I love to read. Hands down it is my favorite past time. I love getting lost in a book. I love to experience the world ~ the past, the present and the future, through someone else's eyes. I enjoy allowing my mind to wander off into different experiences that I, in the real world, will probably never experience (thank goodness, in some cases).
I have been a voracious reader since I was a child. My first can't put it down finds included The Little House Book Set, Judy Blume (Superfudge & Blubber and then, later, Are You There God? & Forever), The sweet Valley High books and everything by V.C. Andrews. When I was 13 I started swiping my older sisters' romance novels (Jude Deveraux and Johanna Lindsey were their faves) and most of my reading during my teens and early twenties, when not occupied with text books, was confined to the romance genre. I gobbled up anything and everything by Deveraux, Lindsey, Garwood, McNaught and Roberts. After graduate school I discovered chicklit and stumbled upon one of my still very favorite authors - Marian Keyes! LOVE HER. Finally, a few years ago, I expanded my literary world thanks to my Book Club and I have read some truly fabulous books that I otherwise might have missed out on. Such books include The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, The Thirteenth Tale, The Time Traveler's Wife, People of The Book and our current pick - Water For Elephants.
Since I finished Water, I just started our next pick - Jane Green's Swapping Lives. I have read Jane Green for years, but somehow, I missed this one along the way. We decided to go for some lighter reads for the summer months and Swapping Lives, since Green is considered chicklit, falls into that category. I'm about 150 pages into it and finding it quite enjoyable. It kinda ticks all my boxes ... it is fun, it is entertaining, it makes me laugh AND it makes me think. Rather than writing this one (or this genre!) off as fluff ... I recommend checking your bias at the door, because often chicklit examines some heavy and pertinent stuff. Have you ever been unhappy with your life, but didn't know how to change that? Have you ever struggled to keep up or meet someone else's expectations for your life? Have you ever been in an unhealthy or toxic friendship or romantic relationship? Heavy. Stuff. Chicklit!
What ticks your literary boxes?
We read the same stuff growing up. My all time favorite was Where the Red Fern Grows. I also remember sneaking The Thornbirds when I was far too young.
ReplyDeleteI love the chick lit too. Marian Keyes is awesome (thanks for introducing me) and I love Jennifer Weiner.
I am so excited to see Water for Elephants. That book was amazing.