Happy book review day!
I know I’ve missed a couple book review days. I’ve had some non-writing stuff going on, which has taken up all my focus and time. But now I’m back to being me again, and that means back to reading and reviewing!
I recently went through all of my books. I did pass a few on to some friends, some to the library at my school, and some to the “little free libraries” spread throughout my community. But most I kept.
Still, it is really nice to have them all organized now.
In my organizing, I dedicated an entire bookcase to books I’ve borrowed from my mother-in-law. Thank goodness she’s patient, because yes, I said an entire bookcase.
Amongst these books, one title caught my eye, so I decided to make it my next read, and now, my review for today.
This is Not Chick Lit.
Is that not a great title?
I’m a sucker for a great title.
The back cover copy includes the following synopsis:
“This Is Not Chick Lit is a celebration of America’s most dynamic literary voices, as well as a much needed reminder that, for every stock protagonist with a designer handbag and three boyfriends, there is a woman writer pushing the envelope of literary fiction with imagination, humor, and depth.
The original short stories in this collection touch on some of the same themes as chick lit–the search for love and identity–but they do so with extraordinary power, creativity, and range; they are also political, provocative, and, at turns, utterly surprising.
Featuring marquee names as well as burgeoning talents, This Is Not Chick Lit will nourish your heart, and your mind.”
The short story is a severely underrated genre. I personally love a well-crafted short story; to say and do so much in few words is meaningful, and impressive. I loved the accessibility of this collection. If I only had fifteen minutes, I could read a whole story, or at least half of one.
Yes, some stories were better than others. The reality show filming of Joan of Arc was very creative, and The Embrace really stuck with me. The themes and styles were far-reaching. I loved that there was such a variety. Realistic fiction, experimental fiction, even some science fiction. And a lot of stories that bridged, questioned, and manipulated the constraints of traditional genre characteristics.
As a writer of women’s literature, I was very influenced by this collection. I was inspired.
And I highly recommend this book. Really, it turns out it is more than just a cool title.
This week I am looking for the following: Your favourite “great title” book, or your favourite short story. Other “great title” books I like are “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” and “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k”. I usually say my favourite short story is “The Lottery”, but that may be because it is so much fun to teach. What are your favourites?
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