fallen on hard times….their money is gone, all that remains is a good name. Lord Darlington has designs for Maggie’s potential match…an old family friend whose son is heir to a diamond fortune could be Maggie’s future husband. Or perhaps their titled neighbor, the Duke of Cotswold who would bring a title and fortune to the match….but he is also old enough to be Maggie’s father. Continue reading “Review: Wentworth Hall by Abby Grahame” →

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Review: A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire #3) by George R.R. Martin

by The Lit Bitch11 Comments on Review: A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire #3) by George R.R. Martin

Five kings. One throne. When you play the Game of Thrones you win….or you die. In George R. R. Martin’s epic high fantasy series, A Song of Ice and Fire, plenty of characters meet their valiant demise, but there can only be one king who will sit the Iron Throne….but which king?

In the third book, A Storm of Swords, many different plot lines and POV’s finally begin to come to maturation but just when you think you have the series, a plot line, or character all figured out and summed up….Martin takes you in an unexpected direction.

For me, this was the best book in the series so far. The first book was really about getting to know the history and background of Westeros and the Seven Kingdoms while the second book was more about the war and strengthening the concepts of the first book but this third book was more about the characterization for me.

Martin is totally blowing my mind right now with this series! This book has been exciting and surprising till the very last word. Continue reading “Review: A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire #3) by George R.R. Martin” →