Recently in Chick lit Category
Managed to squeeze a chunk of chick lit in between Red Mars and Green Mars for a bit of (undemanding) variety.
As with other Mike Gayle novels we get to experience the male perspective. Dave Harding is a thirty-something, Nick Hornby-esque music journalist who comes complete with a well honed horror of all things pop and a penchant for top ten lists, plus a happy marriage to fellow journalist Izzy.
Then everything changes and Dave is thrown into the world of Cathy & Claire, aka serving as The Love Doctor on an "agony aunt" column in Teen Scene, a teenage girls' magazine, which comes complete with babies, relationships and unexpected blasts from the past - and a whole set of parallel developments in his personal life.
Amazon.co.uk link: Dinner for Two - Mike Gayle
Having missed the film and enjoying the frivolity of Ugly Betty, this seemed the perfect light read, and so it proved. If you too have enjoyed the New York fashion world setting of Ugly Betty with its larger than life characters and misplaced underdog, then you'll enjoy this US chicklit, and no doubt film version too.
Definitely not demanding; making this a library loan rather than a purchase.
Amazon.co.uk link:
The Devil Wears Prada - Lauren Weisberger
A confession - I am a sucker for this kind of London love story chick lit, and I read this at one sitting (or lying, seeing it was an evening-and-into-the-night bedtime read).
The lure with these novels is that they feature characters and situations that are similar to those encountered in my 30-something world, and it's all the more so in Vince & Joy which follows the relationship between the two main characters from 1980s first love holiday romance through 20 something loves and lives in the 90s and up to the present day. Strong characters and situations provide depth and emotion, and whilst there is always going to be a happy ending, you know the path to it is not going to be straighforward.
Amazon.co.uk link: Vince & Joy - Lisa Jewell
A confession - I am a sucker for this kind of London love story chick lit, and I read this at one sitting (or lying, seeing it was an evening-and-into-the-night bedtime read).
The lure with these novels is that they feature characters and situations that are similar to those encountered in my 30-something world, and it's all the more so in Vince & Joy which follows the relationship between the two main characters from 1980s first love holiday romance through 20 something loves and lives in the 90s and up to the present day. Strong characters and situations provide depth and emotion, and whilst there is always going to be a happy ending, you know the path to it is not going to be straighforward.
Amazon.co.uk link: Vince & Joy - Lisa Jewell
Another of the second hand book haul from Hereford, and an easy read albeit a bit weepy in places as we follow the emotional highs and lows of the late teenage years in the life of Sam, who, together with her beloved twin Anna was adopted as a baby. When Anna is killed in a road accident, Sam decides to track down her biological parents.
Buy it: Amazon link
On loan from Rachel, in lieu of a Lisa Jewell duplicate, I whizzed through this in a week. A modern morality tale for thirtysomethings both sides of the Atlantic, demonstrating that the grass isn't always greener on the other side of the "married with children" line.
Buy it: Amazon link
Jane Green is always reliable on the old chicklit front, and The Other Woman was the first book I spotted in my recent trip to the Barbican Library. Not as gripping as some of her other novels, or perhaps I'm just getting to familiar with them now, and the blurb on the back cover is fine as far as bare facts go but seems to over egg the differences between Ellie, the main character, and husband-to-be, Dan who's mother is "The Other Woman" of the title.
Ellie is rather less likeable than other lead characters that Jane Green has created, being too preoccupied with her own desires, needs and emotions to see situations from other people's perspectives until the light dawns (or, rather, is shone directly at her) so as to achieve the requisite happy ending.
Buy it: Amazon link
Disappointing, given that I'd added this to my Wishlist (albeit as a library option) after rave reviews in the Guardian's books of the year round up for 2004.... I only managed the first two chapters before abandoning ship in favour of a A Long Finish.
Pourquoi? I found the American sisters who are the lead characters just too annoying for words, the french characters were all clich
I'd lugged my PM course books all the way out to Walton (intending to revise for my ISEB oral at the end of the month), with Star of the Sea for 'light relief' (seeking brownie points for perseverence), but a haul of second hand delights courtesy of the Hospice charity shop in Frinton included this even lighter relief. It ended up elbowing out all my good intentions, occupying my rainy reading time it was gone in a day.
Nothing spectacular - a nice chicklit bonkbuster-lite, with the added twist of an update to the Cinderella story questioning the values of weight/looks-obsessed metropolitan Belles and Beaux. I quite liked the only-slightly-heavy-handed sections on 'how to use the internet', 'chatroom etiquette' and 'email smileys' - they may appear dated now, but in 1998 I can imagine the references were rather rad.
Buy it: Amazon link
Not great if I'm to be honest, and I suspect that I only stuck it out to the end for want of anything better to read (yes, Star of the Sea still lurks unfinished on my bedside table).
The characters aren't as loveable as Fiona Walker's more recent Oddlode cast, and the story seemed to stretch thin to cover the mutual love in/obsession between trendy London restaurants and trend-setting media celebs, and the less conventional tales of Sussex (?) country folk. Oh with unrequited love/obsession and love triangles too numerous to mention.
Buy it: Amazon link
More frivolous fun from Fiona Walker. Tongue in Cheek is set in the same Cotswoldshire community as Lots of Love, with the Archers-esque range of rustic characters extended to include the essential catalytic new comers and black sheep returnees to produce passionate plotlines and happy endings. I'm looking forward to seeing Diana and Amos, Mo and Pod, Anke and Graham making guest appearances in Fiona Walker's future tales of Sex In The Sticks, Oddlode Valley style.
Thanks for the loan, Susa!
Buy it: Amazon link
Easy chick lit reading, and a complete contrast from Kinsey Millhone, P.I., although the later chapters of the book are set in the USA (NYC and Connecticut rather than California mind you).
The gist of the story is: Plain Jane gets swept of her feet by long lusted after (from afar) friend of her brother and now wealthy City slicker, who transforms her into a sophisticated and doting wife who turns a blind eye on his philandering ways until their move to the US changes their world and their lives.....
Not at all a strenuous brain work out and I didn't find it emotionally evocative as Bookends, for example, but that's probably because I have no links at all to the fabulously wealthy world in which the story is set. Although the pace is a bit slow compared to most chicklit, Spellbound it a fatter book than many.
Buy it: Amazon link
Another couple of nights of light relief (From Brian Keenan's An Evil Cradling), resulting in late nights as I indulged in "just one more chapter".
The usual London-based chick-lit, so don't expect anything too deep and/or meaningful, although this rang a few more bells of familiarity than some!
Buy it: Amazon link
Purchased by Hazel in a Books etc 3 for 2 offer for "easy holiday reading" we both polished this off in a short day. It's nothing spectacular, but fine for a beach read and satisfies the need (?) for reminders of home, basically being a tale that combines starting university with University Challenge, with a veneer of a love story.
Buy it: Amazon link
Great chicklit (written by a bloke - so is that blokelit?) set in Birmingham (which gave it extra brownie points from me), with a techie-yet-cool leading man who returns home from NY to "celebrate" his 30th birthday, having first split up with his girlfriend.
Lots of nostalgia (even if you don't come from Brum, although being bornin the 1970s must help), lots of familiar events and emotions - revolving reaching the dreaded (it's not that bad!!) Three-O, and lots of humanity in there too - as one of the amazon reviewers says, "Buy it, read it and you will see yourself in there somewhere.".
Buy it:Amazon link
I started this one evening after a heavy day at the books, revising - yawn - for my OU Project Management exam. Fatal. There followed three successive nights of 2am plus lights off, as the story kept me turning the pages to find out Will they? Won't they?
It would have been perfect holiday reading, but too late - it was devoured in 72 hours (most of them of the wee small variety).
I like to think of it as useful additional reading for the Teams and Human Factors unit of the course. It certainly takes you through a whole host of emotions.
Buy it: Amazon link
Another lovely collection of chick lit for the 21st century. Short stories, with the twist that this time half are written by The Boys. Oh and the book flips upsidedown halfway through so you know when you've reached the other's half.
Sometimes in life you do just need such easy reading fodder, and now's one of them for me.
Buy it: Amazon link
Now usually reading groups, book clubs, call them what you will, leave me cold - all a bit too earnest and I just like to enjoy my books, not spend time working out why (sorry to all those who thought my Reading was all about online lit crit....). But Elizabeth Noble's Reading Group was far better than expected.
I raced through this one, battling through the tears and the emotions as I followed an eventful year in the lives of a group of English women (metropolitan mothers in the main) who form a reading group. Reminded me of the cast/characters in Cold Feet - some you love, some you hate, others simply infuriate - but the themes of love and loss are universal.
Buy it: Amazon link
Another chick lit gem (uh oh - I think I'm becoming addicted to trashy fiction for the 20/30something market)
As the blurb says, "Easy reading and lots of romping", with a strong female lead and a bad boy with the X-factor as her will they/won't they perfect match.
Courtesy of a couple of late nights, and avid reading on the bus to and from work, I got through this blockbuster in 3 days, and I'm all set to dig out another Fiona Walker when I next visit the Barbican library.
But what do I read now ..... ?
Buy it: Amazon link
Another easy slice of chick lit, a freebie with the Cosmo Hazel bought for the trip up to Leeds. A literary London couple try out life in the village of Eight Mile Bottom, complete with a gossip-monger postie, a "farmer fatale" and a reclusive pop star called Matt Locke (not to be confused with this Matt Locke mind you).
A lovely light read.
Buy it: Amazon link
Another fantastic fast of easy-read chick-lit in the form of short stories by All The Names, some known, others new to me. Some familiar themes, but a bunch of new slants.
Buy it: Amazon link
Another gem from Liza Jewell. The story of three brothers, their girlfriends, parents and a psychic lodger, Gervase, as a suburban London spring turns into a London summer.
Hurrah for the Barbican lending library!!
Just buy (or borrow) it: Amazon link
A light frothy read, which kept me engrossed from 11pm on Thursday to 3am Friday morning... yes it was a "completed in one read" book.
Not demanding at all, and all the more welcome for that - I've an over abundance of work things occupying my brain at the moment, and it's a welcome relief to read something which is the literary equivalent of, say, "This Life". A right rollicking read, likeable and unlikeable characeters, plot lines that wouldn't stand up to too much scrutiny - perfect escapism.
Buy it: Amazon link
Seeing as work's about to get rather stressful, I feel the need for some lighthearted easy reading... and Lisa Jewell always provides that! And Ralph's Party is set in Clapham Junction - that came as a nice surprise!
Two days in and I'm on Chapter 16... this isn't going to last out the weekend!
Selected as the light-weight option in today's 5 book haul from the newly reopened Battersea Library, this chick-lit (not quite that, but it's the closest pigeon hole) novel didn't even last 24 hours - it was that gripping.
It took a while to get going, but once the lead character, Ana, is in London things step up a gear and it's a page-turner, roller-coaster of discovery from there on in. And a great, neat, tear jerker of an ending.
Buy it: Amazon link
Loaned to me by Jo, who'd found time to finish reading it whilst I was weekending en famille in Suffolk with TJBR, this is a Good Read for the ladies, particularly those who enjoy the Bridget Jones style storyline - i.e. reads a bit like a diary, lots of self-awareness/self-analysis, fictionalised reality - and who work in the City, or indeed any high pressure environment where male bosses and perspectives predominate, irrespective of any postulated equalitiy, or "diversity" as IDKHSDI describes it.
I read it at every available opportunity, and am thankful that the occasions when I had to laugh (snort) outloud came to pass when I was in the privacy of my own home - unlike the sections which made me cry, which I reached sitting on the 242 to Hackney.
Buy it: Amazon link