My favorite authors and top book recommendations.

I have always loved to read fiction books and most of the books I have chosen over the past 10 years are categorized as chick lit. These books address issues of modern womanhood, often humorously and lightheartedly.  If you like chick lit, you should check these authors out:

1.  Sophie Kinsella: Her real name is Madeline Wickham and Kinsella is her pen name. She has written books under both names. I have read practically everything she’s written. I started off with the Shopaholic books and then discovered her stand alone novels which I liked even more. I could like these books so much because I have Shopaholic tendencies myself…  Her books always have twists and turns and unexpected endings. Her writing draws you in and as you read you get hooked. She also ties humor into her books. Here are some of my favorites by Kinsella:

Shopaholic series:  Confessions of a Shopaholic, Shopaholic takes Manhattan, Shopaholic Ties the Knot, Shopaholic and Sister, Shopaholic and Baby, and Mini Shopaholic.

“Becky Bloomwood has what most twenty-five-year-olds only dream of: a flat in London’s trendiest neighborhood, a troupe of glamorous socialite friends, and a closet brimming with the season’s must-haves. The only trouble is, she can’t actually afford it — not any of it. Her job writing at Successful Saving magazine not only bores her to tears, it doesn’t pay much at all. Still, how can she resist that perfect pair of shoes? Or the divine silk blouse in the window of that ultra-trendy boutique?

But lately Becky’s been chased by dismal letters from Visa and the Endwich Bank — letters with large red sums she can’t bear to read — and they’re getting ever harder to ignore. She tries cutting back; she even tries making more money. But none of her efforts succeeds. Her only consolation is to buy herself something … just a little something… Finally, a story arises that Becky actually cares about, and her front-page article catalyzes a chain of events that will transform her life — and the lives of those around her — forever.”

Can you Keep a Secret?:  “Meet Emma Corrigan, a young woman with a huge heart, an irrepressible spirit, and a few little secrets: Secrets from her boyfriend: I’ve always thought Connor looks a bit like Ken. As in Barbie and Ken. Secrets from her mother: I lost my virginity in the spare bedroom with Danny Nussbaum while Mum and Dad were downstairs watching Ben-Hur. Secrets she wouldn’t share with anyone in the world: I have no idea what NATO stands for. Or even what it is. Until she spills them all to a handsome stranger on a plane. At least, she thought he was a stranger.…Until Emma comes face-to-face with Jack Harper, the company’s elusive CEO, a man who knows every single humiliating detail about her…”

Remember Me?: “When twenty-eight-year-old Lexi Smart wakes up in a London hospital, she’s in for a big surprise. Her teeth are perfect. Her body is toned. Her handbag is Vuitton. Having survived a car accident—in a Mercedes no less—Lexi has lost a big chunk of her memory, three years to be exact, and she’s about to find out just how much things have changed.

Somehow Lexi went from a twenty-five-year-old working girl to a corporate big shot with a sleek new loft, a personal assistant, a carb-free diet, and a set of glamorous new friends. And who is this gorgeous husband—who also happens to be a multimillionaire? With her mind still stuck three years in reverse, Lexi greets this brave new world determined to be the person she…well, seems to be. That is, until an adorably disheveled architect drops the biggest bombshell of all.

Suddenly Lexi is scrambling to catch her balance. Her new life, it turns out, comes complete with secrets, schemes, and intrigue. How on earth did all this happen? Will she ever remember? And what will happen when she does?”

2.  Emily Giffin: This great author from Atlanta, Georgia hasn’t written a lot of novels. But one of her novels was made into a movie (Something Borrowed). All her novels are about women and relationships. As you are reading, the stories always unfold about a women’s life and you don’t really know where the story is going until you are almost done. But, her writing is phenomenal and she makes the reader really care about her characters. I like how she ties in characters of old books she has written into her new books even if they are not part of that series. She has a new book called Where we Belong coming out on June 24.  Here are some of my favorites from Giffin:

Heart of the Matter: “Tessa Russo is the mother of two young children and the wife of a renowned pediatric surgeon.  Despite her own mother’s warnings, Tessa has recently given up her career to focus on her family and the pursuit of domestic happiness. From the outside, she seems destined to live a charmed life.

Valerie Anderson is an attorney and single mother to six-year-old Charlie–a boy who has never known his father.  After too many disappointments, she has given up on romance–and even to some degree, friendships–believing that it is always safer not to expect too much.

Although both women live in the same Boston suburb, the two have relatively little in common aside from a fierce love for their children.  But one night, a tragic accident causes their lives to converge in ways no one could have imagined.”

Something Borrowed: “Something Borrowed tells the story of Rachel, a young attorney living and working in Manhattan. Rachel has always been the consummate good girl—until her thirtieth birthday, when her best friend, Darcy, throws her a party. That night, after too many drinks, Rachel ends up in bed with Darcy’s fiancé. Although she wakes up determined to put the one-night fling behind her, Rachel is horrified to discover that she has genuine feelings for the one guy she should run from. As the September wedding date nears, Rachel knows she has to make a choice. In doing so, she discovers that the lines between right and wrong can be blurry, endings aren’t always neat, and sometimes you have to risk all to win true happiness. Something Borrowed is a phenomenal debut novel that will have you laughing, crying, and calling your best friend.”

3.   Jennifer Weiner: Now, I have only read two of her many books, (Good in Bed and Then Came You) but she is a great chick lit writer and has a wide variety of novels out. I enjoyed both of the books immensely and her stories are fun to read. Like Giffin, Jennifer Weiner makes you really care about the characters in her books. Good in Bed deals with women’s issues with body image that many women can relate to. Weiner’s new book called The Next Best Thing comes out on July 3. Here is my favorite of the two I’ve read from Weiner:

Then Came You: “The lives of four very different women intertwine in unexpected ways in this new novel by bestselling author Jennifer Weiner (In Her Shoes; Best Friends Forever). Each woman has a problem: Princeton senior Jules Wildgren needs money to help her dad cure his addiction; Pennsylvania housewife Annie Barrow is gasping to stay financially afloat; India Bishop yearns to have a child, an urge that her stepdaughter Bettina can only regard with deeply skepticism until she finds herself in a most unexpected situation. Interlocking dramas designed to ensnare; bound to be a bestseller.”

Honorable Mentions: Some of my other favorites (not necessarily chick lit) that you should check out.

• The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins
• The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer
• The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Series by Ann Brashares
• My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult
• The Help by Kathryn Stockett
• The Host by Stephenie Meyer

On my List to Read:

• A Total Waste of Makeup by Kim Gruenenfelder
• Last Night at Chateau Marmont by Lauren Weisberger
• Certain Girls by Jennifer Weiner
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Series by Steig Larsson
• 40 Love by Madeline Wickham
• Every Boy’s Got One by Meg Cabot

Websites about books that you should look up:

• GoodReads: here you can keep track of what you have read and what you want to read. It allows you to follow your Facebook friends’ bookshelves, review books, and keep track of what you are reading currently, sharing all the information with your Good Reads friends

• Fantastic Fiction: This is a site based out of the U.K. that my boyfriend’s dad told me about. It allows you to look up book and authors and see everything they have ever written and upcoming novels they are working on. A good feature of this site is that it tells you if certain books are in a series and what order they are in. Although it doesn’t have a great web design, it is a useful site.

Please let me know if you decide to read any book I recoommend in the comments of this blog.

Happy Reading!