Chick Lit

[groovethang]

I read Goodnight, Nobody. It was eh. I finished it in about a week but that doesn't mean it was very good. If that makes sense. Honestly I thought it was her weakest book. The mystery seemed awkward at times and there was some crazy relationship stuff and the ending was not very good.

Thanks, jensational. Bummer, I had hoped the mystery portion would have set it apart from her other books. That's what made it more appealing. Oh well, I'll still read it; going to the beach soon for a week so maybe it'll be fluffy enough.

[bossyboots]

Goodnight, Nobody is a perfect beach or plane book in my opinion. And I agree about The Wonder Spot vs. Girls' Guide... -- WS is better but I enjoyed them both.

[iceblink]

I read Goodnight Nobody on the beach last week and it was indeed perfect for that. I finished it and promptly handed it over to my friend for her beach enjoyment and she liked it too.
I really want to read some good newish Brit chick lit. One can only read Bridget Jones so many times, after all, and I don't want to give Jane Green the satisfaction of the price of her new one in hardback. I need to go browse amazon.co.uk.

[tinyshoes]

I just finished reading Sex, Murder, and a Double Latte which wasn't too bad. Not the best mystery I've read, but it did keep me turning pages. I just wish that for once, there wouldn't be a perfectly thin protagonist forbidding herself from having chocolate (never mind that she's making up the calories in all those cosmos). Not that I want a heroine who brags about being thin with big boobs or anything, but still, I'm tired of weight obsession.

[Deleted]

dwanollah said:

sarcasticcheese said:

I just finished The Nanny Diaries.

What a disappointing way to end the book. Boo.

Totally. It didn't even seem particularly realistic or likely that that's how Nan would react and what she'd do. Hell, it just plain didn't seem like much at all.

I still might see the movie, though.

Well, I've only now realized that there really is a film in the making and that ScarlJo plays Nan. Huh. And two of the IMHO most likeable actors (Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney) play Mr and Mrs X. Should be interesting but I bet that the movie will be very different from the book. That said, I don't think that the book is very good. I sometimes found Nan downright unlikeable and Grayer a tad bit creepy. There were also too many comments about herself that she apparently looks like a model, I mean seriously, how many times does Nan think that people mistake her for a model?

ETA: Ha, they don't have a character name on imdb for Chris Evans so I'm guessing he's "Harvard Hottie"?

[Deleted]

I've just started the newest Girls Night Out, a collection of short stories by popular chick lit authors. So far, I really like it, though I've only read the first 2 stories.
It includes stories by Marian Keyes, Emily Griffin and Meg Cabot, as well as many others.

[Deleted]

I just finished Prep, if we're considering that book to be chick lit. It was enjoyable, not great, but I wasn't bummed I had picked up from the library. Although the main character (Guess it wasn't that good if I can't remember her name) was annoying at times, and other times I really wanted to beat the shit out of her.

I'm on a Janet Evanovich kick now. Plowed through Three to Get Deadly and am currently making my way through Metro Girl.

[almostblue]

sarcasticcheese said:

I just finished Prep, if we're considering that book to be chick lit. It was enjoyable, not great, but I wasn't bummed I had picked up from the library. Although the main character (Guess it wasn't that good if I can't remember her name) was annoying at times, and other times I really wanted to beat the shit out of her.

I tried reading Prep last summer, but couldn't finish it as the main character was so awful, probably the most unlikeable protagonist I've ever encoutered. For the hundred pages in the beginning and fifty at the end that I read, she did nothing but mope around, and exhibited absolutely no character growth in four years.

Also, most of the minority characters were blantant walking stereotypes, which was annoying; one got the impression that the author has never met a nonwhite person and took her characterizations from bad TV shows and movies.

[Deleted]

I enjoyed many parts of Prep. But I agree with you about the protagonist. There were so many points that I just wanted to crawl into the book and shake some sense into her. The author sometimes gets things really right. I can't remember specifics but sometimes I'd be reading through it and she'd write something that so perfectly captures what it feels like to be young and unsure and nervous. There would just be one or two lines that would be brilliant.

I just finished Man of my dreams her latest book and that is the same way. Sometimes there would be these little gems of emotional truth but same as in Prep, the main character was impossible to deal with at times and at the end she was like "Wow, see how I've grown" and I'm like "Um, no. No I haven't"

Plus, after reading Prep & the latest book, I am convinced that Curtis Sittenfeld has no idea how to end a book to save her life. Both endings just blew, IMO.

They're enjoyable books for the most part but I'm not sure why she's put on this pedestal above chick lit. She's not exactly writing "literature". It's just enjoyable fiction. Decades from now, my children will not be assigned to read Prep in any of their English classes so I really with the papers would stop acting as if she's the second coming.

[carrier76]

I desperately need a book recommedation....I was thinking of picking up "Weekend in Paris" but I've read middling reviews...I hated Shopaholic, liked Bridget Jones all right, just finished Devil Wears Prada and liked it (even though it stressed me out), and love, love LOVE Jessica Darling....any suggestions? Anyone?

Oh, and before I forget, "Bookends" by Jane Green was really, really good.