Change of Tact

I have officially moved on from rom coms. Of course, they will always hold a special place in my heart but it is too hard to find new good ones to watch. I have watched The Host way too many times now and it's not even a rom com. Unless I can get some good recs (I have literally trawled through every list of "top 100 rom coms" on the internet), I'm going to have to cease.

Instead, I have decided to try and read every good chick lit in the world, facilitated, of course, by my new e-reader. It's very overwhelming, having so many potentially good reading materials at my fingertips. I am currently working through this list: http://www.chicklitclub.com/ultimate100.html

And by "working through" this list, I mean I'm currently 14% through one of the books, Jemima J by Jane Green. It is ace of cakes and I am enjoying it. Why is UK chick lit so much better (unless you're Meg Cabot) than US chick lit? I have reason to believe that it is because UK chick lit writers tend to favour the dowdier cousin of the sophisticated, woman-about-town that the US chick lit writer adores. Of course, there is the classic Bridget Jones situation. Perhaps the epitome of the Dowdy Cousin. But there are so many others, likely following the example of Helen Fielding and her humongous-panty-wearing character.

Can we get an amen for Marian Keyes, whom I will always remember as my first foray into "adult chick lit"? Sure, I read the Boy series by Meg Cabot prior to that but I kind of consider those books to cater to teens in many ways. The first Marian Keyes book I read was Anybody Out There? The tears that fell, friends. If you find our high school copy in the middle school library and smell it, you will smell my tears of agony as I read that book many moons ago.

The thing about chick lit is that I can relax when I read it. I don't have to concentrate. I can truly lose myself in the story. I don't have to use brainpower and that is in no way an insult to the art that is chick lit. Because chick lit is an art. It is difficult to write; I have tried. You have to be funny and insightful yet moving and emotional at the right moments (not too many because I hate sappy shit). I ended that foray into chick lit very quickly as I realized that it is a lot more fun to read chick lit than to write it. I do not laugh at my own jokes (mostly because they're not very funny. My chick lit jokes, that is, because my in-person jokes are fucking hilarious. Profitability, anyone?) so there is no joy from writing it.

I can read chick lit for days but I need to take (long) breaks when I read stuff that requires more neurons. Whilst fulfilling, these are not the books of my people. No, the books of my people is the stuff of ladies like Marian Keyes, Meg Cabot, Sophie Kinsella, JANE GREEN and, of course, Helen Fielding. I didn't read Bridget Jones' Diary until two years ago and I both regret and treasure that decision immensely. I have never laughed so hard at a book in my entire life. The movie has nothing on it. The book had my sides aching and urine leaking out of places that urine leaks out of. If I had read that in my younger, more naive days (because I am so worldly and mature now. A woman-about-town, if you will. Also, do people know that reference? I am, of course, referring to Catcher Block of Down with Love fame. Ladies' man, man's man, man about town. If you have not watched that movie, please do. It changed my life), I probably wouldn't have understood all the jokes nor gained as much happiness out of it.

I must bid you adieu now as there is study to be studied (and chick lit to be read). Enjoy the day!

J