E.L. James | All That Glitters

One of the best things I did last year was start All That Glitters. I think of it as a mixture of both a guide to and celebration of life in Los Angeles. I love this city and while I am always struggling with what’s next and how to get there, I love my life too. I love this blog. Thank you for taking the time to read it.

Today, as we enter the last week of January 2013 (which is pretty hard to believe), I want to take a step back and officially close out all things 2012 with my top 10 personal favorite blog posts from the year. Each of these were not only fun to write, but I was also happy with how they turned out both in content and my somewhat mediocre photography skills. Within each of the ten posts also lies some my happiest memories of 2012.

{TEN.} Graffiti Coffee Bar – Perhaps it’s a sentimental choice because this was my first real blog post, but I think it’s also because this set the tone for how I wanted my blog to be: topical, sharply written, while saluting and celebrating my love of all things L.A.. However, even I found it completely ridiculous to even think lattes and valet parking should ever go in the same sentence. (Oh! A latte sounds so good right now! I’ll be right back…)

{NINE.} Making Arrangements – Me as Martha Stewart for a day (okay, maybe more like 30 minutes) trying to make my own floral arrangement with a little help from Lauren Conrad (of all people). My favorite D.I.Y. post of 2012. I was so proud of my little creation.

{EIGHT.} Dirty Dancing in the Cemetery – A look at my first time experiencing the super popular young L.A. thing to do on a hot summer Saturday night, a Cinespia film screening at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. This post reflects on how I had the time of my life and the first time I’d ever seen a shooting star in the night sky. Hey, like the post says – I live in L.A.! Shout out to myself on what has to be my most cleverly titled post.

{SEVEN.} How I Spent 100 Years in Hollywood – My night at the Hollywood Bowl celebrating Paramount Studios 100 years in the movie making business, told with the help of George Costanza and the most notable movie music in all of cinema. A night to remember and a post that I always look back on fondly.

{SIX.} Farmers For A Day – The day I left the city behind and headed out to the country (ok, not literally the country but it wasn’t too far from it) and spent some time on an apple farm picking fruit and hanging with the native country folk. This was a day of trying something new and it being oh so fun!

{FIVE.} Food To Die For: El Coyote Mexican Cafe – My account of what happens when you eat at my favorite Mexican Restaurant in L.A., El Coyote. Please read carefully, you’ve been warned of the side effects of food consumption on these premises. Oh! And God bless re-fried beans!

{FOUR.} Snow in L.A . – Psst! Hey you. Yeah, you! I’ve got a little secret to tell you. It snows in Los Angeles. No, really. Seriously! It snows right in the middle of LA and I’m letting the cat out of the bag. I loved this post because it meant that festive time of year was finally here. It was officially Christmas!

{THREE.} Cupcakes and Cashmere L.A. Book Signing – A treat to stop by and say hello to my favorite blogger, Emily Schuman of Cupcakes and Cashmere fame, at her L.A. book signing. Cheers to the art of blogging!

{TWO.} 2012: Best in Books, Guilty Pleasure – My delicious account of the book(s) that rocked my world during the summer of 2012. It was so much fun writing this post and reliving all the delectable moments between Anastasia Steele and our dark friend, Christian Grey. (Insert mischievousness voice here) Happy reading and laters baby!

{ONE.} Mission San Juan Capistrano – Admittedly, I like this post more because of the crisp stunning images that bring me back to such a relaxing and happy day spent on boyfriend’s birthday. This is not my wittiest post when it comes to writing (see #2 and #4 above for that fix) but I think of this day as my most memorable from 2012 and in the end, it’s these types of posts that stick with you.

Thank you for reading All That Glitters! I hope you enjoy the posts as much I enjoy writing them. I promise you 2013 will be filled with even more sparkle! 🙂

Let me start by saying that I know many of you will roll your eyes, possibly declare me insane, or stop reading my blog altogether by what I’m about to reveal. It’s no secret that I like to get lost in all kinds of stories. I’ve already reflected on my favorite fiction and non-fiction books this year, and not to brag, I have pretty decent taste as you can see. Usually. Sometimes. 🙂

Let me further say, before I get to the point (it’s coming), that this series was by far the WORST written and edited books I think I’ve EVER read. These certainly weren’t the best representation of superior writing in modern day literature. Embarrassingly, for whatever reason, this didn’t bother me enough to stop. (What is wrong with me!?) I hadn’t read such a page turner, if ever, like this. I was so entertained, annoyed, turned on, turned off, and turn upside down by my favorite guilty pleasure read(s) for 2012…

Fifty Shades of Grey

Fifty Shades Darker

and

Fifty Shades Freed

E.L. James (2012)

It started out as a book club selection to read the first novel only. I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I picked up the first book…and then the next…and the next. I spent two weeks in June trapped in the web (or rather the Red Room of pain) created by the alluring Christian Grey.

Synopsis: Anastasia Steele stumbles (literally) into Christian Grey’s office mere weeks before her college graduation to help out her best friend by conducting an interview for their college newspaper. Christian Grey is a 27 year old, gray-eyed, intensely flawed, but ridiculously hunky CEO and billionaire of his own self-made empire. He’s also pretty darn kinky. He extends his kinkiness to Anastasia. She agrees. He learns she’s a virgin, immediately has a fit, and gets over it. They have crazy sex. Engage in a little BDSM. Fall in love. More crazy sex. Fight. Break-up. Make-up. Fight. More hardcore BDSM. Some terrible sub-plot about stalking ex-girlfriends and Anastasia’s insane boss enters. More crazy sex. More BDSM. Bomb drops. Bomb resolved. More crazy sex. The End.

The Fifty Shades novels introduce its reader to a story, a mystery, and a fantasy that draws you in on page 7 and holds you captive for the next 1,500 pages. It opens you up to another world that is quite fascinating, complex, beguiling, at times extremely upsetting, but above all highly satiating and entertaining. You resent the characters, then you like the characters. You reject the situation, then you open yourself to the situation. It’s quite a roller coaster of emotions that E.L. James takes you through.

Admittedly, the characters and the given situations chronicled are quite unbelievable, unrealistic, and un-everything. (Pardon my bluntness, but a girl cannot have THAT much sex and not have even one yeast infection come up throughout the entire story. Oh, and she also happens to orgasm every. single. time.) Furthermore, I realize that themes in these books scream violence and promote what seems to be the ultimate unhealthy co-dependent relationship, multiplied. I also realize that despite these themes and this lack of reality, I interpreted the series as simply being fantastical and what E.L. James did best: she used her imagination (regardless of how twisted one might think hers must be to come up with this stuff!).

The Fifty Shades Trilogy is not for the squeamish at heart, nor the the conservative of mind. It can be, however, an interesting and ever so sweet escape.

“Laters, baby.”