Monthly Archives: February 2015

Episode 15.5 – Fifty Shades of Grey (The Movie)

50 Shades of Grey movie

Renata was snowed in, so she had three lesbians–Kait, returning guest Anna of Bellwether Friends, and internet personality Laura–tell her all about the Fifty Shades of Grey movie. They all agreed: it needed more dick. We also addressed various weird plot points of the book that we ran out of time to discuss in the last episode, encouraged people to donate money to whatever charity they want whenever they want, and made controversial comparisons to Love Actually. There’s no way you can be as sick of hearing about Fifty Shades of Grey as we are of talking about it, so put on your sex jeans and tune in to this bonus episode!

Footnotes: American Sniper film ‘behind rise in anti-Muslim threats’

Anti-Sex Worker Activists Are Behind #50DollarsNot50Shades

“A Few Thoughts on Fifty Shades of Grey” by Roxane Gay

The Rocky Road to the Making of the Fifty Shades of Grey Movie

Love is Respect

Intro to BDSM Safety by Abby Howard (NSFW)

Coming up next: Middle School, The Worst Years of my Life by James Patterson.

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In Defense of Fifty Shades of Grey (Sort of)

Since reading this book for our last episode (listen here), Kait and Renata have found themselves at odds with most of the internet on the subject of whether Fifty Shades of Grey is harmful to women. Below are their thoughts–written by Kait, but co-signed by Renata.

Fifty Shades of Grey is not a good book.

I’m not talking about the the things you might think I’m talking about. I don’t have a problem with the sex or the BDSM portrayal or the relationship itself. At its core, as a work of fiction, Fifty Shades is just poorly written. The narrative is weak, the characters are barely more than cardboard cutouts, the text is littered with repetition, and the plot is merely transparent connective tissue that links the sex scenes and doesn’t even come to an actual climax (pun intended). Fifty Shades is a book you read out loud to your friends, laughing at the awkwardly paced writing and doing a shot every time Ana says “jeez” or “oh my,” which is roughly once a page. Its origin as Twilight fanfiction isn’t just noticeable, it’s crucial knowledge if you want any of the character motivations and relationships to make any sense. EL James did a terrible job of filing the serial numbers off and it’s all to the book’s detriment. If someone asked me if I thought they should read this book, I would probably tell them not to waste their time–there’s better porn for free on the internet.

All that being said, I have spent the past two weeks since I read this book defending Fifty Shades against 90% of it’s detractors. Because it’s garbage, yes, but it’s not “abuse,” and I’m sick of people on the internet using that as an excuse to police and shame women’s reading habits.
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Episode 15 – Fifty Shades of Grey

50 Shades of Grey by E. L. James

Kait, Renata, and their guest Anna of Bellwether Friends read Fifty Shades of Grey by E. L. James! Their inner goddesses are all annoyed at how much they felt compelled to defend this book. Sure, it’s unconventional to have a modern college-aged protagonist who doesn’t own a computer, but once you get over the initial shock, it’s really not as bad as we thought it would be. Plus: our inaugural game of The Rock, Paper, SNIKT! and a dramatic reading of the infamous tampon scene.

Readers advisory: Here.

Footnotes: Anna’s Fifty Shades Readalikes Project

In Defense of Fifty Shades of Grey (Sort Of)

Oh  Joy, Sex Toy’s Fifty Shades Review by Erika Moen (NSFW)

“Does Kinkphobia Color Criticism of Fifty Shades of Grey?” by Catherine Scott

“The Real Fantasy of Fifty Shades of Grey” by Alyssa Rosenberg

“The Trouble With Prince Charming or He Who Trespassed Against Us”  by Roxane Gay

“Sex, Lies, and Fifty Shades” by Leslie Bennetts

Candy pairing: Anna says Sugar Daddys, Kait says generic Valentine’s chocolates, Renata says bachelorette party chocolate.

Coming up next: Middle School, The Worst Years of my Life by James Patterson.

 

* Worst Bestsellers is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

(But no pressure, we’re also happy if you get these items from your local library or independent bookstore.)

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Readers Advisory: Episode 15 – Fifty Shades of Grey

Here’s what we suggest instead of/in addition to reading Fifty Shades of Grey by E. L. James. Listen to the podcast to hear us talk about some of these titles in more depth!

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Happy Valentine’s Day from Worst Bestsellers!

We love you, Best Listeners!

Please enjoy these romantic tributes to some of our favorite episodes. Share them with your friends and cats! And tune in on Monday, February 16th for our long-awaited Fifty Shades of Grey episode!

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Episode 14 – The Shunning

The Shunning by Beverly Lewis

Kait, Renata, and their guest Becca put on their forbidden satin gowns and read The Shunning by Beverly Lewis. It’s the ferhoodling story of a mildly rebellious Amish girl whose worldly desires eventually lead to her getting shunned by the community. Before they get around to all that, though, they have a lot of quilts to make and desserts to describe. If your religious traditions permit you to listen to podcasts, join us today!

Readers advisory: Here.

Footnotes: Bonnet Rippers: The Rise of the Amish Romance Novel

Amish Tech

Candy pairing: Becca says Ativan, Kait says buttermints, Renata says disappointing apple pie.

Coming up next: Fifty Shades of Grey by E. L. James.

 

* Worst Bestsellers is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

(But no pressure, we’re also happy if you get these items from your local library or independent bookstore.)

Filed under Podcasts

Readers Advisory: Episode 14 – The Shunning

Here’s what we suggest instead of/in addition to reading The Shunning by Beverly Lewis. Listen to the podcast to hear us talk about some of these titles in more depth!

Continue reading

Filed under Readers Advisory