Fifty Shades of GreyFollow

Has anyone here read this? My mother, god help me, texted me yesterday that she was reading it. She said it is "sooo sexy and erotic." I asked her, "but is the plot any good? Or is it just sex?" Her reply was that the plot WAS sex. So is this just poplular erotica or what? I will admit that I picked it up at the grocery store last night because, come on, who doesn't need a little erotica every now and then, eh?

I have long held the belief that erotica books are like porn for women. I am amazed at the people on my FaceBook friends list who have admitted to reading and enjoying this because I come from such a bible thumping town. I'm sure some of these same women would be incredibly pissed if their husbands expressed any interest in watching porn, and that seems incredibly hypocritical to me. What's the difference between getting all turned on from reading about sex in a book or watching people get it on in a movie?

Edited, Jun 20th 2012 1:35pm by Belkira

I haven't read it, but being in the BDSM community I have heard a lot about it. Complaints I've heard is that it just perpetuates stereotypes about us, that the only reason we enjoy those activities is because we were abused as children. While there certainly is a correlation between people who were abused as children later growing up to enjoy BDSM activities, it's not something that's true across the board. Especially if you don't consider spankings or the occasional slap in the face child abuse. Which I don't.

As per your question, that's a very good point. I wonder what the psychology behind that is?

I can only assume that it's because these women don't like the idea of their man seeing another naked chick. Which is just silly to me in this context.

What I don't get about it (and what sort of weirds me out), is that people don't read these books at home, or in private. On a crowded subway or PATH car, I have a bad habit of checking out what people are reading around me. If I can't see the cover, but can see the part they're reading, sometimes I'll skim a few lines.

On 2-3 occasions now, the book in question has been 50 shades of gray (or one of the sequels, I suppose), and the portion that I happen to skim is hardcore erotica. It's a rather uncomfortable surprise.

Some 40-60 year old woman will just be sitting there, reading the book on their commute. I don't get the motivation, myself. Why read something that is, ostensibly, porn, when there's...err....nothing that can come of it, so to speak? And how can someone do it in public, esp. in a subway car where you're crammed in like sardines?

I feel like I'm jammed up against someone who's in the process of mental masturbation. As if subway rides weren't uncomfortable enough!

Edited, Jun 20th 2012 3:04pm by Eske

I do the same thing, Eske, if I see someone reading. I want to know what they're reading. If the book itself was more than just sex, I wouldn't mind reading it in public. I read Coldheart Canyon by Clive Barker at lunch in public places and a few times I glanced around to see if anyone knew what I was reading, but there is no secret what this book is about. I can understand discomfort Ina subway or something, but the book itself doesn't have pictures or anything. You can only blame yourself for being nosy in that case.

Yes, lolgaxe, you have to buy the book. And there are already two more after this one.

Edit: I seriously hate posting on my phone.

Edited, Jun 20th 2012 2:14pm by Belkira

Preface: I'm really just stirring the pot here.

Is it so different? The text in the books seems to be fairly large. In at least one of the cases, the person was right in front of me, and all it took was a casual glance to catch a hardcore pornographic sentence. Kids are pretty curious; it'd be a trivial matter for one to read a few lines from the book of someone sitting around them.

I realize that it's definitely harder to notice this stuff with text rather than images/video, but is that the proper place to draw the line?

Edited, Jun 20th 2012 3:28pm by Eske

Simple solution: stop. A little more difficult- get over the stupid idea that older women don't have sex and masturbate.

I've done it here and there, but only when I can't see the cover. I'm not actually trying to read over their shoulder, just ascertain what book they're reading.

Never read them, never will; Twilight was bad enough, and Twilight fanfiction? Eh, if I want Mormon-vampire BDSM, I'm sure I can rule 34 it. What makes me raise an eyebrow is how I keep hearing how there's a 50 Shades of Grey baby boom waiting to happen. For those who read romance novels (is that the proper term? Is it harlequin novels? Erotica?); is it a solitary activity, or do you get a desire to jump your partner right after? It doesn't make much logical sense, but it's weird to think that while I'm with a girl, she's imagining a sparkly 118-year old vampire tying her up. Hence why I try not to date Twilight fan girls, nor would I be much interested in a 50-shades enthusiast.

ITT: Flea defends masturbation in subways. Bring out the long trench coats!

From what I've read and heard about it, it's Twilight fanfiction with the names changed, the poor writing you'd expect from such thing, bad stereotypes about BDSM and a romanticized abusive relationship.

I'd say have fun but I can't imagine doing anything other than cringing while reading that.

EDIT: Belkira, the book started as Twilight fanfiction, the author was writing it and when it got all popular on some fanfic site she changed the names of the characters, finished it and made a book out of it so yeah, it is really Twilight fanfiction.

Edited, Jun 20th 2012 9:50pm by Aethien

Perhaps I didn't make this clear, but you're drastically overestimating my level of discomfort with this. I only mention it for the interest of conversation, not because I'm really upset about anything.

Regarding the second portion, specifically: I only mentioned the ages of folks on the odd chance that this was something specific to that demographic, not because I have any specific problem with them being sexual, just so's ya know. So settle your ass down.



I do think it's a tiny bit rude, insofar as it'll make someone uncomfortable that you're fixated on them or something that they're doing. About as rude as staring, I guess? Much more so if they're reading something personal, like business stuff, emails, or the like, though. I find I can't quite help myself, personally...curiosity can be a hard thing to get a hold of sometimes. For my part, I'll usually catch myself doing it and pull myself away after a few seconds of it.



This exact same situation occurred with me and our secretary. She knew I had been looking at the Kindle Fire, so she gave me hers to check out. One long scroll to the right, and I went past about 20 romance novels. She scolded me to scroll back away from her "naughty books".

Edited, Jun 20th 2012 3:55pm by Eske

It depends. If I am reading a sexy book (though I prefer ones that are actually a good read like the Kushiel series), I might get riled up and then want to jump someone, I might not. Depends on my mood going into it, and how well the writing is done. I know that my "other" boyfriend gets excited when he catches his primary reading a romance novel, because he knows that's how she gets her crank turning and happy fun times are sure to follow.

I'm pretty sure the sparkly vampire stuff got taken out to prevent lawsuits and all that, still the story is otherwise unchanged from when it was still Edward and Bella or whatever the @#%^ those Twilight characters are named.


I'm just saying, don't expect good writing and don't think that this is anything like an actual BDSM relationship or in fact anything other than exactly what people in the BDSM community tell you to avoid because of how it's based on abuse and a one way power instead of mutual desire and trust.

Well, I suppose it is a bit easier for me to articulate a sudden thought than it is for you. No wonder you might have the (mistaken) impression that my first post was the result of weeks of agonized brainstorming, note taking, and dozens of drafts.


Actually, you were right. It's from my upcoming treatise on romance novels and public transportation. It's called Sexual Subways and Romantic Railways: On Erotic Literature and the PATH.

Edited, Jun 20th 2012 4:29pm by Eske

I've vaguely wondered what this whole "Fifty Shades" dad was all about. Not much, as it turns out.

POIDH

Don't waste your breath. (pixels?)


Watch yourself, you little whippersnapper!

I have no desire (ha!) to read it. I'm sure the pictures I paint in my head are much better than what she's painting in her little Twilight book. Also, I've never read any erotica that wasn't just totally overdone to the point of embarrassment.

Yeah, I read them when I was younger and single, but they just don't do much for me anymore. I much prefer novels that are well written and have good plots, that has some fun sexy times inserted here and there. *snickers*

I've not read the book, but for the record, Vancouver, WA is nothing like how it is portrayed in the book simply because nothing like that happens in Vancouver, WA. That's what Portland is for...

Also, it's really amusing to run into a co worker (male) intently reading that book at the book store and to then watch them unprompted try to pass it off as a mystery novel, hopeing that I didn't know the title.

The check out lady asked me what the book was about. I replied, "sex." She said "oh, isn't it a mystery?" I said, "No, it's just about sex. That's it."

I suppose that'll teach her to ask about people's purchases.


Edited, Jun 20th 2012 8:12pm by Belkira

Only women can read.

Speaking of baking, I really want to make some pink lemonade cupcakes... that just sounds so delicious right now.

True enough.

My son gave my husband some new computer speakers for fathers day. After about 10-15 minutes the two of them still hadn't managed to get any noise to come out of those speakers. They'd been to the device driver place, they'd re-booted, the had tried an alternate USB port.

I strolled by and noticed writing on the box. It was instructions. Three steps - 1. Plug in the audio cord to your headphone port, 2. plug in the USB connector 3. Turn on speakers.

Apparently they'd been having trouble with the third step. Apparently, the power button was camouflaged. Fortunately, I was able to use an accompanying picture on the box to lead them to the location of the hidden on/off switch.







Edited, Jun 21st 2012 3:06pm by Elinda

I posted this game suggestion elsewhere, but the challenge is that you can only buy two items, and the goal is to pick a combination of items that will make the cashier the most uncomfortable. Something like a dozen bananas and a bottle of KY.

Edited, Jun 21st 2012 9:57am by lolgaxe