There’s no escaping E.L. James’ fan-fiction-to-self-published-bestselling series Fifty Shades. The cat-and-mouse game between innocent, clumsy Ana and billionaire philanthropist Christian Grey has captured the world’s attention and whether you love it or hate it, it looks like it’s here to stay. There’s a film in the works and publishers are scrambling to publish more titles similar to Fifty Shades.
We’ve definitely seen a lot of interest in Pinal County and if you’ve checked the catalog lately then you know there are well over a hundred holds on the first book in the series! To help your wait go by a little quicker, we’ve provided a few titles you might want to check out while you wait for a copy of Fifty Shades of Grey to show up with your name on it at the library.
Self-published and making headlines:
- Bared to You by Sylvia Day is the first in a trilogy. Called “the next Fifty Shades” because it also started out as a self-published novel and stars a dominating male lead. Some readers stated Bared to You is even BETTER than Fifty Shades of Grey — check it out to see for yourself (and let us know what you think)! If you LOVED Bared to You, book 2 (Reflected in You) is out soon!
- On the Island by Tracey Garvis-Graves is another self-published debut novel that has now made it to the mainstream. Several publishers rejected her story of survival & love before she decided to try self-publishing, now she has a two book deal and the film rights have been optioned by MGM.
Wool by Hugh Howey is a completely different genre from Fifty Shades, but still a great story of self-published success. Wool: Omnibus is a set of five science fiction novellas about a society living in a silo. Howey’s yet to find a US publisher he’s interested in working with, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t made headlines. He’s sold the film rights and GeekDad at Wired.com called Wool “brilliant science fiction”.
If you enjoyed Fifty Shades, try…
- The Sleeping Beauty trilogy by Anne Rice (published as A. N. Roquelaure) – Begins with The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty.
- Gabriel’s Inferno by Sylvain Reynard
- The Black Dagger Brotherhood by J.R. Ward – Begins with Dark Lover.
- Kushiel’s Legacy by Jacqueline Carey – Begins with Kushiel’s Dart.
- Addicted by Zane – Or try other works by Zane.
- Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire
- Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
- Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife: Pride and Prejudice Continues by Linda Berdoll
- The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber
From around the web:
- RT Book Reviews – Beyond E.L. James’ Fifty Shades of Grey
- The Daily Beast – 50 Shades of Grey Mania
- Dear Author – Fifty Shades Primer and If You Like…
- USA Today – 10 Reasons Fifty Shades of Grey has Shackled Readers
- Shelf Awareness – Further Reading: More Shades
- The Guardian (UK) – Erotica: Better Reads than Fifty Shades of Grey
- 50 Shades of Infographic via Galleycat
Don’t forget, if you’d rather listen than read, the Fifty Shades trilogy is available as a downloadable audiobook from OneClick Digital!
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