Chick Lit Lit a Fire Under Me

Ok, so I had written this entire blog already but the computer semi-crashed and there it went! Needless to say I'm miffed but oh well. I won't whine about it, I'll just redo it. (Too late, right?)

I was writing about how I have too much free time right now and unfortunately, that can lead to idleness. I am sure there are a ton of worthwhile pursuits for one to undertake but I am also very broke until tonight at midnight. Woo-hoo! But anyway, I have been doing a lot of reading- catching up on a decade's worth of chick lit. I used to see those eye-catching covers at Target and think, "Whoa, what is this about?" because there was something so cool about pastels and women drinking martinis and sassy titles like " Wolves in Chic Clothing" that got me all interested but oddly enough, I never bought any. Maybe I had already embraced Christianity and was afraid the chick lit was going to be too steamy. But now that I've read two books (one I got like two years ago or more but it was still way late in the game) I see that they are not the smutty trash that is a Jackie Collins novel, which I used to read in junior high. The sex can be neatly skipped over by advancing about two paragraphs. And they're not like romance novels either. Not cheesy or predictible. Although, critics do complain that chick fic (another term) is formulaic. Hmm...like with every bestselling "formula" it does breed imitators not worth reading but I think it's light, fun and witty. The women are ultramodern and there is a secret knowledge to be gleaned of all things fabulous. (Of course "Sex and the City" was originally a chick lit novel by Candace Bushnell before it was a runaway TV hit.)
The covers are very deceitful and just meant to hook customers. One book had a photo of what looks like women playing footsie with each other under the table and yet if you read a blurb about "In Her Shoes" you'll find it's actually about two sisters. Maybe one of them is involved in sexual experimentation but I doubt it. It doesn't seem that way from the summary I read.
I am currently reading (like two years late) "The Devil Wears Prada" and yesterday I read "Mine Are Spectacular!" (another weird title-and cover-that has nothing really to do with the story).
Some of the chick lit sub-genres include Mystery Lit, Bigger Girl Lit (of which Bridget Jones is the "biggest"), Mom Lit (not checking that out any time soon), Teen Lit (love it!), Hen Lit (for the older set but seems worth a read), Paranormal/Fantasy Lit (for the witches and vampires and those who love them), Multicultural Chick Lit (which is broken down into African American, Indian, Latina, and Asian), Working Girl Lit, Single Girl Lit, Glamour Lit (as in glamorous career and of course those all overlap for the most part), and..Lad Lit. By men. I thought men didn't know anything about women?
The weirdest thing about all this is that all along, or at least for a while now, there has been Christian chick lit. I had noticed it at Target- books like "The Yada Yada Prayer Group" but I was always "not interested". I guess I am very strict about what I consider "real" Christianity and so I am very wary of the religious world-at-large. I may give the books a chance but more importantly, I am thinking of penning my own. Got a title in mind, too. But sorry, I'm not sharing here. But actually some of these subgenres overlap and there are African American authors of Christian chick lit (most African Americans have a religious background, so it makes sense) and one book I'm going to have to rush out and get is "He's Fine...But is He Saved?" It shows that many women think as I do.
By the way, the first chick lit book I bought and read, "Angels" by Marian Keyes, was hilarious and I read it very quickly but it was one I got by default since her other books were only available in that horrible rip-off trade size paperback. Who were the greedy monsters behind that scam??? It's like a whole seven dollars more than regular paperbacks! And most chick lit is sold in these outrageous sizes. It's a crime! The fifteen books I plan to devour during my break are all free- from the library free. "The Devil Wears Prada" is a chick lit classic and I hope "the Devil" does not dissappoint. (THERE'S A SENTENCE YOU NEVER THOUGHT I'D UTTER!)