The Summer of Chick Lit and Me

     If you read my blog or are a member of any book groups on Goodreads, you may know that I am a bit of a Goodreads junkie (Self-proclaimed, of course – I have never been good about denying things – I’m like one of those people who wears my expression all over my face.) I recently joined a new group called, Book Blog Networking, and it is turning into one of my favorite groups on GR. It is a wonderful networking tool. It provides access to limitless book review blogs. I have met some really great people who share the same interests in reading and blogs as me; and finally, the network is a great place to sound off ideas, troubleshoot technical problems and get help and advice on any other aspect of blogging that might pop up. It has also inspired me to create a second blog and to be more diligent about posting on my original blog.


     This summer I am participating in (yet another) reading challenge with the GR group, Red Dress Ink Fans; and although I am off to a slow start (with nothing but a poor excuse), my goal is to post the books I read and write a review for each one as I cross them off my TBR list. The current challenge is what I consider a “Reading Scavenger Hunt”. You must find books that fit into various categories and after you’ve used a book for one category, you cannot double up and count it for another category. For example, the first book I read is going to be part of a three (3) book series for a 25 point task that correspond with a City, State, and Country. I just finished listening to the unabridged audio book of All-American Girl by Meg Cabot (country), am currently reading the paperback, I Heart New York Lindsey Kelk and I plan to either read Hollywood Car Wash by Lori Culwell or listen to Intimate Adventures of a London Call Girl by Belle du Jour to round out the category.

     Below you can see the book covers of all the books on my reading challenge list, each corresponding with a specific category. If you are dying to read a review for one of the books on my list, please let me know and I will prioritize it on my TBR list this summer. (Sometimes I have a hard time choosing which one to read next because to me (of course) they all look great! So really, you’d be doing me a favor by making a request. Thanks so much. And, enjoy!

     All-American Girl is the first in a two-book series by Meg Cabot, narrated by Ariadne Myers, that follows Samantha Madison as she comes of age in the Presidential setting of Washington, D.C. Samantha is in high-school who has a passion for drawing and her sister’s boyfriend, Jack. As much as she loves art, she despises Susan Boone’s drawing classes, which she has been mandated to take since being caught charging students at John Adams Preparatory High for her celebrity caricatures. One day when Samantha decides she’s going to skip SB’s art class, she stands in a crowd to watch as a parade takes place in the heart of DC’s political arena. She notices an odd-looking man listening to Billy Joel’s Uptown Girl on repeat, and before she even has time to think about what she’s doing, Samantha finds herself jumping in the middle of a bullet from Mr. Uptown Girl and Mr. President, himself. Her courage and bravery catapult her into the spotlight (that and a broken arm that brings her to a local hospital) and Sam becomes an overnight celebrity. Everyone knows her name and everyone wants to be her friend – kids at school even start dressing in all black just like her. She never could have imagined life like this and now she must grow up and learn about relationships, love, family, the way of the world, and a little bit of politics in front of the public eye. Will everyone find out that she has a huge crush on her sister’s boyfriend? Will everyone start idolizing Gwen Stefani and become fascinated with art and drawing? Finally, what about David, he president’s son? Could Samantha be developing feelings for him? As her art teacher so eloquently puts, hear what happens when Samantha learns the difference between “seeing and knowing” and “hearing and listening” in this YA audio book. Ariadne Myers, who has put the voice to many YA audio books, by other Chick Lit authors such as Sarah Mlynowski, does an excellent job creating a different tone for each character in Meg Cabot’s All-American Girl. From “rebel” Jack, teen queen and big sister, Lucy to Presidential hunk and artist, David and of course, the red-headed, average, middle child Samantha and all the characters in between, Myers creates a believable world of young adult life in Washington, DC.

     I can’t wait to listen to what happens in the sequel, Ready or Not.

     Rating: 3 out of 5 STARS.

One Dream Come True: Chick Lit Audio Book Reviews by Me

As you already know if you read my blog, one of my greatest loves of all is the Chick Lit or Women's Fiction genre. Since about 2000 or 2001 I have been reading these "candy covered books" full of stories of everything related to women's lives, tackling topics of love, passion and betrayal to weddings, babies and motherhood and even the hardships of moving to a new city, death and grief. To be fair, this is only a minute sampling of subjects that you will find upon opening one of these books.

One of my first experiences to finding out about these books was at a job I had in Boston. I worked at a Trade Show Company amongst many other women and we had a large book shelf where we swapped books with each other. A few of the women I befriended received books at least once a month, some even more frequently, from one of Harlequin Publisher's affiliates, Red Dress Ink, which solely produced books of the Chick Lit genre. I had instant access to new titles and authors and living in the city, the library provided a whole world of books that I'd learned of from these women. On my train ride to and from my apartment in Somerville everyday, I read and read and read. I probably read two to three books a week...and my love for Chick Lit grew.

Years later, since leaving that job and the city (and Red Dress Ink has since retired its production of books), I have actively sought out resources on the web more than ever. I began with my local library's website to see what books were available at the library close to my current place of work. To my pleasant surprise, in this age of ever-advancing technology that I live in, I came across a new online library called Overdrive Media. Ever since discovering this awesome site, full of e-books and audio books, I have been checking out books on my library card to the max! and listening to audio books in my car, while I cook, make dinner and anywhere else I can plug in my iPod.

Around the same time, I also became active on Goodreads, a wonderful social networking Web site that acts as a virtual book club and and a whole lot more. You can find any book or author ever published, including plot summaries and author bios, win free books in daily giveaways, start your own group (on any topic you want) and find friends who share common interests. This is only the beginning of it, too. If interested, you will have to scope it out for yourself.

I joined the Chick Lit Book Club and soon was asked to become co-leader of the group with the fabulous woman who started it all. I soon found many women (and even a few men) who shared my passion for reading, writing and Chick Lit in general. One day, while talking a lot about shared interests and dreams of penning our own Chick Lit novel, a fellow Book Club member suggested I create another group called the Chick Lit Writers group. I was elated to find people as eager as I was about the subject and activity of writing and even more excited that they specifically wanted to write Chick Lit.

Other than these two sites, I know have a long list of sites I go to that I consider to be real gems for all things related to chick lit. One of my all time Favorite Chick Lit websites is the Chick Lit Club. It originates in Australia and has everything you could ever possibly want to now about the genre, from author bios and interviews, to book reviews, plot summaries, top ten lists, books-made-into-movies news and so much more! Recently, I mentioned this site on one of the Chick Lit Writers discussion boards and one of our members mentioned to me that she had seen on the Site's contact page that its Founder and is always seeking out new contributors, reviewers and women, in general, from around the globe who are passionate about Chick Lit. Additionally, another woman who participates in the Chick Lit Club had shared with me some of her freelance work on various women's Web sites and magazines. It was really inspiring to see that such opportunities to write existed for women like myself. I was eager to seek out a similar opportunity to get my foot in the door into the world of writing (especially one that included a Web site that I fully supported). As an avid chick lit reader and aspiring writer, I jumped at the opportunity to contact the Chick Lit Club's leader to see if I might be granted permission to try my hand at writing for her Web site.

I noticed the Chick Lit Club had an overwhelming number of regular book reviewers from everywhere, but especially women from the U.S. In fact at the time, the site was trying to increase its diversity of women by adding a reviewer from India. I thought for sure I would never get the chance to write for this site as just another American woman who loved to read Chick Lit...so I began to brainstorm....how can I be different from the other women reviewers from the United States on this site? How can I contribute in a unique way to benefit both the Chick Lit Club and myself? And that's when I came up with my proposal to the site's creator....

Luckily, the Chick Lit Club's creator accepted my request!! And ever since, the Chick Lit Club Presents Audio Books by Cathy Herbert. Please click on the link to check out my exclusive page where I have been reviewing unabridged audio books. I listen to all the latest and classic Chick Lit books and rate them from 1-10. Click Here For Reviews on How I Hear It: http://www.chicklitclub.com/audio-books.html

Currently reviewed on the Site:

Baby Proof by Emily Giffin; Narrated by Christine Marshall (2006)

Bitter is the New Black: Confessions of a Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smartass, or, Why You Should Never Carry a Prada Bag to the Unemployment Office by Jen Lancaster, Narrated by Jaime Heinlein (2006)

L.A. Candy by Lauren Conrad; Narrated by Lauren Conrad (2009)

Passion, Betrayal and Killer Highlights by Kyra Davis; Narrated by Gabra Zackman (2006)

Sex, Murder and a Double Latte by Kyra Davis; Narrated by Gabra Zackman (2005)

Shoe Addicts Anonymous by Beth Harbison; Narrated by Orlagh Cassidy (2007)

The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger; Narrated by Bernadette Dunne (2002)

The First Assistant: A Continuing Tale From Behind the Hollywood Curtain by Clare Naylor and Mimi Hare (2006)

Thyme Out/Second Thyme Around by Katie Fforde; Narrated by Davina Porter (1999)

And Many More To Come...

Note: I also review regular books at the Chick Lit Club, as often as I find the time to submit them. Because I am so focused on my exclusive audio book page, I have mostly been submitting those reviews, but who knows. As time goes by, and my review writing gets caught up tot he current book I'm listening to, I will probably spend my time more equally reviewing both new and classic paperback and audio books. Hopefully, this is a start of many new opportunities and writing prospects to come but for now, what more could a girl like me who loves to read and write Chick Lit ask for?