Best Books I Read in 2014: Game of Thrones, 50 Shades of Grey

After tucking in to the first two parts of the 50 Shades trilogy in 2013 in order to be able to write about the upcoming adaptation for Yahoo Movies, I started 2014 with the depressing task of completing the trilogy by reading 50 Shades Freed. I have to say I'm glad it finally ended, though I did enjoy bits and pieces of the books. I just wish it had all been a hell of a lot shorter and more concise. Was all that sex really necessary?

Anyway, I then got back to the business of tackling the remaining books in the A Song of Ice and Fire series. I slogged through A Storm of Swords, A Feast For Crows and A Dance With Dragons, finally getting up to date so I can now wait impatiently with all the other fans for the impending Winds of Winter. A Storm of Swords was terrific, as was A Dance With Dragons with A Feast For Crows being a bit more meandering but still a damn immersive read. I can't on without mentioning one massive SPOILER from the end of the fifth book so HERE IS YOUR SPOILER WARNING!!!!!

SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER PLEASE SCROLL DOWN IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE BOOKS!

I cannot believe George R.R. Martin has killed off Jon Snow. I was so gutted. Just as things seemed to be getting really intense with him too. Now it's literally just Arya of the Starks that I'm really rooting for. Soooooooo gutted. RIP Bastard.

OK SPOILER OVER YOU CAN COME BACK NOW!

OK SPOILER OVER YOU CAN COME BACK NOW!

OK SPOILER OVER YOU CAN COME BACK NOW!

OK SPOILER OVER YOU CAN COME BACK NOW!

OK SPOILER OVER YOU CAN COME BACK NOW!

So all those huge books took me most of the year to read. I've still got a massive pile of books on my bedside table that I need to read but Game of Thrones became a priority for this year but in 2015, I'm going to start getting back to my pile that includes 12 Years a Slave, Shock Value and now Russell Brand's Revolution. 

I also read and reviewed a couple of books for Starburst Magazine:

THE ART OF PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR

and

MODERN SCI-FI FILMS FAQ

Anyone else read anything good that they would like to recommend?

More 2014 Lists from I Love That Film:

Top 10 Best True Stories of 2014

TV in 2014

Top 10 Blockbusters of 2014

Top 10 Music Performances of 2014

 

50 Shades of Grey movie news and opinion

I'm still writing about the impending 50 Shades of Grey movie over at Yahoo movies and here are my latest news stories and opinion pieces:

Will sales of 100 million 50 Shades books equal big box office?

 

The ‘50 Shades of Grey’ book trilogy has surpassed 100 million copies worldwide but with numbers like that, can the film adaptation possibly compete?

50 Shades movie: What would Gus Van Sant version be like?

 

With the ’50 Shades of Grey’ movie adaptation recently wrapping, there is no doubt that the final version has been directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson. It could have been very different with Gus Van Sant reportedly considering directing the film.

50 Shades movie: Why so long between wrap and release?

 

The 50 Shades of Grey movie has reportedly wrapped, meaning principal photography on the film has been completed a few days shy of a full year before the release date. Why the long wait if filming is finished?

Will 50 Shades of Grey teaser poster appeal to men?

 

The brand spanking new teaser poster for '50 Shades of Grey’ has just been released and unfortunately it contains no signs of spanking, sex or romance. However could this be just the right way to lure more male viewers into the cinema to see it?

Mr 50 Shades of Grey will see to you now: New Poster

Oops! I'm sorry did I just mis-read the brand spanking new poster for 50 Shades of Grey. Bruce Wayne looks out over Seattle.. a mystery in a grey suit... his handsome face turned away from us... a phallic symbol visible in the distance... oh my! Take me to the Bat-cave/red room of pain already!

In case you didn't know I'm writing for Yahoo about the 50 Shades trilogy and its film adaptations so the neat new teaser poster is really just an excuse to throw in some links to my recent writing over at Yahoo.

50 Shades of Grey film to be even more boring than the book? 
As a man who has read 50 Shades of Grey’ I was expecting the film to focus more on the romance than the nookie. The producer of the film has now officially confirmed that the silver screen version will not be as explicit. Really? No shit Sherlock!

Should 50 Shades of Grey book trilogy be only one film? 
Reports have emerged that the ‘50 Shades of Grey’ trilogy of books could be condensed into a single film to be released in 2015. Though these reports have been denied, there are a great deal of reasons for the trilogy to be reduced into a single film. For a start... it goes on foreveeeeeeeer!

Why Jamie Dornan must go full frontal in 50 Shades of Grey 

Rumours are circling that '50 Shades of Grey' star Jamie Dornan will go full frontal in the movie's countless sex scenes when he finally hits screens as Christian Grey. Should Dornan go all the way to keep the fans happy? Surely there will have to be abundant nudity from both parties!

Will 50 Shades of Grey lingerie make a kinky killing at Christmas? 

'50 Shades of Grey' has become a bestseller, made its author very rich and is now on its way to becoming a big Hollywood movie. Things could get even more exciting for readers with the '50 Shades of Grey' inspired range of luxury ladies underwear.

Do women really love 50 Shades of Grey's Christian Grey?   

After finishing the '50 Shade of Grey' trilogy, I was taken aback by how many women had stuck it out for three books. Are they really all in love with Christian Grey or is there another reason for reading the erotic novels? He's a controlling monster goddamit! I'd rather go out with Bruce Wayne!

How much sex can 50 Shades of Grey movie get away with? 

The movie adaptation of the '50 Shades of Grey' trilogy of erotic novels will have an incredibly delicate balancing act to perform when it is released in 2015. How far will the sex scenes go and will they appeal to the target audience?

Why aren't more men reading 50 Shades of Grey?   

All we ever hear about is why women everywhere have been falling in love with '50 Shades of Grey'. I read the trilogy shortly after my wife and cannot believe more men have not been seduced by its many raunchiness!

 

What do you think of the new poster?

Best books I read in 2013

I read quite a few books this year ranging from film studies analyses to the far less academic 50 Shade of Grey trilogy. I also made a start on the Song of Ice and Fire/ Game of Thrones books and hope to get through the rest in 2014. I even got to do quite a few book reviews at both Starburst Magazine and Filmoria. Click the titles to check out my full reviews.

Saw by Benjamin Poole

I'm writing a book on The Blair Witch Project for the Devil's Advocate series published by Auteur and in order to get a better sense of what they are looking for, I read this analysis of Saw from the same series of books. It's a fascinating read and gave me an even greater appreciation for the film.

Studying Fight Club

Seeing as I spend 9 weeks of every year doing exactly what the title says with my A2 Film Studies students, I though it best to read this from cover to cover and make notes on it. Again, a brilliant read for fans of the film!

The Art of Epic

'The Art of Epic does not simply look pretty. Bennett’s prose is also a joy to read; the input from the Blue Sky team being expertly woven into the text and enlightening and inspiring throughout. The Art of Epic is luscious in its level of detail; in short, it’s epic.'

 

Boy Nobody

'Boy Nobody is an easy read and hard to put down from the brusque opening to the explosive climax. It contains a few surprises and a character that has the potential to become more and more interesting as the series continues. It’s not a great piece of literature but it knows its audience and hits the target precisely.'

The Hobbit

I didn't particularly like this book as a child and I didn't particularly like it that much when I read it again this year. That said, there were a couple of moments that Peter Jackson did not include from the book in The Desolation of Smaug that I was not happy about him dismissing. Firstly the way the dwarves enter Beorn's house and secondly the way the dwarves are led off the path in Mirkwood by the wood elves. It's a shame that Jackson felt the need to change these parts as they were two of the most memorable bits from the books.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre by James Rose

'Highly recommended for fans of the film or anyone with an academic interest in horror.'

Are You Talking To Me? A Life Through the Movies

'This was much more biography than I expected with author Walsh detailing his youth in London as he was growing up and the films that helped him make it through to adulthood.'

Green Zone: Imperial Life in the Emerald City

'A depressing look at what happened after America invaded Iraq, tainted by the infrequent promise of what could have been.'

A Game of Thrones

'The dialogue is so brilliantly written that I found myself wanting to talk like the characters all the time.'

Middle Earth Envisioned: The Hobbit and The Lord of theRings: On Screen, On Stage and Beyond

'Middle-earth Envisioned is not for readers who are only interested in Peter Jackson's films or casual Tolkien fans. It is an exhaustive illustrated history of all those who have attempted to bring Tolkien's writing to life. Unless you are already a Tolkien know-it-all who speaks Elvish, you are bound to find plenty here that will leave you inspired to search the internet for further evidence of the weird and the wonderful adaptations of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.'

A Clash of Kings  

Even better than the first, I just cannot get enough of these books. New characters, more bloodshed and a bloody great battle to top it all off. I can't wait to get started on A Storm of Swords next.

50 Shades of Grey

50 Shades Darker

 I'm only reading these so I can contribute to Yahoo on the upcoming film versions. Please don't think any less of me. Here's what I've written so far:
Why aren't more men reading 50 Shades of Grey?
How much sex can 50 Shades of Grey movie get away with?
Do women really love 50 Shades of Grey's Christian Grey?
Will 50 Shades of Grey lingerie make a kinky killing at Christmas?
Why Jamie Dornan must go full frontal in 50 Shades of Grey 

To top it all off, I'm about half way through 50 Shades Freed and have read the first chapter of A Storm of Swords.

My reading for the year sorted!

What have you read in 2013?

Why don't you stay awhile? More 2013 lists from I Love That Film:

TV in 2013: Breaking Bad, Dexter, The Walking Dead, Homeland and more

World Cinema in 2013

Top Documentaries of 2013

2013 List of Shame or 25 films I should have seen this year

2013 Top 10 Horror, Fantasy and Science Fiction

2013 Top 10 So Far (written in July)

Best British Films of 2013

Top 25 Films to see in 2014