Hey all. :) I'm an avid chick lit reader and have been for many years. Sometimes I'll get bored with it and try to read something else only to come right back to reading books in the genre. One of my to-do things for this year was to read 75 books, but I'm only at 35, so far. I don't want to clog up your flists with the whole long list so I'll put it (with reviews) behind the always convenient eljay tag.


1. Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress - tales of growing up groovy and clueless - Susan Jane Gilman - This book had a few funny moments, and one in particular that made me laugh out loud, but I didn't think it was as great as the author's other book- Kiss My Tiara : How to Rule the World as a SmartMouth Goddess. Still, it was an entertaining read. I liked that the author started off with tales of her childhood and slowly went on to share stories about growing up and eventually becoming an adult. I would definitely be interested in reading more books like this. Final rating: 7.5

2. Holidays on Ice - David Sedaris - I've read two other books by the same author and some parts of those had me laughing out loud. This book bored me, for the most part. The last two stories in this book annoyed me. One of them was particularly too long for me and I couldn't wait for it to be over. The fourth one left me wondering what the hell had happened next. It was interesting-albeit a bit maddening, but it didn't seem to have an end. I wouldn't read this book again. Final rating: 5

3. Best of Friends- Cathy Kelly -It's weird how it seems that all books in which women are central characters are automatically thought of as "chick lit". This book deals with divorce, cancer, careers, pregnancy, and family, which aren't things that only pertain to women. That said I thought this book was interesting and worth the read. It was a little long for my taste (500+ pages), and I think the abundance of characters could've been dealt with better, but it was still worth the read. The writing could have been better; it was too simplistic for my taste, but if you can get past that it's a good read. Final rating: 8

4. Whose Wedding is it Anyway? - Melissa Senate - I'd read another book by the same author and liked it, so I was expecting to like this one too. I thought it would be funny. It wasn't. The characters were shallow and there was nothing that really drew me into the story. Quick read, but passable. Final Rating: 5.5

5. Hating Valentine's Day - Allison Rushby - I'm not ashamed to say that this is a "fluffy" book. Sometimes a girl needs a little fluff. This book was totally out there and had a sort of "Christmas Carol" thing going on with the protagonist being visited by the Valentine's Day version of all the ghosts. Can't say I really loved the book, bit did keep me busy for a few hours. Fast read with not-so-memorable characters, but enjoyable nonetheless. Final Rating: 7

6. L.A. Woman - Cathy Yardley - Yes, another book of the female sort, but this one was definitely not superficial. It's not a new concept: older woman influences young girl, but it was still an enjoyable read. I actually cared about the characters and wondered how it would all end. I felt like it could've been way more developed, and that perhaps that development would even have moved it out of the whole "chick lit" genre, but it wasn't and so the book has a not-finished feel to it. Still enjoyed it though. Final Rating: 7.5

7. Sex and the Single Witch - Various - I don't really feel like writing a review for every book I read. Three stories. One was horrible and the other two weren't.

8. One For the Money - Janet Evanovich - I really wanted to like this book. I'd read a lot of good stuff about Janet Evanovich's books and that the Stephanie Plum series is hilarious, so I got this thinking I would like it. It had it's funny moments (few), but perhaps the problem is that I don't usually like mystery/crime novels. I think my expectations for this book were way too high. The main character, Stephanie Plum, annoyed the hell out of me, and while I've read books with characters that make me go "arghhh" in frustration this one just made me want to smack her for being such an idiot. I didn't like her, I didn't sympathize with her, and just a few pages into the book I wanted to stop reading it, which is never good. I kept reading hoping it would get better, but it never did. I won't be reading the rest of the series. Final Rating: 4

9. Confessions of a Pregnant Princess- Swan Adamson - The title and the cover are deceiving. This is a very intelligent "chick lit" book. It was entertaining, interesting, and heartbreaking at the same time. Excellent. Final Rating: 8.5

10. Monkey Business- Sarah Mlynowski - This book read like being in high school again, only it was actually a group of people studying for their MBA. I liked a couple of the characters, and it was a fast read, but it pissed me off most of the time. I couldn't wait to finish it so I could start something else. Final Rating: 6

11. Audrey Hepburn - Barry Paris - I can't see anyone that doesn't have an interest in Audrey Hepburn reading this unless they just like reading biographies in general. Being an Audrey fan I enjoyed reading about her life in World War II and all the struggles she had to endure. It was interesting to see all she had to do to "make it" and to read that she really is as awesome as I already thought her to be. This biography tells about her life, even prior to her being born, and ends with the events leading up to her death. This helped make me see her as a human being who has suffered from heartache, disappointment, and any of the other things a lot of us goes through in life. Her involvement in UNICEF makes me think even more of her. She truly was an amazing woman. Final Rating: 9

12. Loves Me, Loves Me Not - Libby Malin - Entertaining, if on the superficial side. The ending seems rushed, but overall I liked it. I liked the characters. Final Rating: 7.75

13. The Anglophile - Laurie Gwen Shapiro - Nothing special, really. Likable characters, but it seems like this fluff book tries to be "smart" and never quite pulls it off. I would've liked it to be one or the other because it doesn't work trying to be both. Final Rating: 6.5

14. Marrying Up - Jackie Rose - Enjoyable somewhat fluffy read. More deep than I thought it would be, actually. I enjoyed it overall. Final Rating: 7.8

15. The Year of Living Famously - Laura Caldwell - Man (actor) and woman live a normalish life until actor gets breakthrough role that makes him a celebrity overnight. It was a very interesting read that gives a reader somewhat of an insight into what it's like being a celebrity, both the good and the bad. I loved the main characters, but thought the supporting ones could've used a lot more development. It made me feel sorry for celebrities, honestly. Final Rating: 8

16. The Corset Diaries - Katie MacAlister - It took me forever to read this. It seemed like the author was going for smutty and chick lit at the same time. It was ok. Final Rating: 7

17. Mike, Mike, and Me - Wendy Markham - I finished this one in a day, it was so good. I really liked it! Final Rating: 8.5+

18. Bare Necessity- Carole Matthews - Eh. I wouldn't read it again and I looked forward to finishing it, which is not good. Final rating: 6

19. The Kadin- Bertrice Small - Re-read. Liked it the first time and still like it. Interesting portrayal of life in the East (specifically harem life). Final Rating: 8

20. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen - After hearing that this book was great, and feeling behind, I decided to check it out. I liked it, but still think it overrated. Some parts I found funny, but for the most part it was just annoying how the littlest things were thought to be such a big deal (ie being introducted to somebody). I did, however, find the relationship between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth quite charming. A lot of the characters annoyed me, but it was in a 'love to hate' way. I won't be reading this again, but I'm curious to see if the movie is better. Final Rating: 6.5

21. The Debutate Divorcee - Plum Sykes - I was expecting this to be great, as I really liked Bergdorf Blondes, but it didn't live up to the first book at all. I found it not so funny and just...dull. I liked the characters and it was definitely a fast read, but I was disappointed. Final Rating: 6

22. Someone Like You - Cathy Kelly - I think I would've liked this one better if the author had consistently kept the friendships between the three women going instead of having them each do their own thing. I enjoyed it, but it took me forever to finish. I really liked the beginning, but my interest started to wane somewhere towards the middle/end. Final Rating: 6.5

23. For Better, for Worse - Carole Matthews - Eh. It wasn't funny, really, and some of it was frankly ridiculous. I just wanted to finish it, which is not a good sign. Final Rating: 4

24. Lost & Found - Jane Sigaloff - At first this was an ok book. Not great, but interesting. Then it went from one idea to another in a manner that was not coherent at all. I was just happy to be done with it. Final Rating: 4

25. Prep - Curtis Sittenfeld - This book made me wish I'd gone to boarding school. Sort of. I loved how the author made the character progress from her Freshman year to her Senior year and for the most part I liked the protagonist. She wasn't the most likable character, but it was interesting to read how she dealt with her boarding school teachers and peers. It wasn't great but I enjoyed it. Final Rating: 6

26. Something Blue - Emily Giffin - I really liked this one! I thought it was an excellent sequel to her first book. Very interesting and fast read. Final Rating: 8.5

27. Everyone Worth Knowing - Lauren Weisberger - Not as funny/witty/entertaining as The Devil Wears Prada, but a good second book. I found I got into it quickly, which is a plus. A solid second book, I'd say. Final Rating: 7.5

28. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown - I was pretty ambivalent about whether or not to read this. Finally decided to see what all the fuss is about and while I didn't love it, I did like it. It was very interesting and made me think about things/see things differently. I really enjoyed the first 1/3 of the book, but after that I just couldn't wait for it to be over. I didn't lose interesting, but was just tired of trying to figure out who was 'bad' and how the hell it was going to end. Now I want to see the movie. -_- Final Rating: 7

29. Bergdorf Blondes - Plum Sykes - Re-read. I think I liked it more the first time, but it was still enjoyable. It's so fluffy and a really fast read. Totally superficial but in a very good way! Final Rating: 8

30. Slightly Engaged - Wendy Markham - I'd read all the previous ones in the series and liked them, but after reading some of the reviews I had low expectations. It was, however, a very fast and easy read and I definitely seemed to like it a lot more than most reviewers on Amazon. -_- Witty, too! Final Rating: 8

31. Fashion Slaves - Louise De Teliga It took me a bit to get into this, but I don't think it was the book's fault. More than just fluff. Final Rating: 7.5

32. Baby Proof - Emily Giffin - I love books by this author. All her books (three) so far have been so interesting and easy to get into. I really enjoyed this one. :-) Final Rating: 8.5

33. Babyland - Holly Chamberlin - It took me a while to finish. Wasn't what I expected but that's not a bad thing. Had too much going on, though. Final Rating: 6.5

34. 32AA - Michelle Cunnah - Cute/likable characters. Final Rating: 7.8

35. Confessions of a Shopaholic - Sophie Kinsella - Re-read

I'm still browsing old entries so it's probably been mentioned before, but what did you guys think about Plum Syke's - The Debutate Divorcee? I really wanted to like it, especially because I loved Bergdorf Blondes, but it really did nothing for me at all. :(

I have that one The Other Side of the Story by Marian Keyes and Jennifer Weiner's Goodnight Nobody (both hardcovers) if anyone is wants to buy or trade other books for them. :)

That said, my favorite author's are Marian Keyes (though, I was rather disappointed with The Other Side of the Story and Sushi for Beginners) and Sophie Kinsella. I can't wait for Shopaholic and Baby!

Hope to get to know some of you. :) It's nice to be in a community where people aren't looked down on for reading "fluff".