Search results matching tag 'chick lit'

Recent Chick Lit Reads

KickinLibrarian@evpl — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 21:33:00 GMT

In the past few weeks since my last blog post, I have been on a chick-lit rampage. I have been speed-reading through recent releases like I don't have a hundred other things to do. Laundry piled up, kitchen didn't get cleaned, and packing for my move didn't happen. These three books are part of the reason that I have been slacking.

Prospect Park West by Amy Sohn takes place in Brooklyn's prosperous Park Slope neighborhood. The lives of four women intersect as they deal with husbands, children, and playground politics. Not earth-shattering reading, but worth a chance if you have the time.

Mercury in Retrograde by Paula Froelich has a cover strikingly similar to Prospect Park West. Froelich's novel takes place across the bridge in Manhattan where three women who are down on their luck join forces to get their lives back in order. The ending is pretty predictable, but it is an enjoyable read.

Going across the pond to England, Sophie Kinsella's latest book, Twenties Girl, introduces us to Sadie, a wild flapper from the 1920s and her great-niece, Lara, living in present-day London. Sadie has passed away alone in a retirement home, but her spirit remains on Earth pushing Lara to find who stole Sadie's prized possession. True to Kinsella form, this book is laugh out loud funny and highly recommended.

Happy Reading!

With friends like these...

librarianinheels@evpl — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 22:06:00 GMT

Wow. When I started reading Luncinda Rosenfeld's new book I'm So Happy for You, I thought that there might be some character growth in the novel. I was wrong. Touted as "a novel about best friends", and lauded on the cover by Publisher's Weekly and authors like Zoe Heller (Notes on a Scandal), I was expecting something along the lines of a black comedy about jealousy in a female friendship. It's not a comedy - it's pretty much just about one-sided, irrational (at least as far as I could tell) jealousy in a female friendship.

The story follows Wendy, a thirtysomething editor at a left-wing New York magazine who lives modestly with her writer husband, Adam. Wendy has been the 'successful' one in her friendship with Daphne, a college girlfriend who has drifted from job to job and man to man since graduation. When Daphne finally gets her life in order, Wendy, who we might all expect to be happy for her 'best friend', couldn't be less happy. Why? Well, you never really know why - other than that Wendy just seems to blossom as long as Daphne is a misfit. As Daphne literally walks into the perfect relationship, and apparently gets all that Wendy didn't know she wanted out of life (until she saw Daphne get it), Wendy becomes more and more bitter and recalcitrant toward her friend.

The novel was a fast read, and mildly enjoyable. The main character, Wendy, is just not likeable, and that made it hard to like the book. And we really don't get to know Daphne, so it wasn't really possible to root for her. In addition, the book is wrapped up too quickly and not in a particularly satisfying way. I just couldn't help but wonder more than once while I read this why these women ever stayed friends after college in the first place. And then, frankly, I wondered if it was some kind of a roman a clef. Which I think it might be.

Fake Boyfriend

kiya@evpl — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 14:51:00 GMT

What is the right thing to do when your best friend is hung up on a jerk who keeps breaking her heart over and over again?

Lane and Vivi decide they need to protect Isabelle from her own tender heart, and hatch a plot to prove to her that there are other wonderful guys out there in the world. Unfortunately, the plot includes making up a guy on MySpace to chat with her. Of course it doesn't take long before things escalate, and more conspirators are brought in, and the plot gets wilder and more impossible. Kate Brian, who writes creepy YA fiction for the series Private and Privilege, also does humor well. Pick up Fake Boyfriend, and give yourself a laugh or two. Be prepared to be a little exasperated, as well. My daughter kept saying, "If everyone would only tell the truth, it would all be okay."

Other romantic comedies from Brian:

The Lucky T

The Princess and the Pauper

The V Club

Kate Brian's MySpace page

The Wedding Girl

KickinLibrarian@evpl — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 14:54:00 GMT

Are you a fan of the Shopaholic Series by Sophie Kinsella? If so, let me introduce you to Kinsella's alter ego, Madeleine Wickham. Both personas write about English women who have found themselves in a predicament. Whether it be money (Shopaholic series), quitting a job and winding up in the country (Undomestic Goddess), or having a marriage from ten years ago come back and haunt her (Wickham's newest novel), women in all of the novels have an obstacle to overcome. The difference, however, is the slapstick humor that can be found in Kinsella's books. When she writes under the alter ego of Wickham, Sophie Kinsella approaches subjects more seriously and tackles some difficult issues.

In the newest book by Wickham, The Wedding Girl, Milly Havill is just four days from marrying the man of her dreams. It seems, however, that Milly has a secret that she has been hiding for ten years and the secret is threatened to be revealed by her wedding photographer. When she was 18, Milly married an American student to allow him to stay in England with his partner. Thinking no one would ever find out, Milly continues to live her life for the next ten years. A few days before her wedding, however, the photographer shows up to take her picture, and Milly discovers it is the same young man that snapped a shot of her first wedding on the courthouse steps.

Milly's story is just one of the storylines in The Wedding Girl. Each character has issues that he or she is struggling to resolve. While there are multiple storylines occurring in this novel, Wickham manages to keep the reader invested in all the characters. It isn't her strongest, or funniest, but for fans of Kinsella or Wickham, it will be another good read.

Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict

KickinLibrarian@evpl — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 16:07:00 GMT

I am a bit of a Jane Austen fan. Sometimes I just need to pull Pride and Prejudice off my shelf and curl up with Mr. Darcy. It seems that I am not the only person with a fondness for Jane Austen and her fabulous stories. In the past few years there has been an influx of spin-offs, remakes, and sequels. The latest has been the introduction of zombies to Pemberley. I am not quite sure how Ms. Austen would feel about that...

Some of my favorite additions to the number of Austen fanfics being written are by Laurie Viera Rigler. Her first in the series, Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict, was published in 2007 and features modern-day Courtney Stone who wakes up in nineteenth-century England. Courtney has left behind her L.A. life of a broken engagement and lost friendship to inhabit the body and life of Jane Mansfield. Courtney has little time to figure out how she ended up two hundred years in the past before she is swept away in an Austen-like land full of dinners, balls, and beaus. One man in particular, Charles Edgeworth, seems to have interest in Jane Mansfield, but Courtney doesn’t know what the means to her. Courtney struggles has her two lives mesh together and she wonders if she will ever go back to her own life. Jane Austen even has a cameo in this addition to Austen-lit.

Rigler's latest novel, Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict, introduces us to the real Jane Mansfield from the previous novel. It seems when Courtney took over Jane's life in 1800s England, Jane had been thrown into modern-day L.A. Jane awakens one morning to a pounding headache and someone at the door. It seems Courtney (whose body Jane now inhabits) has had a bit of a rough time lately, and her friends are worried about her. Jane struggles to adapt to the 21st century while figuring out who the strangers are that keep jetting her around in fast-moving carriages, why men and women are allowed to dine together in outdoor bistros, and how the music keeps coming out of the tiny picture frame with buttons.

In both novels, Rigler takes us to the world of Jane Austen while maintaining a firm foothold in the present-day. We get to experience the daily things we take for granted while Jane humorously tries them for the first time. Both books are highly recommended.

Hester Browne

KickinLibrarian@evpl — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 14:03:00 GMT

If you haven't read anything by Hester Browne, then you need to go to the nearest library and check one of her books out! Browne has written a hilarious series that begins with The Little Lady Agency. The story begins with Melissa Romney-Jones, a Londoner who has once again been fired from her job. In order to find more permanent employment, Melissa looks up her old etiquette teacher who serves as a companion for older men. A few dates into the job, however, Melissa finds out her job wasn't exactly what she thought! Determined to help those men who are quite helpless, Melissa starts her own business- The Little Lady Agency- to help men figure out their wardrobes, how to act on dates, etc. All is going along swimmingly until Melissa meets American Jonathan Riley. As Melissa struggles to get her company going, she also struggles to keep her attraction to Jonathan under control. Melissa's story continues in Little Lady, Big Apple and The Little Lady Agency and the Prince. Now that she is off the singles market, Melissa tries to figure out how to balance her business of helping bachelors while keeping a boyfriend.

In June 2009, Browne published a new stand-alone book. After waiting for weeks on the hold list (even librarians have to wait for the good books), I eagerly started reading The Finishing Touches this weekend. Browne has done it again! Not only does the book have laugh-out-loud moments, but there is also a bit of seriousness thrown in as well. Twenty-seven years ago a baby was left outside the Phillimore Academy for Young Ladies with a note and a small bee pendant. Betsy grows up in the shadows of the Academy walls anticipating the day she will become one of the Phillimore girls. Imagine her shock when her adoptive parents decide she is "not that type of girl" and send her off to university. Twelve years later Betsy returns after the death of her adoptive mother in hopes of bringing the Academy into the modern age and finding her real parents.

If you're looking for a new author that will make you laugh and feel a little weepy, check out any of the Hester Browne books.

High School Chick Lit

kiya@evpl — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 22:03:00 GMT

I went looking for some lighter, romantic comedy sorts of books this week - here's what I found:

It's A Mall World After All by Janette Rallison

Charlotte is working at the mall when she sees her best friend's boyfriend with another girl. She tells her friend, only to later be accused of trying to break up the couple. And it is true she pretty much despises the guy. There are plenty of laughs as Charlotte tries to sort out how to be a good friend in an impossible situation.

Learning to Swim by Cheryl Klam

Steffie's mom has a bad habit of falling for the wrong (married) guy, getting her heart broken, and moving herself and Steffie to a new place to start over. No wonder Steffie is a bit leery of falling in love. Now she's working for the summer as a maid at the Country Club, and trying to pretend she doesn't have a crush on Keith...

Forever Princess by Meg Cabot

The last in the Princess Mia series, we follow Mia through the last of her senior year. She's coping with her senior project, choosing a college, her father's upcoming election, her new boyfriend, and the return of her old boyfriend. As always, Mia will keep you smiling!

Fame, Glory and other things on my to do list by Janette Rallison

This story starts out with Jessica nearly getting carjacked after her shift at WalMart, and then realizing that the guy is trying to get her out of the car because it's his car - her silver Honda is a few spaces over. [It sounds absurd, but when I was in high school, there were two of us who worked at the library who got picked up by men (my father, her husband) in little red Vegas, and more than once I climbed in the wrong car.] Jessica is a junior, and dreams of being an actress. Right now that means a small part in the school production of West Side Story, which the director wants to do without any violence. There are lots of giggles in this book, as in every book by Rallison I've read.

When You Wish by Kristin Harmel

Star's story is a little more serious, though still with plenty of amusing parts. Star (born Amanda) is the hottest pop star around at the age of sixteen. She's really frustrated though, at how little say she has in her own life. After getting really angry with her mom, Star runs away to find the father who left when she was three. She enjoys a chance to be "normal" even when it involves learning to be a waitress.

Other suggestions for high school chick lit

Chick Lit for Teens from InfoSoup

The Gossip Girl Wears Prada

librarianinheels@evpl — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 23:50:00 GMT

Imagine graduating from a top-notch liberal arts college, and finding out that your life's ambition to be a teacher is "disappointing" to your parents. Imagine that in their extreme disappointment, they cut you off financially. Imagine still that you find your dream job, move to New York City to begin your dream life - and then find that teaching is not all its cracked up to be....financially or otherwise. Schooled by Anisha Lakhani is a tongue-in-cheek look at what happens to an idealistic young woman when she encounters the reality of her life's choice. This is Lakhani's first novel, and I am betting it's a bit of a roman a clef, since, according to her website, she taught English until 2006 at the Dalton School on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Part Gossip Girl for grown ups, part The Devil Wears Prada, Schooled is a fun book that won't disappoint. Maybe Anna, the main character in Schooled, is the real Gossip Girl? She certainly could be. XOXO...

Perfect fireside reading for Fall

librarianinheels@evpl — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 20:58:00 GMT

When I was a kid, I loved to prop myself up in a wing chair by the fire, stick my feet out, and read a good book. While I don't have a fireplace in my house, I have established a comfortable little reading ritual for myself when the nights are cool, and this fall I'm reading a few books that I think the casual reader might enjoy.

For those of you out there who really enjoy material that might be classified as "chick lit", but you like your fiction served up with some humor and a little bit of social criticism, try anything by Marian Keyes. Keyes is an Irish author and one of my favorites - her books are alternately entertaining and thought-provoking. Right now, I am reading Angels, an installment in her non-sequential saga of the five Walsh sisters. I have read Watermelon, Rachel's Holiday and Anybody Out There?, about Claire, Rachel and Anna - this book is about Maggie and I'm still waiting for the book about Helen, the most outrageous of the Walsh sisters. (hopefully Keyes will write one soon...it should be the best, the most hysterically funny of the bunch...maybe that is why it's taking her so long to write it?) This Charming Man is Keyes' latest novel (and for those of us old enough to remember - it's also the name of a song by the Smiths)...about the interworkings of toxic relationships between four different women and one man. The subject matter is more intense than Keyes has tackled in the past - but this one really seems like it will deliver, as hers always do. It's our November selection for our chick lit book discussion at Oaklyn.

The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent is a novel based in truth, set in 1691-1692 Massachusetts Bay Colony and centers around a family's involvement the Salem witch trials. It's engrossing reading...particularly when you realize that Kathleen Kent, the author, is a descendant of the family portryed in the novel. I am really enjoying it. Perfect fall reading...so curl up by the fire (or with a bunch of pillows, some cherry Hershey kisses, and a warm blankie - and a cat or two...) and dig in!

Changes for Oaklyn Chick Lit book discussion

librarianinheels@evpl — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 18:46:00 GMT

Oaklyn's Chick Lit book discussion group will continue to meet once a month on Wednesdays, but at a new time - 3:30 p.m. We'll also be meeting in the large meeting room, which is directly behind the Information Desk, instead of the Oaklyn Cafe.

In addition, December's book, The Beach House by Jane Green, is being changed to Sex in the City by Candace Bushnell - the inspiration for the hit HBO series and movie (out on DVD September 23).

As always, books for the discussion are available at the Oaklyn Branch Information Desk.