I love chick lit!

In the past week I have finished two chick lit books. This is no new phenomenon for me -- last fall I went through an Anna Maxted phase while I worked briefly as a drive-thru teller at US Bank. The best part of the job was that I could read when I didn't have any customers. And read I did, relishing every juicy, gossipy, romance obsessed, fashionista word. I went through every one of Maxted's books in a matter of weeks. My devouring of the chick lit genre slowed considerably after I started this job. Here the only reading I do is the technical editing of real estate appraisals that are so boring it is necessary to drink excessive amounts of coffee to keep myself awake in my prison like cubicle, locked away from the light of day forty hours a week.

My latest read was The Nanny Diaries, a book I purchased over a year ago. Given that I was a nanny at the time and didn't want to focus on the insane aspects of my job any more than I couldn't help myself from doing anyway, I put it aside for what turned out to be a long while.

I am pleased to say I really enjoyed this book. I was impressed with the storyline, especially the ending which rang so true. A certain rawness was exposed in the characters, not blatantly, but enough that they developed realistically. Now I am planning to read McLaughlin and Kraus' next book, Citizen Girl.

Before The Nanny Diaries, I read Emily Giffin's Something Borrowed in 6 hours. I was flying from New York back to Spokane and it was a combination of "couldn't put it down" and "bored out of mind" that lead to my speedy read of this 275 page novel. It was espeically fun to read a story set in New York (also true with The Nanny Diaries) having just been there. This story is the kind of romance that really makes you swoon. I love the profile of the protagonist, Rachel's, career. She is so successful, yet yearning for love and a family at the same time. She is the kind of down to earth sensible gal that is inside of each of us. You can't help but want to see her come out on top. I love seeing women portrated in literature as feminine, girly, independent, successful and yet not perfect. I guess that's why it's called chick lit.

Next week, I fly to Baltimore so I've lined up The Devil Wears Prada and The Wonder Spot. I can't wait to board the plane. In the meantime, I have some serious packing and moving to do!