Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Fifty Sheds #1

Fifty Sheds of Grey

Rate this book
“She knelt before me on the shed floor and tugged gently, then harder until finally it came. I moaned with pleasure. Now for the other boot ...â€� Ìý

Colin Grey’s life was happy and simple,Ìýuntil the day everything changed—the day his wife read that book. Suddenly, he was thrust headfirstÌýinto a dark, illicit worldÌýof pleasure and pain.ÌýThis is what happens when a tide of tempestuous, erotic desireÌýinvades man’s last place of privacy:Ìýhis backyard shed.ÌýÌý

WARNING: Fifty Sheds of Grey contains fifty graphic shed-based images. Please do not look if you are easily offended.Ìý

Follow the phenomenon @50ShedsofGrey

144 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2012

63 people are currently reading
605 people want to read

About the author

C.T. Grey

5Ìýbooks10Ìýfollowers
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ database with this name.

Colin Trevor 'C.T.' Grey is a keen gardener from the Cotwolds. He lives with his wife, Christina.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
472 (30%)
4 stars
400 (25%)
3 stars
372 (23%)
2 stars
176 (11%)
1 star
148 (9%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 188 reviews
Profile Image for Petra lives on a little Caribbean island.
2,456 reviews35.4k followers
January 5, 2017
This is the stupidest, funniest book I've read in ages, just the thing to start off the new year. The innuendo is fully-illustrated with a large selection of garden sheds. "From that first encounter I was hooked. I just couldn't get enough of sheds and mowers. Or S&M for short."

But the very worst is when the author decides his failure with women is due to the boring shed he takes them to. So, although the painter wants to paint it grey to match the author's name, he is persuaded to paint it 70s psychedelic. That night the author meets a young woman in a pub and drunkenly they stumble back to his shed:

We slipped on the veranda
Turned cartwheels 'cross the lawn,
I was feeling kind of beer sick,
But I still crawled out for more.
The shed was spinning faster,
And my date began to sway.
When I offered her another drink,
She fainted clean away.
And so it was later,
That Camilla viewed the scene
And her face at first just yellow,
Turned a lighter shade of green.
She said, "This shed looks frighful,"
And the truth was plain to tell,
In my haste I'd made my out-house,
A psychedelic hell.
Over sixteen fretful virgins
Had left without their coats
And although my door was open,
It might just as well have been closed.
And so it was later,
That the painter had his way,
And my shed at first just ghastly
Turned a lighter shade of grey."

Best parody of a Whiter Shade of Pale ever.

Last ridiculous joke:
"Make me feel pain like I've never felt before' she pleaded, blindfolded and naked.
"All right," I said, placing the Lego bricks on the shed floor....

I like this author!
Profile Image for M.G. Mason.
AuthorÌý14 books93 followers
February 4, 2013
This is a parody in every sense of the word. Not only is it a play on the title of the best selling worst book of all time, nor is it just a parody of the theme between "shades" and "sheds" transporting the action from an erotic dungeon into a garden-based wooden shack and the innuendo that goes with the jokes, but it is also a parody of E.L. James simplistic writing style.

Let me make this clear: I have not read the book on which this parody is based, nor do I ever intend to but I am full aware of the over-used phrases "bites top lip pensively" etc, the schoolboy errors in the writing style and juvenile tone of the prose. All of this is recreated here to provide laughs merely beyond the double entendre and worplay. This is a very British sense of humour so if you do not like British comedy, it probably won't be for you.

But is there a plot? Sort of... each page has a short passage which is one innuendo after another loosely connected into a sort of story. But does it really matter? Do the really good parodies need a plot merely beyond slight mimmickry and poking fun at the source text? In a word - no and this book doesn't really have much of a plot if I'm honest. Our Mister Grey works on the 20th floor of an office block when a mysterious woman arrives to see him in his office. Looking over at his collection of photographs of his favourite sheds, he thinks back to the day that
changed his life forever...

Lady Christina slowly introduces him to sheds and gardening and he is addicted. Slowly, their relationships develops and soon he can't get enough of her lawn, her plants, her garden and finally his edgy addiction to sheds, which leads into the murky world of shed design and taking his new found love into his marriage.

MILFs - Mowers I'd like to fix


"Harder," she cried, gripping the workbench tightly "harder!"
"Alright," I said, "What's the gross national product of Nicaragua?"


"Punish me," she cried desperately, "Make me suffer like only a real man can!"
"Very well," I replied, leaving the toilet seat up.


"Hurt me!" she begged, raising her skirt as she bent over the workbench.
"Very well," I replied, "You've got fat ankles and no dress sense."


And my personal favourite:

She gazed up at me wide-eyed from the shed floor and bit her lip seductively. Unfortunately it was her top lip so she looked like a piranha


This is the sort of joke that you can expect to read in this very short book. Some are hilarious, others will raise no more than a snicker but for a lazy evening's read where you need a quick laugh that'll linger, it'll do.

In brief, short and sweet and utterly hilarious!
975 reviews249 followers
February 11, 2013
Simple but funny. Doesn't try to be any more than it is, and had me laughing out loud in parts. Also, it got the boy reading which is a huge feat and pretty much gives it an extra star.
Profile Image for Marianne.
4,156 reviews312 followers
November 27, 2020
Fifty Sheds Of Grey is a little hardcover parody of the Fifty Shades novels. It is filled with loosely rhyming verse, lots of innuendo and jokes of both the Dad-joke-groan-worthy variety and the quite-clever-laugh-out-loud sort: “’Are you sure you can take the pain?� she demanded, brandishing her stilettos. ‘I think so,� I gulped. ‘Here we go then,� she said, and showed me the receipt.�. And there are sheds, in grey, probably fifty of them, but who counted? Perfect for dads and sheds enthusiasts, but not exclusively. A quick, fun read.
Profile Image for Peter.
777 reviews134 followers
January 5, 2016
A funny book of giggles, not highbrow just stupid and silly. Do you know what? I enjoyed it as light relief from the heavy reading of Greg Bear's Darwin's Radio.
Profile Image for Gerry.
AuthorÌý43 books115 followers
August 12, 2022
'Fifty Shades of Grey' is a really erotic novel - oh, sorry, I am not reading that book, am I? This one is 'Fifty Sheds of Grey' and if 'Shades' is erotic in an overt way, 'Sheds' is erotic in a covert way. The reason for this is that it is full of double-entendres, if one has that kind of mind. If not it is simply a statement of basic facts that may not be very exciting!

The strap-line on the cover states that it is 'A parody', yes it is, of 'Shades', and that it is 'Erotica for the not-too-modern male'. I'm not too sure how accurate that latter statement is for I feel sure that most modern males would get the gist and fully understand the sentiments within the covers!

It is a fun book, with plenty of laugh out loud (is that LOL in modern parlance?) moments, even when reading it on one's own. If reading it with company or relating some of the statements and situations to a third party, it becomes even funnier - as my daughter quickly realised when I related some of the maxims over the 'phone to her.

Let's have a simple, straightforward one to begin with, 'She told me she was kinky ... so I left the shed light on.' The maxim is accompanied by an illustration of a very ordinary shed, with light streaming from the window; nothing wrong with that I feel sure.

And there is nothing wrong with the illustration that accompanies, 'She knelt before me on the shed floor and tugged gently at first, then harder until finally it came. I moaned with pleasure. Now for the other boot ...' The illustration shows implements (of a gardening nature) in a shed with a pair of Wellington boots stood by a stool.

And in this day of holding telephone calls, 'I told her exactly what she should do in my sternest and most dominant voice and awaited her response. Finally it came. 'Please hold the line. Your call is very important to us ...'' is very funny. And with Christmas coming an appropriate one is 'Are you sure you can take the pain?' she demanded, brandishing her stilettos. 'I think so,' I gulped. 'Here we go then,' she said, and showed me the receipt.' Is that an anti-climax or not? Well, okay, perhaps not.

With on-line auctions in mind, 'Are you sure you want this?' I asked. 'When I'm done you won't be able to sit down for weeks.' She nodded. 'Okay,' I said, putting the three-piece suite on eBay.' Well, there's always the floor!!

Finally ''Harder,' she cried, gripping the workbench tightly, 'Harder!' 'Alright,' I said. 'What's the gross national product of Nicaragua?'' If only the book had informed us that Nicaragua's GNP in 2004 was $5,796 billion in 2004, imagine how intellectual we could all be!

The many more captions make the book a really enjoyable romp (metaphorically speaking of course) and it is a book that one could browse over and over again and still have the same laughs for quite some time.
Profile Image for AmbWitch.
227 reviews42 followers
March 21, 2016
Well� I read this on the packed bus home from town, bursting into hysterics every now and then, quietly giggling and reading bits out to my mother. We got some strange looks but it was a most enjoyable bus ride. I did find that the longer pages of the book (the actual plot line) were a little boring but the puns played well to my humour and kept me amused. I don’t think there is anything else left to say about it.
Profile Image for Wild1.
56 reviews36 followers
November 11, 2014
Ha ha, had me giggling out loud - not good in the quiet coach on the train!
So childish, but fun!
Profile Image for Jane.
AuthorÌý2 books17 followers
June 1, 2016
For those who aren’t aware, this book is the result of the wildly successful @50ShedsofGrey Twitter account, which popped up few months back. Described as ‘erotica for the not-too-modern male�, Fifty Sheds of Grey is DIY-inspired innuendo at its best. Not surprisingly, C.T. Grey’s shed plays the staring role in his tools and hardware sexual fantasy-land and I doubt, after reading his 140-characters-or-less gems, you’ll ever look at a mower or sprinkler the same way again.

‘I do have one fetish,� I admitted, ‘MILFs � Mowers I’d Like to Fix.�

Yes, you could absolutely go on Twitter and scroll through the various 50Sheds tweets and but by doing so you’ll miss out on the high-quality shed-porn on offer (read: pictures of garden sheds) and the alternative interpretations of iconic pieces of literature � such as Lady Chatterley's Lover and Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 � which are interspersed between the wonderful social media pearls.

‘Shall I compare thee to a summer-house?
Thou art more homely and more intimate.
Rough women do shake my darling shed of grey,
But summarily spurn a second date.�


A note of caution � a lot of the jokes in here are very British in tone and content, so this one may be funnier for those in the U.K. (There was a hilarious @50ShedsofGrey tweet that went out a few days ago concerning Marmite and it caused great confusion amongst those unfamiliar with this British/Antipodean breakfast spread's inky charms.)
Profile Image for Mara Ness.
AuthorÌý3 books21 followers
January 3, 2016
Ik had 'Fifty Sheds of Grey' een jaar of twee geleden op het Boekenfestijn gekocht, maar was er nog niet aan toe gekomen om het te lezen. En dat terwijl het hooguit een kwartiertje duurde, haha. Vier sterren omdat het me aan het lachen maakte met pareltjes als:
'Harder,' she cried, gripping the workbench tightly, 'Harder!'
'Alright,' I said. 'What's the gross national product of Nicaragua?'

'Put on this rubber suit and mask,' I instructed, calmly.
'Mmmm ... kinky,' she purred.
'Yes,' I said. 'Plus you can't be too careful with all that asbestos in the shed roof.'

'Make me feel pain like I've never felt before,' she pleaded, blindfolded and naked.
'Alright,' I said, placing the Lego bricks on the shed floor...

Ik zou er nog veel meer kunnen quoten, maar dan blijft er niets meer over, haha.
Profile Image for Kate Aaron.
AuthorÌý36 books336 followers
December 31, 2015
Dear god I've just spent five minutes howling with laughter. This book is silly and puerile and hilarious.

"Are you sure you can take the pain?" she demanded, brandishing a pair of stilettos.
"I think so," I gulped
"here we go then," she said, and she showed me the receipt.

Genius.
Profile Image for Lozzi Counsell.
AuthorÌý8 books34 followers
March 9, 2015
So funny! But I didn't get the story line. I would have preferred it as just a book of funny quotes!
Profile Image for Mellisa.
538 reviews162 followers
August 29, 2020
Well this was definitely different. It was pretty comical, had a few funny parts. I've never seen so much about sheds! It's worth a read if you fancy something quick and comical.
Profile Image for Antonia.
24 reviews
September 12, 2013
I originally found a hard copy of this in my grandad's house as someone had bought it for him as a birthday present, needless to say he did not understand any of it. After reading the first few pages I was hooked and had to carry on reading it. I only got a few pages in before it was time to go back home so for 99p I downloaded it onto my iPhone.

This had me laughing to the point that it hurt so I actually think it deserve 3.5 stars from me.

It's bsically 99p's worth of gardening innuendos that I think were more entertaining than the original 50 shades of grey. Some were a bit cheesy and others were just downright naughty. The innuendoes get progressively more intense as you read through so it eases you in a little bit.

Had there been more content I may have given this a solid 4 stars.

If you're young and hip enough to know all the sexual terminology these days then you don't need to read the original 50 shades or endlessly search on google (to find out what s&m means) in order to find this funny.

Obviously this appeals to people who don't mind rude dirty jokes. My cheerleader/model/celebrity/Miranda-Kerr wannabe sister didn't find it at all funny and neither did my mom since she either simply didn't get it or was just to old to care. It could have been that my sister was trying to read cheesy motivational quotes to her at the same time that I was trying to get her to laugh at this book, and she was winning. Or maybe I'm just immature for a 20 yr old but either way, for for 99p it's worth a good chuckle and something to pass on to friends and equally immature sisters/cousins.
Profile Image for Andre.
1,420 reviews99 followers
August 23, 2015
I was a little bit disappointed by this book since I had read snippets before and assumed the entire book was just as funny. Well it wasn't of course, but it was still funny.
Whether all of these pictures of sheds and tools were really necessary is another question. I don't think it was. But it did help in separating the text snippets when necessary albeit in other cases I think it created an illusion of separation of the text from one page to another.
Now while this book was funny for me, I think it only works because I knew what was going on with Fifty Shades of Grey and so the book could play with all those odd erotic expectations that the mentioned book and franchise engendered, it had tons of related puns and scenes that sound as if they go into BDSM territory but don't and as such it makes the jokes work.
But I really don't think it would truly work without it.
Profile Image for Charon Lloyd-Roberts.
AuthorÌý55 books45 followers
October 16, 2015
WARNING: This contains graphic shed-based images. Please don't look if you're easily offended.

I only heard about this book a day ago and what did I do today on my latest book haul? I bought this book and "Fifty Sheds: Three in a Shed" I refuse to read the last book until I have "Fifty Sheds Damper" anyway whatever you do don't read this book in public I did but it was hard not to laugh at this short and entertaining book.

And here's my favorite bit:
"Make me feel pain like I've never felt before." she pleaded blindfolded and naked.

"Alright." I said, placing the lego bricks on the shed floor...
Profile Image for KilaViking .
58 reviews2 followers
June 18, 2014
I started the book thinking the writing had to be as atrocious as the originals were, color me mildly impressed. I sadly give this wonderful waste of twenty minutes, four stars more than the originals, it would've been five but I can't give a negative rating star wise or the originals would've qualified.

I made the mistake of reading this particular parody after the rest of the house went to sleep, and about died trying to guffaw quietly.

this is one if those books you can give to even the most straight laced of friends and know few would find it offensive...after all they're only sheds.
Profile Image for Bernadine.
178 reviews12 followers
May 16, 2013
Certainly a quick read, but one that had me smiling and even laughing out loud.
"Hurt me as only a real man can", so I left up the toilet seat.
No you don't have to have read 50 Shades and this further echoes why you wouldn't want to. A gentle mockery of that badly written bestseller.
Some lovely photography too. That said I'm not sure that the hefty price tag is justified.
Profile Image for Angie.
253 reviews51 followers
February 27, 2014
This was a pretty funny spoof of fifty shades of grey, where a guy is obsessed with garden sheds. It's a bit short, I read it in about half an hour, but some of the things in it had me laugh out loud.
Profile Image for Andy Angel.
542 reviews46 followers
January 8, 2013
An okay parody, just glad I got it at a discount price.
Profile Image for Jamie Rose.
532 reviews15 followers
February 20, 2014
Reader advisory from the cover

[i] WARNING: This book contains graphic shed-based images. Please don't look if you are easily offended [/i]

Because my disdain for the 50 Shades Trilogy of Tripe is somewhat legendary, certain people like to take the Micheal...Hence I got this for Christmas.

[i] Ever since she read THAT book, I've had to buy all kinds of ropes, chains and shackles. She still manages to get in the shed though. [/i]

Colin Grey is a happy man with simple tastes, or he is until his wife reads THAT book.

The relationship between this dude, his wife and his shed is certainly a more convincing 'psychological romance' than the one between Anastasia / Grey...

This is about seven millions times better than E. L Jame's 'masterpiece' ([i] lol sorry still can't type that word in relation to her book with a straight face... :) [/i] Better in in every way -plot, character development and technical execution.

The relationship between this dude, his wife, lover and his sheds is certainly a more convincing 'psychological romance' than the one between Anastasia / Grey...

Very short and it does have some really nice black and white photos of sheds. It's really very funny overall. Funny enough to get me some odd looks when I was giggling away in a coffee shop while reading it at any rate...

If you were thinking of reading 50 Shades of Grey, do yourself a favour and get this instead...

[i] My body writhed and quivered from the pain. I had learned my next lesson. Never again would I leave an upturned plug on the shed floor. [/i]
Profile Image for Erica D`souza.
277 reviews
April 18, 2016
I`ve been waiting to get a copy of my won because this is one hilarious book. Not all the way through, but it's a fun read. I enjoyed reading this beauty in one sitting.

I haven't read the original book yet, that is 50 shades of Grey, but I didn't think twice when picking this one because I was prepared to read about one man who loves his shed, battle his wife who is obsessed with THAT BOOK - the one with a knotted tie on the cover. The author goes on to say he has never been more surprised to find women blushing while reading a clothing catalog. You see ? He makes simple yet funny statements.
Profile Image for Tudor Vlad.
328 reviews84 followers
January 9, 2017
Ha, I actually liked this. It was kind of dumb, but who cares, it was funny. I don't normally read parody books, this is a first for me so I'm not sure how I should rate it. It did make me laugh out loud, but other than that it was really forgettable. The format felt a bit lazy, 50 photos of sheds with each photo being accompanied by some funny dialogue, but the jokes were inventive, and the word play was smart.

"Are you sure you can take the pain?" she demanded, brandishing a pair of stilettos.
"I think so," I gulped
"here we go then," she said, and she showed me the receipt.


Profile Image for Grace Harwood.
AuthorÌý3 books36 followers
January 15, 2013
Okay there's not much to this - in all it took me seven whole minutes to read it - and I don't know how it compares to the originals as I haven't read them - but this is a very silly, very funny book featuring some lovely photos of sheds. Despite containing very little in the way of plot, character development, and any of the other stuff a good book normally relies on, the reader still comes away with the sense of a strong male lead who clearly loves his sheds. Plus lots of that stalwart of British humour - innuendo. Kind of Carry On in the back garden. Brilliant.
Profile Image for Alex Man.
1 review8 followers
December 10, 2014
A brilliant book full of innuendos!
It's a shame that I read this book before the original, as I think people who has read the original one would appreciate this one even more.

The only bad thing to say is that it isn't really LONG as size matters ;)


This book has a very very loose storyline, and most of it might seem to be a list of WhatSheSaid jokes. Nevertheless, this book has made me laugh out loud more than once and I highly recommend it.

PS: for more content you can follow the official Twitter account @50ShedsofGrey.
Profile Image for Kylie G.
165 reviews3 followers
January 1, 2013
going to start the new year with a bit of fluff!!! still can't bring myself to read fifty shades freed!!! x. well, read it in about 15 minutes, good for a little titter. well worth 20p. depending on howi get on with my challenge of reading 30 books this year, I reserve the right to remove this book later!!!!
Profile Image for Marie Smith.
115 reviews3 followers
February 23, 2013
A light humorous read.

You need to have read 50 shades to appreciate this, worth a one of read on the kindle but not worth buying in paperback at the current price. Ideal for a coffee break and a light office chat but you wouldn't be missing much by skipping past this on the book shelf.

This does what it says on the tin, its a parady, brief and humorous at a first read.
4 reviews1 follower
August 31, 2014
I am amused by how many people complain about this book when reviewing it. I wonder if perhaps they got confused between ‘sheds� and ‘shades� when they bought it? I thought it clever and funny. As for its length, well you know it’s going to be short; you probably wouldn’t want it any longer than it is. Sometimes it is wonderful to just be silly and laugh out loud.
Profile Image for Marran.
1,666 reviews24 followers
September 15, 2012
what can I say other then lol.....I recently started following the twitter of @fiftyshedsofgrey


You can make do with the twitter but the book only cost a little over $3 so I figured it would be fun to have

it's a really short book though my bookreader says 78 pages (epub)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 188 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.