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Erotic bestseller has waiting list of more than 600 at local library

Posted at 11:42 PM, May 23, 2012
and last updated 2012-05-24 13:18:51-04

CHESTERFIELD, Va. (WTVR) - Odds are you know someone who has read the controversial book, "Fifty Shades of Grey."

And, while some libraries won't put it on their shelves, those in Chesterfield and Henrico can’t keep it there.

The book by E.L. James is more than your average romance novel, it's filled with eroticism.  It centers around the sexual exploits of a college student and her billionaire lover, a man consumed by his need for sexual dominance.

The number one best seller is flying off bookshelves even at the Chesterfield Public Library.

They have a waiting list of 600 to read the book. Henrico Public Library has a waiting list of more than 300.

“It won the lottery. I can`t tell you why, it`s won the lottery,” said Ann Theis, who is  responsible for buying books at Chesterfield Public Library.  She says she’s never seen a book this popular at the library in a decade.

However, some libraries won’t even carry it. It has already been pulled from the shelves in parts of Georgia, Florida and Wisconsin, with some complaining that the book is more like pornography than literature.

“Somehow or another, it caught the imagination,” says Theis.