And that, my friends, is why I love Tim Gunn. Even though I’m still not totally sold on his show (although I will watch it again once it starts).
Also, speaking of girl-friendly media, this weekend I read, in literally 2 hours, Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella (I had wanted some good girly stuff, something to quickly escape to, to ease my transition into real literature again after spending the last month or so reading Harry Potter (finally finished the last one, sobbed a bit, awesome) and Stephanie Meyer).
Ugh. Another brutal reminder of why I (generally) don’t read chick lit.
Who is this horrible, cheap-knockoff-of-Bridget Jones heroine who LIES to her creditors, LIES to everyone, including the man she ends up seeing? I’m supposed to think (and believe he thinks) she’s charmingly quirky? I’m sorry, but I know lots of charming, quirky women who don’t try to defraud their bankers that I would much rather read about! I’m sorry if you liked it, don’t mean to offend, but I really couldn’t believe this was who I was supposed to identify with as a woman.
So I promptly began The Power and The Glory by Graham Greene, and was much, much happier.
But I know that there has to be SOME good books with female heroines (aside from the classics) that YOU can recommend to me. I loved Bridget Jones. I loved Dana Spiotta’s Lightning Field, Alice Kaplan’s French Lessons (thanks, Urs!), Marisha Pessl’s Special Topics in Calamity Physics.
Any suggestions? I don’t need it too brainy, it’s still summer, just something where I’ll engage with the heroine and not spend the entire book appalled by her as a person, something where the heroine isn’t another kind of pterodactyl, a prehistoric vision of women as un-nuanced, incapable of handling fiscal or moral responsibility, and, BONUS (books are expensive), something that takes me more than 2 hours to finish.
Ideas?
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Marian Keyes’ books are pretty great as far as chick lit goes – strong storylines, good characters, and not likely to make you want to poke your eyes out.
Absolutely agreed, anything by Marian Keyes – I just read her most recent, THIS CHARMING MAN, which is a little heavier than usual, so I’d suggest THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STORY or LUCY SULLIVAN IS GETTING MARRIED. She’s fantastic!
You might scoff, the the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series is really great and fun but not at all dumbed down. The series was recommended to me (me: late 30s) by one of my best friends who is uber smart, so I knew there had to be something to them. Positive role models, real situations (minus, of course the magic pants), and heroines you can admire. Great summer reading. Also, if you read exclusively adult books, I recommend The Last Summer (of You and Me), also by Ann Brashares who wrote the Traveling Pants books. Summer friends grown up returning to their parents cottages on Fire Island. Great read.
An old favorite from my childhood, that I still love–The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett).
One of the most extraordinary books I have ever read–Stones From the River (Ursula Hegi).
Hi,
Read “Inappropriate Men” by Stacy Ballis. You will laugh at this girl’s dating antics. It’s the only one of Stacy’s I like the best.
By the way, I don’t know you, but I love your blog!
Have you read any of Sarah Vowell’s books? They’re not fiction, and a bit heavier than chicklit, but they might work well. The Partly Cloudy Patriot is my favorite, but really they’re all fantastic.
Microserfs by Douglas Coupland is one of my favorite books ever, and while the narrator is male, there are some strong female characters.
In YA, my current front-runner for all-time favorite author is Maureen Johnson. If you want a fun antidote to Bella and her constant whining, try Suite Scarlett or Devilish.
Other ideas: Popco by Scarlett Thomas, Sammy’s Hill by Kristin Gore (but not the sequel) (also this is my only actual chicklit suggestion, oops!), Lucky Girls by Nell Freudenberger, and In the Land of No Right Angles by Daphne Beal (this is on my to-read list).
Oh, and one more chicklit suggestion, that I just finished and really liked, Don’t You Forget About Me by Jancee Dunn. I also loved her memoir of working as a music writer, But Enough About Me.
And another good memoir, Foreign Babes in Beijing. I promise I’m done now, seriously.
That was a lie. I also recently liked I Was Told There’d Be Cake by Sloane Crosley. (Funny essays, from a young female point of view.)
The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver – well-written, surprisingly light-hearted (despite sometimes being a little violent), and not just about getting a man.
You might want to try “Six Of One” by Rita Mae Brown. That book makes me laugh out loud every time I read it. The characters are a wonderful blend of grand southern high comedy mixed with tragedy and it’s not a heavy read by any means. “Fried Green Tomatoes” by Fannie Flagg is a must have in my library as is the YaYa series by Rebecca Wells and “Legally Blonde” by Amanda Brown.
Are you near a library? That’s where I get my reading material.
• Tell Me Lies by Jenny Crusie – One of the funniest light reads around. It is a mystery but opens with her finding a woman’s underwear in her husband’s car and then trying to drown her sorrow with a frozen brownie. Ever cook a frozen brownie on a fork over the burner?
• Diana Gabaldon – It is not sci fi, but a woman does fall back in time and so it all takes place like 100 years ago with a gorgeous Kilted man.
• Mysteries especially by: Janet Evanovich – her work is about a New Jersey girl who is a really bad (as in inept) bounty hunter. I love the CD’s of her books because the reader is so good.
• Sarah Paretsky -Another woman detective protagonist
• Nevada Barr – a little more in depth mysteries with a woman protagonist who is a Park Ranger
Oh no! I’m late. And you’re welcome for French Lessons–I’m so glad you liked it. I recommend Italian Fever by Valerie Martin (if you want it I’ll send it to you), everything by Ann Patchett, and did you ever read The Sixteen Pleasures by Robert Hellenga? Good stuff.
I can’t believe someone recommended Foreign Babes in Beijing. I met the author at Logan’s wedding this summer–sat next to her at the rehearsal dinner (and had to give my toast right before hers). Maybe you remember that she’s my fake nemesis. The book’s been on my list for ages, so you can wait until I buy it if you want.
Favorite book of the summer was The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Framed in letters, it is a fabulous read.
I just read the first of Meg Cabot’s Megan Wells mysteries. Cabot also wrote the Princess Diaries which were, as always, much better than the movies. Anyways, I’m not a big mystery fan, but this was really good! More chick-lit than mystery, which I really liked.
Size 12 is NOT Fat
oh, and anything by Jennifer Crusie is a fun read. Bet Me was the first one I read and it was my intro to the new incarnation of “chick-lit”.
I am usually in desperate need of a good book as well. A few that were worth the price in paperback are The Poisenwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, about a white missionary family that moves to Africa. Deep reading, very long book and funny too. Then, Atonement by Ian McEwen (sp?). It was just a movie that I didn’t see. The book is dense, it spans decades by isolating a few incidents in depth and if you think you know what is going to happen, you don’t!
I was actually having a discussion with my Mrs about rehearsal dinner toast speech a few hours ago. This blog is very interesting, I have learnt something new. Cheers from London!
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