With the Goodreads Choice Awards going on, I couldn’t help but look back over 2011 (can you believe it’s the end of the year already?!) and think about new books and new authors I’ve discovered thanks to Goodreads. Honestly, there have been so many books I never would have found on my own and authors I never would have read if it weren’t for GR book recommendations and that nifty stream that displays what all of your friends are reading. I’m about to make the transition to monthly vlogging to give myself a break from typing all the time, and I plan on dedicating a vlog per month to sharing my recent reads and asking for book reccomendations, but for now, I figured I’d list some of my new favorite books of 2011 and show some love for my new favorite authors. What about you? What were your favorite reads so far this year and who did you become a fan of?
1. The Fifty Shades Trilogy by E.L. James–I gush about this series all the time. It’s explicit and not for the kiddos, so if you’re a youngin’ or do not read erotic romance, then move along folks, nothing to see here! Why did I fall in love with E.L.’s writing
? Well, for one: Christian Grey. The leading man is the ultimate tortured hero and is hands down the sexiest man in the fiction world–there will be no convincing me otherwise, so just don’t even bother 
. What makes E.L.’s writing and the series so phenomenal,though, is not just the scorching hot sex scenes (and I do mean ON FIRE), but the emotional intensity she manages to pack into the couple’s relationship. She brings these people to life. Every emotion that Ana and Christian experience is amplified and the way E.L. spins this kind of intensity sets her storytelling apart from a lot of other contemporary romance on the shelves. She delves deep into themes of redemption and unconditional love and makes it fun and laugh-out-loud hilarious at the same time.
2. No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy–I won’t get started on a McCarthy rant. I’m a big fan of his, so I’ll just get to the book. Even though I’d seen this movie too many times to count, I’d never read the book. There just aren’t words for this work of art. What little I could come up with can be found here.
3.Gabriel’s Inferno by Sylvain Reynard–I had no idea what to expect when going into this novel, even with the countless reviews I read beforehand. I’d seen it described as an “intellectual romance,” and I don’t think anything could have described it better than that. This was equally 
as intense as The Fifty Shades books, but it was far more serious and I loved every second of it. The writing was beautiful. The story was intense. I couldn’t put it down and devoured it in a night. It deals with redemption and forgiveness in a way I’ve never seen executed in a contemporary romance before. Sylvain is right up there with E.L. James in my book and I can’t wait for the sequel.
All for now,
Rach
xo
I am not into BDSM stories, but I have to say that I really loved “Fifty Shades of Grey”! This was one of those books that keeps you glued to the pages; staying up reading into the early morning. I found it to be very addicting which is really disturbing for me.
This is the love story of Anastasia & Christian. Christian is such a complex character. You love him and hate him at the same time and it’s really confusing. He’s the ultimate alpha male, bad boy with a very dark and disturbing desire to inflict pain. He literally gets off on it. He meets and falls for Anastasia. When they meet she is an innocent college student and happens to still be a virgin. This is their love story and its deeply disturbing. Our boy Christian has some serious demons and its making Ana think long and hard about their relationship. This is not your typical boy meets girl let’s date and fall in love romance. He wants to dominate her and he wants her submissive. He comes up with a contract that he wants her to sign. She’s torn between her love for him and her fear of him. She wants to know why he is so Fifty Shades of “f’d” up. She wants to get to the bottom of what happened in his past to make him need this type of relationship and why he hates to be touched. He introduces her to the “dark side” of his sexual habits and in his desire to keep her and make her happy, tries for the “vanilla relationship” she desires. Will Ana embrace Christian’s dark side or will it be more than she can handle? The way he makes love to her is so erotic, steamy, sexy and scary all at the same time.
I know it does not sound like it, but there is a real love story in this book. Ana brings out feelings in Christian that he has never felt with anyone else. As crazy as it sounds, I have a lot of hope for these two and I am eager to read the next installment.
Have a lovely day,
Wendy
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Wendy, thanks for stopping by and for your thoughts on this book. I’ve read the whole series and am a huge fan, and I have to say, much of my time spent talking to other fans has shown me that many feel exactly the same way–that people unfortunately label this immediately and many never even give it a chance because of the BDSM themes and the fact that it’s not a “sunny” romance. And yet it is truly the most romantic series I’ve ever read because the entire plot line is based around how Ana and Christian struggle to compromise for one another, how they learn to bend to make each other happy and love and accept each other how they are. That is the true essence of a healthy relationship–being able to love someone as they are, not walking out on one another at the drop of a hat, etc. They sincerely want to make things work and change for one another while bringing out the best in one another at the same time. That theme is very endearing and grows more and and more as the series progresses. All of this romance is found in a very sad, tortured, disturbing beginning. Their foundation is anything but conventional but really blossoms in the end and is really touching. My Goodreads reviews on each book of this series really express my views on this, that it might be very steamy, but the essence of Ana and Christian’s relationship is about much, much more than that and you really can’t see that unless you read the series in its entirety. The steamy passion is just a plus.