For almost 2 years, I haven't read a book. Magazines, articles, internet - but not a real life book. Sad but true. Actually that isn't entirely accurate. I did go on a trip last summer and read a couple of trashy escape novels, but I think they hardly qualify. So...That doesn't mean I haven't ordered a gazillion books - it just means I haven't read them. Part of the reason I stopped reading was that I made a decision in my life that everything I did with my new single self should be uplifting and oh so happy - but since I was spinning in a whirlpool of memories and sadness, just about everything I picked up in Barnes and Noble made me feel depressed and bruised. So, I moved on valiantly to chick books, written by women like India Knight (My Life on a Plate) and Helen Fielding (Bridget Jones Diary). I realised that life was not actually all that bad compared to these fictional heroines and suddenly my brain cells were jump started - well sort of. I ambled through bookstores checking out book covers that were usually pink and sexy. Seeking substance and inspiration in a sea of serious writing. I was lost in literary space, until my serendipidous discovery of the chicklitchicks website. Books offer brain food for life, and since I had been going through a period where my brain cells had officially checked out and I was lucky to get through a whole edition of People magazine, even the ones that featured my personal favorites like Jude Law and Harrison Ford. Sublime to the sublime. She how neurotic I have become without the grounding of a serious historical novel or treatise on the physical composition of black holes? Anyway, this site was a literary oasis in a desert of dusty memories. So in case you don't know..."Chick lit" is a term used to denote genre fiction written for and marketed to young women, especially single, working women in their twenties and thirties. Ok so I am pushing it here. But who cares. Shoot me. Chick lit features hip, stylish female protagonists, usually in their twenties and thirties, in urban settings (usually London or Manhattan), and follows their love lives and struggles in business (often in the publishing, advertising, public relations or fashion industry). The books usually feature an airy, irreverent tone and frank sexual themes.
That is the classic definition but as the genre grows you'll notice that not all books labeled "chick lit" follow the "rules". Good. Rules are the enemy. I truly do believe that "chick lit" is simply a marketing term that let's us women know that we'll probably like this book.
On the site there are also tens of blogs by women from all around the world. Some are funny (hillarious!), some are more serious and some are inspirational. They contain subject matter from sex & dating to cooking and shopping. There's something for everyone.
And if you are a budding writer like me, the website features a menegerie of links that are useful.
If you are interested in a book swap - you can go to their forums and enter the name of books you'd like to swap...its just a great site! Excuse me but I must get back to my magnifying glass and finish this book. Smile.
