Tag Archives: Chick Lit

Somebody Tell Aunt Tillie She’s Dead by Christiana Miller

Posted on by
Reply

Synopsis:
A down-on-her-luck Los Angeles witch comes into an unexpected inheritance, a house with a previous tenant who just won’t leave… even after death.

Review:
Somebody Tell Aunt Tillie She’s Dead was a tremendous amount of fun to read. Christiana Miller‘s background in the TV industry shows in her confident, imaginative plotting and idiosyncratic characters that leap off the page with the power of their intention within the story.

The book is steeped in real witchcraft, of the Los Angeles Wiccan variety, and while the spells are beautiful to read, I did get weirded out by all the anti-Christian stuff in there. If the book weren’t so well written I probably would have stopped reading after the beginning, but I just had to find out what happened to Mara. Miller takes the story to crazytown–and I mean that as a good thing! She’s completely unafraid of embracing all the possibilities of her premise, and I was truly impressed by the end result.

Posted in American Literature | Tagged , , , , | Leave a reply

Enchanted, Inc by Shanna Swendson (Katie Chandler, Book 1)

Posted on by
1

Synopsis:
An ordinary New York City girl gets recruited by a magical agency precisely because she is immune to magic.

Review:
Cute, light, and fun, Enchanted, Inc. was exactly the palate cleanser I needed after gorging on A Dance With Dragons. I especially loved that Shanna Swendson didn’t feel the need to make Katie klutzy or ditsy. She wasn’t afraid to have Katie be outspoken and assertive. She was my kind of girl and I really enjoyed spending time in her head.

Cold Light by Jenn Ashworth

Posted on by
Reply

Synopsis:
When a body is uncovered near a memorial site for a dead teen, her former best friend reflects on the events of a decade ago that culminated in tragedy.

Review:
Cold Light was tremendously depressing. Lola, the narrator was mopey, passive, and largely unappealing. Her best friend Chloe is described as having a charisma that draws people to her, but she just seemed angry and petulant to me. I think that was the point, though, and that I’m just in a place where these kinds of stories no longer appeal to me. I used to love films and books like Morvern Callar and the like, but I just need more of a range of emotions in the stories I love now. I found no joy in this book and that kept me from appreciating the story.

Posted in British Literature | Tagged , , , , | Leave a reply

Sherry and Narcotics by Nina-Marie Gardner

Posted on by
2

Synopsis:
A young American woman who can’t stay sober moves to Manchester to live near the internet boyfriend who can only see her on Saturday nights.

Review:
I feel like I’ve read Sherry and Narcotics a million times, only with different names and in different cities. I’m not saying the book lacks literary merit, only that this particular kind of semi-autobiographical sexy self-destructiveness seems to have a perennial appeal. 10 years ago I read Morvern Callar and thought it was deep; now I just feel worried for these poor girls. Must be the mom in me, wanting to take care of everyone and spare them from the hurts of the world.

The book is beautifully written and utterly engrossing, so much so that I tore through it of a morning. I can’t really think who I would recommend it to, though. It’s a bit depressing for the onset of spring. But Nina-Marie Gardner definitely has chops!

Posted in American Literature | Tagged , , , , | 2 Replies

Minding Ben by Victoria Brown

Posted on by
Reply

Synopsis:
18-year-old Grace is on her own, having left her native Trinidad for a new life in the US, but nannying for a wealthy family might not be the source of rescue she needs it to be.

Review:
Minding Ben‘s strength is in its depiction of the after-work lives of the Carribean women who take care of so many babies and toddlers in New York City. It’s weakness comes by hewing too closely to the Nanny Diaries dynamic of adorable kid with evil parents. I really hated how cartoonishly awful Miriam and Sol were–not only did they disregard Grace’s boundaries, they were racist as well. I see a lot of Carribean nannies here in Queens, hired by moms who are not wealthy and who don’t abuse them. I’d be just as interested in Grace’s story if the family she worked for were more recognizably human.

Tapestry of Love by Rosy Thornton

Posted on by
Reply

Synopsis:
After a divorce, Englishwoman Catherine moves to a cottage in the rural Cevennes mountains in France, facing challenges as an outsider at a crossroads in her life.

Review:
Tapestry of Love is a charming novel that makes you ache to visit the Cevennes mountains. The descriptions of the landscapes and the food and the culture are just so evocative. It’s a near-perfect example of this kind of book. Rosy Thornton’s storytelling is languid and endearing, making this a most relaxing read of the best possible kind.

Check out her website for recipes and photos–I am dying to try the Navarin of Lamb!

Many thanks to Headline for the review copy.

Posted in British Literature | Tagged , , , | Leave a reply

Jenny by Sigrid Undset

Posted on by
Reply

Synopsis:
A young Norwegian woman pursues her painting in Rome, but when she gets swept up in a romance with a fellow countryman she finds her dreams derailed and her life shattered.

Review:
Jenny is a realist novel from the Pulitzer Prize winning author of the Kristin Lavransdatter trilogy, one of my all-time favorite reads. It’s a somber story that reminded me of Theodore Dreiser and EM Forster, delving into the psychology of Jenny, an artist in her late 20s living a bohemian life and not sure why she’s not dreaming of settling down. When she meets Helge Gram, another Norwegian prowling Rome, she allows herself to be captured against her better judgment, and what follows is an exploration of a woman caught between expectation and longing.

I found Jenny to be startlingly fresh. Jenny and her roommate Cesca could have been me and my friends back when I was young and single, even though they were subject to more social constrictions than we were. Further proof that Undset is one of the 20th century’s greatest authors.

Posted in Norwegian Literature | Tagged , , | Leave a reply

She’s Gone Country by Jane Porter

Posted on by
Reply

Synopsis:
After her husband leaves her for another man, a model with three teenage boys moves back home to Texas where she runs across the champion bullrider she loved as a teen.

Review:
I’ve previously enjoyed Jane Porter’s books as being a cut above the usual chick lit/romance genre entrants, but She’s Gone Country didn’t rise to the occasion. While Porter gave Shey a juicy family situation–dead schizophrenic brother, depressed son, gay ex-husband–she never really came to life on the page for me. I think it was because she was a model. That made her feel like a clichéd chick lit character, and I had trouble taking her seriously. Also, her love interest being a bullrider just made me giggle more than swoon. Oh well. I’d still try another book of hers, based on the other two I liked, but one more like this one and I’ll write her off as not being for me.

Many thanks to 5 Spot for the review copy.

Posted in American Literature | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a reply

Just Like Me, Only Better by Carol Snow

Posted on by
Reply

Synopsis:
Strapped for cash, a divorced mom and substitute teacher takes on a job as a celebrity double for a troubled young TV star.

Review:
Just Like Me, Only Better has a fresh premise and above-average execution. I enjoyed all the minutiae of the lookalike life, and it was enough to keep me engaged despite my lack of interest in Veronica’s love life difficulties, which felt a bit contrived. It’s not one that will stick with me, but I enjoyed the read.

Many thanks to Berkley Trade for the review copy.

Posted in American Literature | Tagged , , | Leave a reply

Improper Relations by Janet Mullany

Posted on by
Reply

Synopsis:
Forced to marry after an indiscretion at a ball, Charlotte and Shad resign themselves to a marriage of convenience that may not be as unlively as they had assumed.

Review:
Improper Relations has a cute premise, and I enjoyed the little hints of decadence that author Janet Mullany threw into her Regency setting. She does a good job creating the tension between Charlotte and Shad, and throws in just enough originality in her plotting to mask the requisite predictable complications arising from assumptions and misunderstandings. It’s a nice, fun read that even surprised me a little.

Many thanks to Little Black Dress for the review copy.

Posted in American Literature | Tagged , , , , | Leave a reply