Books to chew on before school once again take over your lifeBy Nicola Six
There’s a reason most chick-lit is dismissed as awful, vapid stuff: most of it is. But that’s exactly the point. Sometimes a shameless sleaze-fest (or a sleazy shame-fest, as the case may be) is exactly what’s called for—Ulysses can always wait for university, after all. A lazy salute to the spirit of easygoing mediocrity, then, as Vervegirl presents five chick-lit picks to get you through the month.
Confessions of a Shopaholic
by Sophie Kinsella (Delta) $15
The reigning heavyweight champion of the genre, this beast of a best-seller has spawned four sequels, including this year’s Shopaholic & Baby (another number one hit). The original book follows Becky Bloomwood, an irrepressible 20-something whose self-discipline doesn’t quite match her credit limit. Before too long, Becky’s creative financial solutions catch the attention of handsome multimillionaire Luke Brandon. Romance and crippling debt are in the air!
SORT OF LIKE: A modern twist of Jane Austen with credit cards.
Believe Meby Patricia Pearson (Vintage Canada) $19.95
Chick-lit isn’t all appletinis and gratuitous shopping sprees. Canadian author Patricia Pearson, for instance, is renowned for transcending the familiar themes that define the genre with lively writing and biting wit. The granddaughter of former Prime Minister and Nobel Peace Prize-winner Lester B. Pearson, her most recent work, Believe Me, examines the big issues (life, death and all that) that confront new mother Frannie Mackenzie when her mother-in-law Bernice leaps dramatically into her deathbed.
SORT OF LIKE: Sophie Kinsella or Candace Bushnell writing a parenting book.
Other heavy hitting lit:The Moon of Jupiter
by Alice Munro (Penguin Canada) $19
A collection of beautifully crafted short stories with heartstring-tugging topics. For those of you with attention spans that last only a chapter or two.
The Lovely Bones
by Alice Sebold (Back Bay Publishing) $28.50
A gripping tale of loss, pain and the ghost of a little girl that watches the living find her killer. Good luck putting this one down!
Will Write for Shoes: How to Write a Chick Lit Novel
by Cathy Yardley (Thomas Dunne Books) $16.95
So, you’ve read some chick-lit. Why not give writing the old college try? This how-to manu-elle, written by veteran chick-lit and romance author Cathy Yardley, is brimming with step-by-step methods and helpful tips. It also includes a history of the genre, as well as a directory of agents and publishers who have the means to get you on our next chick-lit list.
Learn this next:Teach Yourself Art History
by Grant Pooke & Graham Whitham (McGraw Hill Publishing) $12.95
A cheatsheet on how to look and speak the part of an art history virtuoso the next time you’re in a gallery or museum.
