"It is a truth universally acknowledged that when one part of your life starts going okay, another falls spectacularly to pieces." (Bridget Jones' Diary)
"Chick Lit" is a term used to describe any novel written and geared towards women, most often young twenty-and-thirty-something women. Often romantic, the topics vary from life changes (loss of job, new apartment, new boyfriend) to just keeping up with your friends. Sometimes serious, and always fun, here are some of our favorites:
Bridget Jones’ Diary, by Helen Fielding
One of the originals of the genre, written before the movie and its sequel became famous. Bridget is as funny in the book as she is on the screen – an everywoman who writes things she would never dare say.
Also by Fielding: Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (1999) and Cause Celeb (2001)
The Dirty Girls’ Social Club, by Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez
A first, too, in the subcategory of Latina Chick Lit, this is about six friends – Usnavys, Lauren, Rebecca, Elizabeth, Sara, and Amber – who call themselves “dirty girls” because of the color of their skin. Each girl has a life that seems pretty great from the outside, but inside, it’s full of trials, from Usnavys’ accepting herself and the size of her body (and finding a man who will love her for who she is) to Amber’s rock-and-roll life that helps her connect with her Aztec roots.
Also by Valdes-Rodriguez: Playing With Boys (2005) and Make Him Look Good (2008)
In Her Shoes, by Jennifer Weiner
A story about sisters who share nothing but a shoe size, In Her Shoes is Weiner’s second novel. It’s a little deeper than most chick lit, which tends to be pretty frothy, but it’s a great book and the movie isn’t bad, either.
Also by Weiner: Good in Bed (2001) and Little Earthquakes (2005)
Can You Keep a Secret?, by Sophie Kinsella
While Kinsella is best known for her “Shopaholic” books, her stand-alone novels like this one are as good, if not better, showing ingenuity at new and strange situations her heroines find her in. This one finds the lead character, Emma Corrigan, thinking she’s going to die in a plane crash, and telling all her most secret secrets to the guy sitting next to her.
Also by Kinsella: The Undomestic Goddess (2006), and Remember Me? (2008)
If you’re not sure who’ll strike your fancy, try “Girls Night In” or “American Girls About Town” short story compilations released to benefit the War Child and Make-a-Wish charities.
*All of these books will be in the library's Fiction section, which is arranged alphabetical by author's last name, i.e. "FIC WEINER"*
Next Week: Urban Fantasy Chick Lit
