50 Shades of Dreadful Dialogue

I have heard a lot of talk about 50 Shades of Grey but hadn't picked it up all summer. I heard bits of plot, but it sounds like most people pick it up for the controversy. Some people stated that it wasn't all that shocking, others said they had to put it down beacuse the overt sex scenes made them uncomfortable.

Well, after borrowing the text from my friend Abby, I tried it- finally. AND, I didn't finish it. No- it wasn't because I was shocked (and yes some scenes are definately in the variety to make be blush), or because I was even offended by those scenes, it was the fact that the dialogue between characters was dreadful! I realize, yes, there is going to be cheesy exchanges ala porn with a bad plot line, but I had a terrible time with character believeability. The vapid thought process of the main character Ana made it hard to believe that she was to believe an "intellectual" whom was a lover of classic British literature. Some depth in her vocabulary, nonwithstanding, the "thought process" and her inner dialogue drove me nuts. The clearly controlling character of Grey was bothersome, and maybe I didn't give it enough time to hear the full story, but I didn't want to devote any more time to this text. If steamy sex scenes are what I'm after, I can clearly find the romance section in the local library. Over hyped, as simple as that. There are too many books out there for me to waste my time on one I do not enjoy.

On a more positive note, I have been reading through Nebraska's Golden Sower nominees for this year and have almost finised. The Running Dream, Girl Stolen, and The Red Umberella are in the lead for my favorite. I am also currently listening to another nominee, The Cardturner by Louis Sachar (of Holes fame). I am really enjoying this text, about a teen who helps his blind Uncle by being his card turner for bridge. The family pushes him into helping the Uncle as they mainly have an interest in being left in his will (this is a great Uncle) but we see a relationship develop as the story does. The rules of bridge are explained a bit as we go through the story and I find myself trying to figure out how to  play the game. I think I want to now learn bridge, but I am not sure if I know anyone who plays it. We should bring back card game nights and board game nights, not just as a quirky night only once in a while.