Literature for Chicks? Chick Lit!

When I read a book, I want a happy ending. I really don’t want to suffer through the agony and angst and death and destruction, and get a so-so ending. I want to know right up front that everything will end well for the main character. All the problems will be solved and everything will be right with the world. That is why I read Chick Lit.

Wikipedia defines Chick Lit as featuring "hip, stylish female protagonists, usually in their twenties and thirties, in urban settings (usually London or Manhattan), and follows their love lives and struggles for professional success (often in the publishing, advertising, public relations or fashion industry). The books usually feature an airy, irreverent tone and frank sexual themes." The main feature of Chick Lit is there is ALWAYS a happy ending.

In addition to the predictable happy ending, Chick Lit features down-to-earth girls who have trouble with their credit cards, eat too much cake, forget to make their car payment or stumble, fall and break something. These are real women who struggle through their daily lives by making mistakes and learning from them. Chick Lit also showcases strong female protagonists who are career women, figuring out what life is about and how to make life what they want it to be.

At the crux of most of these novels is the handsome man. Whether it is the carpenter who is really a multimillionaire, the advertising executive who has a mean girlfriend, or the next-door neighbor’s son who has been out of the country attending medical school, the Chick Lit novel prides itself on creating a male protagonist that falls madly in love with the young woman just as she is-- no changes necessary.

-- Sarah, MCMLS librarian

The following titles are great introductions to the world of Chick Lit:

Can you keep a secret?-- Sophie Kinsella
The Sleeping Beauty Proposal-- Sarah Stroymeyer
Bridget Jones’ Diary-- Helen Fielding
Boy Meets Girl-- Meg Cabot
Dear Prince Charming-- Donna Kauffman
Last Chance Saloon-- Marian Keyes
Life A La Mode-- Linda Lenjoff
Passion, Betrayal and Killer Highlights-- Kyra Davis
Playing James-- Sarah Mason
Reality TV Bites-- Shane Bolks
Size 12 Is Not Fat-- Meg Cabot
Society Girls-- Sarah Mason


Read a great chick lit novel? Leave it in the comments!

And the winner is......

Recent Award Winners


Doris Lessing is the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature for 2007.

Anne Enright is the winner of the Man Booker Prize for Fiction for her book The Gathering.

This year's National Book Award winner has not yet been announced, but you can check out the finalist list here.

Read an amazing award-winning title? Leave it in the comments!

Why do people kill? Most of us will never truly understand how one human being can deliberately take the life of another. When we read about a murder in the newspaper we wonder - why? What was the motive? Perhaps knowing the motive and the circumstances of a murder somehow makes us feel a little safer because we can then make a mental checklist of what behaviors, or words, or places, or people to avoid. Is it even possible to safeguard ourselves against murder, or are we merely pawns of fate? The following books contain the stories of some very ill-fated people.

---- Kelley, MCMLS librarian


America's Most Hated Woman: The Life and Gruesome Death of Madalyn Murray O'Hair by Anne Rowe Seaman

Whatever happened to Madalyn Murray O'Hair? You may remember that she disappeared from Austin, Texas in 1995 along with her son Jon, and granddaughter Robin. Their disappearance was a mystery for years because Madalyn was so widely disliked that nobody cared enough to find out what happened to her. A newspaper reporter and a private investigator finally uncovered the shocking truth.


Judgment Ridge: The True Story Behind the Dartmouth Murders by Dick Lehr

Two popular Dartmouth college professors were brutally murdered in their home in 2001. But who killed Half and Susanne Zantop, and why? Read the tragic story of their deadly encounter with two "normal" high school boys from a neighboring town.

Confederacy of Silence: A True Tale of the New Old South by Richard Rubin

A writer returns to Leflore County, Mississippi to cover the murder trial of Handy Campbell, former Ole Miss football player. Campbell and an associate have been accused of killing a UPS delivery man. Are they guilty or is a there a miscarriage of justice in the works?

Science Fiction For People Who Don’t Like Science Fiction

Do the words "science fiction" conjure up thoughts of space operas, aliens, and dragons? Then you haven't tried these titles!

The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger combines very traditional sci-fi themes – time travel and progressive medical technology – with the trials and foibles of life. The story follows a time traveling man and the woman who will be, has been, and is his wife. At once a beautiful love story and thought provoking science fiction novel, The Time Traveler’s Wife can appeal to many different tastes.

The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon is a novel narrated by an autistic man named Lou Arrendale in the very near future. He and his autistic coworkers provide their astonishing pattern-recognition skills to a large company. A “cure” for autism is discovered, and the group is given an ultimatum – be cured or be fired. Elizabeth Moon writes tenderly and factually from Lou’s perspective, drawing from her experiences with her son’s autism.

How Like a God by Brenda Clough weaves ancient Sumerian myth with American suburbia. Rob Lewis is an ordinary man who awakes one day with the ability to read minds. His powers steadily grow until he is forced to leave his home because he is unconsciously distorting his children’s development. He drifts alone for years, trying to save people from his power, until he meets someone that can help him control it. This novel gives an imaginatively honest look at the limits of the very powerful.

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke is more in the fantasy vein, but it did win the science fiction community’s prestigious Hugo Award. It takes place in 19th century Britain in the midst of the Napoleonic Wars. The practice of magic had fallen away and been replaced by the study of magic for hundreds of years in England. Suddenly, two very different men come forward as real, practicing magicians just in time to rescue their country (and give bored society a huge boost.)

American Gods by Neil Gaiman is the story of Shadow, a man released from prison the day after his wife died. He meets a mysterious character, and in his desperation begins to travel with him. Little does he know that he has now entered a battle between all the old gods of myth and the new gods of technology. Gaiman writes with dark, quick humor, and makes his incredible story believable.

-- Jessica H, MCMLS reference assistant








Have a favorite science fiction title? Leave it in the comments!

New Oprah's Book Club Title

Love in The Time of Cholera tells the story of a love triangle that spans 50 years, and explores the many ways that we as human beings view love and marriage. You can put a copy on hold here.

I Heart Romance

I have a confession to make-- I love romance novels. From the torrid, trashy paperbacks of my youth, to the more realistic contemporary novels in my recent past, romance novels always have a place in my reading rotation. My latest obsession is Regency romances, set during the reign of the Prince Regent in England (early 19th century). Regencies tend to have lots of witty dialogue, farce elements like false marriages or mistaken identities, and an emphasis on romance versus explicit description ( although some Regencies are still plenty steamy).

--Bookedupster

Here are a few of my favorite authors:

• Lisa Kleypas-- Try her Wallflower series-- it follows the stories of four girls who are not the toast of society, but who manage to find love and marry well.



• Mary Balogh-- Balogh's books are excellent for people who love series and enjoy intertwined stories. You will see many characters appear and reappear in her Simply... and Slightly... series.



• Eloisa James-- James' heroines are particularly spirited, and her stories are imaginative. I particularly liked the Four Sisters series.

Do you have a favorite Regency author? Leave it in the comments!

Great Book Resource for Avid Readers

If you love to read ( and if you're reading this blog, I'm guessing you do!), you need to check out the website Fantastic Fiction. It's my favorite resource for upcoming titles for favorite authors-- you'll get projected release dates and a look at the cover art. Fantastic Fiction is also great for folks who love series. Under each author entry, the author's series are listed in order. I find the series listings in the actual books to often be incomplete, or difficult to decipher, so I turn to Fantastic Fiction for complete listings. Try it-- you'll like it!