Bookends

I finished Bookends by Jane Green last night. I'm not going to lie, I really liked this book. In my opinion, it is by far her best book, at least of the ones that I've read so far.

It had all the solid qualities of a good chick lit book - main character in her early 30s, working single professional, dating and romance, and of course the witty, gay best friend. Better yet though, there was more to it than just the basic formula. The characters all seemed like actual people and the story was well written. I genuinely liked (and related to) the main character and her relationships with her friends. It also touches on many of the things that we go through in our late twenties/early thirties - career changes, having kids, realizing it's been 10 years since college, reuniting with old friends and the guilt surrounding having lost touch with them in the first place. I'm not sure the book warrants a more in depth analysis than this, but I would definitely recommend it if you're looking for a break from some more serious reading.

On a side note, I think I really am on to something with the whole gay best friend in chick-lit thing. I should probably go back to grad school and write my thesis on "The Role of the Queeny Best Friend in Modern Fiction Targeted at Females ages 25-35". Do we all have an inner fag hag dying to come out? These are the types of serious questions I will address in my thesis.

So I plan to start The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai during lunch today. The back of the book describes it like this:
In a crumbling, isolated house at the foot of Mount Kanchenjunga in the Himalayas lives an embittered judge who wants only to retire in peace, when his orphaned granddaughter, Sai, arrives on his doorstep. The judge's cook watches over her distractedly, for his thoughts are often on his son, Biju, who is hopscotching from one gritty New York restaurant to another. Kiran Desai's brilliant novel, published to huge acclaim, is a story of joy and despair. Her characters face numerous choices that majestically illuminate the consequences of colonialism as it collides with the modern world.

Sounds good, right? I'll let you know what I think. In the meantime, I think I may take Amy up on her comment suggestion and buy Into the Wild or Thunderstruck (or both!) for my upcoming Alaska trip.

Slowest Reader Ever

I was right. I was way too excited in LA to read much. I read about 4 pages while on the beach in Malibu before a seagull shat on me. Then I think I read about 2 pages on the plane ride home before falling asleep with my head on the pull down table (my chatty single neighbor did WAKE ME UP to offer to let me rest my head on his shoulder while I slept, but I declined - creeeeepy). I'm still reading Bookends by Jane Green, and hope to be done in the next couple of days.

Jeff and I leave for Juneau, Alaska next week for my cousin's wedding which is on the 21st. We'll be there for 5 nights. I'm getting the distinct impression that I'll have more time in Alaska to read than I did in LA (less excitement = more time to read), so my plan is to tackle The Inheritance of Loss on that trip. I might even have time for a second book. Any recommendations? Please post any recommendations in the comments section!

Stuck in Downward Dog

This book turned out to be kind of lame. And I don't mean lame in the standard, chick-lit type of way either. The book was mostly about Mara (the main character) figuring out who she was. Her boyfriend dumps her in the first chapter and we never hear anything else about him really, she has a crappy job, a bitchy sister, and her friends suck - with the obvious exception of her one gay friend, which was really the only way I knew for sure that this WAS a chick-lit book. That and the embarrassing book cover. Because aside from the witty banter and gay best friend, this book lacked all the things I love about a guilty pleasure read. Like romance! She didn't go on a single date for the entire book. She didn't even have a crush on anyone. I could almost forgive the lack of romance for the really funny commentary on yoga, but not quite. In particular I did really enjoy her foray into hot yoga as it mirrored my own miserable experience the first (and only) time I went to Bikram Yoga and I loved it when she spent half the book justifying wearing yoga capris to dinner parties and work. Those funny moments aside though, this book was a disappointment. I know it should be cool that she found herself without needing a man, but I get enough of that in real life. In real life, I'm very independent and I have friends and acquaintances dealing with how to find themselves without needing a man, but I read trashy girl books to *escape* real life. I want to read about a girl who's been in love with her best friend for years and have it slowly revealed over the course of 150-180 pages that HE loves HER too. Maybe neither of them have been able to see it, but through a series of unrealistic events they figure it out. Then I want them to make out and live happily ever after. Or at least have it implied by page 250 where it's all wrapped up in a nice box with a pretty bow. How much money do I need to pay Marian Keyes to write another Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married?!

Anyways, I started Bookends by Jane Green last night and the words cheeky and bugger have already been used, so things are looking up. And I leave for sunny California tomorrow! Hopefully when I get back on Tuesday, I'll have finished Bookends by then. But I make no promises - I might be too busy hanging out with Lauren and Audrina from The Hills to get much reading in.

In defense of chick-lit

I swung by Half Price Books on Roosevelt last night. Visiting Half Price Books when I normally shop at Barnes and Noble is a bit like stepping into TJ Max after spending your life shopping at Nordstroms. No pretty displays, no "recommended reads" or "new in fiction" section. While the place is no B&N, I have to admit that I felt rather cost-savvy as I walked out of there with 3 books for under $16 (total, not per book).

The first book I bought is just what I need after reading The Alchemist - classic chick lit. It's called Stuck in Downward Dog and it's by Chantel Simmons. In my last post, I said I was hoping for a book about a 30-something woman living in England and working in PR. I couldn't quite hit that nail on the head. Instead this book stars Mara who is 28, living in Toronto and working as a receptionist at a plastic surgery clinic. I started it last night and should be finished soon. Check back for a "review" later this week.

I also picked up a Jane Green book - Bookends. I've already read 4 of her other books (Jemmima J, Babyville, Mr. Maybe, The Other Woman) and while they cannot be called high brow literature, I love them all the same. I think this one will be perfect reading for my upcoming LA trip.

My addiction to chick lit can be kind of embarrassing, but at the same time I feel the need to defend it. Life isn't always as romantic and happily-ever-after as I'd like, so sometimes it's fun to read about lives that *are*. Because chick-lit is a reading staple for me, it always feels a bit like coming home when I pick up a book by someone like Jane Green, Marian Keyes, Elizabeth Young, or Sophie Kinsella. I find the familiar plot-lines and characters in these books very comforting. Particularly if they are wittily written, which many are. Jane Green's books always contain just the right amount of British slang - bum instead of butt, wobbly bits instead of cellulite, chap, bloke, and I really love it when people say bloody or bugger off. Interestingly, I just googled Jane Green looking for her book list and it turns out she has her own blog! In case you're interested, here it is: http://www.janegreen.com/

I also picked up The Inheritance of Loss, which sounded very familiar, but I'm sure I haven't read it. It's a bit more serious, so I think I'll start that that up after my trip, when I'm feeling like I need a break from chick-lit.