Fifty Shades of Grey

I'd just finished a Patricia Cornwell Scarpetta novel, which annoyed me by relying too much on the reader's memory of what had taken place in previous books, and was casting around for my next 'book at bedtime', this being the only time of the day when I can relax and read without the blaring of TV, radio and whatever Mr G is listening to on his computer. My eye alighted on the recently arrived (second-hand from Amazon) erotic bestseller.

I've got as far as Pg 87 - not bad for three nights; no wonder I wake up red-eyed - and despite gritting my teeth at the breathless, first person narrative, the dodgy punctuation and the bloopers that Arrow Books' editors failed to pick up, such as the same adjective used twice in one sentence, I am reluctantly finding myself gripped.

E L James's strongpoint is the way she conveys emotions. She gets right inside the head of her heroine, Anastasia, and although the tone is pure Mills & Boon, I am hooked and can't wait to reach the point where they finally... well, you know! Expect a report from the point of no return!

Incidentally, I just visited the author's website (was surprised to find out she lives in West London, unless there is a West London in the USA) and discovered that there is a musical soundtrack to accompany each book. Wonder if it comes complete with BDSM noises-off and orgasmic groans? Excuse me while I switch my speakers on...