Nearly two years ago, I compiled a blog post listing of chick lit books and authors that are my favorites. Read it here. Reading is a hobby I truly enjoy, and I wanted to share some of my preferred books I have read recently with the readers of my blog- that’s you! Last night, an idea came to me to write this updated listing. It seems like I always get inspired for my next blog post late at night right before bed. Like most writers, I get my best ideas in the late evening. I hope you enjoy this guide and that you will find some good books to read from it!

In my last guide, I concentrated on the authors Sophie Kinsella, Emily Giffin and Jennifer Weiner. Although they are still my favorites, I have found several other chick lit author’s books that I enjoy.

Kim Gruenenfelder is a great author and her books are geared towards women. I really enjoyed:

A Total Waste of Makeup
Misery Loves Cabernet
and
There’s Cake in my Future

Kim has a new book out that was published at the end of last year called Stay Calm and Carry a Big Drink. It is the sequel to There’s Cake in my Future. I actually found out about it on a site called Fantastic Fiction while I was doing research for this blog post. It is certainly on my list to read!

Lauren Weisberger is also a great chick lit writer. She wrote The Devil Wears Prada, which was made into a movie. Her sequel to that book, Revenge Wears Prada: The Devil Returns was published last year. Several of her books were on the New York Times Bestseller list. I would recommend:

Everyone Worth Knowing
Chasing Harry Winston
and
Last Night at Chateau Marmont

Marian Keyes is a very prominent chick lit writer who has a series of books about a family also known as the Walsh family books. I have read the first one called Watermelon and enjoyed it. It begins with one of the sisters at the hospital soon after she gave birth to her first child. Her husband left her for another woman as soon as the baby was born! The book deals with her and her family and how they come to deal with the situation and move on with their lives.

Each book in the Walsh family series features a different sister and I have started reading the second book called Rachel’s Holiday about a drug addict in rehab. I started it and wasn’t thrilled with it, but I think I’m going to give it another chance.

I don’t read chick lit books exclusively, and there are some other authors I have read recently from different genres that I have really enjoyed.

Divergent series
Everyone is talking about the Divergent series books and I am one of them. Divergent is a thrilling urban dystopian fiction debut from exciting young author Veronica Roth.

“In sixteen-year-old Beatrice Prior’s world, society is divided into five factions — Abnegation (the selfless), Candor (the honest), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent) — each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue, in the attempt to form a “perfect society.” At the age of sixteen, teens must choose the faction to which they will devote their lives. On her Choosing Day, Beatrice renames herself Tris, rejects her family’s group, and chooses another faction. After surviving a brutal initiation, Tris finds romance with a super-hot boy, but also discovers unrest and growing conflict in their seemingly “perfect society.” To survive and save those they love, they must use their strengths to uncover the truths about their identities, their families, and the order of their society itself.”

There are two other books in the trilogy called Insurgent and Allegiant. Where one book stops, the other one picks up where the story left off. The Divergent series is very popular right now and they are making the first book into a movie set to come out March 21, 2014. See the trailer here:

 

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn was a book I read for my sorority alumnae association book club and it was a twisted mess! I really enjoyed it, but it was intense and you would never believe what happened and what goes on in some people’s sick minds. It starts out with a husband who is looking for his missing wife and the train wreck that is the investigation. I can’t really explain what happens without giving everything away, but you won’t want to put this book down!

I mainly read books on my Kindle app. I use the Kindle app on both my iPad and my Android phone. You can even read books on a computer with the Kindle cloud reader. It’s good to read through the kindle app because it tells you how many pages you have left and what percentage of the book you have read. It also lets you highlight sentences and look up words you are not sure of the definition.

I’m very passionate about reading, especially chick lit authors. There was so much to say that I had to break this post up due to length. Read my next chick lit guide coming soon.