Tag Archives: Chick Lit

Your Roots are Showing by Elise Chidley

British Literature

Synopsis: Lizzie wishes her husband hadn’t accidentally gotten that email complaining about him, because now he wants a divorce and she can’t figure out how to win him back. Review: Your Roots are Showing belongs firmly to the Bridget Jones school of chick lit. Lizzie is pudgy, disheveled, and fashion unconscious. She’s prone to charming outbursts of clumsiness, and despite her lack of self-awareness she still manages to be self-deprecating. And of course she always wins the heart of the hottest guy in the room.…

Read More »

The Shape of Mercy by Susan Meissner

American Literature 4 Comments

Synopsis: A wealthy young woman takes a job transcribing the diary of a victim of the Salem witch trials, discovering a powerful love story that changes her perspective on her privileged life. Review: Deftly interweaving the very different stories of three headstrong women, Susan Meissner has crafted a novel that delivers a powerfully moving reading experience. I found myself on the verge of tears many times, overcome by Lauren’s journey as she inhabits the world of Mercy, a young woman fated to die by hanging…

Read More »

How to Raise Your Parents by Sarah O’Leary Burningham

American Literature 4 Comments

Synopsis: A cute, sassy “manual” for teen girls on how to make the most of their teen years without making Mom and Dad crazy. Review: How to Raise Your Parents definitely has the big sister tone down pat, and, for the most part, it doesn’t court too much controvery. I can see parents buying this book for their daughters, but I’m not sure I can see girls buying it for themselves, not because the advice isn’t good but because it’s a little preachy at times.…

Read More »

100 Most Influential Books by Women

On Reading 11 Comments

Via BookGal–I’ve bolded the ones I’ve read. 1. Margaret Mitchell, Gone With the Wind 2. Anne Rice, Interview With the Vampire 3. Virginia Woolf, To the Lighthouse 4. Virginia Woolf, Mrs. Dalloway 5. Virginia Woolf, The Waves 6. Virginia Woolf, Orlando 7. Djuna Barnes, Nightwood 8. Edith Wharton, The House of Mirth 9. Edith Wharton, The Age of Innocence 10. Edith Wharton, Ethan Frome 11. Radclyffe Hall, The Well of Loneliness 12. Nadine Gordimer, Burger’s Daughter 13. Harriette Simpson Arnow, The Dollmaker 14. Margaret Atwood,…

Read More »

Little Pink Slips by Sally Koslow

American Literature

Synopsis: When her magazine is taken over by a bullheaded celebrity, editor-in-chief Magnolia Gold tries to go along to get along–until she gets handed a pink slip. Review: I am not ashamed to admit that I love a good ‘n’ dishy roman a clef. But Little Pink Slips was a HUGE disappointment. I felt like author Sally Koslow was simply recycling material from other, better books, and none of her satire was particularly fresh. Her worse sin of all? Squandering her source material.

Read More »

Memoirs of an Ex-Prom Queen by Alix Shulman

American Literature 3 Comments

Synopsis: Despite being both beautiful and smart, former teen beauty Sasha’s love life is a shambles, and–even worse–she’s approaching 30 with rapid speed. Review: I usually don’t say blank is the new blank, but I’ve never been more glad that 30 is the new 20 than after reading this depressing book. When I was in my 20s, I was looking forward to 30, because I had a sense from the women around me that 30 meant a break from a lot of the angst and…

Read More »