Reading is the New Black: Confessions from Some of My Fave Chick Lit Authors or Why You Should Read to Write: Turning Everyday Reading into Research

I hear all the time that reading is “research”. Thank goodness, because I sure do my share of reading. My fiancé is telling me all the time that I am going to turn into a book. Well, maybe in some fairy tale universe this might be the case (or in the book Enchanted, Inc. one of my personal faves), but for now, I just tell him, “Honey, I am learning about what it takes to become a bestselling novelist. I need to “study” this in order to get my own novel off the ground.” Sure enough, that usually ends the conversation. (Okay, there may be a “whatever” thrown in or a “going to turn into a book” mumbled under his breath once more, but hey, this is how the big girls do it! Right, ladies? So I figure if I’m reading them for research, I want to find out who they read for research? Here’s what I found out in my search around the Net:

What do you think? Have you read any of the below books? Would you add any of the below books to your To Be Read (TBR) Pile?

Do you have your own Top 5 List? Top 10? Please share with me your favorite books, favorite author or favorite genre of Chick Lit?

Blogger turned best-selling author Jen Lancaster has the let-it-all-hang-out thing down pat. In Bitter Is the New Black and Bright Lights, Big Ass, she lays her life bare with trademark wit, telling us about her psycho neighbors, unemployment, boyfriend Fletch, and those pesky extra pounds. Her newest book, My Fair Lazy, is another hilarious peek into her private life. Lancaster seeks cultural enlightenment, spurning reality TV for the opera, etiquette classes, and fine cheeses. She shared with Goodreads her favorite books that both revel in and rip off popular culture.

Room for Improvement by Stacey Ballis

"Ballis is the kind of author who instantly made me want to have her be my best friend because she's so witty and insightful. Room for Improvement, a behind-the-scenes send-up of reality television, is clever, adorable, and contains so many memorable lines that I've been quoting it for three years."

Stupid and Contagious by Caprice Crane

"I was sent an early copy of this book and decided I'd give the author a blurb if it made me laugh in the first chapter. After the first page, I realized that wouldn't be an issue. Crane is the queen of pop culture references, and I completely fell in love with her quirky, perfectly imperfect characters as they travel to Seattle to sell Starbucks on a million-dollar idea."

20 Times a Lady by Karyn Bosnak (Goodreads Author)

"I adored Bosnak's memoir Save Karyn, so I was excited to read her first foray into fiction. Soon to be a major motion picture, 20 Times a Lady is a sometimes racy but always wry look back at a romantic past checkered with bad decisions and filled with side-splitting reunion scenes."

Unpredictable by Eileen Cook (Goodreads Author)

"Cook neatly answers the question, 'What would happen if I faked being a psychic in order to win back my old boyfriend?' One doesn't need to be psychic to predict the hilarity that ensues."

Bringing Home the Birkin by Michael Tonello (Goodreads Author)
"Tonello's memoir is part travelogue and part retail fantasy as he describes his jaunts across Europe in pursuit of the world's most coveted handbags. Told with an appealing mix of self-awareness and humor, Tonello's adventures never cease to delight."

http://www.goodreads.com/interviews/show/524.Jen_Lancaster

ChickLitBooks.com: What are your favorite kind of books/genres to read?

Robyn Harding: I read only deep, meaningful, heavy literature. Seriously though, I do read mostly literary fiction, but if it’s good, I’ll read it, regardless of genre. The last book I read was ‘Dress Your Family in Denim and Corduroy.” I love David Sedaris. I was also really inspired by the Bridget Jones novels. Helen Fielding is the grande-dame of chick lit. I also think Marian Keyes writes great women’s fiction.

http://chicklitbooks.com/author-interviews/interview-with-author-robyn-harding/

Cathy Yardley: I read all over the board… Romance novels, non-fiction, literary fiction, children’s books. I just read a feminist retelling of the Peter Pan legend, called “The Lost Girls” by Laurie Fox, which was mind-bending and interesting. And of course, I read Chick Lit. I was lucky enough to get an advanced copy of Marianne Mancusi’s “A Connecticut Fashionista in King Arthur’s Court,” which is hysterical!

http://chicklitbooks.com/author-interviews/interview-with-author-cathy-yardley/

Sarah Mlynowski: My favorite book (lately) is The True and Outstanding Adventures of the Hunt Sisters, by Elisabeth Robinson. It was heartbreaking, hilarious and unforgettable.

http://chicklitbooks.com/author-interviews/interview-with-author-sarah-mlynowski/

Laura Caldwell: One of my favorite books is “Making a Literary Life” by Carolyn See. I read it right before my first novel, “Burning the Map”, came out. I found it to be such a beautifully written, honest and motivating look at writing and the publishing world. I only wish I’d discovered it earlier.

http://chicklitbooks.com/author-interviews/interview-with-author-laura-caldwell/

Valerie Frankel: The only book I repeat read every few years is Pride and Prejudice. Otherwise, I’m most haunted by John Updike’s Rabbit novels.

http://chicklitbooks.com/author-interviews/interview-with-author-valerie-frankel/

ChickLitClub.com: Which book do you wish you had written?

Eileen Cook: I love Emily Giffin's Something Borrowed, Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic series, anything by Meg Cabot, and John Irving's A Prayer for Owen Meany is a favorite. In fact, there are quite a few books I would take credit for if I could.

http://www.chicklitclub.com/eileencook.html

ChickLitClub.com: What is your favorite chick lit book?


Brenda Janowitz: There truly are too many to name! There are so many writers out there who I love, such as Sophie Kinsella, Marian Keyes, Kristin Harmel, Carole Matthews, Emily Giffin, Jennifer Weiner and Melissa Senate. As for favorite books, I love the sense of humor in the Shopaholic series - Becky's voice never fails to make me laugh out loud. Marian Keyes's Watermelon was one of the first chick lit books I read, and since then, I've always loved everything she's written (especially her latest, Anybody Out There?). Her books are always funny and poignant, and that's a balance I try to strike as a writer, too. All-time favorites also include Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding (natch!), Jemima J by Jane Green, and Elegance by Kathleen Tessaro.

http://www.chicklitclub.com/brendajanowitz.html

Milly Johnson: Jane Eyre. I read this first at school and it has everything for me - passion, drama and even a hint of the supernatural. It was a very influential story - with its plain heroine and un-handsome lead male. I still hold my breath at the part where Rochester comes after her up the staircase.

http://www.chicklitclub.com/millyjohnson.html

Lindsey Kelk: I remember reading Bridget Jones's Diary when I was about 16 and being obsessed with it but since I'm such a New York obsesso-girl it's probably The Devil Wears Prada. When I first read it a few years back, some of the experiences in there were altogether too familiar... I will say no more.

http://www.chicklitclub.com/lindseykelk.html

Nicola Kraus: Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding. She also wrote Cause Celeb, which was a great book. She's a very intelligent writer.


Emma McLaughlin: Mine would be Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton. I know it is a classic but I think it fits all the chick lit criteria. It's very sexy.

http://www.chicklitclub.com/mclaughlinkraus.html

ChickLitClub.com: Who is your favorite chick lit author?


Milly Johnson:  Difficult - because I like so many diverse genres and have favorites in all of them. Classical wise - I love Charlotte Bronte and Jane Austen, contemporary-wise - I love Marian Keyes. Her writing was a great influence on me too.

http://www.chicklitclub.com/millyjohnson.html

Lindsey Kelk: I love Meg Cabot. Seriously, I just want to be her. That woman writes and writes and writes until her fingers fall off. She's never out of ideas, she writes chick lit and YA which is my dream and have you SEEN her author photo? HAWT.

http://www.chicklitclub.com/lindseykelk.html

Be sure to check back next Writer's Wednesday when I take a closer look at some of the genres within Chick Lit. What's your favorite genre to read? Write? Share with me and find out more on Writer's Wednesday every week.