So this is the book that everyone is talking about, and I mean everyone. When your mother mentions this book to your wife, you know everyone has heard of it. So what of the book you might ask? Overall very good. I and my wife liked the book immensely. Many people have critiques about the book's writing style, the depiction of the BDSM lifestyle, and the psychological makeup of the male protagonist, Christian Grey, and I find that they are all valid critiques. But for me those are secondary to the feeling of the book and the plot.

The sex scenes are very hot and steamy. The book is filled with BDSM references and BDSM play. Each scene moves the story along in some form or fashion, so the sex scenes are not superfluous as one might be worried about. The characters are engaging, though they can be hard to understand. As stated above, Christian Grey is a complex character that some will see as damaged and not a good person to represent the BDSM lifestyle. I would remind these people that this a work of fiction and that all types of personalities are drawn to the BDSM scene. It does not help the image of the BDSM community that this character can be so harsh, but even the most skeptical of the lifestyle should be aware that all types of people engage in safe, sane and consensual BDSM play.

This book is a phenomenon and I find that is a very good thing. For the first time that I can remember a book that focuses on sex and is highly erotic is being talked about in society without shame. The writing style can be grating at times, but it is not unbearable to either myself or my wife. The book, flaws and all is allowing society to actually bring a talk about sex out into the open, and to have people read about it in any given situation. I only hope that this allows more quality erotic writing to make its way into the mainstream and have society be as accepting.

How many of us are having "Fifty Shades" fatigue right now? I think I am, but the good news is that it is opening a dialog for people with sex. A book group I belong to read all three of these books and I skimmed through all 3 volumes and found that I still enjoy all of the sex scenes in the book. The plot moves along well. I still get frustrated at the way someone in the BDSM is portrayed as scarred, I wish it was portrayed differently. I was on vacation recently and saw 5 separate women reading the book at the pool one morning. In truth, it's super popular and still a pretty good book.