I Think Reading Is A Gift!

“I think reading is a gift. It was a gift that was given to me as a child by many people, and now as an adult and a writer, I'm trying to give a little of it back to others. It's one of the greatest pleasures I know.” - Ann M Martin

Pictures at an Exhibition by Camilla Macpherson -Claire & Rob are trying to get over a miscarriage and there marriage is starting to crumble. Claire finds some letters from Rob's Grandmother from the 1940's. The letters are about London during the war and are from Rob's Grandmother's cousin Daisy Milton. Daisy has decided to go see a different painting at the National Galley each month.
Claire decides to do the same soon she becomes engrossed in Daisy's world. Picture by picture month by month Daisy's world becomes more real to Claire than her own. She begins to notice the parallels between her life and Daisy's.
I really loved this book. The start was a little slow and it took be a while to like Claire as a character, by I can understand why she was blaming Rob on the miscarriage. The layers to the characters and storyline was very well done. The way people can hurt the people they love the most is so true yet so heartbreaking.
I loved the idea of a painting a month and I thought the idea of QR codes at the start of each chapter was brilliant. I could view each picture at the start of each chapter on my hubby's phone, great idea. I did think that the picture on the cover was a little misleading, when looking at it you could easily think historical chick-lit but the book is so much more than that. I couldn't put this book down but also didn't want the book to end. It's the first book in a while that I really enjoyed. Would recommend it to everyone!

Fifty Shades Of Grey by EL James - Well I finally managed to get around and read this book (got it as a present of the hubby guess he heard good things about it!) I know you all must know the story by now! Anastasia Steele early twenty's, pretty brunette, innocent, naive and sweet meets Christian Grey mid twenty's, billionaire business man, sexy, dark, brooding and he likes to beat the crap out of women in his red room of pain/pleasure!
I was really in two minds about reading this book, and after reading a few random pages out loud to the hubby I wasn't sure if I was going to like it. I decided to give it ago and started it Monday evening by Tuesday I was hooked and Wednesday I finished the book! Yes the writing is not great and it took me about 100 pages to get into it. I read three sex scenes before I has stopped cringing! But like a bad soap opera or cringe worthy bad time talk show I just had to find out was happened next!
I am still not sure why women are crazy about Mr Grey, he comes across as an overprotective, control freak, with dark mental and physical scars. Not sure I would like to met him on a dark night! I do think the character of Anastasia is very well done her self doubts about the red room of pain is justified, but I think maybe she is a little too native, is there any women like this any more? She seem to have stepped out of one of her favourite English books! The writing does get better near the end of the book. EL James is a very clever woman by ending the book on a cliff hanger. I ran out and bought Fifty Shades Darker review to follow! I liked this book and I wasn't sure I would!

Have you read Fifty Shades or pictures at an exhibition of so what did you think of them?