Snobbery and Shame

I have a confession to make...I recently checked out from our local Library, and read 50 Shades of Grey.  I know, "gasp!", "eek!" etc, etc...

First let me tell you, that I am not a large fan of the genre...on any level - not even a huge fan of "romance" novels...however, I understand that to grow my mind, it's important to understand where people are in the world...it's that delicate balance of "in the world...not of it" for me.  In order for me to meet people where they are, I first have to know where they are...

In case you don't know about this book - it is the first in a trilogy, and the story (what story there is) involves a wealthy, young CEO, and a recent college graduate.  He is mysterious (duh, what hero isn't???) and damaged.  She is innocent and unsullied (I love that word, by the way)...and it is their journey to meet in the middle - he to come away from the darkness and depravity of the world of BDS.M, and she from innocence into a world of sexuality.

Basically, it's socially acceptable pornography because it was in a book, instead of a magazine - there was a "story" surrounding the sexualization.

I thought it was the worst. Book. Ever.  It was lame writing...first person point of view...and if you could get past the lousy writing, you were faced with at least half of the book being very graphic, well-researched scenes of sex...

I'm a snob when it comes to books - I admit it...I went through a phase of "if it was written in the 2nd half of the 20th Century, it's no good.  If it was written in America after the Civil War, it's nothing but drivel"...I'm past that, but I still want writers to write on an adult level when it comes to style and content...foul language is not a deal-breaker for me, and I suppose the "romance" isn't either, but it must, under all circumstances, be accompanied by strong writing.

So, there it is:
My name is Kork, and I'm a literary snob.  I'm ashamed to say I wasted 2 hours of my life reading a CRAPPY book with lots of foul language and tons of graphic sex...

Hate me if you choose...but everyone does stupid things...