Magnet #790 - Charleston, SCChicklit. Anyone who knows me knows I hate chicklit.
Love my romance books. Love the historicals, even when they feature Southern Belles, like this magnet from Charleston. Love my contemporaries. And you know I LOVE y category (except Harlequin, depending on the author). Dude, I can even hang with Paranormals. Kinda.
But chicklit? With its neurotic heroines? No.
In fact, I'll go you one unpopular opinion further that might make you hate me: I hate Bridget Jones.
Yes. I said it. I hate Bridget Jones. I blame her for the plethora of chicklit in the marketplace.
If there's anything I can't stand, it's a heroine I can't look up to. I don't care that she gets the guy in the end. I have to put up with her silliness before getting there - the embarrassing moments, the insecurities, the gaffes, the social ineptitude, and through it all her indomitable and quirky spirit survives!
Only to find out she hasn't really changed, that finding her true love who accepts her for who she is, quirkiness and all, and thennnnn, we have to sit through another movie of basically the same gags. Ugh. I know. I'm not human.
Look, I read romances because it's an escape for me. It's about the hot guy and the fun romance. It's about love conquering all. But for me, there has to be some aspect of the heroine that I respect. Honestly, why would I want to read about someone who is possibly as neurotic as me?
So here's my dilemma. As much as I hate chicklit, I love the trade paperback format. Bigger, easier to hold open on a subway, and dammit, sometimes cuter covers!
I get sucked in by a cute cover with a contemporary design, a British flag, with somewhat intriguing sales copy on the back, and yes, even a quote from Meg Cabot, and I'm walking out with a $4.98 B&N bargain book about a quirky movie star who moves to London to find herself and her true love.
First few pages, sucked right in.
Next few pages, heroine's internal thoughts still seemed ok, even though she's starting to lose her cool.
Next couple of pages, she's totally headed to the land of no return, as I wait for her to redeem herself. She doesn't.
By the next few pages, she's totally taken up residence in the land of no return with a complete heroine breakdown, with yelling and sushi and massages from her half-Asian assistant named Akira.
And, by page 27, she thinks that "Asians always had that magical touch."
WHAT?
Yeah. Done. So done that I'm recycling the book. In the trash.
On Earth Day, no less.
2 comments:
I really don't know why you keep getting sucked in by the pretty covers when you *know* you'll hate it by chapter 3. Before you go book shopping, you should always consult with me. Or better yet, take me with you.
Now go read the Sarah MacLean.
Oh!! I SOOOOOOOOOOO understand where you're coming from!!! I hate those empty-headed bimbos with a passion. Can't read them at all -- but I have wised up over the years and don't waste my money on buying ANY of them. I bet you could get some cool prints of the book covers and just put those up on a rotating basis. "This week, I'm featuring the actress who goes to the point of no return and there is this cool abstract art of the Union Jack..." Then next month, it's the story of a hot young doctor who throws caution to the wind to save children in the jungle and find a HOT new lover with a book cover to die for -- such fun and you don't have to waste your time trying to read such tripe!!!! [The covers are the best part of so many of those books.] Yeah, I know, don't judge and all -- but hey, life is short. And there are so many books...
Post a Comment